HT veteran's warning about artistry concepts

I've had 3 HT, and now have to deal with the dreaded HT scar. I'm very conscious of it and very desperate to get it "fixed," furthermore, I would like to get some more density on top

Sometime early last year, I learned about artistry concept's services. I stalked their websites for a couple months. I could almost repeat the summaries verbatim that accompanied each of their customer's picture on the website.
Researched countless hair forums to get info about them.

Then finally, I sent an email about their services with pictures.
I had email convo with Gale Hartvigsen ,Director . She quoted me a price range of $6500 - $8500:confused:. As she puts it, that's the normal cost for HT patients because you need to apply the procedure twice and the price also covers what is not seen in the pics

she then warns me that the price will increase in the next couple months :eek: Why? I don't know since there will be no difference in my hair situation but I was just too anxious to get the job done.

So just like most HT scar victims, I was very narrow in my analyst of the my situation and thought that Artistry was my only option to finally regain some comfort and confidence. So after she quoted the price, I sought out to save and raise about $6500 because I really wanted this procedure and a chance at a "normal existence"

To make a long story short , luckily, I have a friend who is the only person that knows about my HT situation and low confidence because of it. We sat down one night and he helped me to fully analyze the situation.

And we came to the conclusion that Artistry Concepts is offering a predatory service. If you ever had an HT, then you are viewed as the most desperate, thus your price will be inflated simply because you're more likely to pay anything because you are more desperate than another dude who is simply balding

My suggestion to my fellow HT scar victims, PLEASE do your research about other companies that provide this type service. AC is not the only one or the best out here. This is your hair we're talking about, so don't make traveling an excuse if need be. If you're in Florida, don't take the easy route and goto AC because it's closer because they are preying on the desperate and those of us hesitant to travel

I found another place that provides the same service that I'm going with. I'm being charged about $2700 - $3200. I'm not going to specify which one because I'm not here to promote any company, just to remind you guys that you have options out there, especially if you're willing to travel out of your state or country

$2700-3200 is a helluva price. can you give the company's website address?

Thanks

The only reason why I choose not to give the company's info is because I don't want to promote any company. I wanted to share my experience so that others, who might be narrow in their analyst of their situation, like I was, recognize that they have much better options in price and result, if they simply researched it

Please do your research, the company I'm going to does have a website that shows their work

I've been researching for about a year now and majority of the prices I find are around $8000 for 2000 grafts.
I found one doc who was $5000 for 1800 grafts, but i couldn't find any feedback about him. So I'm kind of hesitant to have a procedure done by him, The pics he showed me in his office were mediocre.

They guy is talking about a hair tattoo, not a hair transplant. It’s so sad to see these tattoo parlors preying on desperate bad hair transplant victims and charging $8500 for a tattoo.
Tattooing your head is a bad idea, but paying almost $10,000 for it is even worse!

have you considered talking to either Dr Hitzig or Dr Cooleys office. they seem to be doing a lot of work with Acell and scar revision. its a little early but wouldnt do no harm enquiring and if your not in too much of a hurry you could wait a little longer to see further evidence of their work and/or talk to some of their patients that have had similar work.

my scar is not bad, especially if I grow my hair out, but then I worry about the top since I don't have enough density...so I would rather a buzz cut look.

With a buzz cut, my HT growth result look pretty good, but that means my skinny but white scar is exposed more. So with the micro pigmentation I achieve both density and scar covering

Acell, being simply pig blood, did not seem like a reasonable choice. I'm a HT vet who also had PRP. The hair growth (if any) from these other options pale in comparison to what a good HT Dr could get with a reasonable sized donor area

Thanks for the heads up! I would love to see updates too in terms of hair removal. I just tried laser hair removal because my friend told me that it's helpful and I just tried and it really works great.


Laser Hair Removal New York City

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Originally Posted by I Wish Hair Grew

my scar is not bad, especially if I grow my hair out, but then I worry about the top since I don't have enough density...so I would rather a buzz cut look.

With a buzz cut, my HT growth result look pretty good, but that means my skinny but white scar is exposed more. So with the micro pigmentation I achieve both density and scar covering

Acell, being simply pig blood, did not seem like a reasonable choice. I'm a HT vet who also had PRP. The hair growth (if any) from these other options pale in comparison to what a good HT Dr could get with a reasonable sized donor area

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:rolleyes: Boy just do your homework, only because you had prior HT´s doesnt make you atomatically a veteran because Acell is not pig blood and they are not only doing PRP :rolleyes:

Let me get this straight.....I had more than one HT, but that does not make me a veteran?

The only correction I would make is that Acell is simply pig bladder, not pig blood. So what difference does that correction make?

And they are not only doing PRP? who are they?

The problem I have with your post is that you are implicitly suggesting I'm wrong and I don't understand what I'm talking about

Instead of sharing any info, you choose to use the tactic of placing doubt in a discussion without adding any pertinent information and then apply the universal dismissive tactic of suggesting me to do more research :rolleyes:

Nope i only say, that even a veteran has to choose his words carefully. Acell is made from pig bladder but what its used for is as an ECM.

I did not want to attack you personally but if you try to dismiss something that fast, please have the decency to give an accurate statement what this is ;-)

Ans its not "simply" some Snake Oil, thats what i aim for. Because Acell is not only used as PRP injection or whatsoever there are plenty more things they can work on.

You said it yourself, people should do more research, and thats what i advise to you, do some research about Acell etc and then you can give another statement ;-) about Acell ^^

Do you know when will ACell become available in Europe?

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Originally Posted by RichardDawkins

Nope i only say, that even a veteran has to choose his words carefully. Acell is made from pig bladder but what its used for is as an ECM.

I did not want to attack you personally but if you try to dismiss something that fast, please have the decency to give an accurate statement what this is ;-)

Ans its not "simply" some Snake Oil, thats what i aim for. Because Acell is not only used as PRP injection or whatsoever there are plenty more things they can work on.

You said it yourself, people should do more research, and thats what i advise to you, do some research about Acell etc and then you can give another statement ;-) about Acell ^^

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I'm not being dismissive of Acell or PRP(which I had done on two separate occasions). I'm being realistic to their effectiveness on the underlining goal, getting hair density, thus confidence. I'm not interested in strands of miniature hair growth, if any

If Acell worked as great as you claim, then there would be clinics that does strictly Acell and PRP, with HTs being optional. But the reverse is true, so that in it self suggest something

Could you provide some before/after pixs of Acell and or PRP that showes their effectiveness in regrowing hair density?

Talks of how great something will be, versus how great and effective it is now, has been the reoccurring theme in hair loss for years

Quote:

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Originally Posted by I Wish Hair Grew

I've had 3 HT, and now have to deal with the dreaded HT scar. I'm very conscious of it and very desperate to get it "fixed," furthermore, I would like to get some more density on top

Sometime early last year, I learned about artistry concept's services. I stalked their websites for a couple months. I could almost repeat the summaries verbatim that accompanied each of their customer's picture on the website.
Researched countless hair forums to get info about them.

Then finally, I sent an email about their services with pictures.
I had email convo with Gale Hartvigsen ,Director . She quoted me a price range of $6500 - $8500:confused:. As she puts it, that's the normal cost for HT patients because you need to apply the procedure twice and the price also covers what is not seen in the pics

she then warns me that the price will increase in the next couple months :eek: Why? I don't know since there will be no difference in my hair situation but I was just too anxious to get the job done.

So just like most HT scar victims, I was very narrow in my analyst of the my situation and thought that Artistry was my only option to finally regain some comfort and confidence. So after she quoted the price, I sought out to save and raise about $6500 because I really wanted this procedure and a chance at a "normal existence"

To make a long story short , luckily, I have a friend who is the only person that knows about my HT situation and low confidence because of it. We sat down one night and he helped me to fully analyze the situation.

And we came to the conclusion that Artistry Concepts is offering a predatory service. If you ever had an HT, then you are viewed as the most desperate, thus your price will be inflated simply because you're more likely to pay anything because you are more desperate than another dude who is simply balding

My suggestion to my fellow HT scar victims, PLEASE do your research about other companies that provide this type service. AC is not the only one or the best out here. This is your hair we're talking about, so don't make traveling an excuse if need be. If you're in Florida, don't take the easy route and goto AC because it's closer because they are preying on the desperate and those of us hesitant to travel

I found another place that provides the same service that I'm going with. I'm being charged about $2700 - $3200. I'm not going to specify which one because I'm not here to promote any company, just to remind you guys that you have options out there, especially if you're willing to travel out of your state or country

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'I Wish Hair Grew', did you end up having the procedure done with another company? If so, how has it held up and are you happy with how it turned out?

lol didn't see this until after I posted.

Thanks for the lead.

I haven't got a quote from AC yet because they told me to wait 2 years from when I got my HT scar.

I'll probably get a quote in December.

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Originally Posted by morrison

'I Wish Hair Grew', did you end up having the procedure done with another company? If so, how has it held up and are you happy with how it turned out?

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I'm very happy with it. Since I had a few transplants, I have some hair that compliments the procedure

I suggest staying away from a strip HT and do FUE so that you could get some hair without a linear scar. Then get the shading procedure to compliment it...trust me, you will be happy with keeping a buzz cut

Quote:

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Originally Posted by I Wish Hair Grew

she then warns me that the price will increase in the next couple months. I don't know since there will be no difference in my hair situation

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It's a standard business trick to hook customers on their first visit/inquiry by telling them that the price is about to go up significantly (or that they're eligible for a special "introductory discount," but only if they sign up today). It's intended to lure potential customers into taking the plunge right away, because the businesses know that if they allow the potential customers time to think about it, they likely won't be back.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by I Wish Hair Grew

she then warns me that the price will increase in the next couple months :eek: Why? I don't know since there will be no difference in my hair situation

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They seem like a Bunch of crooks if you ask me! Preying on peoples insecurities to lure them into making rash decisions :mad:

After doing some due diligence I chose Artistry Concepts Mark Weston to do my SMP. I give Mark a rating of 5 out of 10. Mark did a good job of selling himself and detailing his process. His office was clean and professional. He worked diligently and did the job all in one day.

My concerns came during the SMP process. In conversation, Mark stressed that all other SMP companies are fakes. He validates his statement by saying, he was the first to come up with the process and shows his patented tattoo needle. Additionally, he states that all other SMP companies were overpriced and do poor quality jobs that required numerous visits. I found this type of slander unprofessional and in some cases an outright lie.

Prior to the procedure, you are required to sign a one-sided agreement. This agreement covers Artistry Concepts(AC) and attempts to devoid the consumer of any recourse. Furthermore, the agreement restricts anyone from speaking about their experience at Artistry Concept. Post-procedure you are videotaped during a question and answer session. During the videotaping, the post care process is detailed and additional disclaimers are read.

To get to the point, my first issue is with the ink. The ink does not match my hair color; there is a hint of blue in it. Secondly, the dots that are around my hairline, which are meant to mimic a follicle, are too large. Ultimately, making the job obvious to anyone within 3 feet looking down on your head.

I'm leaving this review because when I was looking for reviews and information about Mark Weston and Artistry Concepts, I only found AC's marketing. The SMP industry is relatively new and many companies are fighting for market share. I don't know if the job would have come out better at a different shop, especially after hearing some horror stores, but I do know that my SMP was okay at best.