Gborchi

Ally,

I read your post and I felt compelled to reply. I am a former patient of Dr. Tony Mangubat (“M”)(E. Antonio Mangubat, Southcenter Cosmetic Surgery - Seattle Plastic Surgery, Breast Implants, LAP-BAND & BOTOX ) and whatever you do, DO NOT become M’s patient. As I describe below, he is INCOMPETENT!! Before M was his currently advertised “breast implants, liposuction, tummy tuck” specialist, he was for years a hair transplant doctor. Although my HORRIBLE experience as a hair transplant patient of M does not provide you with direct advice about a tummy-tuck procedure, I urge you to read my story, or at least the articles in the links below before even considering M as your doctor.

As a hair transplant doctor, M did a number of “Brandy-style scalp reductions” surgeries on me (named after Dominic Brandy, Hope for Hair Loss. Hair Restoration & Hair Transplant Information from Dominic A. Brandy, MD) that left me SCARRED AND DISFIGURED!!!! D. Brandy was SUED for performing these procedures. Follow these links for news articles with the facts about this:

Business | Suit: Bad Hair Transplant Caused Suicide Attempt | Seattle Times Newspaper

Post-Gazette.com

Also follow this link below and scroll down for proof that Mangubat performed the procedures pioneered by Dominic Brandy:

1996 WAHRS Meeting Review

From the regrowth website: “a Brandy-style scalp lift with preservation of the occipital neurovascular bundle by Dr. Tony Mangubat, with assistance from Dr. Carlos Puig;”

At a minimum, you should ask M:

1. Although not related to tummy-tucks, ask M if he has he performed scalp reduction surgeries (called “Brandy scalp reduction procedures” after Dominic Brandy). If he doesn’t lie, the answer will be yes, because he has done this procedure on numerous victims, including me.

2. Ask him to show you before and after pictures of the “Brandy” procedures. If he dismisses your request (says that has nothing to do with your procedure) and refuses to show photos, ask yourself why is M refusing to show his own work? Is he hiding something??

Although your procedure is very different, you will get a very good idea of M’s HORRIBLE and INCOMPETENT work by seeing these pics. As I’ve described below, M butchered my scalp and left me with a horrible, thick horseshoe-shaped scar ¼ - ½ inch from 1 temple to the crown and back to the other temple with no hair growing there. Beware that pics may have hair combed over the scars, and this is nothing less than TOTALLY MISLEADING and a lie b/c it conceals the true result, i.e. SCARS all over the head!

With respect to pics, very Important: The before/after photos that some cosmetic surgeons show you are VERY MISLEADING because:
- Some doctors only show their best top 10% patients, and don’t show you the average result or, as in my case, the horrible results.
- The photos are typically low resolution, so e.g for hair transplants, they may not clearly show the hairline or may be in low light, thereby concealing the scars and the thin density and unnatural look of the transplants.

3. When M said that he has 23 years of experience, he of course conveniently forgot to mention that he spent many years as a hair transplant doctor. So you may want to ask him why performing hair transplants and scalp reduction surgeries should count as experience doing tummy-tucks??!!

Here’s the rest of my story:
I was in my 20s when I signed up as M’s patient. He suggested that I get 3-4 transplant sessions and 1-2 Scalp reduction surgeries (called “Brandy” scalp reduction procedures). The worst decision I ever made in my life was to follow M’s advice and have these procedures done. M left me SCARRED and DISFIGURED!!!!

My result was a horseshoe shaped scar ¼ - ½ inch thick and 6-8 inches long on each side from each temple to the crown!!!! I’ve had to undergo numerous reconstructive surgeries, spending over $20K, to reduce the scars.

As I mentioned above, Dominic Brandy was SUED for performing such scalp reduction surgeries:
------
Sunday, September 15, 1996 - Page updated at 12:00 AM

Suit: Bad Hair Transplant Caused Suicide Attempt

By Jeffrey Bair

AP

PITTSBURGH - Michael Potkul says he was told he would have a scar no wider than the stroke of a pen if he underwent surgery to rearrange his scalp to get a full head of hair.

Instead, he claims, he ended up with scars from his temples to his neck and depression that drove him to attempt suicide. And he's still losing his hair.

Potkul, 33, took off his hairpiece yesterday to show the marks to a jury - including three men with thinning hair - that is hearing his $1.3 million malpractice lawsuit against Dr. Dominic A. Brandy.

Potkul said Brandy sugar-coated the risks of surgery and operated repeatedly despite the deterioration of his scalp. Brandy claims Potkul signed a consent form that mentioned scarring, then abandoned treatment before a final, essential operation.

"If you do enough cases, you're going to have patients here and there who will voice their displeasure in a courtroom," said Jerry Brandy, the doctor's brother and executive director of his practice.

Potkul said he contacted Dominic Brandy six years ago after seeing him on a talk show. Potkul's hair was beginning to thin, and his brothers were being teased about going bald.

"Everything depends on looks. You can turn on the TV at night and see 30 infomercials about everything you can do to your body - diet videos, all that stuff. I wanted to look like everybody else. I wanted to look good," Potkul said during a break in the trial in Allegheny County Court.

Brandy performed five operations to stretch hairy skin from the back of Potkul's head to the top and to transfer grafts of hairy scalp to cover bald spots, Potkul said. The sixth operation would have been another scalp graft.

But Potkul said he was so depressed by the results of the first five operations that he shot himself in the chest in 1992. The bullet missed his heart and went out his back.

Brandy severed key arteries as he tried to stretch Potkul's scalp, stunting hair growth instead of encouraging it, said Dr. Ernest Manders, Potkul's new plastic surgeon. He said he is reluctant to alter Potkul's scalp any more because the skin could die.

Manders said that, as an associate editor of a medical journal, he once rejected an article submitted by Brandy on scalp reconstruction because the methods were "potentially harmful" and had "significant limitations."

Brandy has been in practice for 15 years and runs an ad campaign for his services in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida.

"Dominic Brandy is a salesman who just happens to have a medical degree," Potkul said. "He really needs somebody to come along and wake him up to what he is doing and make him clean up his act."

Copyright (c) 1996 Seattle Times Company, All Rights Reserved.
-----
I did a few quick searches and found M in his own words praising the “benefits” of scalp reduction surgery (see below). This kind of surgery (the Brandy procedure) is what left me totally scarred and disfigured!! Not to mention that Brandy was SUED for doing these procedures!! So much for the “benefits”!!

M’s own words speak volumes on his incompetence and the fact that he’s clueless and oblivious to the harm he’s done to many like me. Here are the links:

Global Convocation on Hair Restoration Surgery - Monday

The Rise and Fall of Scalp Flaps, Reductions and Lifts

[Tony Mangubat of Seattle, WA is one of the leading doctors performing scalp reductions. "I've noticed in the Seattle area over the last two years a fall in the area of scalp reductions... I was a little disappointed in it, and I was almost upset until I started looking at it in a more objective way... the answer to this question becomes very clear." Dr.Mangubat outlined his feelings on reductions and why he thinks the number of doctors performing the procedure has decreased. "We want fast results, we want a home run.. Managed care has caused an influx of newcomers. The fact is I make more income off of hair transplants than scalp lifting, so from a financial point of view maybe it's not such a bad idea..." The fall has been precipitated by an influx of newcomers due to doctors who are earning less due to managed care and HMOs. "These are all victims of our new managed care society," said Dr. Mangubat. Doctors coming in have been resistent to learning reductions, flaps, and lifts due to the steeper learning curve, greater risks, and marketing against reductions. The number of doctors performing are remaining steady, but the number of doctors coming into transplants are growing, so the overall percentage are lower.]

If I could do it over again, I would have NEVER trusted M and NEVER let M lay a hand on me. Instead, I would have just accepted my hairloss and not permitted M to butcher my head!! I would have shaved my head while we wait for a cure.

Unfortunately, M left me with huge scars on my head and so I can’t just shave my head. Instead I’m forced to wear concealers to hide the ugly scars on my head. Anyone considering M DOES NOT have to go through what I’ve been through. So I strongly recommend that YOU STAY AWAY FROM MANGUBAT!!!!

robyne00

Very informative post! Thank you for your input!!!

I saw Mangubat's work (only on the website) and I was highly unimpressed.

Spread the truth!

DrMangubat

Sadly, GBorchi simply claims to be my patient and is just simply trying to slander my reputation on multiple sites with no proof. I have tried to establish contact with him and even published the following post in an attempt to help him. A few colleagues have stated he is simply a hired character assassin which is common on internet today. The unfortunate part of these anonymous internet postings is that prosecuting slander is difficult. So Ally, you need to be the judge of his credibility. He is one of my responses to him. Take a look at all the information and then make your own judgment.

[GBORCHI], This is Dr. Tony Mangubat. I understand your frustration and concerns and I’d like to find a solution.
Please understand that the procedure you received was the state of the art 15 years ago and that hair restoration procedures were not as refined when compared to the newest developments today. I hope that you can understand that the paper you cited was edited and taken out of context. Note the numerous ”…..” in the body of the text. Today I only recommend scalp reduction in extreme reconstruction cases (see links below).
The actual paper is much longer. It was presented over 10 years ago in Feb 1998 and its core assertion was that reduction techniques were difficult to learn, hair transplantation has improved, and most importantly, fewer patients and their doctors were demanding a full head of hair; thus fewer reductions were needed. This trend was evolving at the time but in essence, it was OK to be partially bald as long as it looked natural and the front hair line was created to frame the face. This is the current teachings today and I am one of its greatest proponents.
Although reductions have been largely abandoned because of the significant advances in hair transplantation, the procedure plays an extremely valuable role in many scalp repairs. Look at these examples performed for Operation Restore, a pro bono program for the ill or injured:

ISHRS Press Release: Survey Fact Sheet

Hair Loss Patient Story & Hair Restoration Surgery
I have always considered myself a conscientious surgeon that is always concerned my patient’s welfare. I am always willing to do what I can to make things right so that both my patients and I can have results we can be proud of.

Sadly, without seeing you again, neither of us will have the opportunity to remedy the situation. Since I do not know your identity, I will have to rely on you to take the first step to contact me. Call, write, or email, and send photos of your concerns so we can have a meaningful discussion.
I hope to hear from you soon.

E. Antonio Mangubat, MD

Gborchi

Before I respond to M’s TOTALLY FALSE and BASELESS accusations about me,
- Ally, I agree with Mangubat (“M”) on one thing, that you should judge for yourself based on the FACTS and the CREDIBILITY of each person. FACTS don’t lie, so I URGE you if/when you see M that you DEMAND the FACTS, i.e. ask M the questions I listed in my previously posting: DEMAND that M show you before/after pics of Brandy scalp reduction procedures (and the pics better NOT be low resolution pics and/or w/ hair combed over the scars to conceal them). Once you see the horse-shoe shaped scars on the scalps of the scores of M’s victims, you’ll SEE FOR YOURSELF how M BUTCHERED many patients by doing these procedures, the same ones that DR. Brandy WAS SUED FOR in 1996!!

Ally, although my posting is long, please keep reading for the FACTS from each side. M attacks my credibility and says I’m “a hired character assassin”, and not his former patient, who is lying about him. Well, I will present FACTS to show who is lying and who is telling the truth as well as M’s total LACK of credibility.

First, to Mangubat, ANSWER this question: if the Brandy-scalp reduction procedures THAT YOU DON’T DENY performing were “the state of the art 15 years ago” as you put it, WHY WAS DR. DOMINIC BRANDY SUED AND PAID DAMANGES for performing these procedures in 1996????!!!! Yes, Brandy was sued in 1996, not 2010, so in the 1990s these procedures were only the work of TOTALLY INCOMPETENT DOCTORS like YOU!!!!

Given that the FACT is Dr. Brandy was sued, lost the suit, and paid damages of $400K, M’s assertion of “state of the art 15 years ago” is UTTERLY LUDICROUS AND PATENTLY FALSE!!!! M making such an assertion PROVES that M HAS ZERO CREDIBILITY!!!! These procedures were much closer to STATE of the SH*T!!!!

To Mangubat: I’m still waiting for a response from you as to why DR. BRANDY was sued and lost the suit for performing the supposedly “state of the art” procedures in 1996????!!!!

- Speaking of LYING and telling HALF-TRUTHS, M said he has “spent 23 years in practice studying and perfecting each procedure…” BUT he CONVENIENTLY FORGOT to mention that, of the 23 years, he spent many years as a hair transplant surgeon. Did he deny my claim about this? NO, OF COURSE NOT, yet he accuses me of slander! Also M has given NO EXPLANATION as to why performing hair transplants and scalp reduction surgeries should count as experience doing tummy-tucks??!! Ally, this gives you a good idea of who is the REAL LIAR here!!

Regarding credibility, let’s examine which side has FACTS and SOURCS to back up the FACTS, and which side has NO FACTS, just spurious allegations:
MY facts & sources to back them up:

FACT #1: Dr. Brandy was SUED in 1996 (not 2010 but about 15 years ago, same as M’s timeframe) for performing scalp reduction procedures. SOURCE: Business | Suit: Bad Hair Transplant Caused Suicide Attempt | Seattle Times Newspaper

FACT #2: Mangubat performed the same procedures pioneered by Brandy. SOURCE: 1996 WAHRS Meeting Review

FACT #3: Mangubat greatly praised the scalp reduction procedures, the same procedures that Brandy was SUED for and LOST the suit in 1996 (NOT 2010!), and which left me scarred and disfigured. SOURCE: Global Convocation on Hair Restoration Surgery - Monday
M claims that I misquoted him, but as I describe below, this is just another example of M having ZERO credibility (see below).

Mangubat’s claims:
M claims I am a “hired character assassin which is common on internet today.” Does M have any FACTS to support this OUTRAGEOUS and FALSE claim??? NONE WHATSOEVER!!! M can’t even cite a news article that generally may support his claim of “which is common …”. Hence, Mangubat IS TRULY PATHETIC!!!!

With respect to M’s BASELESS allegation that I am a “hired character assassin”, LET ME BE CLEAR: In all my postings, I have never and will never represent anyone other than myself. Unlike M totally false and without any facts accusations, I have plenty of FACTS (YES FACTS!) to support my claims, including the articles WHICH I ALREADY provided links to above.

Also M says things that question my credibility, but if you examine his statements, does he deny any of my specific claims:
- Did M deny that Doctor Brandy was SUED and paid damages for performing such scalp reduction surgeries? NO, of course NOT!
- Did M deny performing Brandy type scalp reduction surgeries that leave a LARGE HORSE SHOW or V-shaped scar ALL OVER THE HEAD, from one temple to the crown and back to the other temple? NO, of course NOT!
- Did M deny that he praised the scalp reduction procedures that left many like me SCARRED and DISFIGURED??? NO, of course NOT!!!! M says that he was quoted out of context and "The actual paper is much longer". BUT LET’S BE CLEAR: I COPIED and PASTED M’s quote EXACTLY as it was presented on the regrowth.com website WITHOUT deleting or adding a single word, LINK:
Global Convocation on Hair Restoration Surgery - Monday

For YEARS, M had the opportunity to correct the quotation on the regrowth website if M felt that he was misquoted, and M never did!! To even insinuate that I somehow misquoted M is PATENTLY FALSE AND A LIE!!! Given that for years M never complained to regrowth.com about a possible “out of context” quote, and only after a former patient uses the SAME quote WORD FOR WORD does M complain about being quoted out of context shows AGAIN that M has ABSOLUTELY ZERO CREDIBILITY!!!


More with respect to the M’s baseless claim that "the procedure you received was the state of the art 15 years ago" that is totally inconsistent w/ Brandy being SUED for the same procedures: LET ME BE CLEAR: IMMEDIATELY AFTER, i.e., less than 1 month after M left me with the HUGE HORSESHOE Shaped scar, I sought another opinion. THANK GOD I sought a second opinion and did not permit M to do more harm to my head. I consulted another surgeon, this time a competent one (unlike M), and he was ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIED by what M did and the horseshoe shaped scar on my head; his first reaction was: he exclaimed “Who did this to you???!!!”

NOTE that I consulted this surgeon SHORTLY after (within one month) of M’s last scalp surgery on me, and NOT years after. So M’s claim that what he did was "state of the art" IS PATENTLY FALSE!!! M has NO BASIS to argue that his techniques were "state of the art" at the time the surgeries were done!! The scalp reduction surgeries M did on me were much closer to STATE of the SH*T than state of the art, as confirmed by the opinions of the doctors I saw for a 2nd and 3rd opinion!!! Furthermore, as I already mentioned, Dr. Brandy was SUED in part for performing this type of scalp reduction over 10 years ago!!!

To Mangubat: I guess you can’t read English because you keep expecting me to contact you when I have stated several times I have no intention of being your patient again!! Let’s be clear about a one thing: I was BUTCHERED once by you as your patient. Therefore, I WILL NEVER BE YOUR PATIENT AGAIN!! Even if you were to offer your services for free, NEVER AGAIN!!!

Mangubat: Doctors like you may have thought that doing a horrible job on one patient is no big deal since you can just move on and try to do better with the next patient. Doctors like you may have also believed it is very unlikely that former patients will complain because it is very embarrassing for patients to publicly disclose the scars and disfiguration on their bodies. Well, I have news for you: thanks to the internet, former patients can both publicly disclose the horrible things that were done to them and at the same time protect their privacy and avoid humiliation in public. In other words, doctors like you grossly miscalculated! Welcome to the internet!!

I WILL post HONESTLY and COMPLETELY my HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE as Mangubat’s patient!!! Hopefully as many people as possible will read my experience, know that what M did to me was sheer INCOMPETENCE, and learn from it.
------

This will likely be my last response to Mangubat’s baseless accusations about me. Unless M actually bothers to answers the questions posed to him (e.g. why was Brandy sued for the brandy-scalp reduction procedures in 1996 (NOT 2010!) if this procedure was “state of art at the time”??), I see no reason why I need to respond to more of M’s BASELESS and “FACTLESS” LIES about me.

Gborchi

Duplicate post

robyne00

I appreciate Gborchi's info, and agree with some of your info, as I have done my own research. It sounds like you need to speak to Mangubat, or move on and get another surgeon. Maybe you can post some of your basic concerns in a new thread and recruit a new surgeon.