“3 Procedures Later, a Bad Hairline and Inadequate Coverage ”

Jazz60

Not Worth It
Spent: $13,000 in Marlton, NJ

Comments (5)

Posted 29 Oct 2010

I wish I hadn't done it... I fell for the advertising -- big mistake. My head screams "TRANSPLANT"; there's not much that's natural-looking about my appearance. A shaved head would be infinitely preferable, but that's not an option given the scars in my donor area.

To be fair, there's a marginal difference between the state of things pre-procedure and where I am today, but given the gaps in coverage on my crown and on top and the faux hairline, there are hardly enough positives to justify the money spent.

I had two full procedures at $6,000 each and a third procedure, for which I spent another $1,000, intended to give the hairline a more natural, irregular look.

Given what I read about what some of these bandits charge, I suppose those are reasonable fees, comparatively speaking. But after nearly 3 years and roughly 4,000 follicular grafts, my appearance is not a lot better than it was at the outset.

My advice: Don't do it. Man up. With hindsight, I think it's a lot easier (and more liberating) just to go bald than it is to obsess about one's hair. Save your $$$ for something of value.

This review is the subjective opinion of a RealSelf member and not of RealSelf, Inc.

Helpful review?

My Doctor: Name not provided

I think my surgeon is talented enough and I believe he's an ethical person. BUT... he and his staff don't really listen. From the day I walked in for my first consultation to the moment before the actual procedure while sitting in the surgical chair, I tried to make it clear that I wanted an irregular hairline -- one that would look as natural as possible. The result: a straight line across my forehead. I went back for a second procedure, in hopes of rectifying the problem, but there was no discernible difference in the outcome. Finally, tired of feeling conspicuous and uncomfortable in my own skin, I argued for a third procedure at no charge, specifically for hairline repairs. (I still had to pay operating room costs; I don't feel as if I really had an alternative.) Now, six months after that third session, I can see a precious few grafts sprouting up in areas where they should have been in the first place. But I can tell already that they won't be enough to make a real difference, and that I'm pretty much out of luck at this point.

Comments (5)

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Tom at RealSelf (Community Manager) 29 Oct 2010

Hey Jazz60, thx much for sharing.

When you say you "fell for the advertising", what do you mean? That it looks natural and easy to do?

Jazz60 29 Oct 2010

Precisely, Tom. In my case, I bought into the notion that I'd look substantially different after the fact... Certainly all those "after" photos contributed to the illusion, which unfortunately for me was more delusion than anything else.

NewGuy77 21 Dec 2011

"Talented enough" and "a straight line across my forehead" don't match up at all to me. Any hair transplant surgeon making straight hair lines across the forehead is not talented in the least and should find another profession entirely. Straight lines might have been acceptable back in the 80s when these procedures were first being done, but 30 years later this science has progressed enormously. This science has now become an art form. There are surgeons out there today who are creating amazingly natural hairlines that are absolutely undetectable (like mine). They are of course going to charge you more than a mediocre surgeon (I paid $12k for 1750 grafts), but this level of service does absolutely exist. I've even had another hair surgeon tell me he couldn't tell my hairline wasn't natural. He was shocked to find out it had been made entirely by hand by my surgeon.

I'm sorry for your unfortunate experience Jazz60, but I would like to stress to the others readers of this site that amazing hair transplants do exist...and they are worth every penny.

JW-

Updateyourprofile 23 Jan 2012

Jazz, I have a funny feeling your talking about Dr. Pistone. I only say that because if I had to tell my story on here it would sound almost identical to yours. The funny thing is he did the same thing to my friend. I think he's out of business now or partnered up with another company because he was getting a lot of complaints. He is a nice guy and I think he means well but he is far from an artist and your right, he does NOT listen to his patients. He told me I would only need one. After one, I basically had a new hair line that was not that natural with a lot of spaces. Went back a second time to "fill it in" and after a year, basically the same. I expressed to him how unhappy I was and disgusted I even started with this. He said he would do a third one on him as long as I paid the operating room costs. After a year and a third procedure, its better but he does sloppy work. The way I found out about this was I had to go to another top doc in NYC. He explained to the job was sloppy due to the fact that all the transplanted hair was put in the wrong way. I would notice this after the shower mostly. My regular hair was going one way straight down, while the transplanted hair would grow upwards. That unnatural look along with too much space in between the hairs caused me to have that "rag doll" appearance. The grafts with two or more hairs are suppose to be in the back and the single ones are suppose to go in front. Not the case with this doctor and his careless staff. They basically just put them where they pleased and in the wrong direction. Now I had to go to Dr. Epstein in NYC for a revision, something he known for according to his reviews. He had to remove all the hair in the front and replant them in the right direction, create a more irregular/natural hairline and also take a fourth strip to fill in those spaces. I am disgusted I had to do this again but I am praying with every breath this doctor took pity on me and did what I hope can be done to just make it look natural. I honestly feel like hanging myself when I think about what I had to go through and the amount of time it took away from me. Now I have to wait another year to see what happens. All I can tell you is that it seems this doctor knew his stuff and was a true artist. Of course, only time will tell. Thought you might want to know this because I feel your pain and if you have the funds to do so, I think (I hope rather) there is something that can be done. Feel free to message me if you want to discuss further.

Karl

Jazz60 24 Jan 2012

Karl... Bingo -- it was Greg Pistone. Fascinating that the bad experiences were so similar, from the unnatural hairline, to the misplaced and misdirected implants, to the gaps and spotty coverage. I moved to Florida a year or so ago and found a physician with a REAL transplant team -- skilled and knowledgeable -- who essentially fixed the hairline problems caused by Dr. Pistone. It's not perfect, but it's infinitely better than it was, especially given the awful results from the previous surgeries. Point is, I'm a lot less self-conscious, though I still might need one final procedure (if I still have a viable donor area), essentially to do the "fill-ins" and repairs that should have been done long ago. Not yet sure if I'm going to go that route -- these things are expensive -- but if I do, at least I have a doc I can trust. However, with hindsight, if I had the choice to do it again, even with a qualified surgeon, I wouldn't. Just not worth it. Thanks for you message... Good to know that we're not alone. Really appreciate it.

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“3 Procedures Later, a Bad Hairline and Inadequate Coverage ”

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