Carl,
I am sorry to learn of your disappointment from the corrective hair transplant repair procedures that were initiated years ago. However, it is particularly disturbing that after we declined your untenable and hostile demands for financial payments, you have made repeated harassing phone calls and emails to my staff, and are now resorting to making deliberately false and libelous claims against our practice, inaccurate posts and accusations, as well as intentional omissions of fact that will only serve to mislead others who are in legitimate need of help.
As a dedicated, practicing M.D. for over 15 years who has been certified by an elite medical subspecialty board, a published author of scientific articles and textbook chapters, an invited faculty member of numerous educational medical conferences and an active participant in volunteer pro-bono organizations in the medical field and within our community, I am disappointed by these accusations. As a patient of ours for many years, you especially should know that we go ‘above and beyond the call of duty’ to address the needs of our patients before during and after any evaluations and treatments we provide and have developed a successful medical practice specifically because of these ethical and professional ‘patient-centered’ principles.
When you first came to my clinic in 2004 seeking repair, you had already undergone several previous old-style hair transplants from at least two non-board certified surgeons. We both understood that you were ‘starting out’ with large donor scarring, a pluggy-looking appearance, poor coverage, severely depleted donor hair, ongoing hair loss due to lack of medical treatment and that you had resorted to wearing a hairpiece to cover the unnaturalness. Your deliberate omission of these facts certainly paints a distorted picture of your situation when you first sought our help. Treating a progressive condition such as hair loss can be difficult enough. But, as we discussed many times, the early choices and consistent commitments someone makes in treating their hair loss can have a powerful effect on the success of their treatment over the long-term.
From the start we both knew that there was no ‘miracle cure’ for your situation and that multiple procedures would be likely. From day-one I also communicated clearly to you verbally and in writing, as I do with each and every hair loss patient, the importance of initiating and continuing medical therapy to help protect your non-transplanted hair. Because hair loss continues over time, medical treatments are the critical part of any successful hair restoration treatment regimen requiring commitment and compliance for the long-term. As discussed, this was even truer in your case where available donor hair follicles were in short supply due to techniques used during your previous procedures.
We discussed that the extent of some of the “repair work” (like scar reduction, etc.) required would be measureable far beyond just the number of hair follicles transplanted with each session. Our plan set forth small but accomplishable goals with each corrective procedure—like reducing the scar tissue, restoring the hairline and camouflaging the previous old-style pluggy grafts—taking steps toward a more natural look with the limited grafts available each session. But we both understood what impact the limited amount of available donor density could have over time. It is no secret that hair transplantation does not stop the progression of hair loss. This is why I always stressed your role and involvement: the need for consistent medical therapy to maintain your existing non-transplanted hair.
With each session of repair work we performed, on a partial pro-bono basis at times, we slowly but surely reduced your scar tissue, restored your frontal hairline, camouflaged the pluggy appearance in the crown area and improved the overall coverage of the scalp. I remember how encouraged you were to see your hairline, coverage and naturalness restored in those ‘after’ photos which we reviewed during each of your post-op visits, enabling you to finally ‘be free’ of the hairpiece. (And you know better than anyone that each set of standardized, un-retouched photos were uploaded, compared and reviewed in your presence IMMEDIATELY after they were taken and were also made available to you in printed and electronic form during your routine follow-ups!) After your last procedure in 2008, you even signed a release form so your significant progress could be a hopeful example to other patients of multi-therapy treatment and the delicate repair work in which we excel.
I certainly know how frustrating ongoing hair loss can be which is one of the reasons that years ago I strongly recommended the adjunctive, FDA-approved treatments to help you protect the hair “at-risk.” There is a direct correlation between the use of the non-invasive therapies and slowing/stopping the progression of the loss of non-transplanted hair. Later, when we used the video microscope to verify the presence of miniaturizing hair in the non-transplanted areas, it was my hope that you would reconsider renewing your commitment to continuing with the medical treatments on a more consistent basis.
My staff and I are proud of the solid professional reputation we’ve built by delivering quality results and quality care to thousands of patients around the U.S. and internationally for well over 10 years. We refuse, therefore, to have our reputation unjustly hijacked or to be intimidated by malevolent and warrantless threats. Though medicine and surgery may not be an exact science, we stand behind our track record of success and innovation which has been recognized by numerous professional organizations and the thousands of patients I’ve had the opportunity to treat. It is no secret that my team and I are passionate about providing quality care to our patients utilizing the latest medical treatments and procedures available while upholding the highest standards of ethics and professionalism.
Those that know us well can verify that our Mission and Philosophy are more than just words on a page. My staff and I are firmly grounded in a commitment to excellence when it comes to delivering care every single day, every single patient. That is why, despite your numerous threatening and harassing phone calls and emails, your anonymous false postings under multiple aliases on hostile internet forums and ‘networks,’ and even despite your multiple attempts to unjustly demand money from my practice and interfere with our ability to treat patients in need, we still hope that you will channel your energy in a more positive direction, perhaps ‘taking a step back’ and appreciating the guidance, support and repair work we have accomplished for you over the years.
Sincerely,
Dr. B
