Norwood 7 need solid doctor recommendation (Melvin?)

[shiba1985]

2 minutes ago, Kassar said:

Laugh it up fuzzball. You're assuming that I'm just some gullible dude with absolutely no clue. You don't know anything about my background, my experience, what I do for a living, etc. etc. Believe me, I'm fully equipped to evaluate a medical professional. And I'll leave it at that.

neither do you know anything about my background. You are going to see a doctor that clearly gave a below par result to this forum moderator. why take a risk when there are quality names on this thread. 

 

but you know what go for it. some patients will be satisfied with a sub par transplant, and will do anything to justify it. 

Edited September 7, 2022 by shiba1985

[Kassar]

36 minutes ago, shiba1985 said:

neither do you know anything about my background. You are going to see a doctor that clearly gave a below par result to this forum moderator. why take a risk when there are quality names on this thread. 

 

but you know what go for it. some patients will be satisfied with a sub par transplant, and will do anything to justify it. 

I don't have to. This is about me and my choices. Not yours.

Melvin's sub par result was 8 years ago. That's a long time in the medical field. Your precious, highly recommended doctors didn't just pop up out of nowhere with their skills and immediately started producing high quality results. You look at their early work and it's not like what they are capable of doing now. They learned and improved over the years. The medical field learns and improves. Old techniques give way to new ones. Otherwise they would still be doing flaps and scalp reductions. With your logic we would still believe that the Earth is flat. And yes, I know that we still have people who believe that. As far as I'm concerned they are out of their damn minds.

By now I've researched Behnam extensively. He has everything going for him other than the fact that he is not prominent on this, or the other forums. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, and a chance to prove to me that he is capable of handling an advanced case like mine and get good results. And I know how to evaluate him. If I don't feel good about him in any way I'm not gonna go with him. I'm gonna go with someone else. Looks like it will be Dr Sethi. What's it to you? It's my head and hair and my decision. You can believe me, not believe me, and laugh at me all you want. I really don't care. But, your assumptions and sarcasm are equally laughable to me.

I'll make an educated decision based on all the available information. And as they say, you do you.

Edited September 7, 2022 by Kassar
clarified things

[shiba1985]

3 minutes ago, Kassar said:

I don't have to. This is about me and my choices. Not yours.

Melvin's sub par result was 8 years ago. That's a long time in the medical field. Your precious, highly recommended doctors didn't just pop up out of nowhere with their skills and immediately started producing high quality results. You look at their early work and it's not like what they are capable of doing now. They learned and improved over the years. The medical field learns and improves. Old techniques give way to new ones. Otherwise they would still be doing flaps and scalp reductions. With your logic we would still believe that the Earth is flat. And yes, I know that we still have people who believe that. As far as I'm concerned they are out of their damn minds.

By now I've researched Behnam extensively. He has everything going for him other than the fact that he is not prominent on this, or the other forums. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, and a chance to prove to me that he is capable of handling an advanced case like mine and get good results. And I know how to evaluate him. You can believe, not believe me, and laugh at me all you want. I really don't care. But, your assumptions and sarcasm are equally laughable to me.

I'll make an educated decision based on all the available information. And as they say, you do you.

I agree this forum is not be all and end all of good doctors. Not by a long shot. There are a lot of good doctors out there that are not represented on this forum or any forum. They work quietly in the backgroud without any publicity. 
I also think it is fair to give a Dr a shot. You are right people improve and no one comes out of the womb learning hair restoration surgery. Practice makes one perfect. 

I just dont agree with your "I will grill him, and see what he tells me mentality." If you are as capable as you are finding a great doc you would not be here on this forum asking the question you are asking. 

If I was a NW 7 the options would be Konior, H and W, Bisanga.  If you cant afford them, then its a different story...

[Kassar]

2 minutes ago, shiba1985 said:

I agree this forum is not be all and end all of good doctors. Not by a long shot. There are a lot of good doctors out there that are not represented on this forum or any forum. They work quietly in the backgroud without any publicity. 
I also think it is fair to give a Dr a shot. You are right people improve and no one comes out of the womb learning hair restoration surgery. Practice makes one perfect. 

I just dont agree with your "I will grill him, and see what he tells me mentality." If you are as capable as you are finding a great doc you would not be here on this forum asking the question you are asking. 

If I was a NW 7 the options would be Konior, H and W, Bisanga.  If you cant afford them, then its a different story...

What's the alternative? Having to blindly interview every doctor I could find and look promising, having to research all of them, and having to consult with all of them. If you want to do that, be my guest. As far as I'm concerned it was much more efficient and logical to come on here and narrow down the field and choose a doctor that way. Doing it the other way would just be dumb.

[shiba1985]

3 minutes ago, Kassar said:

What's the alternative? Having to blindly interview every doctor I could find and look promising, having to research all of them, and having to consult with all of them. If you want to do that, be my guest. As far as I'm concerned it was much more efficient and logical to come on here and narrow down the field and choose a doctor that way. Doing it the other way would just be dumb.

sorry for antagnoizing you. just dont want you to get burned. I have no idea about dr benham but some doctors in this field can really talk the talk... and not walk the walk.  good luck who ever u choose and keep us posted

[Melvin- Admin]

57 minutes ago, Kassar said:

Laugh it up fuzzball. You're assuming that I'm just some gullible dude with absolutely no clue. You don't know anything about my background, my experience, what I do for a living, etc. etc. Believe me, I'm fully equipped to evaluate a medical professional. And I'll leave it at that.

The main thing you should be evaluating are legitimate patient reviews, HD videos with comb through. Every doctor will tell you they're the best. Academic credentials mean nothing. If you can't find any legit high-quality reviews or HD videos then you should pass. Also, if someone isn't prominent on a site where patients go and share their genuine reviews that should be a red flag. We have a lot of doctors here that are not recommended, yet have dozens of quality reviews.

[Kassar]

2 minutes ago, shiba1985 said:

sorry for antagnoizing you. just dont want you to get burned. I have no idea about dr benham but some doctors in this field can really talk the talk... and not walk the walk.  good luck who ever u choose and keep us posted

I understand your concern and you are absolutely right. There are a lot of gullible, naive or lazy people out there, who don't do their homework. And there are also plenty of other people who have no problem with taking advantage of those aforementioned individuals.

I know we don't know each other, but when I say you don't have to worry about me, then that means you don't have to worry about me. Ultimately, if I'm wrong and I make a mistake there is nothing you or I can do about it after the fact, except learn from it.

So, thanks, I'm pretty sure once I finally get around getting it done I'll be back, regardless of how it turned out.

[Kassar]

12 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

The main thing you should be evaluating are legitimate patient reviews, HD videos with comb through. Every doctor will tell you they're the best. Academic credentials mean nothing. If you can't find any legit high-quality reviews or HD videos then you should pass. Also, if someone isn't prominent on a site where patients go and share their genuine reviews that should be a red flag. We have a lot of doctors here that are not recommended, yet have dozens of quality reviews.

Melvin, now that you guys helped me narrow down my choices, I GOT THIS.

I understand your concern and I appreciate it.

No worries, my man. No worries.

[Legend007]

U should go ahead n go with Benham, if u feel comfortable enough with him , then it’s ur choice n money .. 

In fact ., I think u should go with him , post an update of ur progress here on this forum to help other members .. that way we can see the results in real time ., mOnth to

month ,, so peeps here can guide u n give u advice in return ..

there is also no shame in changing ur mind either .. I booked with 3 other doctors before going with h&w..  u doing the right thing by interviewing ur doctor.. 

[Kassar]

6 hours ago, Legend007 said:

U should go ahead n go with Benham, if u feel comfortable enough with him , then it’s ur choice n money .. 

In fact ., I think u should go with him , post an update of ur progress here on this forum to help other members .. that way we can see the results in real time ., mOnth to

month ,, so peeps here can guide u n give u advice in return ..

there is also no shame in changing ur mind either .. I booked with 3 other doctors before going with h&w..  u doing the right thing by interviewing ur doctor.. 

Thanks and that's pretty much the plan. And no worries, I got this.

[Z--]

I'm curious which patient result (here or in another forum elsewhere) convinced you to see Benham. I think I saw one documented case like two years ago, and was less than impressed...

[Mike8000fue]

Dr Jose lorenzo, injertocapilar spain, this is the doctor for you, or dr zarev.

[Kassar]

2 hours ago, Z-- said:

I'm curious which patient result (here or in another forum elsewhere) convinced you to see Benham. I think I saw one documented case like two years ago, and was less than impressed...

It wasn't any particular case.

I did a deep dive research into Behnam. I started with the reviews on places like Yelp, Google reviews, RealSelf and others. Now, I don't put a lot of stock into reviews on websites because they can be, and are gamed, all the time, whether we're talking about Amazon sellers giving perks for good reviews or using all the other underhanded tactics, to Yelp's shady pay-to-play type of business model. But, I'm perfectly capable of critically evaluating reviews like that.

I also combed through his website and really payed attention to what was written. I also watched pretty much all of his videos on his Youtube channel. When I was watching his videos I payed really close attention to his words, what he does and why he does it, his philosophy, his technique, his approach and anything and everything I could make out. I listened carefully to his words and did the same with his patient testimonials. I listened to what they said about their overall experience, their expectations, Behnam's attitude, personality, bedside manner, and anything else they said.

All this showed me that Behnam is highly personable and caring, very meticulous and detail oriented, highly involved with the entire process and has highly satisfied patients, many of whom went back to him for second and third procedures. I literally only found a couple of unsatisfied people.

Behnam gives his personal cellphone number to all his patients and repeatedly follows up with them post op. He is also highly ethical, because several reviewers said that they went to him for a transplant, but he either talked them out of it or flat out refused to do a transplant on them because they were too young and not advanced enough for a hair transplant. One of those reviewers then went back to him years later when he was ready and had the procedure done with him, BECAUSE they got turned down the first time, which showed them that Behnam is not just out to make a quick buck.

Finally, Behnam does only ONE patient a day. Now, I don't know if it was on this forum or one of the other ones, but someone made a snarky comment about that, claiming that if a doctor has only one patient a day and has open slots within a week or a couple of weeks after the initial consult then that''s highly suspect. Well, I have news for that dude... Dr. Carman in San Diego, one of the most highly respected and recommended doctors, only does ONE patient a day. He proudly boasts about it on his website and he gives the same reason Behnam gives. They both do it because they can dedicate themselves entirely to just that one patient and focus on doing a super high quality job.

I know that this is a long answer, but I hope that it will satisfy people's curiosity and I won't have to keep justifying my decisions. I'm not being a smart ass. I have no problem answering all the questions and being challenged on my reasoning, choices or decisions. That's all valid. I just don't want to keep repeating myself.

I hope this helps.

Edited September 8, 2022 by Kassar
fixed typo

[Kassar]

42 minutes ago, Mike8000fue said:

Dr Jose lorenzo, injertocapilar spain, this is the doctor for you, or dr zarev.

Duuuuude.... why do you do this to me, LOL? I finally had a plan and you just had to come and throw a monkey wrench into the whole thing. I quickly went to his website jut now and scanned through his advanced case videos. I have to give it to ya, I'm impressed. Is there anything about Lorenzo that should concern me?

Edited September 8, 2022 by Kassar

[Mike8000fue]

Jose lorenzo is one of the best in this world, nothing to worry about. Check also dr zarev in bulgaria, these are the doctors for you, from my opinion.

 

Check dr lorenzo on youtube: injertocapilar espana.

Edited September 8, 2022 by Mike8000fue

[A Fue Good Men]

3 hours ago, Mike8000fue said:

Dr Jose lorenzo, injertocapilar spain, this is the doctor for you, or dr zarev.

Lol hard no on Lorenzo. He messed me up good. Runs a Spanish mill- 4 patients per day. Tech run clinic with top tier prices.

[Kassar]

31 minutes ago, 5BetaReductase said:

Lol hard no on Lorenzo. He messed me up good. Runs a Spanish mill- 4 patients per day. Tech run clinic with top tier prices.

Yeah, I know. I did some digging. I think one of your posts came up. So no Lorenzo for me, for sure. Will be sticking to my final choices, thank you very much.

[Z--]

4 hours ago, Kassar said:

It wasn't any particular case.

I did a deep dive research into Behnam. I started with the reviews on places like Yelp, Google reviews, RealSelf and others. Now, I don't put a lot of stock into reviews on websites because they can be, and are gamed, all the time, whether we're talking about Amazon sellers giving perks for good reviews or using all the other underhanded tactics, to Yelp's shady pay-to-play type of business model. But, I'm perfectly capable of critically evaluating reviews like that.

I also combed through his website and really payed attention to what was written. I also watched pretty much all of his videos on his Youtube channel. When I was watching his videos I payed really close attention to his words, what he does and why he does it, his philosophy, his technique, his approach and anything and everything I could make out. I listened carefully to his words and did the same with his patient testimonials. I listened to what they said about their overall experience, their expectations, Behnam's attitude, personality, bedside manner, and anything else they said.

All this showed me that Behnam is highly personable and caring, very meticulous and detail oriented, highly involved with the entire process and has highly satisfied patients, many of whom went back to him for second and third procedures. I literally only found a couple of unsatisfied people.

Behnam gives his personal cellphone number to all his patients and repeatedly follows up with them post op. He is also highly ethical, because several reviewers said that they went to him for a transplant, but he either talked them out of it or flat out refused to do a transplant on them because they were too young and not advanced enough for a hair transplant. One of those reviewers then went back to him years later when he was ready and had the procedure done with him, BECAUSE they got turned down the first time, which showed them that Behnam is not just out to make a quick buck.

Finally, Behnam does only ONE patient a day. Now, I don't know if it was on this forum or one of the other ones, but someone made a snarky comment about that, claiming that if a doctor has only one patient a day and has open slots within a week or a couple of weeks after the initial consult then that''s highly suspect. Well, I have news for that dude... Dr. Carman in San Diego, one of the most highly respected and recommended doctors, only does ONE patient a day. He proudly boasts about it on his website and he gives the same reason Behnam gives. They both do it because they can dedicate themselves entirely to just that one patient and focus on doing a super high quality job.

I know that this is a long answer, but I hope that it will satisfy people's curiosity and I won't have to keep justifying my decisions. I'm not being a smart ass. I have no problem answering all the questions and being challenged on my reasoning, choices or decisions. That's all valid. I just don't want to keep repeating myself.

I hope this helps.

I agree with one patient a day + turning down patients is a sign of an ethical doctor…

The question is more about skill and whether he has it (and if so, why I or others don’t see reviews here or other high volume hair loss forums…). In the end, if his YouTube and website reviews are sufficient to convince you, go for it. I think it’s always better to discover that there are more good doctors out there because optionality is in all of our — as the patients — best interest. 

Good luck mate. Hope you post your results here. 

[Bandit90]

If your Norwood 7 (coming from a NW 7) I would always factor in you are going to need to make use of beard hair, so my 10 cents worth is  just to make sure you factor into your research docs are have a good portfolio of using body hair on the scalp! When you say Norwood 7 docs first ones that spring to mind are Bisanga, Eugenix, Pitella. For me it was a tough call between Dr Bisanga and Dr Sethi. However, when it came down to it Sethi/Eugenix had more documented experiences with Grade 7's and use of beard. Good luck with your journey, and I will be looking out closely for your journey thread! 

[Kassar]

11 minutes ago, Z-- said:

I agree with one patient a day + turning down patients is a sign of an ethical doctor…

The question is more about skill and whether he has it (and if so, why I or others don’t see reviews here or other high volume hair loss forums…). In the end, if his YouTube and website reviews are sufficient to convince you, go for it. I think it’s always better to discover that there are more good doctors out there because optionality is in all of our — as the patients — best interest. 

Good luck mate. Hope you post your results here. 

It's a lot more than just Youtube videos and his website. Like I said, his technical skills seem to be high. BaldTruth Talk has him listed as one of the few recommended doctors in California. Bottom line is, I won't know anything until, or unless, I go and see him for a consult. I will let you guys know what happened, but it'll take some time. I'll be swamped for a while.

Thanks for the well wishes. You guys are awesome.

[Kassar]

3 minutes ago, Bandit90 said:

If your Norwood 7 (coming from a NW 7) I would always factor in you are going to need to make use of beard hair, so my 10 cents worth is  just to make sure you factor into your research docs are have a good portfolio of using body hair on the scalp! When you say Norwood 7 docs first ones that spring to mind are Bisanga, Eugenix, Pitella. For me it was a tough call between Dr Bisanga and Dr Sethi. However, when it came down to it Sethi/Eugenix had more documented experiences with Grade 7's and use of beard. Good luck with your journey, and I will be looking out closely for your journey thread! 

I don't know how much of this, now lengthy, thread you've read, but I already made my decision. I decided to give Dr. Behnam a chance first. At this point, knowing as much as I know about him, I owe it to myself, and I guess maybe to you guys as well, to find out if he is as good as I believe he is. If the answer is yes, then I'll go with him. But, if the answer is a no, or a big fat NO, then Eugenix it is. Hands down, no contest.

And yes, I know they gonna have to use body hair. Being a blond guy with fine hair I'm not a particularly good body hair candidate, but my beard is good for at least several hundred grafts. Chest is pretty weak and fine, so maybe not usable, or not much of it is usable, but I have no problem moving down south and let them take pubic hair, which is actually better than my chest hair. Yes, I went there, LOL.

BTW, Behnam does have experience with chest and beard hair. It's not an issue with him. I don't know how he will respond to the pubic hair suggestion.

[Melvin- Admin]

At this point you’ve made your choice. Keep in mind Yelp reviews and google reviews can be written by anyone. I was also offered a gift card for a review.  Being listed on baldtruth means nothing, because the only person approving surgeons is Spencer Kobren, who’s never even had a HT. His criteria is much different than ours, which is based on actual reviews and community consensus. I’ll be locking this thread good luck.