Dr ron Shapiro,Dr Feller or Dr Sharon Keene???

[idyllic420]

Hello evryone,

I am 26 year old male considering a HT. I live in delaware right now and have had hair loss issue since last 7-8 years. I have considerable hair loss from crown till the hair line.Please advice me which doctor is the best for my situation?

[Severn]

I'm obviously biased towards Ron Shapiro since I did my procedure there. However I considered all three of those when deciding. Matt and Dr. Shapiro were very patient with all my questions in the months leading up to the surgery and I'm very satisfied with the results after my second touch up.

 

I consulted with Dr. Keene, and out of all the docs she was by far the most conservative on recommended grafts. She was only wanting to put 1200 so I didn't think that was enough. Dr. Shapiro suggested 2500 to 3000 which was the amount needed IMO. I tried several times to set something up with Dr. Feller but I could not even get a consultation with them. They never got back with me even after mutliple emails and calls.

 

But you might also want to consider Hasson and Wong since you have considerable loss and they specialize in the larger mega sessions.

[idyllic420]

thank you for the info...hw bad does the scalp gets after the transplant...will i be able to shave my head ever again after the surgery. I have trimmed my hair very short right now and I kinda like that look also

[Severn]

If choosing strip surgery, you won't be able to shave or buzz it without at least a faint scar showing. No matter how good the surgeon is, if a scalpel cuts into the flesh it's goint to leave some type of scar. Even FUE will leave small white dots. However I am not sure FUE is even an option for you since it sounds like you would be having a sizeable procedure.

 

But since you said you have your hair buzzed really short and you like it that way, maybe you should just go with the shaved look. Once you start down the hair transplant path, there is no returning to a shaved or short buzzed haircut.

[js2004]

I went to Dr Feller last year for small fue procedure, I live in Pa he did a great job and its only a couple hour drive, Having another small fue done in Oct It looked fine in a week or so.

[idyllic420]

severn u had one sitting of 3000 grafts. how much did it cost? how are doctors on bosleys network? Thanks in advance!

[orlhair1]

I also had a great experience with SMG. You can read and see details on my site below. I woul recommend staying away from Bosley.

[hairthere]

Bosley? No, don't even go there. Stick with the other three docs you mentioned. I have been to Dr. Feller for 3 procedures and the experiences were all top notch in every way....

[HARIRI]

I would go with Dr. Ron Shapiro if strip but if FUE was needed then it would be Dr. Feller. However Shapiro is cheaper than Feller rates IMO.

[jessie1]

Hariri,

 

Cheeky questions if i may,

 

Why would you choose Feller over R Shapiro for FUE?

 

In your opinion, does R Shapiro have confidence in FUE? (this sounds like a silly question but some Docs provide FUE but seem to lack confidence in it),

 

Jessie

[hairthere]

"this sounds like a silly question but some Docs provide FUE but seem to lack confidence in it"

 

The reason they might lack confidence is that they have not been doing it as long. FUE really is a whole other skill set from strip. If I'm not mistaken, Shapiro and Rahal just started offering fue over the past year or two. Dr. Feller has been doing it much longer. He is also very knowledgeable of the tools he uses for fue extraction as he invented them.

[Severn]

severn u had one sitting of 3000 grafts. how much did it cost? how are doctors on bosleys network? Thanks in advance!

 

I had a small amount of work done by Bosely long ago. They royally screwed it up and I even looked into sueing them. It was after that I discovered they are a very shady operation that have been sued many many times. The lead DA in Los Angeles had gone after them years ago to shut them down. They do very poor substandard work and rely on mass media infomercial blitz to get their customers. But now the internet forums and testimonials have started to sink their little scam. Last I heard a couple of years ago they were in danger of going under.

 

The price I paid at SMG was $5/graft up to 2000 grafts then $3 for every graft after that IIRC.

[HARIRI]

Not silly question at all... Dr. Feller have a lot of experience in FUE and very good reputation, he has loads of documented before and after photos online. You can ask Spex to show you some FUE wonders. That some top Doctors go to him to be trained. I love Ron Shapiro but as a strip surgeon.

 

In FUE, I would say Feller for America and Bisanga for Europe. These my favourite choices for FUE after researching results. About Shapiro, I guess that FUE are done mostly by Paul not Ron, thats based to the results posted online.

 

Severn, the price you posted for Shapiro are correct but its for the strip not FUE. FUE rates must be higher but not high as Feller.. Fellers goes up to $10 with TAX or more if im not mistaken.

Edited August 31, 2011 by HARIRI

[Severn]

Severn, the price you posted for Shapiro are correct but its for the strip not FUE. FUE rates must be higher but not high as Feller.. Fellers goes up to $10 with TAX or more if im not mistaken.

 

 

Right. I wasn't interested in FUE. I believe it has a lower graft survival rate even under the best of surgeons. I don't remember SMG's price for FUE but 2 years ago at my first procedure, I remember the techs complaining that the fees were too low for the amount of work that was done for FUE.

[aaron1234]

Last I heard it was $6 per graft at SMG for FUE. That is definitely on the lower end.

[orlhair1]

Just contact the clinics to get their current pricing.

[idyllic420]

sincere thanks to evry1 for replying. I head some ppl saying they got the transplant for $2000. Not sure then which doctor they went to. The amount you guys are telling me $10,000 for 2000 grafts is very expensive for 26 year old like me. This technology has been there for so long then why is the procedure so expensive?

[gottitgood4me]

There is a big difference in pricing from what I see, even with similarly skilled Docs. I was quoted $10,000 for 2500 grafts. I found a on-line clinic that the doctor works with as well, and now I should be able to get the same procedure from the same doc for $7500!!!! Research, research research! Dont be afraid to try to negotiate.

 

Even though we have AMAZING Doctors out there that do AMAZING work, this is still a profit business. These Doctors have worked hard to get where they are at, no doubt of this. I do not think it is "unethical" to charge $10.00 per graft, but I do not think it is necessary.

 

Im curious about the profit margin for a 8 or 9 hour session that cost $8,000 or more. How is the cost broken down for, office space, tools, insurance, staff, Doctors time??????? Anyone have a reliable cost breakdown?

[jessie1]

Idyllic/ Gotitgood,

 

$10,000 for 2000 grafts sounds like an FUT quote unless there is a special rate for FUE (?)

 

I paid $10,000 for 1000 FUE grafts. I spent over $1,000 on travel and accommodation and then my surgery was cancelled when I arrived in NYC from the UK due to a terrible storm. (an act of god of course).

 

I therefore had to alter my return flight from from the US to the UK and also my domestic flight.

The whole experience totted up to $12,000 plus. Had it not have been for my flexible friend and help from my partner I would have been forced to cancel the whole thing due to being maxed out already. Massively important to have contingency plans and spare cash just in case.

 

My experience is relevant if cash is an issue like it is with many of us. But please don't compromise on the Doc for the sake of cash. This is a decision that you will have to live with for the rest of your days. BUT, likewise do not be drawn into thinking that the higher the charge, the better the surgeon either. We go back to the SMG argument here: world class and yet very decent prices which makes a HT a reality where as with other Docs it wouldn't be, not withstanding that the Doc is willing to help you out.

 

This is a profit making industry with plenty of compassion if you choose wisely. Researching into individual Docs and patient experiences will give you an idea as to just how compassionate and caring they are. An excellent example of both is Corvettester's experience with Dr Dorin. In a nutshell, Corv's initial HT did not provide him with complete satisfaction. Dorin made it right.... and then more! Read it....

 

In any event, there are cheaper clinics out there that are still TOP CLASS, SMG being one of them. If you are traveling from out of state or overseas then certain clinics help out with travel costs and accommodation and possibly even a discounted rate per graft ( I believe that Dr Rahal: Canada is one of these Docs, see his website: he seems to really look after people traveling from abroad).

 

A HT is a possibility I'm sure. Some clinics even do finance deals etc (not sure which).

 

Good Luck.

 

Jessie

[idyllic420]

What does SMG means? Shapiro medical..I think I will probably go with FUT or a combination of FUT and FUE. How will you rate bernstein? I will go with any of these 3...feller,shapiro or bernstein...

[orlhair1]

SMG is Shapiro Medical Group.

[fortune11]

I dont know about the extent of your loss but would recmmend FUT over FUE given yield and cost considerations. Unless you want to keep your hair really really short in the back, the scar is not really visible unless someone is looking for it.

 

I had my first HT with Ron Shapiro in 2004 and was very happy with the results, I felt he gave me a "durable" result which has stood the test of time with progressing hair loss for surrounding hair. Highly recommend him.

 

Cost wise, you can ofcourse negotiate but only to a degree. By this I mean, haggling to the extreme that you are buying a used car is not recommended. Remember the doctor is going to perform intricate surgery on your scalp and while he is not going to botch it up just because you managed to squeeze another 10-20% discount out of him, it may or may not dampen his enthusiasm for stretching his limits to get you the best possible results.

 

I think $5 per graft is pretty standard for any good surgeon unless you are going for a mega session (>2000). At Below $3 per graft for a small session in domestic US (there are cheaper providers for example in Asia), I would start to get a bit suspect of the quality unless you know for sure and have personally seen references. Medical profession, being manual labor and skill dependent has not seen the same cost efficiencies over the last decade that other fields have (like industrial manufacturing) and techs etc. still cant be be hired for cheap (at least not the good and experienced ones).