Has anyone gone to DR. Richard Fitzpatrick in La Jolla, CA

[SymbolicHair]

I was all set to go to another doc her in La Jolla and ran into an acquaintance who recommended Richard Fitzpatrick, and I really liked the consultation and as odd as it may sound - I was almost put off at how laid back and low pressure he was. I know!

 

We all hate the high pressure sales process that we tend to avoid at all costs, but this guy was VERY experienced - doing HT's since early 70s...very nice and very knowledgeable.

 

He IS expensive but I'm not shopping price but I would like to know if anyone has any first hand knowledge of him; Dr. Richard Fitzpatrick in La Jolla/San Diego.

 

Michael

Edited March 8, 2013 by Future_HT_Doc

[1978matt]

That Dr seems to be using Neograft.

 

Go see Dr James DeYarman in La Jolla, San Diego

 

I really like the results I've been seeing from his practice.

[rifle444]

I have had two procedures since with Hasson and Wong to fix my head and I'm finally doing ok.

Edited July 13, 2013 by rifle444

[SymbolicHair]

I've already committed to the procedure for next week. I checked him out quite thoroughly and spoke to 5 past clients. Did you get the Neograft procedure? How long ago was this and what went wrong?

[tacolinowest]

if you did reserch you deff should have chosen a better dr considering you live in california , good luck to you hope to see you post some pics so we can see how dr fitzpatricks work looks

[SymbolicHair]

I met with 4 dr's., one was an obvious total flake, the other 2 were good too but Fitzpatrick had the best presentation, results pics and had solid testimonials, who all seemed very credible and they, like me, were not 'shopping price' - I am aware of the other SoCal dr's recommended on the forum here but Fitzpatrick had a lot of positives.

 

I've not heard any specifics about what Fitzpatrick has done wrong in the past but I am very interested obviously - any specifics you can share?

[nathaniel]

SymbolicHair,

 

I remember your post from another thread:

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/170596-fue-neograft-12-days-ago-post2354012.html#post2354012

 

I thought it was a bit strange at the time as I had never heard of Dr. Fitzpatrick, but you claimed to have been researching hair transplants for more than 5 years so I didn't think anything more of it. However, if rifle444 tells you, "stay away from this guy, please," then at the very least you should stop and reconsider your choice of doctors.

 

I just googled his website with the key words "Dr. Fitzpatrick hair transplant", and I must say his >5< hair transplant photos are pretty damn pathetic. Only 1 photo per patient??? Only from above??? Where are the hair line photos? The lighting in "Hair Transplant Case 5" is completely different in the before and after photo. Either that or the patient dyed his hair darker in the second photo. Actually, it's hard to see that there's any difference in hair coverage between the two photos - did a hair transplant even occur? The same goes for the other 4 cases! Where are the immediate post-op photos? What is the time line between the before and after photos? Even stranger, none of the photos are marked "before" or "after"!!! It just looks to me like the hair has been combed a little differently for the second photo in each patient case!!! Where are the graft breakdowns: # of grafts extracted per patient; number of grafts implanted per patient; breakdown of implanted grafts by 1, 2, 3, or 4 hair units; dispersion pattern across the scalp of grafts by hair units (ex. 1's in the front, 2's in the mid-region, 3's and 4s in the crown)?

 

I have no doubt that the printed brochures handed to you were very slick. I have the impression that Neograft has a very slick marketing department that works with individual doctors and creates the whole sales package for them - I don't know, but that is just the impression I'm getting. It would be lovely if Neograft would come on this network and face questions from members of the Hair Restoration Network forums - if for no other reason than to clear up misperceptions about the Neograft machine and it's business model. Maybe it's a great machine! But I have seen a lot of people on HRN speak negatively of their experience with Neograft, from poorly trained techs to doctors who are not involved at all in the hair transplant procedure. The Sean Rima video clip of Dr. Hall's practice was quite shocking as the doctor did not seem to be involved even in the drawing of the hairline.

 

Well, I don't want to cast unjustifiable aspersions on Dr. Fitzpatrick. Perhaps he is a great hair transplant surgeon, and rifle444 is an anomaly. Nonetheless, Dr. Fitzpatrick is marketing himself as a hair transplant surgeon, and as such he must be willing to allow others to scrutinize his qualifications, techniques, and results without taking offense. Please extend a personal invitation from me to Dr. Fitzpatrick to discuss in this forum his philosophies, methodologies, techniques, and results in regards to the hair surgeries he is performing - really, I personally learn so much simply by speaking to patients and doctors on this forum about all aspects of hair transplants.

 

I should also like to point out that his youtube video on hair transplants and Neograft do not show him or any of his staff actually performing a single hair transplant. Also, from the video it appears he uses the Neograft for both extraction and implantation - as it has been designed to do. However, in the same "fue-neograft-12-days-ago" link above, in which the Sean Rima/Dr. Hall/AZ case video is referenced, Future_HT_Doc (Blake) makes the comment:

"While I'm speculating a bit, I assume the graft placement in the AZ case was completed with the NeoGraft machine itself."

The photos on Dr. Hall's website are as pathetic as Dr. Fitzpatrik's; personally I'm still waiting to hear back from Blake as to why he surmises that Sean Rima's implants were completed with Neograft rather than the Hans Implanter that Dr. Vories uses or other implantation tools used by other doctors -- hint, hint, Blake ^^ . My own speculation is that Blake feels physicians and techs without adequate training and experience in hair implantation techniques can nonetheless easily use the Neograft implanter much like a nail gun to simply "point and shoot" - and by extension so could my neighborhood handyman. Of course, I am just speculating momentarily and don't want to put words into Blake's mouth as I am sure he will respond as he is very good about answering questions and addressing concerns.

 

At any rate, if Dr. Fitzpatrick is worth his salt, he shouldn't have any problems with you at least postponing your procedure while you double check his qualifications and address concerns that have been raised in this forum. And if it costs you a deposit, better that than your head...

 

- Nathaniel

[Blake Bloxham]

Nathaniel,

 

I'm really not trying to make any comments beyond the following: the NeoGraft device possess a feature for placing the grafts (the head essentially vacuums up the graft and then releases or ejects it into a pre-made slit). So, a procedure completed exclusively with the NeoGraft involves both extraction and implantation with the device. Unless specifically stated, I think it's safe to assume that true NeoGraft procedures involve graft placement with the device. Unless the clinic states "we only use the NeoGraft for extraction, and use X device/method for implantation," I really can't assume anything else.

 

However, keep in mind that I'm TRULY only stating the following (and nothing more): the NeoGraft device possesses the ability to implant grafts.

[rifle444]

I did not get the Neograft procedure.

 

You found the hair restoration network. Use one of their recommended surgeons.

 

If you would like me to call you and talk to you pm me your phone number.

Edited July 13, 2013 by rifle444
forgot some information