FUE Experience w/Dr. Diep MHTA Clinic

[jimcraig152]

On 11/10/2020 at 6:09 PM, anotherhairlosssufferer said:

Something I am thinking about - why does it matter how big the punches are? Each punch will extract a graft (1/2/3/4 hair graft) so no matter who you go to you will have the same issue - a certain number of grafts will be gone and your ability to wear your hair shorter will be affected the same? The only issue I see is if a doctor doesn't distribute the extractions randomly and evenly across the whole donor, but the size of the punch shouldn't matter.

EDIT:  Looks like my math may be wrong. I may have put the incorrect values into Excel. Deleting the math part for now and will revisit this later.

Outside of ethnicity that have follicular characteristics that require a larger punch, hairs of larger diameter, or body hair excisions, there is no advantage at all for the patient when the surgeon uses a larger punch. Other reputable surgeons all use 0.9mm or smaller punches for straight-hair patients and also achieve high density. The advantages are all for the surgeon. He/she can be less precise and thus can move faster. The disadvantages to the patient however increases:

• Increased pain and length of time for recovery
• Increased risk of infection
• Increased chance of shock loss, some of which the patient might not recover from
• Increased risk of transection of surrounding hairs, thus diminishing donor supply to treat future progression
• Increased surgeon speed can lead to increased surgeon error; increasing transection loss which we've already discussed

Who knows how it will look on a patient by patient basis. But the math is undeniable. By testimony, a smaller punch reduces or eliminates the disadvantages listed above. Read and see them for yourself (here, here, here, and elsewhere).

Edited November 12, 2020 by jimcraig152

[jimcraig152]

Your hair looks good @SWdan. No denying that. Happy for you.

But the compromises Dr. Diep makes certainly has diminished the aesthetic results of many patients. You cannot give a surgeon a pass when transection loss is >25%. When those '90's Bosley-like baby doll plugs are inserted into a patient's head in 2020, you can't give a surgeon a pass either. It's absurd that a patient is carrying explicit instructions into his procedure demanding the surgeon to not extract donors from too small of an area in their donor. Absurd. The surgeon should do this as part of standard practice. Any patient with MHTA should be given the white glove treatment and not have to be the BFF of a hair loss forum moderator to get that treatment.

No one doubt that Dr. Diep can produce good results. There is no denying either that it is a dice roll where MHTA patients shall end up on which side of probability. The reason for this? The compromises he makes to save himself time so he can leverage the time to increase his revenue. Thus, the man's work is polarizing; that cannot be denied either.

[pre-screened]

(1) Corn row hair placement in recipient area > Not a SINGLE other elite clinic take this approach

(2) FUE harvesting not dispersed across full safe zone but rather punches crowded into one side of the safe zone >  Not a SINGLE other elite clinic take this approach to FUE

Either Dr.Diep is a man from the future with a revolutionary approach around the fundamentals of how HT's should be done (that is yet to be adopted by H&W, Couto, Konior for some unknown reason) OR Dr.Diep is doing it wrong.

We can argue about why he does it but we should be able to agree he decides, for whatever reason, not to adopt industry best practice in these two regards and patients should know that and weigh up the benefits/risks by going to a doctor that diverges so clearly from his industry colleagues.

[Melvin- Admin]

9 hours ago, jimcraig152 said:

Any patient with MHTA should be given the white glove treatment and not have to be the BFF of a hair loss forum moderator to get that treatment.

Jim, 

I have been more than tolerant, but I will not tolerate these accusations. @SWdan just gave you his own account as another fellow Diep patient, I’ve never met @SWdan in my life, @Skyb gave his account, and again not someone I’ve ever met before. 

You have a clear agenda, and anyone who doesn’t play to your narrative gets discredited instantly. But if @SWdan had come and shared what you consider bad results, you wouldn’t have been so dismissive.

This is now the second time you’ve made accusations against me, first time calling me “Diep mafia”, now saying my friend got “white glove treatment” for being my “BFF.” Literally, right after another forum member gave their own personal account of their experience.

I’m tired of having to babysit this thread with outrageous claims from people who’ve never been to Diep, or have had any interaction with him. Members of the community are getting tired of it. You set your agenda from the start, no one is gonna change your mind, even if your results turn out great, which I’m sure it will, your agenda is set. That’s fine, you can feel however you’d like about your results, and share your feelings. But I will no longer tolerate baseless accusations. I hope I’ve made myself clear. 

[WS2020]

11 hours ago, jjsrader said:

Diep is gonna' stomp all over your demands and bulldoze through his 2 patients a day regardless.  You are treating this not nearly as serious as you should.  It is cosmetic surgery.  A bad result will haunt you.  Good luck.

I care about my hair but I am not being "obsessed" about it. I believe everyone has their reasons to choose HT but having it done right or wrong is not going to change the course of my life. I am in my 50's now and have been losing hair since early 20's. I am well aware I can look better with more hair but it never affect my confidence on both work and dating life.

Even with my NW4, I still look better than 90% of the guys in my office (comments from my female coworkers in their 20's and 30's.) People has to understand hair is just one of the many elements of once appearance. Since I made a decision from the beginning that I will not take fin for my hair, I focus on what I can control. Prior to Covid, you will see me at the gym doing cardio and weights 4 days a week with at least 60-90 minutes per session. I also spend a lot of time studying and following different clothing styles and make sure every piece of my clothing fits me as good as it can.

My point is good appearance is more about confidence and other elements than a full head of hair. I choose Diep because even his "not so good" results are ok in my book. Since I know what is my baseline, I am fine diving in.

 

[Skyb]

I will be clear and upfront I have no affiliation with anyone in the HT industry or this forum. I discovered the you tube channel and decided to join the forums so I could share my experience and  my results with Dr Diep. I figured it could be away to give back since I had such a great experience. I only post on here now to Give my personal opinion  about Dr Diep. I feel his reputation is being tarnished by people who jump to conclusions before the results play out. Everyone who gets a hair transplant is going to be scared and by the third month feel like they made a horrible mistake or got “botched”. Let’s all chill out and let the course play out. I have done years of research and to this day I have not seen anyone  more  impressive than Dr Diep. 

[ShadowMoon]

39 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Jim, 

I have been more than tolerant, but I will not tolerate these accusations. @SWdan just gave you his own account as another fellow Diep patient, I’ve never met @SWdan in my life, @Skyb gave his account, and again not someone I’ve ever met before. 

You have a clear agenda, and anyone who doesn’t play to your narrative gets discredited instantly. But if @SWdan had come and shared what you consider bad results, you wouldn’t have been so dismissive.

This is now the second time you’ve made accusations against me, first time calling me “Diep mafia”, now saying my friend got “white glove treatment” for being my “BFF.” Literally, right after another forum member gave their own personal account of their experience.

I’m tired of having to babysit this thread with outrageous claims from people who’ve never been to Diep, or have had any interaction with him. Members of the community are getting tired of it. You set your agenda from the start, no one is gonna change your mind, even if your results turn out great, which I’m sure it will, your agenda is set. That’s fine, you can feel however you’d like about your results, and share your feelings. But I will no longer tolerate baseless accusations. I hope I’ve made myself clear. 

@Melvin-Moderator   Jim was saying when a patient comes in with a complaint to this forum, you personally reach out to Diep for them to get a resolution. I've seen that many times. 

I find it absolutely ridiculous that you never respond to the perfectly legitimate complaints we have against diep's technique. You still haven't even looked into @Specific-violinist60archived thread to determine if the transection rate was upwards of 40%. I even pm'd you about it and you never responded. You want to talk about agendas? 

You never respond to Diep making corn rows and saying they grow better that way. No, they do not. They look like shit and no other elite surgeon does that.

You never respond to Diep always using 1mm punches. It causes unnecessary harm and no other elite surgeon does it that way.

You never respond to him mutilating one side od people's heads. He says it's to preserve the other side for later surgeries. That's stupid and irresponsible, and no other elite surgeon does it that way.

How about you address our complaints against this surgeon and give us some answers so we don't have to do your job and make sure patients that come here know the facts and how polarizing Diep is compared to literally every other surgeon in the same price range? Your results are not better than any other konior, cooley, lupanzula, h&w FUE patient, yet you don't see his patients looking like someone took a meat tenderizer to the back of their head. Look at every Diep FUT scar posted on here, they're absolute garbage.

[SWdan]

10 hours ago, jimcraig152 said:

Any patient with MHTA should be given the white glove treatment and not have to be the BFF of a hair loss forum moderator to get that treatment.

 

I don't know anybody on this forum personally. Dr. Diep never asked me if I knew anybody on this forum.  I feel he and his staff gave me the same good service they would give anybody. 

 

[Melvin- Admin]

3 minutes ago, ShadowMoon said:

@Melvin-Moderator   Jim was saying when a patient comes in with a complaint to this forum, you personally reach out to Diep for them to get a resolution. I've seen that many times. 

I find it absolutely ridiculous that you never respond to the perfectly legitimate complaints we have against diep's technique. You still haven't even looked into @Specific-violinist60archived thread to determine if the transection rate was upwards of 40%. I even pm'd you about it and you never responded. You want to talk about agendas? 

You never respond to Diep making corn rows and saying they grow better that way. No, they do not. They look like shit and no other elite surgeon does that.

You never respond to Diep always using 1mm punches. It causes unnecessary harm and no other elite surgeon does it that way.

You never respond to him mutilating one side od people's heads. He says it's to preserve the other side for later surgeries. That's stupid and irresponsible, and no other elite surgeon does it that way.

How about you address our complaints against this surgeon and give us some answers so we don't have to do your job and make sure patients that come here know the facts and how polarizing Diep is compared to literally every other surgeon in the same price range? Your results are not better than any other konior, cooley, lupanzula, h&w FUE patient, yet you don't see his patients looking like someone took a meat tenderizer to the back of their head. Look at every Diep FUT scar posted on here, they're absolute garbage.

Shadow, 

First of all, the pictures in that thread were already deleted. I did reach out to both the member and Dr. Diep about it, the member didn’t want to participate in the forum because of all the negativity. I have never once censored anyone for saying anything negative about Diep, but you claim I have an agenda.

You’ve been outspoken in your criticisms, and that’s fine. I have no problem with it, but I can’t have an environment that is an echo chamber, I’m allowed to speak, as is other patients.

As for 1mm punches, he doesn’t only do 1 mm punches, he does that based on what he feels is right for the patient. My last surgery with Diep he used 0.9mm punches. But now we’re going to tell surgeons how to do there job? This is beyond ridiculous. 

I also don’t appreciate your tone or foul language, I’m fed up with it to be honest. Do my job? I have personally contacted a dozen patients, ensured that patients receive free touch ups, and in some cases refunds. What you do, is bash a surgeon with whom you’ve  never been too, and appoint yourself as the expert in industry standards, after having one hair transplant.

You will treat me with respect, as I treat you, be civil and have a conversation without using foul language. You’re one of the reasons why those who report posts don’t actually post, they don’t want to be attacked. You mentioned not wanting to be in the forum, well the door is wide open. I won’t be responding to attacks and insults. I do this job as a passion.

I work a full time job, I don’t own this site, I do this because I care.  You can pm anyone who’s ever had any bad experiences on here and they will vouch for me. They are the reason I’m here. I’m not a surgeon, I’m not a doctor. I have no place telling a surgeon how to perform surgery. If you don’t like that surgeons protocols or methods, that is fine. You have a choice, you can also share your opinions on why you don’t like them. Everything you say is your opinion, it is not fact. Sensational claims like every FUT scar sucks.

Two patients just responded here who had FUT and their scars do not suck. I see that your overall just toxic and aggressive. This will be my last response to you. I’m not here to fight or to defend myself constantly. 

[SWdan]

My FUT scar.
These pictures were taken seven months after my procedure. Still some shock loss, but it was clearly recovering. 

Edited November 11, 2020 by SWdan

[jimcraig152]

I do have an agenda. Besides seeing through my own personal journey and sharing it with others, I, like anyone else, want to leave the paths we travel better than when we found it. How does a patient do that? Simple. Hold their surgeon accountable.

[jimcraig152]

2 hours ago, WS2020 said:

I care about my hair but I am not being "obsessed" about it. I believe everyone has their reasons to choose HT but having it done right or wrong is not going to change the course of my life. I am in my 50's now and have been losing hair since early 20's. I am well aware I can look better with more hair but it never affect my confidence on both work and dating life.

Even with my NW4, I still look better than 90% of the guys in my office (comments from my female coworkers in their 20's and 30's.) People has to understand hair is just one of the many elements of once appearance. Since I made a decision from the beginning that I will not take fin for my hair, I focus on what I can control. Prior to Covid, you will see me at the gym doing cardio and weights 4 days a week with at least 60-90 minutes per session. I also spend a lot of time studying and following different clothing styles and make sure every piece of my clothing fits me as good as it can.

My point is good appearance is more about confidence and other elements than a full head of hair. I choose Diep because even his "not so good" results are ok in my book. Since I know what is my baseline, I am fine diving in.

 

I am sure you will turn out fine with Dr. Diep. I am also sure you've set off on a divergent path towards better results with your participation in this thread. Dr. Diep is watching. I know you will have demands that you will carry into your procedure. And if Dr. Diep delivers the same rushed tactics he does with patients that have called out the compromises he makes, we'll all know. So I look forward to your own thread. Take lots of good pictures please.

I applaud you for taking into consideration what other patients have told you. Personally, I think the demands you will be making of Dr. Diep  should be delivered by default by any surgeon this day and age. But I applaud you nonetheless. Patients holding their surgeons accountable should be commended. Not dismissed. At the end of the day, the whole surgical hair restoration industry makes a fortune off of suffering. Think about that stark reality. Standards have been set now at this point in human evolution where we are on the precipice of a medical cure and at the apex of surgical hair restoration. Any reputable surgeon delivering less than those standards, must be held accountable.

[jjsrader]

4 hours ago, WS2020 said:

I care about my hair but I am not being "obsessed" about it. I believe everyone has their reasons to choose HT but having it done right or wrong is not going to change the course of my life. I am in my 50's now and have been losing hair since early 20's. I am well aware I can look better with more hair but it never affect my confidence on both work and dating life.

Even with my NW4, I still look better than 90% of the guys in my office (comments from my female coworkers in their 20's and 30's.) People has to understand hair is just one of the many elements of once appearance. Since I made a decision from the beginning that I will not take fin for my hair, I focus on what I can control. Prior to Covid, you will see me at the gym doing cardio and weights 4 days a week with at least 60-90 minutes per session. I also spend a lot of time studying and following different clothing styles and make sure every piece of my clothing fits me as good as it can.

My point is good appearance is more about confidence and other elements than a full head of hair. I choose Diep because even his "not so good" results are ok in my book. Since I know what is my baseline, I am fine diving in.

 

Fine - you've made up your mind.  I will say you seem very smart w/a high self esteem.  To me, frankly the photos I have seen here w/regard to this doctor - I personally would not go to him.

Fair enough?  If you are all that (I'm in my 50's as well) w/your fitness & clothes and such a good-looking stud & clearly a 1%'er I don't see why the photo evidence is not giving you pause.  If you get it wrong (hair) it's no big deal?  C'mon - you are rationalizing - but okay.  We've seen some photos of results that just would not be acceptable to me.  But again, if you are fine with it - have at it.

Anyways - I wish all my balding brothers (including you) the best & hope you get density & good healing & a better head of hair.

 

 

Edited November 11, 2020 by jjsrader

[pre-screened]

(1) Corn row hair placement in recipient = wrong methodology

(2) FUE harvesting from a concentrated patch from safe zone = wrong methodology

Put another way if you walked into Dr.Konior displaying those two characteristics, corn row placement & concentrated FUE pattern, you would be classed as a repair patient & rightly so.

Can Diep supporters explain how I'm wrong to flag two foundational flaws with Diep's work and how he deviates  from standards in his profession? Deviating from standards in your medical profession has another name - malpractice. 

[Melvin- Admin]

1 hour ago, pre-screened said:

(1) Corn row hair placement in recipient = wrong methodology

(2) FUE harvesting from a concentrated patch from safe zone = wrong methodology

Put another way if you walked into Dr.Konior displaying those two characteristics, corn row placement & concentrated FUE pattern, you would be classed as a repair patient & rightly so.

Can Diep supporters explain how I'm wrong to flag two foundational flaws with Diep's work and how he deviates  from standards in his profession? Deviating from standards in your medical profession has another name - malpractice. 

Once again another sensational post reported. This thread is making me wish I wasn’t a moderator. By Diep supporters you mean- his past patients who are past 5 months. 

The graft placement could be disputed by laymans all day long, the truth is none of us are surgeons. It’s a bit like telling a quarter back he has two foundational flaws with how he throws a ball, even though he gets touch downs and you’ve never played a game of football a day in your life. 

Now, I’m all for healthy debate, you’re two questions are valid until you threw in malpractice, which is absurd. 

Okay, so here’s an example of what some on this thread have called  “cornrow” placement. The grafts are placed right behind one another with the front zig zagged- this is done to create a tight wall hairline. The result is an ultra-high density hairline. For example, BLM, sorry to pick on you again bro, but you’re a good example. @SWdan who shared his thoughts in this thread is another example as well. 

Below is what his hair looked like when freshly planted, then you see his result, which is a hairline that is denser and tighter than mine. There is no appearance of corn rows when the hairline is grown in, just a dense hairline. Is this everyone’s cup of tea? No, but calling this malpractice is laughable.

Now, for extracting on one side, he’s not the only or first surgeon to do this, there’s several other surgeons. As he explained to me he does this on small cases of under 2,000 grafts, and he does it so the other side is preserved with less sub-dermal scarring, which will make it easier and better for future extractions. Now, granted, it can pose a potential cosmetic disparity between both sides. 

Now, since you mentioned Konior I thought I’d share what he told me as a patient. He said my case now is very difficult, because my entire donor has been harvested and the best/optimal hair has been already extracted. At this point, my donor becomes equally as important to preserve as my recipient. A big reason why it’s advised to go FUT first is for this very reason. The hair below and above the strip is pristine and untouched.

 I will concede that this is something he should discuss with the patient beforehand, so they can weigh the pros and cons and choose themselves, but I do not believe he’s acting out of self interest. Of course, you can disagree, but as I’ve said over and over again. You can share your opinion without being sensational. 

[Hairgain22]

This thread delivers it all, ups, downs, drama, man what a read! 

I have no dog in this fight, but I must say @jimcraig152 you've got to be one of the most meticulous guys I've ever seen.  Honestly, I've seen your pictures and I think it looks good mate, even your donor in the last set of pictures in harsh lighting looks absolutely normal to me. I hope you can find some form of happiness, you're a good guy and the results look good so far.

@Melvin-Moderator You have got a tough job, I for one am grateful for all the work you do here. Didn't know this was your part time job as well, kudos. I appreciate the time and work you put in here, its honestly the best place  to research hands down. Some of the comments are definitely over the top, I can see why they were reported. Exaggeration comes natural to a lot of people.

I see why some people are concerned, especially if things are being done unconventionally. Based on all of the patients Melvin posted a few pages ago, looks like there is consistency to me. Although, I agree with Jim, accountability is important, even if it's just for poor aftercare. Dr. Diep has never been a surgeon that particularly interested me, but seeing some of the results in this thread, there's no denying he's skilled. I would mutilate a baby seal to get the BLM guys hairline 😬  

Keeping in the sports analogy that Melvin gave, we can argue that a boxers jab isn't effective, his footwork is sloppy, conditioning is poor, etc. But if he's got a left or right hand that will put you to sleep, and his record shows it, there's not much else to say. 

 

[Hairgain22]

@jimcraig152

I saw all of those pictures a few pages back, correct me if I’m wrong, but all of those patients, including yourself are under 6 months right? 

I have to say that guy BLMs hairline looked similar to those pictures in the post Melvin shared at 6 months. It’s possible it will improve and look good like BLMs hairline by 12 months.

I think it’s fair to reserve final judgment until then. I hope they follow up at 12 months. I think a lot of results will look like shite before the full time. 

As I said hope you get a good result mate, I think you’re being too harsh on yourself. I’ve seen a lot of other threads with similar timelines and yours looks good in comparison. I don’t think anyone is giving Diep a pass, certainly not me. But I’ve seen both sides and it does make sense to wait for the 12 months. Either way, you have my support, wish you the best, and hope you can find some peace and happiness. Btw that madonna picture in the other thread has me 😂

[jimcraig152]

I've only bestowed the "Like A Virgin" award to Konior and his disciples and @yalla8's surgeon. But all were deserving.

This is my experience thread. My review will come later along with final judgement. I am just being honest as I go. But the subject of Dr. Diep's work is polarizing. I get singled out because I am thorough with my honesty. Everyone else has their own threads and can sing the praises of Dr. Diep all they want. This isn't the defacto thread on the subject of Dr. Diep. There is a search function on this forum.

Indeed those are pics from less than 6 months. But below are some pics from patients that reached full term. The row placement allows scalp to be easily visible between the rows. Regardless of how things will look after 12 months, the primary goal of surgical hair restoration is naturalness. Human hair doesn't grow in rows. Not sure why there is an argument. The row placement limits the aesthetic results and the hair styles the patient can wear. Some get lucky and the rows work out, some don't. It is a dice roll.

 

I am fine. Like I said, I like how I look now and look forward to the final results. Still, it doesn't give Dr. Diep a pass.

Edited November 12, 2020 by jimcraig152

[anotherhairlosssufferer]

On 11/10/2020 at 9:08 PM, jimcraig152 said:

The difference is 22.25 square inches of additional scarring that would decrease your ability to have less visible scarring, decreasing your ability to wear shorter hairstyles. Forcing upon the surgeon these dilemmas:

When I read this I was like wow that's a HUGE area, so big that it doesn't make sense. So I re-did the math and I don't know where you got the conversion from, but the difference is 565 square mm which is 0.876 square inches, so less than a square inch distributed over the harvested area. This is still a decent number, as 0.8mm punches give you a 35% smaller scarring area.

I have never seen a healed donor/hair transplant in person so I don't know how much of a problem is scarring vs the fact that some grafts are missing (which will always happen with FUE) but I wouldn't complain about 35% less scaring, assuming that it doesn't come with some consequences like fewer grafts surviving due to the higher risk of hurting the graft root with a smaller punch.

 

Quote

They feel indebted to Dr. Diep and give him a pass. That is why he continues to thrash patient donors to the tune of 25%-45% transection loss and no one even bats an eye. 

@jimcraig152 - are you saying that the graft survival rate for Dr. Diep is 75%-55%? That sounds way too low, you can argue about many things but not about his yield.

Edited November 12, 2020 by anotherhairlosssufferer

[yalla8]

There is clearly a diversion tactic being played in this thread by those coming to the aid of Dr Diep. All of this "whataboutism" with regard to some good results doesn't negate the bad or mediocre ones. After all, as @jimcraig152 has eloquently pointed out, the mark of a good surgeon is his or her ability to produce good results consistently. 

The beauty of this forum is that it provides free information for people to make an independent decision about who they want operating on their body. The laws of supply and demand have a way of working themselves out in the long run. Only with honest criticism and self-reflection can Diep improve his practice and help men regain their hair. After all, that's why we're all here! So let's be thankful to those who point out flaws and stop trying to cover for a doctor instead. 

[jimcraig152]

@anotherhairlosssufferer I'll check my math again. If I am wrong, I'll correct it.

EDIT:  To be clear, graft survival and transection loss are two different things. Dr. Diep does two things well:

1. Hairlines placement
2. Produces excellent yield (graft survival)

Believe it or not, even I was slapped around for giving that praise for Dr. Diep.

But just take a look at the donors of Dr. Diep FUE patients. Then take a look a FUE patients of other doctors of similar graft amounts. You'll notice the difference by eye test. If you saw this thread before it was taken down, you'd have no dispute that the transection loss was at least 45%. Did you see what @Noodles123 said? His paper work showed 1500 punches. His procedure was 1200 grafts. 25% transection rate loss.

I have never told anyone NOT to go to Dr. Diep. Earlier on, another member had decided to go to Dr. Diep and I provided him support as to what to expect. In the end he went to Dr. Shapiro and based upon the care he was given and his early results, I couldn't be happier for him. As a brother in the struggle, I want the best for you.

This thread is about my experience. Make of it what you will. To quote Bruce Lee, "Absorb what is useful. Discard what is not. Make that which is uniquely your own." I can't walk in your shoes.

Edited November 12, 2020 by jimcraig152

[BDK081522]

I am going to offer my OPINION based on my individual experiences. I think I am in a rare position in that I have been to both Dr. Diep and Dr. Konior for a subsequent procedure. I wouldn't necessarily call it a repair because I received an acceptable result from Dr. Diep. I was mostly happy with the yield on the hairline but not so with the yield or hair direction on his temple closure angles. He achieves very good density most of the time in the hairline. For me, his grafts seemed chunky and malpositioned. I have coarse wavy hair and yield shouldn't have been a problem. Overall, yield was not a problem. He did put some singles in front of the thicker grafts that softened it but you could still notice hairs in a horizontal line straight across. One of my biggest concerns was that his graft angles were not natural, however. They did not follow the pattern and direction of surrounding hair. They were too perpendicular to the skin. The casual observer would not notice this unless you knew what to look for. So how could it be called a failure? From a macro perspective it was anything but a failure. He delivered great yield in the hairline and allowed me to expose my hairline for the first time in 15 years. Where Dr. Diep failed is in the attention to detail in placement, angles, and donor management. My donor looked destroyed after surgery. His punches were way too large and too concentrated. At the bottom he left a linear pattern that resembled an FUT scar. I have thick coarse donor hair and you should never have been able to tell I had about 3400 grafts at that point if my donor was managed appropriately. Of course the donor didn't end up looking as bad as I thought it would after a year but it shouldn't have been as noticeable as it was. I had to have SMP to camoflouge Diep's donor extraction sites. So, in my eyes that's where he failed me. For any prospective Diep patients, I'm not saying Dr. Diep is going to fail you. Your yield will more than likely be good but just think about the overall procedure and don't take donor management for granted. Before my experience with Dr. Konior I assumed all surgeons operated like Dr Diep. This assumption was inherently WRONG. My experience with Dr. Konior in every way possible was more professional, detail oriented, and patient focused. I believe Diep does what he does out of urgency. Urgency to get the quickest acceptable outcome without spending 12 hours a day on one patient. Dr. Konior is the exact opposite. He literally spent from 0630 until 2130 working on only me. He gives you his undivided attention and is so meticulous with every aspect of surgery. He genuinely wants the best most natural result for every patient that walks through the door. I completely understand that Dr. Konior is expensive and not everyone can afford it. However, he delivers and the end result is worth it in my opinion. To those reading this thread that have not had surgery with Dr Diep, it may seem like many of @jimcraig152 posts are bashing him. I don't see them as surgeon bashing. I think he is offering his insight into his unique experience and allowing prospective patients a glimpse into what they will likely encounter with Dr. Diep. Hindsight is 20/20 and many patients look back and critique every aspect of their surgical experience AFTER that said experience. It's human nature. You extrapolate data based on what you experience. Unfortunately, most of us don't scrutinize the details and tend to focus more on the positive when searching for a surgeon. If we really took the time to understand how the surgeon works prior to scheduling then you could be researching for years. In actuality, if you want to get it right on the first try that is exactly what you should do. After you have selected your surgeon in your mind it is very difficult to see the negatives pertaining to that surgeon. Our minds use a defense mechanism because we want to think we've chosen the best and want to get to surgery as quickly as possible. What I've learned is that the age old saying that all good things come to those who wait is true more often than not. Take the time, do the research, and make a selection based off of reason, not an emotional connection to needing your hair back as soon as possible. Hair restoration is a journey and it has ups, downs, and everything in between. Just be sure to buckle up because the ride lasts a lifetime. 

[Hairgain22]

10 hours ago, jimcraig152 said:

I've only bestowed the "Like A Virgin" award to Konior and his disciples and @yalla8's surgeon. But all were deserving.

This is my experience thread. My review will come later along with final judgement. I am just being honest as I go. But the subject of Dr. Diep's work is polarizing. I get singled out because I am thorough with my honesty. Everyone else has their own threads and can sing the praises of Dr. Diep all they want. This isn't the defacto thread on the subject of Dr. Diep. There is a search function on this forum.

Indeed those are pics from less than 6 months. But below are some pics from patients that reached full term. The row placement allows scalp to be easily visible between the rows. Regardless of how things will look after 12 months, the primary goal of surgical hair restoration is naturalness. Human hair doesn't grow in rows. Not sure why there is an argument. The row placement limits the aesthetic results and the hair styles the patient can wear. Some get lucky and the rows work out, some don't. It is a dice roll.

 

I am fine. Like I said, I like how I look now and look forward to the final results. Still, it doesn't give Dr. Diep a pass.

These results look decent to me, bottom pic in the harsh lighting looks a little thin, but I wouldn’t say it’s a botch job or  unnatural. Being totally honest here I can’t notice any rows, but It’s definitely not the BLM hairline that we all desire.

I’m total neutral here, I’m not trying to defend anyone. I love your thread. I’ve observed both arguments. I’m just saying, there was an example posted earlier where the hairline looked really bad at 6 months and then turned out incredible by 12.

Based on that, in my opinion it’s fair to wait to pass judgement on those pictures, till 12 months, considering the similarities and the surgeon. Again, as a casual observer, I believe what’s happened here is you’ve rattled some of Diep’s happy patients, which turned out to be quite a few. I can understand where they’re coming from just like I can understand and appreciate you. Earlier in the thread, I was thinking this Diep guy was a monster. 

After seeing the back and forth and looking up all of those other reviews that Mel provided. I started to think differently. I’m not giving him a pass at all, you are totally right mate, this is your review and it should be about your experience. It took a turn somehow and became something different, which is a shame. I hope you can go back to sharing the meticulous details and facts without all of the other nonsense.

[asterix0]

I paid $200 for a consultation with surgeon local to me, who is considered among the upper echelon of surgeons.

Every point that I brought up to him, he did not discount at all or brush me off because I am a "layman". When he saw I was able to intelligently present points, he discussed things with me like a colleague, rather than an ignorant, prospective patient.

I have seen too many times that in the medical field, particularly in the USA, that they have an air of superiority to them just because of the MD title next to their name. With the advent of the internet, knowledge is not confined anymore to medical schools costing 80 grand a year.

Never let the "appeal to authority" argument convince you when talking to a doctor. If a doctor dismisses you because he/she is a doctor and you are not, then this is not the right doctor to go to, for any medical problem.

 

 

[Melvin- Admin]

Dear Community,

Yesterday, was a complete nightmare for me as a moderator. @jimcraig152 you're totally right, this is your thread about your experience, and it is not a thread related to all things Diep. As a moderator, I should have done something sooner, for that I apologize. 

Guys,

Moving forward, this thread needs to be related to Jim and his progress. It is not a "I can't believe Diep did this" or "look at me Diep did my hair." In general, hair loss/transplants are a very emotional subject. Some of you don't know, but I was actually a repair patient myself. I have a video on YouTube detailing what happened, and why it was a complete mess. Dr. Diep changed my life, I will forever be grateful to him for that, if it weren't for him, I would never be in this position. That said, this thread isn't about me, or anyone else, it is about Jim. 

@jimcraig152 You don't need to walk on egg shells, but you do have to be respectful. Statements like "only forum moderators or their BFFs get the white glove treatment" is not true, and others with no affiliation to me have shared their experience, which is different than your own. You can speak for yourself and your experience, you are more than free to say "I didn't get the white glove treatment." When you keep it about you, it's fair and it's balanced. 

One last thing, I don't want to get involved, honestly I don't. Had I been a regular forum member I would've probably left the forum for good. I'm a positive person who likes to keep good vibrations. Unfortunately, when some of you guys make radical sensational statements, they get reported, and I HAVE TOO respond. Moving forward, please keep your comments directed at Jim and his progress, that's what this thread is about. 

Best wishes,