POSTED UNDER Hair Transplant REVIEWS
24 Years Old Woman, Born with Higher Than Average Hairline - Los Gatos, CA
ORIGINAL POST
I went to Dr. Diep of the MHTA Clinic in Los...
s1998April 7, 2015
$12,000
I went to Dr. Diep of the MHTA Clinic in Los Gatos, CA. He had good reviews and seem to be a successful surgeon. I regretted it immediately after.
1. He focused on puttin implants where I had hair already, because he felt I would lose my hair but hair loss is not a problem for me I have a lot of it I just wanted my hairline to be lower. So I practically paid him to do nothing.
2. Where he drew a line on my forehead to show where my new hairline would be looked nothing like what I walked out of there with. It is a scam. He asks before surgery that if he feels you need extra grafts will you be willing to pay and of course I choose yes because I want it to be perfect. He didn't even accomplish what he promised me so Im afraid to say I may have paid an additional $1000 for imaginary grafts.
3. I was told my head would not be shaved bald. They shaved my hairline so far back into implant grafts that I would not have been able to go out in public without looking completely crazy. And when I asked what they expected me to do to go to work, their answer was that I wear a weave, because I was advised not to wear a wig which makes no sense at all because how could I possibly put a weave on scalp?
4. They carelessly shaved into my hair and cut some length from other sections of my head because they did not comb or section apart my hair they jus shaved all kinds of different directions. Here's the funny part they picked my hair up off the floor and braided it into hair that was still connected and put a rubberband around it so I wouldn't know what they had done. So after surgery I'm sore and in very much pain and needed to keep my hair braided so it would stay out of my wounds so maybe two weekend later when I take out the braids I realized jus how much hair they had cut by "accident".
5. I had a question recently. I have these goosebumps in my hairline that are very noticable and I googled that it is a mistake on the surgeons part so I called with my question I was told I would be called back I never was. I had to call again and of course they'll blame there mistakes on your body and how their mistake is your bodies reaction and it's common among whatever race you are that this happens......really?
6. Lastly Dr. diep does not do his surgeries his technicians do and they are careless, probably don't really care about how successful surgeries are. Multiple different technicians do your surgery and it is noticable in the end result, because some do better than others and you will end up looking rather inconsistent, when I saw his before and after pics I thought they were great look very closely for imperfections they are easier to notice when they are on your own hairline, you may think you'll be happy but you won't. Also pictures make your hair look better than it really does. Just take a picture of your hair right now and you'll notice how it looks 1000x's fuller than it is. So his pictures are unreliable.
7. It has been seven months and the front of my hair looks very see through. Dr. Diep likes to cover his screw ups by saying you may need more than one surgery for more density which makes him more money. Also his favorite is, is that he likes to create a hairline that isn't perfect and not too dense because it will look fake but in reality it is to cover up any mistakes or incompetence of his office. Now my hairline is uneven and lopsided lol.
8.DO NOT GO TO DR DIEP ONCE HE HAS YOUR MONEY HE NO LONGER CARES ABOUT YOU I COULD NOT EVEN TALK TO HIM ABOUT MY INQUIRIES AFTER MY SURGERY. I am no longer a priority as his patient, he has all the time in the world for you before your surgery he even talks to you for your consultation but after that your history.
9. I just pray whatever happens that my result are decent and don't require any corrective surgeries just to look semi-normal. I worry quite often after having this surgery. I just wanted people to know my experience.
10. Once during surgery my meds wore off because your not given anesthesia your given a cocktail of drugs in a cup. They acted as if they didn't want to sedate me again. After i paid $12,000 plus $1000 do supposedly extra grafts that I can't tell exist because my hair looks thin and he didn't even reach the marker line he drew, anyways after I pay that much you can't sedate me again so I won't feel your staff stab me repeatedly with a needle into my head!!!!! Beware people!
1. He focused on puttin implants where I had hair already, because he felt I would lose my hair but hair loss is not a problem for me I have a lot of it I just wanted my hairline to be lower. So I practically paid him to do nothing.
2. Where he drew a line on my forehead to show where my new hairline would be looked nothing like what I walked out of there with. It is a scam. He asks before surgery that if he feels you need extra grafts will you be willing to pay and of course I choose yes because I want it to be perfect. He didn't even accomplish what he promised me so Im afraid to say I may have paid an additional $1000 for imaginary grafts.
3. I was told my head would not be shaved bald. They shaved my hairline so far back into implant grafts that I would not have been able to go out in public without looking completely crazy. And when I asked what they expected me to do to go to work, their answer was that I wear a weave, because I was advised not to wear a wig which makes no sense at all because how could I possibly put a weave on scalp?
4. They carelessly shaved into my hair and cut some length from other sections of my head because they did not comb or section apart my hair they jus shaved all kinds of different directions. Here's the funny part they picked my hair up off the floor and braided it into hair that was still connected and put a rubberband around it so I wouldn't know what they had done. So after surgery I'm sore and in very much pain and needed to keep my hair braided so it would stay out of my wounds so maybe two weekend later when I take out the braids I realized jus how much hair they had cut by "accident".
5. I had a question recently. I have these goosebumps in my hairline that are very noticable and I googled that it is a mistake on the surgeons part so I called with my question I was told I would be called back I never was. I had to call again and of course they'll blame there mistakes on your body and how their mistake is your bodies reaction and it's common among whatever race you are that this happens......really?
6. Lastly Dr. diep does not do his surgeries his technicians do and they are careless, probably don't really care about how successful surgeries are. Multiple different technicians do your surgery and it is noticable in the end result, because some do better than others and you will end up looking rather inconsistent, when I saw his before and after pics I thought they were great look very closely for imperfections they are easier to notice when they are on your own hairline, you may think you'll be happy but you won't. Also pictures make your hair look better than it really does. Just take a picture of your hair right now and you'll notice how it looks 1000x's fuller than it is. So his pictures are unreliable.
7. It has been seven months and the front of my hair looks very see through. Dr. Diep likes to cover his screw ups by saying you may need more than one surgery for more density which makes him more money. Also his favorite is, is that he likes to create a hairline that isn't perfect and not too dense because it will look fake but in reality it is to cover up any mistakes or incompetence of his office. Now my hairline is uneven and lopsided lol.
8.DO NOT GO TO DR DIEP ONCE HE HAS YOUR MONEY HE NO LONGER CARES ABOUT YOU I COULD NOT EVEN TALK TO HIM ABOUT MY INQUIRIES AFTER MY SURGERY. I am no longer a priority as his patient, he has all the time in the world for you before your surgery he even talks to you for your consultation but after that your history.
9. I just pray whatever happens that my result are decent and don't require any corrective surgeries just to look semi-normal. I worry quite often after having this surgery. I just wanted people to know my experience.
10. Once during surgery my meds wore off because your not given anesthesia your given a cocktail of drugs in a cup. They acted as if they didn't want to sedate me again. After i paid $12,000 plus $1000 do supposedly extra grafts that I can't tell exist because my hair looks thin and he didn't even reach the marker line he drew, anyways after I pay that much you can't sedate me again so I won't feel your staff stab me repeatedly with a needle into my head!!!!! Beware people!
Replies (39)
April 9, 2015
I am so sorry to hear of your experience, I considered going to him for my surgery as I live very close by. I have read other similar stories about getting a lot of attention before surgery and then nothing after. I hope your results are satisfactory, it is a brave step to go for the surgery and share your story. Happy growing!
April 12, 2015
Yes beware he untrustworthy. He placed graft where I did not need them just to raise fees pretending he needed to implant more. His technician do not know how to properly cut follicular units and as a result I have cobblestoning. He wants to do a half job just to get you to have a second surgery to get more money. I brought my cobblestoning to their attention and they told me it was my body and how my body heals that is a mistake on their part.
UPDATED FROM s1998
1 year post
Awful
s1998November 18, 2015
Do not go to Dr Diep. I have cobblestoning which is something not regularly seen anymore atleast since the 90s. Dr Diep and his staff are using outdated techniques and you will not get your money's worth. I am very unhappy with the results. It has been 14 months since my procedure. My new hairline looks like damaged edges. It is very see through and I know for a fact I did not get all the grafts I paid for. I paid for over 4,000. It looks terrible in the very front the grafts are so spaced out. The staff did not reach the market line the doctor drew. Most likely I will need another surgery to correct this.
The first time I called Dr Diep about this problem he told me it was the way my body healed and out of his control which is not true. This was a mistake on his part. I was told to call back after a year so I am now waiting for the meeting which is taking me three weeks to get. I will update with his response.
The first time I called Dr Diep about this problem he told me it was the way my body healed and out of his control which is not true. This was a mistake on his part. I was told to call back after a year so I am now waiting for the meeting which is taking me three weeks to get. I will update with his response.
Replies (59)
November 18, 2015
I have extremely thick hair, they did not even try to make the grafts match and the front is very thin compared to the rest. Not a very smart move.
November 19, 2015
Mine hairline kind of looks like yours as far as the cobblestone. I'm a little over 4 months out and I was hoping that would go away. I have spots that aren't filling in bit looking on here people/ doctors say be patient it should fill in. I too went to Dr. Diep. After my procedure he told me that my donor area was very dense and should look really good. I hope it fills in more. My new hair growing is is wavy and my natural hair is bone straight. I hope the hair changes consistency. Dr. Diets office needs a patient advocate to help you through the process. The aftercare is nonexistent. I didn't know a doctor could do that.

December 4, 2015
I'm sorry to hear about you developing the cobblestoning. I am over a year past my surgery and they have not gotten any better what so ever. My natural hair is curly, and my recipient area was growing straight, now it matches the rest. Hopefully, you hair does fill out. I have a very thin looking area in the front that has not and I'm sure will not fill in. They have multiple people doing the surgeries so maybe one particular is not thorough leaving the work looking very inconsistent.
December 28, 2017
I’m sorry I’m so late. Yes aftercare is very much nonexistent. I had to cut my own stitches out lol. So it’s been about three years. My scars always heal themselves idk about others. But my cobblestoning has somewhat solved itself. Doesn’t mean he did anything right I’ve just always been that way.

November 19, 2015
Hi, I'm sorry to read about your experience with Dr. Diep. He will be doing my surgery next month. Did you do the A cell?
November 24, 2015
nikkijewel - I would do a TON of research and have SEVERAL consultations with HT surgeons before selecting one. Unfortunately, it sounds as if you have already placed a deposit. and you may not want to sacrifice the money. But before you have the procedure, be sure to have an understanding of how much of the procedure Dr. Diep will be involved in; size punches which will be used; proof of the benefit of ACELL. This procedure is very costly . Doctors who perform ACELL advertise it as a means to promote "healing and growth" in conjunction with a HT. Before committing to the added expense of the procedure I would research to confirm if there are 'DOCUMENTED RESULTS' from patients that ACELL promoted growth. I would be amazed if you found any as it would be difficult to validate. I would be extremely suspicious of a doctor who advocates that ACELL is needed with a HT and search for better qualified HT surgeon. ACELL is a form of PRP - and typically a series of PRP treatments are needed for results. Please get an understanding of the difference between ACELL and PRP and how only one treatment of ACELL is needed. ASK a LOT of questions.
November 24, 2015
CORRECTION: (couldn't edit above post) - ACELL is used in conjunction with PRP. and still could be considered an advanced form of PRP with the add on of ACELL.
January 6, 2016
Honestly the A Cell sounds gimmicky at best. There's no evidence it does anything to improve healing and growth of grafts.
November 20, 2015
I'm having a consultation with him soon, this totally makes me nervous because he claims he specializes in black hair.
November 24, 2015
HairBack15 - please do your research and homework and educate yourself before you have the procedure. I don't think Dr. Diep "specializes" in black hair. I think he has experience in performing transplants on African Americans but I don't think it is his specialty. Have consultations with several surgeons before finalizing. Most highly respected surgeons offer Online consolations - don't be reluctant to utilize this method of consultation.
November 26, 2015
Unfortunately I put down a deposit and paid for my plane ticket, I scheduled to have it soon. Smh, I found Dr John Frank too late.
November 26, 2015
Dr. Diep is a good doctor and highly recognized in the field. I don't think you made a bad choice at all. But with any surgeon/facility - it is wise to learn as much as possible pre-op. Are you having FUE or FUT? Are you getting an ACELL treatment? If so, why?
November 28, 2015
You're right, I just fell for the hype and was anxious to have it soon. I'm having the FUT and yes on the ACell because they recommend it. They stated everything you mentioned about the healing process and it's "only an extra $300."
November 29, 2015
LOL your statement "it's only an extra $300" sounds like the used car salesmen's bait and hook line. I wish you the best with your procedure and I hope you keep us posted. When is your procedure?? Just PLEASE remember to take EXTREMELY good care of your incision. And ask Dr. Diep about what types of healing agents you can apply and when to not only your incision but to the donor and recipient areas as well.
December 4, 2015
I think overall you will be happier, but the things that are done and said are very shady. It is just an issue with scaring if you look below someone else commented that also went to him and have the same scarring. It's hard to believe that it is just something common among "African Americans" when other races have it to. Also, I do not keloid nor have I ever so this scarring on my opinion is an error.
December 7, 2015
Yeah I don't really scar rapidly easily. We'll just have to see. I'm upset that I didn't know all this before.
December 19, 2015
I'm scared for you. Is there anyway u can get your deposit back? Make sure you insist on having him perform the procedure and not the techs. Maybe the techs are doing a bad job but he may be good at it. No one knows because he never performs the procedure himself. Keep us posted please. Good luck.
December 20, 2015
I had a conversation with him via Skype. I'm much more confident. Unfortunately, the other surgeon I wanted was unavailable.
December 20, 2015
So it sounds like ur going to use this surgeon. If at any time u don't feel 100% comfortable don't go! Just take it as a loss. There are too many doctors taking our money and destroying lives and not being held accountable for their negligence. I had an experience where I took a $20,000.00 loss! And thank GOD I did otherwise I would have been jacked up or dead! Less than a week before my date I canceled my surgery and the [RS bleep] fake surgeon (no credentials) refused to give me my money back. The thought of having to explain myself when asking for help was embarrassing for me so that money was never recovered. But I had my health and I was able to make the money back and have my surgery done by a great doctor.
December 22, 2015
I'm so sorry to hear your story. I have seen both good and bad reviews on him, but it seems things have changed with Diep. It's my hope that he assists the original poster.
December 22, 2015
Yes I agree. I live in NY. There is a Afro - female dermatologist that performs the procedure. Her name is Dr. Osei Tutu. Look her up on YouTube on Jasmine Rose channel. She give a 30 minute over view. I think u may appreciate what she has to say.
December 23, 2015
I have watched that video, and the updates. I was going to go to someone else but he was too busy. So, I'm going with Diep. I'm just looking forward to it being done. Thank you kindly. I'll be posting my review and progress.
December 23, 2015
I think you are wise to stick with Dr. Diep, comparatively speaking ;-). He has an established reputation and considered one of the better HT surgeons in US.
December 23, 2015
Yeah, I'm only nervous about his aftercare, so I'm going to ensure I follow his directions to the letter. Frank is also well known but more on the east coast. Diep has a reputation via YouTube also so it helps.
December 23, 2015
I hope it goes well for you, he does make you feel confident but I personally have been nothing but lied to. I wish you the best, they are using outdated procedures I have another person who comments they ended up with the same scarring above. Multiple technicians will do your surgery that day some more experienced than others so hopefully you get the right people. Good luck
December 24, 2015
The most important thing is how his surgical skills. And from what I've read about him, he is very good. His aftercare may not be ideal but given a choice, I'd rather his surgical skills be his primary focus, than having post op talks. Dr. Diep's reputation is far beyond Youtube - he is highly regarded on several hair sites. Yes John Frank is of the same caliber as Diep according to everything I've read.
December 25, 2015
My experience with Dr. Diep was the complete opposite and my results were good. Specializing in black people hair was the main reason I chose him.
December 25, 2015
I've heard that diep doesn't place the grafts. He only removed the strip. And the techs remove the follicles as well as place the grafts into the scalp.
December 25, 2015
Ok this thread is intense now. I apologize for your results and experience. I'm uncertain but you can either take it up with the courts or have him go by the legal paperwork. You can also report him to specific partnerships/boards if you feel he cheated you. I have researched it, good luck to you and continue to keep us posted.
November 8, 2017
You have to sign ARBITRATION AGREEMENT CONSENT FORM before surgery. In the doc, mentioned you can't go to court.
November 15, 2017
December 28, 2017
He honest and truly does not. If you really zoom in and study his black patients results, they are actually not good at all.
November 24, 2015
s1998 so sorry to hear of your experience. When did you have your procedure? do you have any before pictures? I would not expect this kind of result from a "recognized" surgeon like Dr. Diep. Reported average growth period post procedure extends to 18 months - so it is possible you may still get some fill in. However, I don't blame you for being concerned, with these results at 14 months. It appears Dr. Diep's office needs some process improvement in "patient after care". Aftercare is one thing - but poor results is another. Especially since he does purport to be experienced in black hair transplants. 4000 grafts are a lot of grafts - so it would be interesting to see the before picture of the hair loss. It sounds like you had a FUE (based on shaved head)? If so, I can understand the necessity to shave so much of your hair. To avoid having a "moth eaten look in the donor area" 4000 grafts would have to be taken from a very large landscape of scalp. The shaved hair will grow back - but having a moth eaten appearance is close to irreparable. Dr. Diep gained a lot of attention from did Destiny Godley's YouTube video on the procedure he performed on her. As a result of her experience I think a lot of African Americans seek his services. African American skin has a high risk to keloid, therefore if large punches (1.0 and higher) were used to make graft incisions or if FUT was performed, healing may be affected. If I were you I would treat my scalp daily with pure Aloe Vera and make a healing oil blend and massage the areas daily. You can google healing oils for recommendations. Emu oil is also highly regarded as a healing agent along with copper peptides. With that amount of grafts you have to remember 8000 holes (4000 extraction and 4000 transplanted) were punctured in your scalp. I would followup with emails to Dr. Diep's office.
December 4, 2015
Thanks for your advice. I have never keloided, nor will I ever I do not have problems with my skin of that nature. That's leads me to believe there was an error.

December 23, 2015
Destiny Godley has a nice result but she mentioned that the scar needs to be fixed due to keloid.

December 25, 2015
I am so sorry as b your experience. I would continue 2 b persistent with him AND his office msnagrr

December 25, 2015
And just drop by if it is logistically possible. From what I've seen, FUN results on AA is not quite as dense and robust as on others. If your hair is somewhat fine (lie mine), the results will be even more compromised. I believe that the situation can be rectified by his office do don't give up. God Bless!
December 28, 2017
Destiney Godley was using fillers, and also she wears her hair natural so of course it’ll look good. She may not ever hair any versatility though. My hair is finer and doesn’t hide his mistakes as well.
Welcome to the community, thank you for sharing your Hair Transplant experience with us. What method of transplant was performed, and how many grafts were placed? Do you have any before and after photos to share with us?