Letters from Patients

I have had a terrific experience that is worth sharing with others who are considering a hair transplant.

It was easy for me to decide to have a hair transplant. I knew that I wanted to have my hair back and now I had to make sure that I picked the best doctor. Since I am very analytical in my job as an executive, it would follow that I would scrutinize and go through proper due diligence when selecting a skilled physician to handle this important procedure. I wasn’t about to settle for anything but the best work and I knew I wanted a top notch, experienced professional. I researched the entire US and Canada by reading various websites and from there gathered a short list of doctors. I made phone calls and ended up visiting 3 doctors that do hair restoration in the Boston, Providence and the NYC areas. One of those visits included an open house at Dr. Bernstein’s office in NYC. Here I met Dr. Bernstein and listened as he provided an overview of hair transplantation as well as alternative options to hair transplants. At that open house, I thoroughly reviewed numerous before and after pictures of his patients, and had the opportunity to see a transplant being performed as well as talking to a number of previous hair transplant clients that were willing to share their experiences with me.

I especially liked the fact that Dr. Bernstein clearly stated that surgical hair restoration is not for everybody. I knew immediately that this office didn’t feel like I was in a churn and burn factory-like environment that would simply take all prospective patients and reel them in. In an odd way, I liked the fact that I saw a professional providing advice and commentary that in a number of cases resulted in the patient recognizing that hair transplantation might not be right in their own circumstance. I liked the candor and honesty represented in this first meeting with Dr. Bernstein. I didn’t know how bad I wanted my hair back until Dr. Bernstein pointed out that I came into his office with a “comb over” and it was my way of really trying to cover my head and hide my baldness. During my consultation time, Dr. Bernstein took the time to listen to my entire personal history and understood my rationale for wanting new hair. From that review, I decided on Dr. Bernstein to perform my surgery. I liked his personality, his credentials in being recognized as one of the leaders in the world for hair transplantation, and most importantly, his artistic and technical skills as demonstrated by my direct interaction with prior clients attesting to their high satisfaction levels achieved

I have had two hair transplant surgeries, October ‘04 2213 FUT., and October ‘07 1940 FUT. Both of the procedures went flawlessly and I never experienced any pain or swelling of any significance, and I was back to work immediately without anybody noticing anything. Dr. Bernstein’s seasoned staff of nurses and surgical assistants were excellent and performed their work in a pleasant professional manner and they seemed confident and well trained in their roles. For me, this support team represented a key component in ensuring a productive surgical outcome. Their friendly attitude and solicitous attention to my needs as a patient, made the time go by without me wanting or needing anything.

I am writing this for those of you that are apprehensive about this procedure. I can say that it has been one of the best things I have done in my life and my satisfaction level is VERY HIGH. Had I known that the procedure was going to result in such a positive outcome, I certainly would have done it sooner. I believe my initial research for a qualified physician paid off and hope that my story helps you through your process. I wish you fellow hair seekers much success.

Sincerely,

S. K.

Hi,

I’m one of those guys who first sought hair restoration in the ’70s. At the time all I needed was to have my receded hairline restored. I ended up with the classic “pluggy” hairline, the kind the late night comedians joke about. My new problem was not obvious until I had more hair loss. Soon my “pluggy” hairline became painfully obvious to everyone. I hated to watch everyone’s eyes move up and fix on my hairline. No one ever seemed to look at me in the eyes anymore. People seemed fascinated to see a guy who had those infamous “plugs.” Over the years, I became more and more reluctant to go out. I was very uncomfortable and avoided any circumstances that put me in close proximity with anyone else. I missed many social events and even jeopardized my career by avoiding important meetings, all in my attempt to avoid close encounters with people.

After many attempts to find someone who could help me, I finally heard about Dr. Robert Bernstein. I must admit I was not too confident that anything could be done to help me. I was wrong. Dr. Bernstein examined me and explained in detail exactly what needed to be done. First, he removed many of the old, huge plugs and divided them into individual single-follicle grafts with one, two or three hairs (just as nature grows them) and put them back. After a couple of these plug-removing procedures, I had the first of two hair transplant operations, all involving single-follicle hair grafts. The results of these procedures far exceeded even my wildest expectations. My new hairline rivals the one God gave me. It is completely natural. There isn’t a plug in sight.

Today, I feel confident and comfortable in even the closest of circumstances. I now seek out the kind of social situations I once feared. Dr. Bernstein is a remarkably talented man who is the best in his field. I recommend him to anyone who is thinking about getting their hair restored to its original and youthful appearance. For those who have been suffering from bad “plug” jobs and despair over living their life as a marked man, I’d like to give you hope that you can be made whole again. You can look natural and be proud of your appearance again. Dr. Bernstein can give you back your confidence. My life has changed incredibly for the better, and I owe it to him.

W. R.

Dear Dr. Bernstein,

I wanted to say a BIG thank you for the surgery last Friday. All is healing incredibly well and I’m feeling fine. Our banter during the procedure definitely moved things along at an incredible pace and I was truly amazed when I was finally told, “you’re ready to go”.

My gratitude to you and your staff is really quite impossible to describe in words, suffice to say that my relationship with you and the work that you have done for me has turned in to a life-changing experience.

I know you will continue to hold your position as world leaders in your field purely because of your consistent high standard of work, and more importantly, because of the absolute ethics you apply to that work. In an industry full of charlatans you truly stand out as a shining example of how a patient should be properly treated.

Please continue down the road you have set for yourselves and know that you have a dedicated advocate in myself.

I that you once again…please also that all of your gracious, wonderful staff!

With kind regards,

G. K.

Dear Dr. Bernstein,

This letter is to thank you and your staff for the care I received when I had my transplant performed at your facility on August 25.

I am amazed at how pain-free the procedure was and am extremely gratified by the results. Your placement of the grafts is amazing and I am extremely happy and pleased at how far 1,600 grafts can go.

I also would like to that all of your staff who were very competent, courteous and friendly at all times. It truly felt like I was with family during the entire procedure. Everyone showed that they really cared and were trying to provide me with the best possible result.

It was surprised that all of the little details that were described in your brochures were right on the money – even down to the lunch and ice cream sundae!

I would highly recommend your facility to anyone!

Sincerely yours,

M. R.

Did you hear the one about the bald doctor that grew his hair back? Well it’s no joke, but we’ll get back to this part of my story later. Let me start by stating the obvious; losing my hair was a long, slow, steadily painful process that began in my late twenties and continued into my forties.

During that time, I became increasingly preoccupied with this dramatic change in my physical appearance and the accompanying emotional toll. I was not a happy camper. Thus began the quixotic quest for the fulfillment of my impossible dream, to grow hair on my head. Over the course of twenty odd years, I explored every conceivable type of treatment for my “problem”. I even tried some of the more weird “remedies” marketed on TV and over the net. I must confess that I always needed up feeling like Don Quixote, somewhat defeated at being scalped by a windmill, but relentless in my quest.

Now back to the bald doctor. He happens to be my family physician and a rather conservative medical professional. I came in for my annual and I noticed that he had hair on his head, and it was his own Hair! I could hardly contain my amazement. “How in the world did you grow your hair back?” I asked. That’s when he gave me the scoop on Dr. Robert Bernstein. He basically told me that he had done a lot of research on hair restoration over the years. He explained that the doctor had created a technique (Follicular Unit Transplantation) that could achieve excellent medical and cosmetic results. The irrefutable evidence was sitting right in front of me. My doctor gave me the phone number and suggested that I attend one of their seminars.

I was immediately impressed by their customer service. I received prompt and detailed information on their services. More importantly, when I attended their seminar, Dr. Bernstein conducted it. He made clear that he was the surgeon in charge and that he and his team had an uncompromising commitment to safety and quality results. Then he actually allowed us to observe the procedure in progress. It was, to put it mildly, impressive.

Equally impressive was the genuine enthusiasm of the patients who had undergone the procedure and were present to answer questions. I made my decision. Dr. Bernstein and his medical team performed the surgery. It was quick, clean and remarkably comfortable. Eight months later I had hair on my head that looked like it belonged there. That was just the beginning of the benefits that I’ve reaped from my hair restoration.

Restoring my hair has contributed greatly to my well being in three major ways. Mentally, it has relieved me of the daily frustration of obsessing about being bald. What I think about now is how I can improve on other aspects of my health and physical appearance. Emotionally, I feel more positive and optimistic about life and that has translated into a more relaxed attitude towards my daily social interactions. Finally, and most importantly, I just look better physically. He has put me on a track to look good and I plan to stay on that track.

I want to thank Dr. Bernstein and the entire organization for their pioneering work in the field of hair restoration. I’m also grateful for the integrity and commitment to excellence they bring to their work. It has made a positively enduring difference in my life.

Sincerely,

N. M.

Dear Dr. Bernstein,

This letter is long overdue.

I used to think about losing my hair 95% of my waking hours (and also many of my sleeping hours). That was too much time and energy spent pondering something that made me feel poorly about myself.

The most satisfying result from having the hair procedure done by you is that I think much less about my hair, except how really great it looks!

I am very, very grateful to you and your technicians and look forward to seeing you for my second procedure.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

R. R.

Dear Dr. Bernstein,

It’s a little more than a week since my transplant procedure, and I didn’t want any more time to pass without writing to compliment you and your entire staff for making the entire experience a pleasant one for me. While I am anxiously awaiting the growth of my hair and wonder how I will ultimately look, I must tell you that if the professionalism exhibited by you and the members of your staff are any indication of what the final result will be, then I know I have nothing to worry about.

From the moment I called your office last September to make my initial consultation and spoke to your receptionist and then finally meeting you and seeing the results of your work firsthand I have felt I made the right decision to literally put myself, rather my scalp and my hair in your hands so to speak.

For those of us sitting on the other side of the doctor’s desk contemplating hair transplant surgery, the decision is fraught with doubt and anxiety, not to mention thoughts of the expense of it all and the many questions that one has to weigh in their mind before making a decision. Does the expense justify the result? Will the experience be painful and uncomfortable? Will I be treated as an individual or just another patient folder in a filing cabinet?

I can honestly say under your care and that of your staff to assuage any doubts I may have had, I am certain I will have made the right decision.

My thanks to you and your team again for making me feel relaxed, treating me so well and for making me feel #1 in your book from Day One.

Until I see you again in 240 days for my follow-up visit, I remain…

Most sincerely,

S. S.

Dear Doctor and Staff,

Today I have a few minutes to write you and thought you would appreciate my thoughts. It’s been two days since my surgery and although I’ve had a little amount of pain in the rear suture area I feel fine. I didn’t need to use the drugs given or even any Tylenol or anything of that nature. I’ve showered four times so far being very careful patting the special shampoo your office gave into my new transplanted area. Although it is still like little red dots they seem to be fading to normal color already and it feels great to have all these little hairs where there were none!

As for your staff – I was made very comfortable and enjoyed their company. They made a possible unpleasant experience seem natural and respectable. I hope they enjoyed the cookies, tea and coffee I brought them. You should be proud of the polite and respectful way they treat your patients.

I just wanted to say thanks to you and your staff. This coming week I’ll see you all for my post checkup, and I can say I finally feel confident I’ll have my hair back.

Sincerely,

B. B.

August 17, 2001

Dear Dr. Bernstein,

I am writing to thank you for all you have done for me. When I came to see you I must admit I was not too optimistic. I didn’t believe anyone could really undo the damage of my previous hair transplant operations which left my hairline “pluggy” and looking like the punch line of one of those late night comedian’s jokes.

During our first meeting, I became cautiously optimistic that I had found the doctor who could really help me. After an examination you described a plan of action specifically designed for me. It included plug removal to get rid of the most egregious of them and then two hair transplant operations using grafts of no more than one, two or three hairs to fill in and effect a natural appearance. Even the plugs removed would be divided into these kinds of smaller grafts and put them back, not wasted! (I had never even heard of or thought about plug removal so this alone encouraged me.)

After the first plug removal procedure I was very happy at how much better I already looked – a fact which took me completely by surprise. Each of the subsequent plug removal procedures produced similar results. Then I was ready for the first of the two hair transplant operations.

Two weeks ago, when I removed the bandage the day after my first hair transplant operation, I was amazed by what I saw. Single, two or three hair grafts filled in between, in front of and behind those smaller original plugs promising a very natural look when they begin to grow. You had described this to me at our first meeting but seeing it was still amazing.

Until now I have not mentioned that I had little hair on top of my head. After this first hair transplant operation these smaller grafts now were placed in a very natural and filling way nearly to the back of my head. Clearly, you are the best in your field of medicine. You have a rare talent and my only regret is not having found you many years sooner.

You have assembled a staff that I believe is second to no other doctor’s office. A prospective patient’s first call to the office begins with a conversation with the very professional, friendly and informative Nazia. Lisa, Nancy, Phillip and Bernice assisted you when you did my hair transplant operation. Each of them were solicitous and encouraging throughout the procedure and clearly genuine in their concern for the patient’s comfort and anxious to relieve any anxiety. They are a great asset to you. Other staff members not directly involved in my procedure nevertheless stopped in to say hello and offer encouragement. I feel very comfortable and at home in your office because of them. I look forward to coming back. Thank you for everything.

Sincerely,

W. R.

Dear Staff,

Thank you for being so good. Twenty years ago I had a hair transplant. Since then I avoided people. I am ashamed to say I have too much false pride. In public with Barbie doll like hair that I asked for, (the worst part) has been the equivalent of a severe toothache. I just could not be myself.

A side effect of my graves disease is bulging of the eyes, which does not embarrass me. I accept that I have no control over this condition.

Today, the day after my procedure, there is no discomfort. I look in the mirror and am amazed at the quality results. To me you folks did the impossible. I have no words for how grateful I am. To say thank you is a drop in the bucket.

The entire crew worked with the precision of a Swiss watch. All members were very talented and it was obvious to me all took pride in their work.

Dr. Bernstein listened to me and gave me his expert advice. Erlene placed grafts hour after hour with great patience and expertise. Sandy worked tireless on the grafts, always making me feel I was safe and in good hands.

The great sandwich I had during surgery to the enjoyable movie and music and especially the conversation with a group of good people was a pleasure.

Life is great, not always fair. Thank you.

Respectfully,

G. J.