Dr Rahal disappointed with FUT 5400+ grafts

[wazaam]

Sean I totally agree with you on this.

 

5000 grafts is significant and the frontal 1/3 should be covered With reasonable density. This result shows nearly a see through effect.

 

I echo Sean's statement and if this is what potential patients have to look forward to after 5000 grafts then what is point? Going through all the emotional and financial pressures, as if the transplant alone isn't stressful enough?

 

I do applaud sites like this one that try to help shed some transparency on the industry as we all know it is needed and long due.

 

If you are going to go down the road of a repair via FUE turkey/India may be worth looking into as Sean noted. If the procedure doesn't meet your expectations you aren't out another $10K- $15K.

 

If patients are going to spend the kind of money required to book a procedure with some of the higher regarded surgeons I think the least they can do is stand behind their work. Instead what we are typically seeing is the clinics offering a minor repair if things don't go as anticipated? In what other industry other than cosmetic surgery is this even plausible?

 

The clinics as well as the ones supporting the clinic ( we are all aware who those are)will be quick to look for a reasons as to why things didn't turn out I.e lack of meds, loss of native hair, family history etc...

 

A free repair including transportation costs should be offered without any hesitation In my opinion given that more photos are submitted.

[FUE2014]

It appears from what people say that Rahal runs somethiing resembling a hair mill with multiple operations taking place on the same day. There is a risk therefore that if you return for a "repair" that you end up with a combination of techs that are not going to give you the result you require.

[wazaam]

It certainly appears that there are multiple patients per day and a high turnover ratio among the techs based on previous postings.

 

let's hope this isn't a reoccurring theme among the top clinics who seem to be in high demand.

 

I would rather these clinics that are in high demand increase prices and only see one patient per day to ensure better quality control & results.

 

This opinion may not be popular for some because of the economics but what is the point of a 5000 graft procedure if it ends up looking like this? Go back to the same clinic to tap out his donor for a transparent frontal 1/3 & bald crown less $35K.

 

Let's hope this patient gets sorted out.

[Cryingoutloud]

It appears from what people say that Rahal runs somethiing resembling a hair mill with multiple operations taking place on the same day. There is a risk therefore that if you return for a "repair" that you end up with a combination of techs that are not going to give you the result you require.

 

The guy needs to spend top dollar with a Top 5 FUE surgeon that does his own extractions and incisions.

 

Rahal doesn't fit that description, nor does Erdogan or Doganay.

[MusoInOz]

Hey mate really sorry to hear of your troubles following the procedure. Did you express this to the clinic of forum at all in the past? I tried looking around for posts by couldn't locate any. Those pics are recent? Do you have progression shots from 2010/2011? Be very interested to have a look.

 

To answer the "hair mill" question or statement so to speak, Dr Rahal does run multiple operations per day. Does this hinder the results, unlikely, I have a sat in the chair and on a day another procedure was taking place. He is able to do this due the fact of quick skill and a great tech team. Regardless if I work with the clinic or not my opinion would remain the same on that.

[MusoInOz]

Hey mate really sorry to hear of your troubles following the procedure. Did you express this to the clinic of forum at all in the past? I tried looking around for posts by couldn't locate any. Those pics are recent? Do you have progression shots from 2010/2011? Be very interested to have a look.

 

To answer the "hair mill" question or statement so to speak, Dr Rahal does run multiple operations per day. Does this hinder the results, unlikely, I have a sat in the chair and on a day another procedure was taking place. He is able to do this due the fact of quick skill and a great tech team. Regardless if I work with the clinic or not my opinion would remain the same on that.

[ready4Hair]

Rahal is a good surgeon and I don't think you should be scared to go to him. I do think you still look natural. If people are telling you to get a transplant, they can't tell you've had one, and that's good.

 

For you to get any good advice, imo, you'll need to post 3 more pics. A pre op, a one year post op, and a top down.

 

Are you on meds? A person can get a transplant at 25 and be, say a diffused nw4 and in 5 years be a nw6. What I'm saying is, we are talking about 5 years down the road. Without more info, like a one year post op photo, it's hard to judge your result.

 

The fact that he offered a free touch up half a decade later is saying something.

 

Seriously? I love Dr. Rahal's work too but how did he become the Emperor? That is simply lousy work, regardless of how he has it styled. Period. And the fact that AFTER getting a huge mega session transplant the fact people are telling him to get one is a *good* sign?

[wazaam]

The should be analyzed for what it is and that is an awful results.

 

What factor do meds play in the DHT resistant 5400 grafts that this patient received? They should all be in tact and based on his loss should cover a good portion of this patients scalp.

 

We certainly don't see that with this result. Let's try and stop looking for excuses as to why this wasn't a successful tranplant.

 

This idea that he should go to the clinic and take them up on the free touch up? Are you guys serious?

 

He first needs to reconcile this issue with the clinic then do extensive research on his repair options before quickly jumping into another procedure that he may regret.....

 

What are 1000-1500 grafts gonna do if 5400 did very little?

 

"Created by and for patients"

[MusoInOz]

I still believe more information is required as Spanker mentioned the truck load of maybes associated with after care etc etc. I'm in no way defending the outcome (yet) I can liaise with the clinic for potenial pre op pics however would be the OPs decision for me to do so. Then we could truly review placement etc and make judgement.

 

Much can change in five years, unless you have been through the procedure it would be hard for one to understand that yes, native hair still plays an important role prior, during and after. I met up with a patient two weeks ago, had 4000 Grafts to frontal third did have decent native hair at this time, three years later hair still looking good but not as dense post surgery growth. He did not remain on meds at all. His family history are all 5a patterns, and very slick no peach fuzz or anything. 5000 Grafts is a decent number but let's remeber characteristics also play an important role, I have thick wavy follicles especially within donor region, between myself and a patient with less density naturally of we we re to have the same number graft surgery or course my outcome is likely to be better.

I've gone off track (sorry) but just dangling the maybes here.

 

As mentioned above I'm happy to dig around the clinic and retrieve photos if possible/legal.

[Dr. Rahal]

Hi everyone,

 

Just some facts….

 

theflyer contacted us 5 years after his hair transplant and said he was not happy.

 

The photos that you see posted are from 4 years post-op.

 

Dr. Rahal offered theflyer 1000 grafts for free and a discount towards additional work.

 

Unfortunately, theflyer he is not responding to our calls or emails.

 

We can’t help him if he won’t talk to us.

 

We are trying to help you theflyer… if you read this, call us.

[rev333]

5 years post op?

 

and a free graft offer?

 

This kind of post-op care is that sets Rahal apart from the rest

 

A friend who went to Rahal was called AND emailed every month like clock work without solicitation to check in.

 

Another friend who went to "another clinic recommended here" was not contacted AT ALL. She's at 24 months post op.

 

Anyone, who has ever been under knife and/or needle knows that after satisfactory results, POST-OP CARE is the most important part of any cosmetic procedure.

[rev333]

5 years post op?

 

and a free graft offer?

 

This kind of post-op care is that sets Rahal apart from the rest

 

A friend who went to Rahal was called AND emailed every month like clock work without solicitation to check in.

 

Another friend who went to "another clinic recommended here" was not contacted AT ALL. She's at 24 months post op.

 

Anyone, who has ever been under knife and/or needle knows that after satisfactory results, POST-OP CARE is the most important part of any cosmetic procedure.

[Shadow of the EMpire State]

I booked a procedure with doctor Rahal a couple of years ago,I had to cancel due to family reasons,I gave plenty of notice 4 weeks and Rahal kept my deposit of $1000.I was really upset and disappoined with him but he would not return my money.

 

That's surprising.

[Al - Moderator]

If people are telling you to get a transplant, they can't tell you've had one, and that's good.

 

I don't agree with that at all. I have very obviously crappy results from other clinics, yet I get people telling me I should get a hair transplant. They don't tell me that because they can't tell I had one. They say it because they can see that my hair looks like crap.

[JoeTillman]

Why are we not seeing photos of the top of the scalp? I think that to call this a failed result with only three poorly shot hairline photos is hypocritical. If this were a clinic showing their latest result on a NW5 patient with an overhead before photo and only hairline after photos there would be pitchforks in the streets. You guys would be screaming for overhead photos and crown photos. I'm not saying the patient shouldn't be upset, I'm saying we don't know the whole picture so any judgments on our part is premature. 5400 grafts is a lot of hair for a hairline but he didn't have them put in the hairline. He had them placed across the top of his scalp and 5400 grafts is only an average of 1100 grafts per NW level as the poster stated he was a NW5 pre-surgery. Spread out, it isn't that much hair especially if the poster is going to brush his hair vertically as shown in the photos. I can barely do that myself and I've had twice as much hair transplanted as he has.

 

Furthermore, show me a clinic that offers anything positive, much less free work, for a patient that shows up out of nowhere after five years and is not on hair loss medication and I'll show you a blue moon. Most clinics would demand a detailed visual representation of not only the current result but the "peak" of the result one to two years post-op. Let's see a proper comparison in photos and then our opinions can be valid. I'm not defending the work because I don't have all the visual facts, I'm simply defending diligence and fairness.

[ready4Hair]

Joe Tillman, the result sucks. When Dr. Diep was recommended he got skewered for a 2000 graft ht on the same area that looked better than this. I'm not even saying the clinic should do anything after 5 years, just that it sucks. Should he brush it back, put in product and light it softly?

[KO]

Joe is right, before we can blast this as a "donkey result" the way one fool likes to say, I think we would need to see clear before and after photos. And what's with this constant promotion of Diep? Are you trying to work for him?

[JoeTillman]

Ready4hair,

 

Do you think it is fair, or even logical, to judge the result of a NW5 patient with 5400 grafts and post-surgical hair loss, five years later, on the hairline alone? Conversely,do you think it is fair for a clinic to show the front, top and back of a NW7 patient before surgery and then only show the front of the result?

[ready4Hair]

I think it is fair to look at even just the front hairline which is all transplant and see it is pluggy and sparse. Who in fact CARES what his crown looks like? Is it affecting how he looks? Does the Dr not anticipate that there might be future loss and his 5400 grafts will look like this? What is fair is that a mega session result looks like this 5 years later. PERIOD.

[ready4Hair]

Joe is right, before we can blast this as a "donkey result" the way one fool likes to say, I think we would need to see clear before and after photos. And what's with this constant promotion of Diep? Are you trying to work for him?

 

Blast this as a donkey result? To date no one has done that, people have blamed him for bad lighting, bad styling, and told him the fact people tell him that having people say 'boy you should get a HT' is a GOOD thing AFTER getting a 5400 graft HT. In other words, KO, people are bending over blaming him. Is it POSSIBLE this is all due to bad lighting, bad styling, additional loss (where? his entire hairline was HT)? Sure. But the MUCH more likely explanation is that your fave Dr (one I happen to think is aces too in every way btw) botched this one and the patient deserves support, not criticism for his styling or camera skills.

 

And btw you should understand that 'constant promotion' doesn't include posting a thread on a Dr. whose results you think look stellar and want feedback on, nor on comparing HIS similar graft/patient result to one such as this, it is refusing to acknowledge the likelihood that one of 'yours' botched a job and using every exciuse in the book to say it ain't so.

 

Whose the fool?

[ready4Hair]

And Joe it is these kinds of comments:

 

"I do think you still look natural. If people are telling you to get a transplant, they can't tell you've had one, and that's good. "

 

Natural? His hair looks like a 90s plug job. And the last sentence doesn't even deserve a comment.

 

Would pics of where he started help, sure. But if he was NW5 then that means he had no hairline which would mean that what we are seeing is an HT hairline so future loss would be irrelevant. That brushed back isn't going to look much better.

 

I bet dollars to doughnuts if this were a surgeon that is not in favor here the entire tone of the replies would have been entirely different.

[Cryingoutloud]

Joe is right, before we can blast this as a "donkey result" the way one fool likes to say, I think we would need to see clear before and after photos. And what's with this constant promotion of Diep? Are you trying to work for him?

 

Why don't you stalk the patient by PM asking if he had another surgeon and if he'd mind naming him. Maybe you can ask what colour his wife's underwear is too while you're at it

[KO]

Blast this as a donkey result? To date no one has done that, people have blamed him for bad lighting, bad styling, and told him the fact people tell him that having people say 'boy you should get a HT' is a GOOD thing AFTER getting a 5400 graft HT. In other words, KO, people are bending over blaming him. Is it POSSIBLE this is all due to bad lighting, bad styling, additional loss (where? his entire hairline was HT)? Sure. But the MUCH more likely explanation is that your fave Dr (one I happen to think is aces too in every way btw) botched this one and the patient deserves support, not criticism for his styling or camera skills.

 

And btw you should understand that 'constant promotion' doesn't include posting a thread on a Dr. whose results you think look stellar and want feedback on, nor on comparing HIS similar graft/patient result to one such as this, it is refusing to acknowledge the likelihood that one of 'yours' botched a job and using every exciuse in the book to say it ain't so.

 

Whose the fool?

 

Relax, I wasn't aiming my comments about fools at you. That said Rahal is not "my doc" nor am I a "fan" of his per se, but I do think we should wait for clear representation.

[KO]

Why don't you stalk the patient by PM asking if he had another surgeon and if he'd mind naming him. Maybe you can ask what colour his wife's underwear is too while you're at it

 

I would be happy to do so but unfortunately for you, he has named the surgeon. So you can feel free to start threads yelling about donkey results.

[ready4Hair]

To be clear KO;

 

the HT is a "donkey result" whatever camera was used to take it, under whatever lighting conditions, from whatever distance, at whatever angle, with the hair styled whichever way, however many yeears after it was performed or how much loss occured since. SOMEONE needs to let the poor bastard know this instead of pulling excuses out of their collective arses. It doesn't mean we like or respect Dr. Rahal any less, just that we acknowlege a poor result and want to know WHY. Would knowing the before pics help u and would brushing it down to hide the gaps and pluggy aspect help him in real life, no doubt. But tt wouldn't turn a donkey into a unicorn.

Edited January 28, 2015 by ready4Hair