not all IAHRS surgeons are all that great

[hctr]

I had a 2500 graft FUE transplant surgery 2 months ago. I did not do my research so I wanted a pre-emptive fill in for my crown. Shock loss or miniturization made my Norwood 0,5 crown into a solid 3. The recipient area is very cobblestoned. Donor area seems horribly overharvested on my left side. When I asked about the side-effects it took 2 weeks to answer. For my second question it took a complaint to IAHRS to get an answer.

And the worst part is that the technicians did the planting, while the surgeon only came in for a look now and then. The lesson is that your surgeon has to be one of the best in the world or you should not even consider the operation.

Can you give me advice on how to make reviews that are not slandering, but clearly state the facts on why I do not recommend this surgeon?

[DAVE52]

And the worst part is that the technicians did the planting, while the surgeon only came in for a look now and then.

I thought , and I could be wrong , that that is the case with most Drs.
The Dr removes the strip, sews you up, creates the recipient sites and the techs plant the grafts into the site that the Dr created .

[mrclean]

The only Dr. I would go to does all the transplants himself. You may have not even been a candidate for surgery. After researching for several years and finally picking the surgeon he said my donor area was too thin and would not do the surgery. I think he feared what you are going through now.

[J_B_Davis]

I had a 2500 graft FUE transplant surgery 2 months ago. I did not do my research so I wanted a pre-emptive fill in for my crown. Shock loss or miniturization made my Norwood 0,5 crown into a solid 3. The recipient area is very cobblestoned. Donor area seems horribly overharvested on my left side. When I asked about the side-effects it took 2 weeks to answer. For my second question it took a complaint to IAHRS to get an answer.

And the worst part is that the technicians did the planting, while the surgeon only came in for a look now and then. The lesson is that your surgeon has to be one of the best in the world or you should not even consider the operation.

Can you give me advice on how to make reviews that are not slandering, but clearly state the facts on why I do not recommend this surgeon?

99% of all hair transplant surgeries are performed using technicians to place the grafts. It’s very rare for a surgeon, even the most respected to do graft placement. I think only two or three in the IAHRS do this. This is directly from the IAHRS website describing the procedure “ Once the doctor has completed the incision making process technicians will start to place the grafts into the recipient sites. Some doctors will work alongside their technicians during the process but most doctors leave the placement completely to the technicians.” ( http://www.iahrs.org/hair-transplant...nit-transplant ) Not saying that it’s 100% your fault that you did not know this, but anyone who does even the most basic research knows how hair transplants are performed. Did you ever watch The Bald Truth? They talk about shock loss, the use and misuse of technicians practically every week. Now cobbelstoning is a different matter,so if this is the case you should post some pictures. This site has a very good complaint process so read the TOS and see how to go about it if you believe you have been damaged in some way. Two months is kind of just the very beginning of the process, so you might want to give it some time, but posting pictures can be very helpful. Fingers crossed that it all works out for you.

[DAVE52]

I had a 2500 graft FUE transplant surgery 2 months ago. I did not do my research so I wanted a pre-emptive fill in for my crown.

People usually leave the crown alone ............or until the very end of the journey .

[J_B_Davis]

People usually leave the crown alone ............or until the very end of the journey .

Unless the hair loss seems fairly stable or if you are and older person, most American surgeons would probably stay away from the crown. I do notice more crown work being done by European and Canadian surgeons and it seems very common in Turkey and India, where FUE is all they really do. Pictures would be very helpful and how old are you?

[hctr]

Like most people in my situation we don't want to post pictures in fear of being recognized. And also the struggle seems pointless, thousands of guys just like me are going to be wrecking their lives anyway. I did my "research" only reading information by clinics. I'd guess 99,9% of people (just like me) don't really understand how big and invasive surgery HT is. I'm in my early thirties and went to a clinic in the middle-eastern part of Europe.

The problem with me is that I just trusted doctors in general. I have been in major depression for these 2 months and making some kind of complaint feels like a huge undertaking. I don't have the funds for a legal battle either. It's great that there are people who are trying to educate the public about this business. I just wanted a quick fix for a little problem that turned into the biggest mistake of my entire life.

[Spex]

Hi,

You are 2 months post op and very common to get what is called the Post Op Blues. Its highly likely you might be somewhat worrying unnecessarily. I would suggest simply waiting it out until 8-12 months to accurately determine the result. Too many patients come online early with their opinion on their surgery and low and behold as the HT develops, shock loss returns and all healing is a distant memory the result is often a great success. I wouldn't advise slamming any surgeon until the result has had chance to actually occur.

Feel free to email me directly if you feel i can offer any help.

[hctr]

"in the middle-eastern part of Europe"

Well let's say a country that wants sometimes to be a part of Europe

[lastcome]

I had a 2500 graft FUE transplant surgery 2 months ago. I did not do my research so I wanted a pre-emptive fill in for my crown. Shock loss or miniturization made my Norwood 0,5 crown into a solid 3. The recipient area is very cobblestoned. Donor area seems horribly overharvested on my left side. When I asked about the side-effects it took 2 weeks to answer. For my second question it took a complaint to IAHRS to get an answer.

And the worst part is that the technicians did the planting, while the surgeon only came in for a look now and then. The lesson is that your surgeon has to be one of the best in the world or you should not even consider the operation.

Can you give me advice on how to make reviews that are not slandering, but clearly state the facts on why I do not recommend this surgeon?

The technicians did the planting?! Was this out of the country?

[hctr]

Ok I uploaded 2 pictures to my private album. If the moderators could take a look and think make a guess what's happening. Well I'm pretty sure it's cobblestoning. The bumps feel hard and have not changed since I took the scabs off. I'm 2 months and a week post-op.

I'm devastated. The shock loss made me a huge bald spot to my otherwise thick hair. If I buzz I reveal the goosebumps and donor halo even more. If I keep it longer it just looks hideous

[JoeTillman]

Ok I uploaded 2 pictures to my private album. If the moderators could take a look and think make a guess what's happening. Well I'm pretty sure it's cobblestoning. The bumps feel hard and have not changed since I took the scabs off. I'm 2 months and a week post-op.

I'm devastated. The shock loss made me a huge bald spot to my otherwise thick hair. If I buzz I reveal the goosebumps and donor halo even more. If I keep it longer it just looks hideous

I don't have access to your album but being two months post is too early to determine what is going on. The skin can look rough for the first several months while it heals. I've seen it before, where the recipient area eventually, and slowly, smooths over.

[blahblah]

Did you get a second opinion? How thin was the donor area?

[Sean]

Great thread. No, all are not the same. Some weak some strong some ethical etc etc, but I wouldn't paint the same brush for all.

If you look at my scalp in person, it is a great learning tool. Just look at posts from authentic patients who have no marketing driven or incentives based agendas. Its good to talk to mentors though. At one point or another, the doctor you viewed was probably not part of any lists or organizations that had a user based forum either. In time, some docs may go that route, some not. Most patients DO NOT post though. So, you really have to do tons of research and meet people in person.

[hctr]

No second opinions yet. It's funny how little I care about hair now, I was such a fool. I would sell my soul for an uncut scalp. I seem to have it all, bumps, pitting and hyperpigmentation. I also have this creeping feeling of being unnatural, I don't even want the implanted hairs to grow. Maybe it's because I still have lot's of numbness. Has anyone noticed that the hair above the donor area stands out like crazy when you get out of bed?

In my country there is no REAL information on hair transplants, only the clinics provide their "not even your barber will be able to tell", "back to work in 3 days" etc. sales pitches. Buyer beware! It's like going to get knee surgery and it's ok for the doctor to perform a surgery that will mess up your knee for good, just because YOU should have known better. I'm about 2 months and 2 weeks post-op and this is the single most horrible experience in my life. Work, friends, girlfriend and everything else is just slipping away and being traded to sitting at home eating anti-depressants.

The thing with hair transplants is that they just don't seem that big of a deal beforehand. It's not like getting a nose-job, well it is! In my native language the operation is "Moving of hairs". So you can imagine what kind of idea you get from a "scar free moving of hairs" operation that gets you back to normal in 3 days and no one will ever even notice you had work done!

Once you get a hair transplant your whole life starts revolving around it. First you wait how it will come out and then you start waiting hair loss around the grafts. The media has a very casual approach to hair transplants, it's pretty sick really. "20 Athletes Who Need Hair Transplants" and "Would you have a 'lunch-hour' hair transplant?" are real titles of news articles!

Post-op blues... Is that a word that people use when you have made a mistake that will wreck your entire life? The more time goes by the more I think I will never get back to normal. Rant over.