I feel it is essential that I reply to "Felicity's" post, to clarify the situation. It was actually the moderator Falceros who brought this post to my attention, out of concern that I have the opportunity to protect the reputation that has taken me almost 15 years to achieve.
First, I and my office manager Roxy have been in consistent communication with this patient. She has my cell phone number 305-310-6361, my email address jsemd@foundhair.com, and we have discussed her situation with her, the content I prefer not to share with the public. Let me say that I have offered to do whatever it takes to help her to feel happier with her results, but the fact is, unrealistic expectations are difficult to overcome- despite the fact that I do my best to explain to all my eyebrow transplant patients that the transplanted eyebrows are not perfect, but for just about all of the 130-plus patients on whom I have performed this procedure over the past 4 years, the procedure has made them very happy. In fact, around 10% of the eyebrow procedures I perform are reparative, so I have extensive experience in what can go wrong. But as I said, keeping in mind realistic expectations are essential to having a happy patient.
Also, it is simply not true that I was not actively involved in this procedure. I made every one of the recipient sites, did some of the planting myself of the grafts (assisted by my designated eyebrow subspecialty "team" of assistants), made sure all of the grafts at the end of the procedure were in the proper orientation, and, as with all of the cases we perform, made all the final adjustments/refinements at the end of the procedure with the patient able to see the results.

I am so sorry that "Felicity" is disappointed. I do not settle for having less than very happy patients, and have been taking all of the exhaustive steps to taking care of this.

Jeffrey Epstein, MD, FACS
www.eyebrowtransplantation.com

Well,

this sounds much more balanced, and more to the type of experience I have had with Dr. Epstein...I guess in any business it is impossible to please 100% of clients 100% of the time......

Thanks Doc !!!

I have been in touch with both parties privately regarding the specifics of this case and have made my recommendations. I hope and trust that a satisfying resolution will come from this in one way or the other.

Dr. Epstein,

Thank you for attending to this matter. You do certainly have an impeccable record of producing state of the art hair transplantation and the reflection of patient posts on this community reveals this.

I do hope however, that a satisfactory resolution will come from this.

Felicity,

Dr. Epstein has offered to help you through this situation. Keep in mind that this help is being offered to you at NO CHARGE!

My personal recommendation is to give him the chance to help you. I believe him to be an ethical and reputable doctor of high caliber which is why we he is a coalition member with a large number of satisfied patients. Experiences and testimonies from real patients can be found using the "find" feature of this community.

Of course, it is your choice as to whether you will allow him to help you or whether you select another hair restoration physician. Either way, I do hope that you get the help you are looking for.

Falc

This is Felicity-your unhappy patient. Your clarification of the situation has some errors and I felt that I needed to respond. When I had the appointment, you only spend maybe 10 minutes in the consultation room with me and told me hardly nothing about the procedure. This is a serious procedure and has alot of maintaining that a patient does afterward. I was only told that I would have to trim the hairs once a month and that was it. Nothing about the risks, like that your natural hair may fall out or that the hair would not look like natural hair. I knew that there was an occassional hair that may grow wacky, because I read that on the information sheet. I did not think that the majority of them would grow wacky. It is just a constructive criticism, but you should educate the patients more before they plunge into the operating room.

The fact that you have discussed the matter with me is really not totally accurate. I asked many times what to do, and you said to pluck them out if I did not like them. You said to use gel if I did not like them. Well, I bought every gel known to mankind to try to calm them down and then I tried hairspray, but it is very difficult to mat them all down when most of them go in wacky directions, and then you cannot sneeze if you have them matted down or they come loose. I then went to trimming them shorter, and now I have hired a cosmetologist to trim them for me because they grow so wacky and I can't stand doing it myself and I have thrown out my makeup mirror because it is too depressing to look very closely at them. Having you say to pluck them and gel them is not exactly assistance. When I wrote and told you that if I pluck, that would be taking out half my eyebrow, and I needed another solution, I got no answer. Roxy has emailed me several times to come down, but it does not give me a warm and fuzzy feeling to get on the plane and fly down when I have had no feedback on what to do. Then I lost alot of natural hairs in the procedure. I would gladly go back to the way I was prior to the operation because it looked 100% better. But, I can't because I lost alot of natural hair. I have sent you my pictures in the past and you said they were coming along nicely and did not seem to acknowledge my issues-like looking like I had a cowlick because the bottom hairs grow straight down and the beginning grow straight out, etc. So, that did not give me a warm feeling either. I asked about why I lost my natural hair and you said you did not know. I never expected perfection and I was not looking for an unrealistic outcome, as you seem to indicate. I was just looking for hairs growing in the right direction and having my gaps and arches filled in. And looking better than I did when I went down. If you do 10% reparative procedures, how come you could not offer any ideas as to why all of this happened? You say you have an idea what could go wrong in these things. Well, a little communication goes a long way. It is frustrating sitting here looking at these eyebrows every day with no answers. Yes, you did draw the eyebrow shape and you did make the slits to put the hairs in and may have started the planting of them yourself but you only popped in a few times and yes, you did check them afterwards. Maybe you should explain this to people - that these assisants are very knowledgeable, and that we are in good hands, etc. I guess I expected the doctor to be in the room most of the time. That is not really my biggest gripe. But I want the forum to know that I am not unrealistic. My pictures look horrible and I never dreamed they would look worse then when I went down. You have to understand that it is a very deflating feeling to know that I have to live with this for the next 60 years if I live to be in my 90's. Because they grow so weird, I have to keep them pretty short and then they look stubbly and the bottoms just stick straight down so there is not much I can do there except cut them practically to nothing. Then I cover up my cowlick and the wackiness with eyebrow pencil. Yes, I know that you offered to put more hairs in for free, but I am not thrilled to go through this again with you.
I think every logical person would see my point. I know I will be looked upon as a major complainer and I really am not usually a complainer and am a realistic person. I just wanted the forum to know that they need to be proactive and not believe everything they read. They need to do their research because their doctor will not always give them all the information. And when you ask for recommendations of doctors, you only will get happy patients. So in this forum, maybe people can be more aware of things to look for before they do a transplant. And sharing their
experience with a doctor is what this forum does. I notified you that I posted about you on this forum - so I want the forum to know that I was not trying to be sneaky. I was informed by the editors of this forum that I should discuss the gripes with you and tell you about the forum so you can have equal time, and I did that. I am truly sorry to the forum that I posted on here without telling the doctor first, but I did not know I needed to until it was brought to my attention. I am not trying to ruin your reputation, only sharing my experience. The fact that my experience was not good and that I wish I had not done it is not my fault. I wish I could post a glowing report. Apparently, from what you say, your patients are all happy. If they are, I am truly happy for them because I want everyone to have a good transplant. You do have a good reputation on this forum. There isn't many postings on people that had eyebrow transplants on this forum, which is unfortunate. So...if I am the only unhappy patient, then I guess I was the unlucky one to have a lousy result. The cosmetologist that I hired to trim my eyebrows each week thinks they are wacky too-this business does facials, hair, makeup, eyebrow permanent makeup, etc. and they have people interested in eyebrow transplants-but I cannot, in good conscience, send anyone to you. I am sorry, but I cannot. I am not imagining things, because the girls that work in there feel bad for me that the hair is so wacky and ask me if anyone can fix it. I really, really do wish I was happy. It is nothing against you personally, and I wish you good success. I am not out to smear your name. My hope is that something can be learned by this experience and that my name will not be mud from now on. Maybe it was a mistake to post on the forum in the first place, but I did it out of pure motive-to warn people that these things don't always turn out so great. You have to sympathize with the fact that I am stuck looking worse than when I went down. You seem like a nice man, from the brief time that we spent together, and please know that I am not being vindictive when I explain my experience and outcome. But to say that you discussed the situation alot with me is stretching the truth a little, as I have outlined above.

Falceros-

I did notify Dr. Epstein of my posting about him and I am sorry if I did not do things correctly on this forum, ie. notifying the doctor that I was posting about him and starting my own thread. I did not know I was supposed to start my own thread. I had already told Dr. Epstein of my gripes before I posted on this forum though. Yes-I know he offered to implant more hairs for free. I am reluctant to do so though, for obvious reasons. I have posted a reply to Dr. Epstein's post.

want hairs-

Just to reply to your post...I am sure you are fine with your scalp transplant with Dr. Epstein. There are good reports on this forum about him. I, in no way, wanted to make you nervous about your procedure. I had an eyebrow transplant-which is a totally different thing...and I am not unrealistic, by the way.

Felicity,

Thank you for your post.

Sharing your experience on our completely open forum is perfectly acceptable.

We do not censor this forum nor do we discourage you from sharing your experience with us.

I think it shows class that you contacted Dr. Epstein directly so he may share his side of the story. Legal paperwork and signatures may be required to release certain information. If that is the case, I'm sure he'll contact you directly to ask for the necessary authorization.

Just for the record...I never said that you HAVE to consult with the doctor before you post your experience on our open forum. I only suggested that you do this in the event that Dr. Epstein was willing to help you and that you were willing to accept his help. Clearly the help has been offered.

Personally, I can understand your reluctance to allow Dr. Epstein to help you given that you feel that you've been neglected and that you didn't get the results that you wanted the first time. Nothing is being taken away from you and your experience.

I still believe however, that Dr. Epstein can help you achieve a more cosmeticly pleasing look if you give him the opportunity but this choice is up to you.

The question is....where do we go from here? What would you like to accomplish?

I look forward to Dr. Epstein's response on this as well.

Best wishes,

Falc

Dr. Epstein-

Just to clarify-I mentioned some specifics of my case in order to clarify my position that I am not unrealistic. If I don't talk about specifics, then I can not explain my position. I already had postings of my experience on the forum with the wacky hair, etc. so it is not really news. I do understand that you have had a good reputation for 15 years and that is wonderful and I wish I could say that I join in with the rest of the 15 years of happy patients.

I just wanted the forum to know that I have now shared my experience with Dr. Epstein and it is not productive for the Dr. and I to go back and forth on this case on this forum or for me to share any more specifics about my experience. I felt I had to answer his post, but that will be it. You all know my experience now, and he knows my concerns, and there is no jury here, so everyone can make their own conclusion to the experience and the posts on it and maybe be more proactive in their research. I will not say anything more about the case, and if anyone wants more information about the process, etc. then they can send me a private email. I already got one that I will reply to. To go over specifics with the doctor or share more gripes on this forum is not productive. I will now just get your feedback and reply to general questions on the forum. Not talk about specifics with Dr. Epstein or about Dr. Epstein. I am not trying to discredit his name and I want it to be publicly known that I have been in contact with a few doctors in the past year that, if they know of him, have said that he has a great reputation. I have not heard anything bad about his practice. There are not many posts about eyebrow transplants on this forum, or looking for a doctor to do them, so I doubt that he has to worry too much about his reputation. I wish there were so that I could have been better educated. His scalp transplants look great. I did not mean to appear to use this forum as an Epstein-bashing.

I do welcome any discussion of my work on this forum- to date, comments from those on whom I have worked have been nothing but stellar. Anyone who comes in contact with me knows that I am a perfectionist to the nth degree. This includes the way I discuss procedures with patients, going over their goals and providing them with realistic expectations as well as reviewing the risks and benefits. In fact, in the letter I send to all my patients about eyebrows, there is a specific area where I discuss that eyebrow transplants, unlike scalp transplants, do not produce perfect results - rather they improve the fullness and appearance of the eyebrows.
I would guess that no fewer than 10 emails were sent back and forth from my office to Felicity prior to her having her procedure. Furthermore, I have at all times been actively encouraging of follow up questions and trying to help the patient- including offering a touch up procedure at no charge. I have performed many eyebrow transplants, likely more than anyone in the field over the past 3 years, and included in these cases have been some patients for reparative/revision procedures.

Jeffrey Epstein, MD, FACS
www.eyebrowtransplantation.com
www.foundhair.com
www.womenscenterforhairloss.com

Dr. Epstein-

I made a promise to this forum that I would not discuss the case in any specifics anymore with you on this forum or about you to the forum. I feel that I have gone out of my way to give you the benefit of the doubt about your practice with your other patients over the 15
years of business and in not releasing my pictures to the public forum. My experience still stands as is and I see what I see. If anyone wants to notify me by private email about anything else in specifics, then they can do so.

sandyh
who did you use in Phila?

Sandy,
I went to the NuHart Hair Clinic and I was very happy with everyone there and with my results. It will be 2 years this winter and it has made a big difference in the way I see myself.

Island Girl,

Glad to see you make an appearance! How have you been? Any updated photos you are willing to share with us?

Falc

Falc,
Thanks for the "HI"! Unfortunately, I've been so busy working almost all the time that I dont have much time to spend at the computer when I get home. I HAVE to learn how to post a before and after picture, that is the only reason I haven't done that yet. I think you are doing a great job in this forum though! Keep up the good work, there are alot of people out there who cling to every word for encouragement like I did a couple of years ago. :-)

Island Girl,

I'm really glad that I was able to help you. Thanks for the encouragement.

I look forward to seeing your pictures. If you need any help, let me know

Falc

I just found this thread after researching eyebrow transplants for some months. I had read a post on an international forum from a woman who lost existing eyebrow hair after her surgery.

I contacted Dr. Epstein, since he is the recognized expert, I asked him about this possibility. I didn't use the term "shock loss" since I thought that only applied to miniaturized follicles.

Dr. Epstein's response, which had a tone of surprise, was that he didn't know why that would happen and that adding hair would just result in more hair. It now seems that this is not entirely uncommon so, given his hundreds of eyebrow surgeries, I would imagine he has heard of loss from patients other than Felicity. This is of serious concern to me since I do have eyebrows and just want them augmented.

I communicated with 2 of his patients who were happy but both started without any brow hair so, of course, they had no visible hair loss.
Like Felicity, I wish there were more opportunities to ask questions of other women who have had eyebrow transplants. (And not just referrals from medical offices for obvious reasons.)

So, the question is, is eyebrow shock loss common? If so, why wouldn't the information be given clearly to all potential patients - including in response to my inquiry?

I was close to making my decision but this has given me real pause. I always figured the worst case scenario was unruly hairs that could just be tweezed out. Like others here, I am looking for all available information to weigh risks and make the right choices for myself.

eyebrow,

From my understanding, eyebrow hair transplant "shock loss" can occur just the same as scalp hair transplant shock loss.

Read this article about shock loss.

I emailed Dr. Epstein about your post however, so he can address it from his point of view. It wouldn't be fair for us to assume what was or wasn't discussed in your private conversation with him.

Thanks and best wishes,

Falc

Thanks for the reply. I was trying to find my email from Dr. Epstein but maybe we communicated through his site... In any case, I know Dr. Epstein is on the vanguard in this procedure so I'm trying to understand how - and how often - normal, non-miniaturized healthy brow hair follicles could be permanently traumatized in a transplantation using the latest techniques. That seems to be the case in Felicity's surgery.