Experiences with Dr. Charles?

[Lewis71]

I am 22 years old and I have been suffering with hairloss since I was 17.

I would say that I am a Norwood 2. In looking for a potential hair surgeon, I researched Dr. Leonard in Massachusetts, Dr. Cam Simmons in Ontario, and Drs. Nusbaum and Charles in Florida.

 

In June of this year, I met with both Nusbaum and Charles in their respective offices. I met with Nusbaum first, and I was taken with his warmth and calm demeanor. As he examined my scalp and drew my potential hairline,I felt like I was in good hands. Nusbaum noted that I have strong donor hair and proposed 2300 FUT grafts, but wanted me to begin a Propecia regiment for at least six months before I went in for the procedure. I thought that was a fair assessment.

 

I met with Dr. Charles the next day. Like Nusbaum, Charles was friendly and I was impressed with his passionate enthusiasm. Additionally, I liked the hair line Charles drew for me, as it would cover some of the loss I have experienced on the sides/temple area (Nusbaum was against doing this). However, I was not too impressed with his before/after results that were featured in a photo album in his waiting room.

 

Now, here is my question: Is Dr.Charles one of the best doctors, or would I be better off looking at someone else? I know he is recommended on this site, but I'm somewhat conflicted because of Dr. Charles' disclipanary action in Minnesota (where he forgot to re up his med license) and also a smear website I came across (drglenncharles.com).

 

 

 

 

Any feedback would be appreciated.

[RCWest]

I can completely overlook him forgetting to renew his license. Seems kind of a silly thing to be wrote up about when you actually have unlicensed doctors still trying to work.

 

In my opinion Dr. Charles is of a very high caliber and you would do well with him.

[Ahairdown]

At only 22 years old you shouldn't be in any hurry to have a hair transplant. What is your family history of MPB?

[corvettester]

Hey dude,

 

Seems far too young to be considering a hair transplant.

 

I'm surprised either of the docs agreed to work on you even though you're only a NW2. I would think that they'd at least want to wait until you're 25 and have been on Propecia for a year or two.

 

It's good that you're doing consultations, but I'd put the brakes on this decision if I were you. I'd spend the next couple years monitoring my hair loss and the efficacy of medication, while researching hair transplantation, FUT/FUE.

 

However, I was not too impressed with his before/after results that were featured in a photo album in his waiting room.

 

This says it all. To me this would be a deal-breaker. I mean, if you're not impressed with his work, why even consider him in the first place? Why ask the community's opinion? You're the one that is going to have to live with it, not us.

 

I don't know if I'd agree with RCWest about overlooking disciplinary actions against Dr. Charles in Minnesota (that is, if it's true). I mean, I wouldn't drive a vehicle if I knew that my driver's license had expired... how can something as important as this slip through the cracks?

 

 

Corvettester

Edited August 23, 2011 by corvettester
Added "(that is, if it's true)." because it could be hearsay.

[orlhair1]

I agree that you are really young for a HT. You have to plan for the future with a limited supply of donor hair. Why not try propecia and minoxidil for a year and see how it does for you? Then as Corvettester has recommended wait until you are at least 25 to consider a HT. In the meantime, you can continue to review the work of the various top clinics and ultimately decide where you want to have work done.

[Lewis71]

I appreciate the responses so far. I did find it interesting, given my age, that both doctors nusbaum and Charles agreed to perform a transplant if I wanted one. I suppose every case is different. To their credit, both doctors reminded me that my hairloss could get worse, and that I must be conservative in my hopes. Neither pushed me to schedule.

 

In response to an earlier post, I posed the question re Charles because I know that he has such a solid reputation. He's been referred to on this site as "elite" and "world class". That's why I pursued a consultation. The issues with the smear website, the before/after pics, and the incident in Minnesota prompted me to reach out to this community.

 

I wanted to know if anyone else had read about these things and/or any positive or negative experiences they have had with Dr. Charles.

[bonkerstonker]

There was a poster on here a few month ago who really had it in for Charles but my guess was it was a fake poster anyway bill looked into it and quickly deleted the thread or locked it but I think it was deleted so if I was you I'd speak to bill as he did research into it before he removed the thread and will be aware of the situation.

 

For me Dr Charles has always been helpful and his work has always looked well above average.

[Lewis71]

I just wanted to clarify my statement regarding Charles'

before/afters. I do believe that the ones I saw were appropriate for the

individual that they were given to. Perhaps, like many of you, I was hoping to see amazing transformations--not just relative improvements.

 

If anyone here has had a procedure with Charles I would love to hear about it. I have read many immediate post-op reviews that were glowing. But I want to know how the results years later have turned out. His practice seems like a good fit, but I just want to make sure that I'm doing my due diligence in research.

 

Also, if any of the moderators (Bill, Pat, etc) had any thoughts, I would certainly like to hear from them.

 

Thanks.

[orlhair1]

I consulted with Dr. Charles and he was on my short list. Ultimately everyone has to make a decision and I would have been very comfortable with him doing my surgery. At the end of the day, I decided to go with SMG, but that was not because I did not have complete confidence in Dr. Charles.