The truth about Hasson and Wong.

[Rootz]

I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. I agree the hairline seems sloppily drawn and imbalanced. Sometimes people like to have the hairline more aggressive on one side to accomodate their hair style while still conserving grafts, and doctors will recommend doing this. But I get the feeling that's not the case here, which is just not acceptable IMO. I would be unhappy with theat too. Also the idea of one doctor running 2-3 simultaneous transplants is disturbing.

[snell1234]

After reading this, I was considering using Hasson and Wong to perform my hair transplant in the future but now I am re-evaluating.

 

The reasons for this are not the bad result. I can accept that this can happen sometimes and it is awfully unfortunate for the person involved.

 

But seeing how it has been handled since has left me a distaste in my mouth. Particularly the comments by Lorenzo which I found incredibly insulting and demeaning to the guy in question.

 

And also the comments by the other paid representative who tried to use quotes from the past to make an argument.

 

Hasson and Wong need to realise that their paid representatives acting like this does more damage than a bad result. It's like they have orchestrated a smear campaign to protect Hasson and Wong. However, all it does is diminish trust in the company for the public.

 

A better way for the representatives to handle this would be to say nothing instead of attempting to defend H&W in the manner they did.

[HybridHyper]

Yeah, Dr. Rahal had just one more patient besides myself who was getting only 500 grafts transplanted. Looking at the pictures of 9 months post-op though, the results look quite dense to me. Looking thin is something of a concern to me.

[FUE2014]

The most disturbing part of the accounts for me were these:

 

Jumping forward to January 2014 and my journey from Australia to Canada.

I arrived at Hasson and Wong Vancouver for the pre-surgery appointment with Dr Wong.

For reasons unknown after months and months of communication with Joe Tillman and his recommendations bringing me half way around the world he appeared to be avoiding me on that day. It immediately struck me as very odd that he seemingly didn't want to meet one of the many people who he had “mentored” and convinced to choose Hasson and Wong. If it weren't for Daria at the front desk actually dragging him out the front I doubt he would have seen or spoken to me at all.

 

We spoke for about 15 minutes on that first initial appointment. During this time it had been made obvious to me that Dr Wong seemingly had no prior knowledge of my earlier work. This was after everything that had taken place in the months prior upon first being contacted by Jotronic and then later convinced to choose Dr Wong as the person to repair my older procedure. This had also been subject to him supposedly getting back to me with “Dr Wong’s recommendations” although that was now under serious question.

 

What had me feeling sick with worry occurred a couple of hours into the surgery, Dr Wong disappeared and basically didn't see much of him for the remainder of the day. The majority of the surgery was actually done by his technicians which I had previously had not been informed of. I had arrived on the day under the impression that Dr Wong was going to be doing the procedure. In fact what had happened was Dr Hasson had done a leg injury of some kind only days prior so Dr Wong had been working on both me and another patient at the same time. This is no exaggeration there was a double booking in what could be best described as production-line style. There were 2 maybe 3 procedures going on in the clinic at the same time with only 1 doctor.

 

Upon leaving Hasson and Wong to fly home to Australia it is now fact that Hasson and Wong never contacted me again. The only form of contact occurred many months later but this was only after I sent several very concerned emails to Mr Tillman as to why this company had seemingly operated on me then never followed up in any way shape or form on their own procedure.

[SADbutTRUE]

thanks for sharing your story, im sorry your not happy with your results , and Im pulling for you to get a good result, the hairline can be fixed, and the minimicro graftscan be removed and used as follicular units. first removed mini micro grafts and maybe use these grafts as follicular units to fix the hairline, once every thing grows in you will be able to style your hair, and you can have another procedure if you want to increase density, just thinking outloud , stay positive ,their are countless repair patients that receive good results.i hope youfind peace in this matter.

[HybridHyper]

Yeah, I hope you'll get to fix that surgeon's mistakes before too long. No hair transplant doctor is perfect. Even with my latest great one, I wish he communicated with me during the surgery a little bit better. He extracted 700 grafts more than it was planned which was ok by me since my density and the hair quality kind of sucks and he thought he wasn't gonna be able to get the planned amount in one shot. I wish I was let know about it during the procedure because my lower temples are pretty thin and need a little bit more hair so at least half of the extra grafts could've been transplanted there.

[hairfarmer79]

Guys thank you all for your words of support and advice.

 

I'm determined to get this fixed and put this matter behind me.

 

I'm not one to dwell on the past and it's with this in mind that I need some kind of closure regarding this matter with H&W that will allow me to move forward with my life in a positive way.

 

In realizing that the costs involved it getting this fixed now will significantly exceed anything spent at Hasson and Wong previously. It's going to be multiple procedures to extract then improve cosmetically the design and density again.

 

This was supposed to have been the final fix but instead it's like taking 1 step forward 3 steps backwards.

 

The H&W procedure has now complicated any future attempts to rectify these poor results with an ever diminished donor supply. I naturally have very fine hair so I was never going to have excessive yields. This compounds the seriousness of what this company has done to me.

 

To give you a better idea of the angulation issues associated with my old mini/micro graft procedure I have attached a couple of pics that were taken in about June or July of this year before the H&W procedure had started to fully grow in.

 

As mentioned it was only a very small procedure that had been done in Australia in 2002 but because of its placement in the hairline it sticks straight up and is impossible to style.

 

I cannot over emphasize the fact that all of this could have been avoided if only they had been extracted instead of the grotesquely irresponsible advice and sales tactics used by Jotronic.

 

I will never know if H&W reps/salesman are paid on commission but when it comes to repair patients all working within the industry have a duty of care to give accurate advice and recommendations. Repairs are people desperately looking for someone to trust and should not be treated like dollar signs.

 

It's quite literally beyond my comprehension how some in this industry would sell their soul to improve their sales conversion rates.

 

Hair restoration can change people’s lives for the better and I'm still a believer in both FUT and FUE providing they are used by skilled physicians who have the patients best interests at heart.

 

It's the small percentage of people out there who tarnish the industry for the many great clinics who have worked incredibly hard over the years to deliver consistently perfect results.

 

I believe that mistakes can happen to even the best and most skilled doctors at various times but its how they choose to deal with those mistakes that matter the most.

 

I have had many months of soul searching in trying to decide the most appropriate outcome based on the circumstances brought about by this procedure.

 

It's with this in mind that I’m requesting from Hasson and Wong a full refund of my procedure costs under their trade mark guarantee based on the flawed results of the procedure.

 

Any reasonable physician would recognize the mistake that has been made and why this is appropriate and at the very least morally and ethically the best way forward that will allow me to hopefully repair the procedure.

 

I would hope Dr Wong gives careful consideration to this request which he has both ignored and then declined on previous occasions. Considering the results of the procedure it comes down to ethics within the medical industry but more importantly common decency.

 

I couldn't work out how to attach more photos so please find links to photo uploads.

 

The pics were taken back in June-July of this year which show the older grafts in my hairline that Dr Wong had subsequently designed his procedure around. This was prior to the new procedure growing in, before the flawed hairline had become evident and noticeable.

 

These mini/micro grafts are still as much a problem today as they were before the H&W procedure which is yet another massive disappointment which defeats the purpose of having had this done to begin with. The improvement and fix they suggested has ended up worse than before.

 

You cannot judge a successful procedure by density if it looks so unnatural that the eye naturally gravitates to the flawed imperfections.

 

Also please find attached one more pic taken immediately after surgery at H&W.

 

It's yet another pic that clearly shows the disastrous design of the hairline.

 

One side sits way further back in a linear track than the other side. It's so straight that you would think it had been done with a ruler.

 

See below link.

Edited October 28, 2014 by hairfarmer79

[fisher4man]

Great haircut physicians.

 

They have purchased robot recently. Maybe robot did this. Shapiro also seem to have some problems with robot. It collects the grafts into a water-filled suction tube with negative pressure, hair follicles may be damaged more than with the other techniques.

 

I hope you have some minor, correctable problem, I know you are disconsolate now, but hope, wish all will go well for you now.

[Britanium]

Oh my that really is a poor hairline designed by them. Unnatural in my eyes. I really hope they do actually refund you. And that you find a skilled surgeon who can rectify

This in your next procedure. I honestly think it can be done and the

Grafts can be removed and redistributed where needed.

Your latest pics show that you certainly can benefit from increased

Density which could be done at the same time.

[home1212]

I believe the doctors & clinics doing HT procedures should treat the patient like in any other industry - with the attitude that the customer is always right. We all can have different opinions, suggestions, recommendations, etc., however the only reality that matters is the customers' perception of how good or bad their HT experience was. Obviously, this is not a happy customer and it should be up to H&W to correct that if they really are as reputable as they've been putting themselves out as being. There will always be customers with a variety of expectations, whether realistic or not, it is up to the doctor to manage those expectations - it does not appear that was done here. In addition, there is nothing wrong with a patient expecting the highest quality result from supposedly one of the best HT clinics in the world.

[vanseb]

After reading this, I was considering using Hasson and Wong to perform my hair transplant in the future but now I am re-evaluating.

 

The reasons for this are not the bad result. I can accept that this can happen sometimes and it is awfully unfortunate for the person involved.

 

But seeing how it has been handled since has left me a distaste in my mouth. Particularly the comments by Lorenzo which I found incredibly insulting and demeaning to the guy in question.

 

And also the comments by the other paid representative who tried to use quotes from the past to make an argument.

 

Hasson and Wong need to realise that their paid representatives acting like this does more damage than a bad result. It's like they have orchestrated a smear campaign to protect Hasson and Wong. However, all it does is diminish trust in the company for the public.

 

A better way for the representatives to handle this would be to say nothing instead of attempting to defend H&W in the manner they did.

 

As someone that's been to the clinic twice as a prospective patient and decided to move forward with HT in little more than a months time, although my experience has been very professional, direct and helpful to date, I certainly have to echo your comments.

 

Before I made my decision I looked at last 4-5 years worth of threads related to the clinic to get a better idea of experiences of clients (Also to help re-assure me of my decision no doubt). And while far and away the feedback has been wonderful in the odd thread where there was an unhappy patient or a concern was raised, the posters often got pilled on and there was 3-4 people affiliated with the clinic in one way or another attacking veracity of claims in a way that didn't paint anyone in a good light.

[Spanker]

After reading this, I was considering using Hasson and Wong to perform my hair transplant in the future but now I am re-evaluating.

 

The reasons for this are not the bad result. I can accept that this can happen sometimes and it is awfully unfortunate for the person involved.

 

But seeing how it has been handled since has left me a distaste in my mouth. Particularly the comments by Lorenzo which I found incredibly insulting and demeaning to the guy in question.

 

And also the comments by the other paid representative who tried to use quotes from the past to make an argument.

 

Hasson and Wong need to realise that their paid representatives acting like this does more damage than a bad result. It's like they have orchestrated a smear campaign to protect Hasson and Wong. However, all it does is diminish trust in the company for the public.

 

A better way for the representatives to handle this would be to say nothing instead of attempting to defend H&W in the manner they did.

 

I'm the only other rep that commented with quotes but I wasn't making an argument, I was correcting an untrue statement with a fact and it was neutral in regards to the purpose on the thread.

[hairfarmer79]

Hi Spanker

 

Can you clarify what the comment was you were correcting?

 

Was it directed at me or some one else.

 

Thanks

[Spanker]

Hi Spanker

 

Can you clarify what the comment was you were correcting?

 

Was it directed at me or some one else.

 

Thanks

 

Blahblah wrote "

EVERYONE hands it off to the techs after the strip is removed. At most, the doctor pops in back and forth to supervise and maintain quality control."

 

This isn't and true, all docs should do the recipient incisions and some docs are involved in placing.

[bismarck]

Overall, your hair looks considerably better post-op then it did pre-op. You may need a slight revision to the right hairline to bring it down a smidge. If you grew your hair out longer and cut it even, it might not even matter.

 

You'll have to pony up a little more to fix the right side of the hairline with someone who specializes in this aspect of the procedure. Your high expectations and critical nature are going to make many surgeons shy away from working on you.

 

The unfortunate reality of hair transplantation is that basing your expectations on the 'best case scenarios' posted by clinics is a surefire way to lead to disappointment, even with "world class surgeons". It would be like basing your expectations of a relationship on Disney movies.

[hairfarmer79]

Mate my expectations are no different to any other person in here. H&W have always given limited options and little to no feedback. I'm not sure what I was supposed to do I just want at the very least a half decent result im not aiming for worlds best by any means.

 

If what you're saying is true I'd be disappointed because I'm not looking for miracle results just results worthy of what you see posted on here by most physicians.

 

It would be deceiving for anyone in here to be creating the impression im looking for miracle results with high expectations. Im merely looking for a physician that takes and interest in genuinely wanting to help me which I've never experienced from H&W. As mentioned my experience with them was everything pretty much disintegrated after point of sale, basically wiped their hands of any further interest or consideration.

They seem very comfortable in doing it to international patients once you hop on that plane.

[hairfarmer79]

Also for anyone needing an insight into what I've been up against look no further than the comments made by username "lorenzo" in the last 24 hours. He is on their payroll as an interpreter.

 

His comments need to be seen to be believed and its got all the characteristics of the H&W experience.

I never could of imagined a person with vested interests would stoop as low as this guy did with his attacks on me in the last 24 hours.

 

Check them and see for yourself.

Edited October 27, 2014 by hairfarmer79

[hairfarmer79]

Social media is at times like a sewer.

 

If you are blind to the trolls that have come out of the woodwork in defense using the types of smears they have, then no amount of evidence will ever change your opinion.

 

In saying that you're entitled to your opinion and I respect that.

[densedream]

Can you post some more photos? The photos I see show a very good result... The photos are far away and a bit dark. Until I see more revealing photos, I only see this as a good result. You may have unrealistic expectations on what hair transplant can accomplish. Pictures when your hair was long and so terrible to style would has be good. If you are going to go on a smear campaign you might as well post enough quality photos to prove you bad result because so far I'm not seeing it.

[FUE2014]

Agree, clear photos would be good and agree, photos posted so far do not appear to my untrained eyes to be congruent with OP's view of the result.

[PupDaddy]

hairfarmer79,

 

I don’t know you, but it is apparent that your experiences with hair transplantation have left you upset, traumatized, and, some might say, obsessed. As a third-party observer with nothing invested in this situation, I can only say that your result is neither horrific (far from it) nor even that big a deal to improve if you choose to do so. I hope you can see that when you express a desire to have a physician kill all your transplanted grafts with a laser, it raises questions about your perspective.

 

A good number of ht patients decide to have touchups or a second session to enhance density after their results are fully grown in and matured. I do see some asymmetry in the immediate post-op hairline, although one would be hard-pressed to see it with your hair grown out. Whether this was by design due to the lower than anticipated graft count or simply an aesthetic choice--some ht docs believe that perfectly symmetrical hairlines do not occur in nature and are a ht tipoff--or due to the doctor being “rushed” (did you object to the hairline design after Dr. Wong marked it on your head?), if you don’t like it, it is an easy fix with some additional grafts harvested via strip or FUE. The same goes for adding some additional softening of the hairline with a few strategically place fine one-hair follicles if you want that (I personally don’t think you need it, especially given your hair color and relatively low hair-to-skin-color contrast). Any number of competent ht docs could touchup your result without breaking a sweat.

 

Regarding Dr. Wong’s decision to try to camouflage your old micrografts/minigrafts by implanting around and in front of them, rather than extract them (punch them out) and repurpose them (dissect them into follicular units and re-implant them elsewhere), both are valid surgical approaches to dealing with old work. If you had consulted with a dozen ht docs before your procedure, six might have advised the camouflage approach whereas the other six might have advised the extraction approach. It is a judgment call, and very much case, patient, and physician dependent. In fact, Dr. Bernstein just posted a beautiful repair case where he chose to camouflage the old grafts rather than extract them. There is no right or wrong answer or universally best approach. I know this from personal experience. But, again, if you aren’t satisfied with the camouflaging of the old grafts, then either get some additional grafts implanted around them (harvested by strip or by FUE) or get the most bothersome ones extracted and repurposed and fill in the gaps with new follicular unit grafts. It really isn’t a huge deal as far as repair cases go, and I’m not even sure I would classify yours as a repair case.

 

As others have said, it is not at all unusual these days for in-demand ht docs to run more than one case at a time and not be in the room for much of the procedure. In fact, the opposite is increasingly rare. It is common for the surgeon to be there to remove the strip and suture and/or staple things up, then leave while the techs complete the task of dissecting the strip into follicular units, then return to make the recipient site incisions after receiving the grafts counts from his techs, then leave again while his techs undertake the laborious and tedious task of implanting the grafts into the thousands of recipient sites. These are just the economic realities of operating a top-quality ht clinic while trying to compete with the national chains, the multitude of independent clinics that seem to pop up like weeds, and cosmetic surgeons who buy an FUE robot to add an “easy” additional revenue stream. If H&W neglected to check up on you post op, they definitely dropped the ball. I say shame on them, and now move on. The critical questions to ask yourself, IMO, are whether you can ever be satisfied with whatever tweaks, improvements, or repairs you might receive from whatever doctor you choose, and whether you can let go of the past.

 

I truly wish you the best, a head of hair you are happy with (as is, it looks miles better than before), and some peace of mind.

[wylie]

This thread, IMO, serves a very constructive purpose, and that is to remind everyone that patients often have a flawed perception of reality.

 

I was on another forum about a year ago, and someone was complaining about a single strip scar had ruined their life. This person did not have his head shaved, the scar was not visible with the hair grown out, at all, and this poster went on to say that this scar was causing him so much grief and heartache that he had contemplated suicide. I was the first one on the thread to suggest he needed mental help, with or without thoughts of suicide, because there was nothing about his strip scar that should have caused him any anguish. Many posters then attacked me for this, as they were commiserating about their own strip scars with this poster, who clearly had far greater issues to deal with than just his strip scar.

 

On this forum about the same time there was a poster in England who posted pictures of his hair and how his hair was ruining his life, and how he had fallen into a deep depression over it. His pictures showed someone who didn't even need a HT! He used his hair as an excuse for other problems, this was clear with both cases (This poster ultimately flew to the U.S. within a month and indeed got a HT by a recommended doctor here)

 

 

While I know firsthand how this industry works, and know firsthand what it is like to be disfigured by it, it has improved greatly, and whenever someone get result they don't like and start throwing around words like "horrible, horrific" and other inappropriate descriptions, it is wise to remember that there are often other issues at work that do not show up in photos posted on the internet.

 

Believe me, I know what someone needing repair looks like, and I know what tricks a deceptive medical practice employ, and I see neither from H&W.

 

That's just my .02, take it or leave it.

[Blake Bloxham]

Hi Guys,

 

Just an "FYI:"

 

I informed Dr. Wong about this thread. I encouraged him to review the content and leave a reply. Hopefully, this gives both patient and doctor a chance to be heard and find some resolution.

 

Feel free to send me a private message with any questions, complaints, or concerns.

 

Thanks!

[BaldingBogger]

I actually think this thread is quite useful for people to see when a procedure dosent work out and how this is handled.

 

There is no doubt the result is sub par and I would not be happy with it. Nor the hairline design.

That said it looks like it's very repairable if the op had a successful 2nd op.

 

By the sounds of it appears the OPs main gripes are the clinics conduct and particularly that of its former rep.

 

I will also say comments made by other people connected with the clinic against the patients mental health are totally out of order and below the belt.

 

This is not the correct way to represent the clinic in a public forum. This

'Mental health' card is something that's been thrown at unhappy patients over the years on forums and it stinks trying to discredit people who have genuinely sub par results.

 

Maybe a patients and clinics expectations are not aligned or handled properly. This is certainly not cause to try accusations at someone's mental being on a public forum.

 

It sounds like someone senior at H&W needs to get hold of this case and work with the OP to hopefully an acceptable conclusion.

 

Best of luck.

[hairweare]

Does anyone really believe that putting a particular case on trial in a public forum by providing ostensibly subjective evidence without hearing the other parties side or viewing sequenced high quality photos serves any useful purpose?

 

I stand by my earlier comment that not all patients are psychologically suitable for cosmetic surgery and it the responsibility for physicians to screen out those that are likely to be dissatisfied regardless of how well or to what limitations were associated with their results. Michael Jackson is an extreme example of this syndrome but there are less obvious manifestations which are far from uncommon. The rationale that "they will just go to someone else who will do it" is not valid in my view and physicians who think like that deserve the consequences of bad publicity that may follow.