RAHAL 3082 FUT 6 month progress report (with pics!)

[Melvin- Admin]

21 hours ago, lovinitl9 said:

honestly, I’m over it all. just trying to give people my two cents. dont care about the money as much as much as the wasted grafts and time. he is becoming a chain with offices all over. this should be first sign that this board should no longer sponsor him. would love to hear a response to that. 

I would love to get some responses for you, but we need a separate thread with your story. We do not remove surgeons based on anonymous postings. We cannot simply add or remove surgeons based on a few anonymous posts. That's not how we operate.

Imagine if three nameless people came on here ranting and raving that their surgeon is the best surgeon and that he/she should be added because of their un-verified results. Would the community be okay with me saying "sure sounds good"? No absolutely not, I would need to verify they are patients and throughly screen  the surgeon before considering them to be added. It's the same process for removal.

[lovinitl9]

Melvin

15 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

I would love to get some responses for you, but we need a separate thread with your story. We do not remove surgeons based on anonymous postings. We cannot simply add or remove surgeons based on a few anonymous posts. That's not how we operate.

Imagine if three nameless people came on here ranting and raving that their surgeon is the best surgeon and that he/she should be added because of their un-verified results. Would the community be okay with me saying "sure sounds good"? No absolutely not, I would need to verify they are patients and throughly screen  the surgeon before considering them to be added. It's the same process for removal.

Melvin would love to hear your input on several issues and really I thank you for your time

A) Do you think it is a problem that Rahal does surgery on multiple patients at the same time

B)Why are techs doing the vast majority of the work?

C)Have you noticed that his post op pics are FAR more traumatic than most physicians who use custom blades(the amount of swelling, redness, and shock loss is significantly more)

D) With having clinics in several different cities, how can it be humanly possible to have real oversight 

E)Many patients have privately messaged me and told me of their own misfortunes with Rahal. Note I am not hear to bring down the reputation of a clinic, but I think all patients are entitled to know the points mentioned above. If this was truly a patient site, these critical points would need to be at the minimum be showcased in the physician's profile to be transparent and informant.

[Melvin- Admin]

28 minutes ago, lovinitl9 said:

Melvin

Melvin would love to hear your input on several issues and really I thank you for your time

A) Do you think it is a problem that Rahal does surgery on multiple patients at the same time

I don't have a problem with this, as long as it does not affect the results or outcome. There are several surgeons who perform more than one surgery a day. Also, the patient should be notified of this before-hand. 

B)Why are techs doing the vast majority of the work?

This is the norm. Dr. Lorenzo in Spain, who is considered one of the best does not do any extractions, only his techs. The same goes for Erdogan, Feriduni etc. Very few surgeons perform the entire procedure themselves. I could probably count how many on one hand.

C)Have you noticed that his post op pics are FAR more traumatic than most physicians who use custom blades(the amount of swelling, redness, and shock loss is significantly more)

I have not noticed this, but how do the results look afterwards? This is what matters. 

D) With having clinics in several different cities, how can it be humanly possible to have real oversight 

We do not EVER recommend clinics. We only recommend surgeons. We want to make this clear, we do not recommend Rahal clinic, only Dr. Rahal. There could be a dozen Rahal clinics, we cannot vouch for those results nor do we endorse them. We only recommend Dr. Rahal who has been time-tested and proven.

E)Many patients have privately messaged me and told me of their own misfortunes with Rahal. Note I am not hear to bring down the reputation of a clinic, but I think all patients are entitled to know the points mentioned above. If this was truly a patient site, these critical points would need to be at the minimum be showcased in the physician's profile to be transparent and informant.

I have yet to receive one single PM from anyone complaining of Dr. Rahal. As previously mentioned, we cannot go by unverified anonymous posters. This is a dangerous way to conduct a patient-based community. We need to see ACTUAL threads with the stories, and we would need to verify they are patients. We need to be very careful, as this forum has been used and abused in the past by fake-posters and schills. If you wish to share your story separately and provide me with some additional information I will be happy to reach out to Dr. Rahal for his response on your case. This is why this forum exists. 

My responses are in bold 

[lovinitl9]

5 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

My responses are in bold 

thanks so much for the response. I think I just prefer a physician who is more involved. If the doctor is not even in the room to see the caliber of the grafts, I don't really get what makes him special?I think the issue with him using needles and causing so much unnecessary trauma indeed affects the results and causes scar tissue that will make following revisions much more difficult. This is a very important issue that needs to be brought up. He does not have adequate depth control. EVERY patient has major swelling and scabbing, that is not prominent with other notable physicians. What is the purpose of using needles, when a custom blade can be use that control the depth better and also changes in size according to size of the graft. I wish I had gone to someone like your physician who did the procedure the way I have preferred. I just quickly popped Rahal's name into search option on this site, and more of then than not patients who are real individuals and not moderators had poor results. food for thought and makes you think

[Dr. Rahal]

Hi lovinitl9, 

We always appreciate feedback. But need to correct you on a few things. 

1) We don't use needles. We only use custom blades. 

2) Dr. Rahal does not perform multiple procedures at the same time. If two patients are scheduled, it's a larger session in the morning (2500+ grafts) - and smaller session (under 1000 grafts) in the afternoon. Even then, we have a dedicated FUE team for each procedure. Most technicians have been with us 20+ years. Dr. Rahal has over 25+ years experience. I assure you it's not a problem. 

3) We have an entire department and 3 full-time staff dedicated to patient care. Ask any Rahal patient and they will confirm we take patient care very seriously. A search on this form for "patient care" will confirm. We are in contact with every patient (phone, email, txt) post-op - and each patient is assigned his/her own patient care manager. Bottomline, we would know if a patient is unhappy (and do everything in our power to correct it). I assure you, patients are happy.

4) Again, we are always appreciate feedback. Thank you. But we have a request. Would you allow us to discuss your case on the forums? Share photos, communications? We would appreciate it. If not, we certainly understand. But we do ask that you stick to the facts. If you're not sure about something, private PM us, ok. 

Also, we invite you to visit the clinic and watch a procedure. You can film the custom blades, Dr. Rahal performing manual FUE, including specialized implanters and 50X magnification we use for every procedure.

Lunch is on me! I'll also private PM you now. 

 

 

[lovinitl9]

29 minutes ago, Dr. Rahal said:

Hi lovinitl9, 

We always appreciate feedback. But need to correct you on a few things. 

1) We don't use needles. We only use custom blades. 

2) Dr. Rahal does not perform multiple procedures at the same time. If two patients are scheduled, it's a larger session in the morning (2500+ grafts) - and smaller session (under 1000 grafts) in the afternoon. Even then, we have a dedicated FUE team for each procedure. Most technicians have been with us 20+ years. Dr. Rahal has over 25+ years experience. I assure you it's not a problem. 

3) We have an entire department and 3 full-time staff dedicated to patient care. Ask any Rahal patient and they will confirm we take patient care very seriously. A search on this form for "patient care" will confirm. We are in contact with every patient (phone, email, txt) post-op - and each patient is assigned his/her own patient care manager. Bottomline, we would know if a patient is unhappy (and do everything in our power to correct it). I assure you, patients are happy.

4) Again, we are always appreciate feedback. Thank you. But we have a request. Would you allow us to discuss your case on the forums? Share photos, communications? We would appreciate it. If not, we certainly understand. But we do ask that you stick to the facts. If you're not sure about something, private PM us, ok. 

Also, we invite you to visit the clinic and watch a procedure. You can film the custom blades, Dr. Rahal performing manual FUE, including specialized implanters and 50X magnification we use for every procedure.

Lunch is on me! I'll also private PM you now. 

 

 

Thank you so much for your response,

The patient care at Rahal is great and I have absolutely no complaints about that, but what I am looking for is the results that I never got. I am 100% sure that they used needles to make the recipient sites, which is why I and so many patients had such abnormally red and swollen heads after the surgery. You may have changed this policy after noticing so many patients suffering from this issue. With these recipient sites, how are you sure that you made enough holes or not enough holes for all the grafts that were taken out. I know that my surgery what very tech heavy as opposed to the physician being there. I personally want my surgeon more involved and double/triple checking over everything, because his name is on the line, but that is my own personal preference. Again I feel is is my duty to give my candid experience, and others can make a decision as they please. 

Edited September 28, 2019 by lovinitl9

[Jacuzzi]

On September 25, 2019 at 2:13 AM, Aftermath said:

Did u pull the trigger on Rahal after? 

Nope, too many inconsitencies with his results. I decided that Dr. Hasson would be the best choice for me. 

[bruce90]

After researching the best hair transplant clinics in Canada I came to the conclusion that the two obvious ones were Rahal or Hasson and Wong. If I ever decided to get in done in Canada I always thought it would be with Rahal since the clinic was only a 4 hour drive from where I lived (Toronto). However after looking at patient results I think Hasson and Wong has to be the better choice between the two. Noticed enough people with not so good results with Rahal to make me not feel comfortable with them doing my procedure.

[Melvin- Admin]

23 hours ago, lovinitl9 said:

Thank you so much for your response,

The patient care at Rahal is great and I have absolutely no complaints about that, but what I am looking for is the results that I never got. I am 100% sure that they used needles to make the recipient sites, which is why I and so many patients had such abnormally red and swollen heads after the surgery. You may have changed this policy after noticing so many patients suffering from this issue. With these recipient sites, how are you sure that you made enough holes or not enough holes for all the grafts that were taken out. I know that my surgery what very tech heavy as opposed to the physician being there. I personally want my surgeon more involved and double/triple checking over everything, because his name is on the line, but that is my own personal preference. Again I feel is is my duty to give my candid experience, and others can make a decision as they please. 

I would appreciate if you allow the community to know more about your case and allow @Dr. Rahal to comment on your case and respond to your allegations. Please allow Dr. Rahal to speak on the allegations you have made.

[lovinitl9]

Look at how many people have complained about him on one thread and this isn't even my thread. Once again, they are a very nice staff, but sorry, be better!

[adonix]

Melvin, some of these forum members mentioned that Rahal spends 30 minutes in the room. If true, that is disturbing.

 

FYi - Lorenzo does most of the work on his patients. His techs do extractions, but he keeps an eye on it. He does the placement with the implanter tool.

[Dr. Rahal]

Quote

Rahal spends 30 minutes in the room. If true, that is disturbing

I agree, if it were true, which of course it's not

@lovinitl9 There are no unhappy patients like you claim. We work hard to make sure our patients are happy and proud of our patient care team, plus the results we're able to achieve for our patients. We know each and everyone of our patients. If any had concerns, we would know about it. 

We thank you for your feedback, but again ask that you allow us to share your photos and communications. Your procedure was strip and not recent. We feel it's important you share all of the facts. If not, we understand and will respect your decision.

[Melvin- Admin]

21 hours ago, adonix said:

Melvin, some of these forum members mentioned that Rahal spends 30 minutes in the room. If true, that is disturbing.

 

FYi - Lorenzo does most of the work on his patients. His techs do extractions, but he keeps an eye on it. He does the placement with the implanter tool.

I cant say that's true about Lorenzo, I've heard differently. It is hard to discern what's true and what isn't on an anonymous forum. 

[adonix]

12 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

I cant say that's true about Lorenzo, I've heard differently. It is hard to discern what's true and what isn't on an anonymous forum. 

That is a cynical response to an honest account.

Nothing is really anonymous. As a forum mod you would know that. All of those fake reviews of ‘recommended surgeons’ are very easy to trace..

 

 

[Aftermath]

On 9/30/2019 at 12:01 PM, Dr. Rahal said:

I agree, if it were true, which of course it's not

@lovinitl9 There are no unhappy patients like you claim. We work hard to make sure our patients are happy and proud of our patient care team, plus the results we're able to achieve for our patients. We know each and everyone of our patients. If any had concerns, we would know about it. 

We thank you for your feedback, but again ask that you allow us to share your photos and communications. Your procedure was strip and not recent. We feel it's important you share all of the facts. If not, we understand and will respect your decision.

A few people have commented on rahals lack of time in the operating room, so are you saying they’re lying, mistaken, or is this a smear campaign? 

 

 

[Dr. Rahal]

@Aftermath I hesitate to say it's a smear campaign, though there is a lot of misinformation. Let's call it mistaken  Dr. Rahal is highly involved in every case. 

A typical day starts at 5am. Dr. Rahal discusses your goals/expectations, designs your hairline, maps your donor region. This takes about an hour.

Then it's off to the OR where Dr. Rahal calculates your donor region, what he can and can't safely harvest (it's called donor management). He then has a huddle with the team to discuss the game plan.

We offer every type of FUE... before each case, Dr. Rahal harvests a small number of grafts via manual, motorized FUE, including dull/sharp and different punch sizes. Each graft is then inspected under magnification for quality. The technique/punch with the lowest transaction, best quality is used. It depends on hair characteristics, skin thickness, etc.

Dr. Rahal then does some final calculations, notes the depth and angle of grafts and plots the donor area on a whiteboard and donor. Throughout the day it's a combination of Dr. Rahal/team harvesting graphs, with Dr. Rahal in and out of the room throughout the day. If you are familiar with donor management, it's an ongoing process of calculations, partial transaction (deliberate in some cases), all with the goal of preserving your donor area, avoiding overharvesting and allowing for maximum number of graphs in the future.

Each graft is inspected (every single one of them) under magnification for quality. Dr. Rahal reviews the graph count sheet and numbers ongoing

You take a break, enjoy some lunch. Most patients have an appetite since they've been sleeping/had a good nap up until this point

Dr. Rahal prepares and injects PRP into the scalp

Dr. Rahal then goes over the hairline again, maps the scalp, prepares custom blades, and makes all the incisions. This can take one or two hours.

We have an entire team dedicated to implanting, and we use specialized planters, which preserves graft quality. Dr. Rahal is again in an out of the room, inspecting the recipient site for quality, etc. He may also provide additional freezing if needed.

Dr. Rahal meets with the patient with a patient care manager, goes over post-op, etc. 

Dr. Rahal again meets with the patient the next day - and for each follow-up.

Keep in mind above is a general breakdown. I'm thinking of doing a video of each step. Might be helpful and help with a lot of the miss information. Hope this helps.

[LonelyGraft]

7 hours ago, Dr. Rahal said:

@Aftermath I hesitate to say it's a smear campaign, though there is a lot of misinformation. Let's call it mistaken  Dr. Rahal is highly involved in every case. 

A typical day starts at 5am. Dr. Rahal discusses your goals/expectations, designs your hairline, maps your donor region. This takes about an hour.

Then it's off to the OR where Dr. Rahal calculates your donor region, what he can and can't safely harvest (it's called donor management). He then has a huddle with the team to discuss the game plan.

We offer every type of FUE... before each case, Dr. Rahal harvests a small number of grafts via manual, motorized FUE, including dull/sharp and different punch sizes. Each graft is then inspected under magnification for quality. The technique/punch with the lowest transaction, best quality is used. It depends on hair characteristics, skin thickness, etc.

Dr. Rahal then does some final calculations, notes the depth and angle of grafts and plots the donor area on a whiteboard and donor. Throughout the day it's a combination of Dr. Rahal/team harvesting graphs, with Dr. Rahal in and out of the room throughout the day. If you are familiar with donor management, it's an ongoing process of calculations, partial transaction (deliberate in some cases), all with the goal of preserving your donor area, avoiding overharvesting and allowing for maximum number of graphs in the future.

Each graft is inspected (every single one of them) under magnification for quality. Dr. Rahal reviews the graph count sheet and numbers ongoing

You take a break, enjoy some lunch. Most patients have an appetite since they've been sleeping/had a good nap up until this point

Dr. Rahal prepares and injects PRP into the scalp

Dr. Rahal then goes over the hairline again, maps the scalp, prepares custom blades, and makes all the incisions. This can take one or two hours.

We have an entire team dedicated to implanting, and we use specialized planters, which preserves graft quality. Dr. Rahal is again in an out of the room, inspecting the recipient site for quality, etc. He may also provide additional freezing if needed.

Dr. Rahal meets with the patient with a patient care manager, goes over post-op, etc. 

Dr. Rahal again meets with the patient the next day - and for each follow-up.

Keep in mind above is a general breakdown. I'm thinking of doing a video of each step. Might be helpful and help with a lot of the miss information. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the detailed breakdown.

 

can you please confirm if dr. Rahal recieved his training and/or worked under Dr. Antonio Armani or Alvi Armani clinic?

[Dr. Rahal]

@LonelyGraft No problem! 

No. Dr. Rahal did not work under Dr. Armani. I'm sure they shared information, learned from each other, shared tips, etc.

For example, Dr. Ron Shapiro visited Dr. Rahal not too long ago. He shared some tips and vice versa. Combined both have 60+ years experience... so there is a lot to share and learn from each other. It was cool to see both talking "hairlines." For a hair geek like me anyway. lol BTW, Dr. Ron Shapiro designs some awesome hairlines. He's Not talked about much. But does amazing work.

Dr. Rahal's also in contact with Dr. José Lorenzo and others all the time, sharing tips, trade secrets, etc. 

Hope this helps

 

[bruce90]

Dr. Rahal I'm just wondering why your clinic refuses to give information on pricing for your procedures?

I've tried multiple times to get a price per graft estimate from your reps but they insist that I come to the clinic in person which is tough for me since I'm not able to take a lot of time off work.

I'd like to consider you for a procedure in the future but it seems overly difficult when they won't give me an estimate which every other clinic I've spoken to has been able to do including Hasson and Wong.

[Dr. Rahal]

@bruce90 Sorry to hear about that! There is an online option if you can't make it in. Dr. Rahal will create a personalized treatment plan, includes cost, any discounts, after he reviews your photos, understands your goals, answer questions, etc. Can you email Tara? tara@rahalhairline.com. I'll let he know to expect an email so she can expedite.

[bruce90]

Dr Rahal I already filled out the online option almost a year ago which included giving them all my pictures and all the information they required. No one followed up with me to give me any information about the procedure in terms of cost or grafts required which I find strange since every clinic I've emailed pictures to has freely given me this info in the past.

I did receive a phone call a few days later from one of your reps and when I asked him for this information over the phone I was told by him that I needed to come to the clinic for an in person consultation and that there was no other way. 

When I did prompt them again in another email for info in the future I was simply told that most patients invest between $10,000-20,000. The fact that they refuse to answer a simple question for me is irritating and one of the reasons I started looking abroad versus getting it done locally in Canada (which I was seriously considering at the time). 

Edited October 5, 2019 by bruce90

[bruce90]

[CosmoKramer]

There is nothing faster that gets me to add a business (no matter what kind) to my ‘Dead-to-me’ list than being ignored by said business that could’ve received thousands of my hard-earned cash-money.

Edited October 5, 2019 by CosmoKramer

[Curious]

Dr. Rahal ought to be able to freely discuss lovinit19's treatment since lovinit is ripping on him. . 

[Dr. Rahal]

Hi @bruce90!

Thanks for sharing- and I definitely get your frustration. Hopefully I can clear up the consultation process below. Any other questions, or if I missed anything, just let me know. 

The form you completed is for Dr. Rahal and includes photos, your hair loss history. Dr. Rahal reviews your information and creates your personalized treatment plan, which includes cost, number of graphs, answers your questions, etc. You would then schedule a call with the patient advisor to discuss the treatment plan, your options and answer any additional questions...Sounds like this step was missed.

For an in person consultation, you would meet with an advisor. He/she would take photos, answer basic questions about the procedure, discuss your goals, complete the hair loss history form with you, plus you would meet some patients in person. He/she would then send the information to Dr. Rahal for review. He would then create your treatment plan, and the advisor would schedule a call to discuss. 

p.s. I noticed you said you were available over the weekend in the email. i'm in Toronto this weekend and happy to meet you on Saturday or Sunday, whichever is best for you. Anytime works 🙂 Do you want to schedule something? I'll PM you now.

 

 

Edited October 7, 2019 by Dr. Rahal