East Coast Dr.'s vs West Coast Dr.s?

[LosAngeleshair]

First off, hello all, great forum/website. I'm a first time poster but i have been reading this site for years. My question to all the wonderful and knowledgeable people here is this:

 

When I study the forums on this site (and others), it seems to me that many of the East/East Coast surgeons get a lot of kudos and support and the term "elite" is often used. While I don't question the work that talented surgeons such as Dr. Feller, Dr. Bernstein, the Shapiro's, and Dr. Lindley perform (because I agree, it is great), I don't seem to find the same reverence or excitement for anyone on the west coast, especially in Los Angeles, the CAPITAL of entertainment!

 

With so much placed on aesthetics in Los Angeles (where i reside and work in the entertainment business), and so many high profile actors having obvious hair restoration (Sean Penn, Edward Norton, Joel McHale, etc.) I have a hard time believing that there aren't surgeons in LA that operate on the "elite" level of the other surgeons I have mentioned, yet I can't find much pub on those Dr's on this site or others. A certain LA "pioneer" Dr. that writes his own blog isn't ever mentioned in the same breathe as the elite. Dr. Armani showed great results on his site back in the day and created some buzz before he "retired" (and yes I agree, he seemed to perform some unethical procedures), but no-one has ever seemed to take the mantle as the West Coast Feller, H&W, Shapiro, aka "elite surgeon." Why is this?

 

I'd love feedback, especially from the honorable moderators Spex, Bill, Jotronic and especially Blake, since I gathered he lives in LA, or at least did, and i'm sure knows the LA market and surgeons.

 

Thank you.

[Icecreamman]

First off, hello all, great forum/website. I'm a first time poster but i have been reading this site for years. My question to all the wonderful and knowledgeable people here is this:

 

When I study the forums on this site (and others), it seems to me that many of the East/East Coast surgeons get a lot of kudos and support and the term "elite" is often used. While I don't question the work that talented surgeons such as Dr. Feller, Dr. Bernstein, the Shapiro's, and Dr. Lindley perform (because I agree, it is great), I don't seem to find the same reverence or excitement for anyone on the west coast, especially in Los Angeles, the CAPITAL of entertainment!

 

With so much placed on aesthetics in Los Angeles (where i reside and work in the entertainment business), and so many high profile actors having obvious hair restoration (Sean Penn, Edward Norton, Joel McHale, etc.) I have a hard time believing that there aren't surgeons in LA that operate on the "elite" level of the other surgeons I have mentioned, yet I can't find much pub on those Dr's on this site or others. A certain LA "pioneer" Dr. that writes his own blog isn't ever mentioned in the same breathe as the elite. Dr. Armani showed great results on his site back in the day and created some buzz before he "retired" (and yes I agree, he seemed to perform some unethical procedures), but no-one has ever seemed to take the mantle as the West Coast Feller, H&W, Shapiro, aka "elite surgeon." Why is this?

 

I'd love feedback, especially from the honorable moderators Spex, Bill, Jotronic and especially Blake, since I gathered he lives in LA, or at least did, and i'm sure knows the LA market and surgeons.

 

There really are only a handful of great surgeons imo and yes, all of them practice outside of SoCal. Cant say for sure why a place like LA does not have an "elite" ht doc. As for more crazy conspiracy theories, This may sound stupid, but maybe many movie stars or high profile individuals might choose to not want to get a ht in LA due to the ever present paparazzi. Maybe it's easier to go to Vancouver, Ottawa, or great neck ny if you are a high profile individual?

[Bill - Seemiller]

LosAngelesHair,

 

Welcome to our community. Just so you know, the moderators of this community include Pat (the Publisher of this community), Dave, Blake and myself. Joe and Spex are highly esteemed members and are representatives of hair transplant clinics. I just wanted to clarify so you know who's who :-).

 

While this may not be the popular opinion, I feel that there are many excellent physicians who regularly produce results on par with surgeons the select few surgeons you mentioned. While surgeons like Dr. Feller, Hasson and Wong and Dr. Shapiro produce excellent results and receive great press and regular positive public reviews, there are several less active physicians who also produce excellent work. Some of these excellent physicians do reside in California and even in the Los Angeles area.

 

For instance, I highly suggest researching and consulting with Coalition members Dr. William Reed and Dr. Timothy Carman, who both serve the Los Angeles area. Coalition member Dr. William Rassman is also excellent and worth considering. To see other surgeons recommended on the Hair Transplant Network in Los Angeles and the state of California, click here.

 

Remember, popularity is great, but it's not the only good sign of high quality. Take your time, research this community, consult with doctors, speak to and meet with their patients, etc.

 

If there's anything else I can do to help, please let me know.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[LosAngeleshair]

Icecreamman- Thank you for your honest and interesting opinion.

 

Bill- Thank you for your response- I understand that Spex and Jotronic are NOT mods and are forum users that represent their respective surgeons. I listed them as resources I wanted to hear from because they have years of knowledge and experience on the subject but the more I think about the roles they fill for their client, I'm pretty sure that I won't get a response from them about my posted question...

 

It's interesting that some surgeons seem to embrace these online resources to use as a forum to showcase their work and others do not. As a perspective patient, it is so much easier and efficient to gather information and make an educated choice by coming to a site like this one and being presented with incredible information instead of scouring the internet for pics, reviews, and complaints bit by bit. And I find it interesting that the SAME surgeons seem to post on numerous online communities and that they predominately reside in the East Coast... just an observation.

 

Bill, thank you for the SoCal surgeon references, I am familiar with the names you listed. If Blake could get a chance to weigh in on this topic and which surgeons off of the coalition list he would recommend, I would appreciate it. I know that he once resided (still may?) in Los Angeles and is sure to be plugged into the Los Angeles scene.

 

Thank you.

[Blake Bloxham]

LosAngeles,

 

Thanks for the shout out!

 

Just for the record: I was born and raised in Orange County, attended college at the University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA), and then finally moved away from the West Coast for medical school. However, I definitely visit as much as I can, and would love to return to the promised land ASAP!

 

Having said that, I wanted to kind of echo what Bill stated: I personally think our West Coast surgeons are just as talented and innovative as our East Coast surgeons. We recommend excellent surgeons in San Diego, Orange County, and LA (etc), and I'd truly feel comfortable recommending any of them.

 

Again, like Bill said, it's never really clear why some physicians receive more exposure or post more cases/information on the boards, but I don't think it makes other surgeons less talented or innovative. Frankly, I think it probably breaks down to those who place more preference on web-based activity or have staff who are dedicated (in part) to updating/monitoring the physician's online presence.

 

Altogether, I would research our recommended hair transplant surgeons in California, and come back with some specific questions about doctors you're considering. I definitely feel knowledgeable about the hair transplant environment in So Cal, and would be happy to make recommendations based upon more specific criteria.

 

I hope this helps! Look forward to your reply!

Edited November 28, 2012 by Future_HT_Doc

[Dr. William Lindsey]

This site is pretty open and it seems like most of the doctors go through a period where everyone questions their results...and the doctor has to stick it out and keep posting. I saw it happen with me (east coast) and a couple of guys on the west coast.

 

There are good doctors on both coasts and in the middle. You don't have to pick geographically anymore than you have to choose between Biggie and Tupac.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

[Blake Bloxham]

. You don't have to pick geographically anymore than you have to choose between Biggie and Tupac.

 

This actually made me "laugh out loud"

[Icecreamman]

This site is pretty open and it seems like most of the doctors go through a period where everyone questions their results...and the doctor has to stick it out and keep posting. I saw it happen with me (east coast) and a couple of guys on the west coast.

 

There are good doctors on both coasts and in the middle. You don't have to pick geographically anymore than you have to choose between Biggie and Tupac.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

 

Biggie all day!

[HARIRI]

Im down with the EAST COAST. My favorite American surgeons are from there :-)

[LosAngeleshair]

Blake- Thank you for your reply and the best of luck on your continued medical education. I'm sure you will be a great addition to the medical community very, very soon.

Continuing on our topic, who's FUE work have you been specially impressed with in SoCal?

 

Dr. Lindsey- Thank you for sharing your online experiences. These forums are such an amazing opportunity to present your craft that I have a hard time figuring out why more surgeons don't capitalize on this tool and from my observation, more of the East coast Dr.'s are more active online, hence my initial post/question. I cannot express how efficient it makes it for prospective patients to do their research.

[Blake Bloxham]

Blake- Thank you for your reply and the best of luck on your continued medical education. I'm sure you will be a great addition to the medical community very, very soon.

Continuing on our topic, who's FUE work have you been specially impressed with in SoCal?

 

Thank you for the kind words! I'm always glad to help!

 

If you're interested in FUE in So Cal, I would take a look at our newest recommended hair transplant surgeon, Dr. Diep. He's definitely an FUE innovator, and his work is excellent.

 

Additionally, Dr. Rassman was the first physician to actually describe an publish a paper about FUE and was responsible for training Dr. Diep in the art of quality follicular unit extraction.

 

Also, I think you should take a look at some of Dr. Umar's work. He's our only recommended physician performing strictly FUE, and he's really mastered the craft.

 

These are just a few highlights (since you asked). However, I've seen excellent FUE results from a variety of our CA physicians, and I do recommend researching their work.

 

I hope this helps! Look forward to your reply.

[folliclehero]

There really are only a handful of great surgeons imo and yes, all of them practice outside of SoCal. Cant say for sure why a place like LA does not have an "elite" ht doc. As for more crazy conspiracy theories, This may sound stupid, but maybe many movie stars or high profile individuals might choose to not want to get a ht in LA due to the ever present paparazzi. Maybe it's easier to go to Vancouver, Ottawa, or great neck ny if you are a high profile individual?

 

This post is utter nonsense. CA has absolutely top-notch doctors.

 

 

Don't listen to this guy's opinion. I had work done with Dr. Carman and the guy is a master surgeon, I'm sure there are others as well.

[LosAngeleshair]

folliclehero- thank you for your opinion.

 

Are you going to put any pictures up to document your procedure with Dr. Carman? i clicked on your profile and you have no documentation. Just curious, would love to see the Dr.'s work.

[folliclehero]

folliclehero- thank you for your opinion.

 

Are you going to put any pictures up to document your procedure with Dr. Carman? i clicked on your profile and you have no documentation. Just curious, would love to see the Dr.'s work.

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/164448-incredible-5-month-result-dr-carman.html

 

Here are some pics....and these are only at 5 months. The whole front of my head has fuller, more lush hair now, it's awesome. It's 100% undetectable, couldn't look more natural.

[folliclehero]

folliclehero- thank you for your opinion.

 

Are you going to put any pictures up to document your procedure with Dr. Carman? i clicked on your profile and you have no documentation. Just curious, would love to see the Dr.'s work.

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/164448-incredible-5-month-result-dr-carman.html

 

Here are some pics....and these are only at 5 months. The whole front of my head has fuller, more lush hair now, it's awesome. It's 100% undetectable, couldn't look more natural.

 

All I wanted were the corners filled in but it looks much better everywhere up front.

[LosAngeleshair]

folliclehero- thanks for posting your journey so far, looks good for only half-way there, im sure you have more results to come. hopefully you'll keep on with the documentation!