2500 Graft FUT by Dr. Tim Carman in La Jolla, CA

[John P]

NOTE:  I took a little heat for including my high opinion of Dr. C in the title of my post, so I’ve toned it down. My initial review from my 01/19/22 consult is below. I just finished a review of my recent visit at 6 months and will post it with some photos.
 

Written 02/01/22: I have nothing but the highest praise for Dr. Timothy Carman and his staff. After exhaustive research on hair restoration and surgeons, I made up my mind to undergo an FUE procedure. I read a lot of reviews on a lot of surgeons, some good and some not. I read great things about Dr. Carman but found little on his experience with FUE. So I emailed him.

His reply was quick and candid. He was an FUT surgeon, not an FUE surgeon. We exchanged a few more emails and I decided to meet with him in person. After doing that, I knew 2 things: I wanted Dr. Carman to do my hair restoration and, for me, FUT was a better option than FUE. I want to emphasize that Dr. Carman never once tried to talk me into FUE. He explained the differences between FUT and FUE in easily understandable language. He made sure I knew the pros and cons of each. He showed me what he could and couldn't do for me. He answered all my questions and invited me to contact him if I thought of any more.

I underwent FUT on January 19, 2022. Got just under 2500 grafts. Dr. Carman and his surgical team were phenomenal. Everyone on the team was an integral part of the procedure. Each was clearly experienced and skilled, and also very professional and considerate. Dr. Carman’s office manager promptly replied to every email inquiry I sent. She still does. I'm almost 2 weeks post-op and doing great. The post-op instructions are detailed and easy to follow. I'll see Dr. Carman at 6 months post-op and, by 12-14 months post-op, I should see my final results.

Note: I just had my 6 month follow-up visit with Dr. Carman and will be posting a review and some amazing photos. This guy is a true master of his craft.

Edited August 3, 2022 by John P

[HairRun]

I emailed their clinic a few weeks or maybe even months ago but never a response got back.

I've always wondered about this clinic. They are in a huge metro area of San Diego, they are listed in IAHRS and this site's recommended list, but I haven't been able to find any reviews of that clinic from less than a decade ago. 

[Melvin- Admin]

Can you share some pictures? 

[Britanium]

1 minute ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Can you share some pictures? 

+1 👍🏽

[TommyLucchese]

Look forward to your photos. The title of the thread is a little bit hyperbolic though.

[John P]

Written 07/26/22:  Today I saw Dr. Tim Carman for my 6 month post-op visit after having undergone an FUT on January 19, 2022. Received about 2500 grafts. Needed no accompanying treatments (e.g., PRP, medications, special shampoos, etc.), and no touch-ups or revisions. Incurred no additional costs of any kind. Had no post-op pain or complications. The thin scar on the back of my head healed completely, with no residual numbness, and is imperceptible (unless I were to shave my head).

I was between a IV and V on the Norwood scale. My goal was to fill in, as best possible, the frontal, anterior mid-scalp, vertex and crown areas.

Pre-operatively, Dr. Carman made sure my expectations were realistic. Then he exceeded them by a mile. I could not be happier with the results. And the best part? I’m only at the halfway point. I won’t see the final results for another 6-8 months. I’ll post another review at that time.

I hope this information helps.

[John P]

On 7/30/2022 at 11:54 AM, HairRun said:

I emailed their clinic a few weeks or maybe even months ago but never a response got back.

I've always wondered about this clinic. They are in a huge metro area of San Diego, they are listed in IAHRS and this site's recommended list, but I haven't been able to find any reviews of that clinic from less than a decade ago. 

HairRun, I’m sorry you got no reply. My experience was much different. If you’re still interested in making contact with Carman’s office, try calling or emailing his receptionist (or office manager, I guess). Her name is Pam, her phone number is (858) 459- 8600, and her email address is pam@ljhr.com. She is very pleasant and responsive.

 

As for the lack of reviews on Carman, I don’t know what to tell you. I found the same to be true when I did my initial research. I know his name appears over 400 times when you conduct a search for him in this forum. His credentials impressed me. He’s got something of an international reputation as an FUT expert. And I liked him when I met him and heard what he had to say. 

[HairRun]

Thanks @John P , I did a follow up by phone and was able to get a consult scheduled. 

 

[HairRun]

I just had a consult with him earlier today, and he really impressed me with his insight and experience with hair transplant repairs. He seems like a really high integrity and detailed guy. He brought up points and some preliminary steps to take in my consultation that wasn't brought up in my other consults. If he had more recent reviews, it may been a very easy decision to go with him.

It's a bit unfortunate that he doesn't have a ton of recent reviews, he doesn't seem to focus too much about social media or pushing clients to post reviews, I think he just likes to focus on doing quality work and he seems to get enough business from being the only widely known surgeon in the huge metro of San Diego. But I think for people who reach out to him, they get a solid idea his depth of experience and attention to detail. For these reasons, I think he would make a great candidate for an upcoming podcast @Melvin- Moderator 

Some bonuses, his prices are more modest compared to top hair transplant surgeons, and his wait times seem to be much shorter as well. I don't think you should make a decision based on those, but if he's your first choice outside of those, they are nice to have.