Dr Laorwong 3550 grafts. Buyer Beware!

[Justshaveitbro]

I  don't normally post reviews online but thought I'd post my experience with this clinic since it has not been so good and maybe this review will help others.

After reading many good reviews on this site I decided to book surgery with Dr Laorwong for August 29th. I was feeling pretty good about this decision until I arrived for the consultation the day before surgery.

The consultation was very brief and rushed ,maybe only 5 minutes.He didn't really look closely at my hair  and was just going with graft estimates from the photos sent months earlier. He is a very,very impersonal guy with a disinterested attitude toward the patient. I walked out with a gut feeling to cancel the surgery and  in hindsight should have. But since I was already in BKK and had paid a $600+ deposit  months earlier ,I decided to just go with it.

I arrived early the next morning to the clinic a bit before they actually opened up and unlocked the doors.I was taken upstairs where I changed and was prepped for surgery. For the next few hours everything went how you would expect it to go. Dr Laorwong was around and did most of the extractions as far as I could tell.After lunch he  made  the 3550 incisions alarmingly fast and left the room without saying anything. It was at this point I started to get worried knowing that it took a skilled surgeon in a previous surgery  i had ,much longer to carefully make less incisions.Dr Laorwong was probably rushing to get done and get to the other patient he had that day .

Dr Laorwong was gone for the last 3-4 hours of the surgery after he made the 3550 incisions in what seemed like only an hour. I was starting to get even more worried about how things were going because it seemed as though they were not putting as many grafts in the midscalp and on the temples as was planned.I could not see but could  feel where the grafts were being inserted. I asked the staff when Dr Laorwong was coming back because I had some  questions . I was told he would be back soon but hours passed and he never arrived. Toward the end I asked again to speak with Dr Laorwong and was ignored and laughed at while the staff continued inserting grafts.

As surgery was ending I was completely regretting my decision to choose this clinic but the cake was already baked as they say.Dr Laorwong arrived at the end and took a couple photos before my head was wrapped up. I mentioned that not many grafts were put in the midscalp near the front but he brushed it off and walked out of the room.

On the way home I messaged the clinic asking for the photos that were taken after surgery. After looking at the photos I felt as though I didnt get the 3550 grafts I paid for. I messaged Dr Laorwong asking if it looked like 3550 grafts in the photo? He seemed to concede that it didn't by saying the photos didn't show all of the crown.But the one photo does show the entire transplanted area as the work done doesn't go past the swirl area.My head was wrapped so I just let it go  at that time.But days later I realized that the one photo did show the entire work area.

 

Fast forward to today....

I contacted the clinic on line app  a few days ago to ask if my progress at 90 days looks normal as it seems like there was a  lot of shock loss where the bulk of the grafts were transplanted. I've  gotten zero response to this simple question and the  message is marked as read.

 

I will end by saying I hope it turns out okay and maybe it will. But I think people should be aware of the character and personality of Dr Laorwong and some at this clinic. It seems like a borderline hair mill  and once they have your money they couldn't care less about any questions or concerns you may have.

 

Current hair 90 days after surgery.

Months before surgery

Edited November 29 by Justshaveitbro

[Hairwolf]

As a Dr Laorwong patient myself, he is to quote others, ‘a man of few words’. He is naturally introverted, so some may interpret such as having a bad attitude. he does care about the standards  however and thus is heavily involved the procedure. He also answers all the emails himself, more than likely owing to not wanting anyone dropping the ball. Unfortunately, with the sheer volume of emails he must get everyday and working 7 days a week, it is inevitable that he can’t reply to all promptly. 
 

If you check my thread you will see the report and on it you will see that the incisions are recorded as one hour. I know that you had like a 1000 more grafts however, so I am unsure about what is the usual duration for such an amount of grafts. Perhaps someone would like to chime in? 
 

Regarding graft count, indeed it  appears that less than 3500 odd were implanted. You case would not require that much. What was the initial estimate? Did you try meds beforehand?

Edited November 29 by Hairwolf

[Justshaveitbro]

2 hours ago, Hairwolf said:

As a Dr Laorwong patient myself, he is to quote others, ‘a man of few words’. He is naturally introverted, so some may interpret such as having a bad attitude. he does care about the standards  however and thus is heavily involved the procedure. He also answers all the emails himself, more than likely owing to not wanting anyone dropping the ball. Unfortunately, with the sheer volume of emails he must get everyday and working 7 days a week, it is inevitable that he can’t reply to all promptly. 
 

If you check my thread you will see the report and on it you will see that the incisions are recorded as one hour. I know that you had like a 1000 more grafts however, so I am unsure about what is the usual duration for such an amount of grafts. Perhaps someone would like to chime in? 
 

Regarding graft count, indeed it  appears that less than 3500 odd were implanted. You case would not require that much. What was the initial estimate? Did you try meds beforehand?

I did not send an email but a message through line app. The message has been read but no reply.

The fact that you admit it doesn't look like 3500 grafts should be enough for anyone considering this clinic to take pause.They charge by the graft so its very important to have an  accurate graft count.

My impression from this clinic is that of a hair mill. Each doctor does 2 or more surgeries a day and everything feels rushed. 

 

Edited November 29 by Justshaveitbro

[Hairwolf]

I wouldn’t say it’s a ‘ hair mill’ as you would have a lot more patients coming through the day if that was the case. Lots of Drs have 2 patients a day and can be managed effectively with a good team.

Btw did you try meds first? The non-surgical option may have been effective here. Nevertheless I am sure you will have a good result regardless. Also regarding the anesthesia and sedation? You weren’t totally knocked out on it? You were conscious for a lot of it? 

[Geno56]

1 hour ago, Hairwolf said:

If you check my thread you will see the report and on it you will see that the incisions are recorded as one hour.

In my report I saw, Dr. Ratchathorn did mine in 20 minutes apparently, I don't know if typo (I doubt it). But anyhow in my post-op pics the density, angles, and placement of all the grafts look great & completely natural (and seems to be growing out naturally at 2 weeks too). The amount of grafts placed in post-op pic look large too. They might just be fast at this step in particular after all the muscle memory of doing this for years, or surgeon dependent. Not really sure how they do these incisions, I assumed they just kind of quickly go through your head following natural growth pattern angles as they look through the microscopes. They def know what they are doing, with their vast experience. I'm guessing they want to do this incision step fairly fast, to minimize time the follicles are out of body.

But yeah I don't have any complaints in my case so far, but I didn't go to Dr. Laorwong at the clinic.

Edited November 29 by Geno56

[Justshaveitbro]

39 minutes ago, Hairwolf said:

I wouldn’t say it’s a ‘ hair mill’ as you would have a lot more patients coming through the day if that was the case. Lots of Drs have 2 patients a day and can be managed effectively with a good team.

Btw did you try meds first? The non-surgical option may have been effective here. Nevertheless I am sure you will have a good result regardless. Also regarding the anesthesia and sedation? You weren’t totally knocked out on it? You were conscious for a lot of it? 

Fin seems to give me side effects otherwise I would of opted for that.I will try a topical solution now. In hindsight, I should of just tried a topical med while patiently waiting for the surgeon I had previously ,who I trust.

I didn't fall asleep or get " knocked out " during surgery. I was aware of everything that was going on the entire time. 

[Justshaveitbro]

.

 

Edited November 29 by Justshaveitbro
Duplicate message

[Justshaveitbro]

1 hour ago, Berba11 said:

Whoa... Steady on there. Let's be crystal clear... No such 'fact' has yet been established. It's very difficult to estimate how many grafts have been placed from post-op pictures unless there is something very obviously amiss. In your case, I've no idea if it really was the amount claimed or not. 3,500 grafts can look like a lot when densely concentrated in one area, or it can look more sparse when spread across a much bigger area (as in your case).

I appreciate you have concerns and that aspects of your experience has caused you frustration but we're a long way off claiming with any degree of confidence that Dr Loarwong is guilty of theft and fraud!

Dr Laorwong seemed to  concede through message it didn't look like 3550 grafts in the photo  by saying the photo doesn't show the entire  crown area. But the photo does show the entire transplanted area.

 

Edited November 29 by Justshaveitbro

[Melvin- Admin]

Im sorry to hear about your experience. Its hard to estimate grafts by looking at pictures. I will contact Dr. Laorwong for his response to your concerns. Please provide me with the date of your surgery.

[Justshaveitbro]

13 minutes ago, Geno56 said:

In my report I saw, Dr. Ratchathorn did mine in just 20 minutes apparently, I don't know if typo but I don't think it is. But anyhow in my post-op pics the density, angles, and placement of all the grafts look completely natural (and seems to be growing out naturally at 2 weeks too). The amount of grafts placed in post-op pic look large too. Maybe they are just fast at this after all the muscle memory of doing this for years, or surgeon dependent. Not really sure how they do these incisions, I assumed they just kind of quickly go through your head following natural growth pattern angles as they look through the microscopes. But yeah I don't have any complaints in my case so far, but I didn't go to Dr. Laorwong at the clinic.

I've heard good things about Dr. Ratchathorn from fellow patients I met from the clinic. You may of lucked out choosing her.

[Justshaveitbro]

1 minute ago, Melvin- Admin said:

Im sorry to hear about your experience. Its hard to estimate grafts by looking at pictures. I will contact Dr. Laorwong for his response to your concerns. Please provide me with the date of your surgery.

Hey, Thanks Melvin!

 

My surgery was August 29th

[TakeAction]

Considering that they implanted all the way from front to back, it could very well be the stated graft number.

Sounds like the communication and bedside manner of Dr. Laorwong can be lacking, which sucks, but I would try not to worry too much. It doesn't sound like they actually messed up the procedure.

[baddecisions]

The whole story doesn't sound good at all. That being said and without wanting to take away anything of importance from what you say, what really counts is the result and, if this is as it should be, all this will remain as an anecdote.

On my very first surgery, dr. was extremely nice, talkative, spend the whole procedure there, etc. and the result was subpar to say the least. I wish she was more distant, quiet or even rude, but she knew how to do her job.

What matters is the result, and your doctor tends to have really good ones.

 

Edited November 29 by baddecisions

[Hairwolf]

On 11/29/2024 at 10:18 PM, Justshaveitbro said:

I did not send an email but a message through line app. The message has been read but no reply.

The fact that you admit it doesn't look like 3500 grafts should be enough for anyone considering this clinic to take pause.They charge by the graft so its very important to have an  accurate graft count.

My impression from this clinic is that of a hair mill. Each doctor does 2 or more surgeries a day and everything feels rushed. 

 

Note:

 

To clarify, I said it doesn’t look 3500 grafts from that picture however, as others have stated, it can be hard to tell. More pics from different angles would be required to be more conclusive.

Edited December 1 by Hairwolf

[Sunshine09]

We need a picture of the lower crown to confirm but it certainly unlikely that the vast majority of grafts have gone there even in 3500 was supposedly implanted. It dosent look like 3500 I'm afraid but perhwrps you didn't need 3500 in the first place? Can you post more pics pre surgery?

[Justshaveitbro]

2 hours ago, Sunshine09 said:

We need a picture of the lower crown to confirm but it certainly unlikely that the vast majority of grafts have gone there even in 3500 was supposedly implanted. It dosent look like 3500 I'm afraid but perhwrps you didn't need 3500 in the first place? Can you post more pics pre surgery?

The number of grafts the clinic reports is important because you pay per graft.Also,you only have so many grafts that can be extracted from your donor area ,so its important no grafts are wasted.

There are no grafts implanted in the lower crown.The entire transplanted area is shown in the photo. I will try to post more photos soon.

[Justshaveitbro]

20 hours ago, TakeAction said:

Considering that they implanted all the way from front to back, it could very well be the stated graft number.

Sounds like the communication and bedside manner of Dr. Laorwong can be lacking, which sucks, but I would try not to worry too much. It doesn't sound like they actually messed up the procedure.

The bulk of the grafts are planted in the crown. There  is just  sprinkling of grafts on the sides and mid scalp. So its not really grafts from front to back.

[Justshaveitbro]

19 hours ago, baddecisions said:

 

What matters is the result, and your doctor tends to have really good ones.

 

There are also some bad results on here from this doctor. One where the patient had cobblestoning and they they refuse to do anything for him.Another where the hairline wasn't done according to plan.There are even more if you look. 

Another thing people should take into account when choosing a clinic is what if something goes wrong?Will they fix the issue or will they say tough luck?

[Justshaveitbro]

20 hours ago, Hairwolf said:

Note:

 

I said it doesn’t look 3500 grafts from that picture however, as others have stated, it can be hard to tell. More pics from different angles would be required to be more conclusive.

Here is a couple photos 2 days after surgery.

Edited November 30 by Justshaveitbro

[Jamos1982]

12 hours ago, Justshaveitbro said:

There are also some bad results on here from this doctor. One where the patient had cobblestoning and they they refuse to do anything for him.Another where the hairline wasn't done according to plan.There are even more if you look. 

Another thing people should take into account when choosing a clinic is what if something goes wrong?Will they fix the issue or will they say tough luck?

Yep all doctors have poor results out there. It’s cosmetic surgery nothing is a guarantee, did you read that paper work you signed before your surgery? Did Dr laorwong promise you that your results will turn out amazing at the 12 month mark? All surgery is a risk 

[shiba1985]

I find this an unfair criticism of the doctor with a lot of presumptions. Dr Laorwong is not the most warm welcoming doctor but his skills specially in that price range is top tier. How many surgeries have you done? that makes you say 3500 incision in 1 hour is too much or too little? How many surgeries have you observed with Dr laorwongs skillset and team that makes you say that?

[Justshaveitbro]

I had my first surgery with surgeon that is more experienced and more popular . He was carefully making incisions the entire time his assistant was implanting the grafts.Probably 3 hours or more for 3000 carefully placed incisions.Maybe Dr Laorwong has a better and faster technique for making incisions,but seems more like just rushing to get to the next patient of the day.

4 minutes ago, shiba1985 said:

I find this an unfair criticism of the doctor with a lot of presumptions. Dr Laorwong is not the most warm welcoming doctor but his skills specially in that price range is top tier. How many surgeries have you done? that makes you say 3500 incision in 1 hour is too much or too little? How many surgeries have you observed with Dr laorwongs skillset and team that makes you say that?

 

[Jamos1982]

43 minutes ago, Justshaveitbro said:

I had my first surgery with surgeon that is more experienced and more popular . He was carefully making incisions the entire time his assistant was implanting the grafts.Probably 3 hours or more for 3000 carefully placed incisions.Maybe Dr Laorwong has a better and faster technique for making incisions,but seems more like just rushing to get to the next patient of the day.

 

If your first doctor was much more experienced and better then Dr laorwong why didn’t you go back to them then

[Justshaveitbro]

Just now, Jamos1982 said:

If your first doctor was much more experienced and better then Dr laorwong why didn’t you go back to them then

Too popular now,wait over two years. But I wish I would of waited.

[Al - Moderator]

OK guys. I had to remove a few posts with some insults going back and forth. Let's cut that out. There's no need for that here.

@Justshaveitbro, you are only at 3 months post op. Looking at the pre op picture it looks like you needed most of the grafts towards the crown and that's what was done, so I don't see an issue there, although I'm only looking at one picture. You had hair throughout the area from a previous transplant, so you're going to get some temporary shock loss all over. At 3 months post op, you are just getting to the point where it starts growing in. Let's wait a few more months to see how the growth is before deciding that this was a bad hair transplant.