My Hair Transplant Experience with E. Antonio Mangubat of Seattle, Washington, USA
jcran
Washington, USA ( http://www.southcentercosmetic.com ) and my advice
is whatever you do, DO NOT go to M for any hair transplant
procedures!!!! I have described below in detail my horrible experience
with Mangubat (M).
Very Important: The before/after photos that many Hair Transplant
surgeons show you are VERY MISLEADING because:
- Many doctors only show their best top 5% patients, and don’t
show you the average result or, as in my case, the bad results.
- The photos are typically low resolution, so may not clearly
show the hairline or may be in low light, thereby concealing the thin
density and unnatural look of the transplants.
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!!!!
I know this sounds unreal, but anyone who has a consult with M should
ask him about the “Brandy” scalp reduction procedure and ask to see
before/after photos of Brandy procedures. If he dismisses your request
(says you don’t need a scalp reduction) and refuses to show photos,
ask yourself why is M refusing to show his own work? Is he hiding
something? If you get to see the photos, look closely (even though the
pics will be small Polaroid pics) and you’ll notice a thick straight
or 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 M may show you “after” photos with the surrounding hair
combed over the scars. This is nothing less than totally misleading
and a LIE because it doesn’t show the true result which is 1-2 scars
6-8 inches long and ¼ - ½ inch thick in the middle of your head from
the temples to the crown!!!! M left me with such a horrible scar and
I’ve undergone numerous reconstructive surgeries, spending over $20K,
to reduce the scars.
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!! 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:
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
baldness and not done any hair transplants; 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!!
Tony M
> I am a former patient of E. Antonio Mangubat (M) of Seattle,
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:
http://www.ishrs.org/pr-PressRelease_HumaneStoryVersion_08-02-04_WEB_FINAL.htm
http://www.ishrs.org/hair-loss-patient7.htm
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. Find my contact information at http://www.southcentercosmetic.com/.
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
jcran
>
> http://www.ishrs.org/hair-loss-patient7.htm
>
> 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
> 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
I wrote the original complaint against TONY MANGUBAT. I have read TONY
MANGUBAT's response to my claims and will address and dispel each of
his claims of competence separately. Before I do that, please
everybody NOTE that MANGUBAT NEVER denied any of my claims. He never
denied having performed these procedures and never denied that they
left me COMPLETELY SCARRED AND DISFIGURED.
First, with respect to the claim that "the procedure you received was
the state of the art 15 years ago". Lets be clear: IMMEDIATELY AFTER,
ie, less than 1 month after you left me with the HUGE HORSESHOE Shaped
scar, I sought another opinion. THANK GOD I sought a second opinion
and did not permit you to do more harm to my head. I consulted another
surgeon, this time a competent one unlike you, and he was ABSOLUTELY
HORRIFIED by what you did and the horseshoe shaped scar on my head; he
exclaimed “Who did this to you???!!!” NOTE that I consulted this
surgeon SHORTLY after (within one month) of your last scalp surgery on
me, and NOT years after. So your claim that what you did was "state of
the art" IS PATENTLY FALSE!!! You have NO BASIS to argue that your
techniques were "state of the art" at the time the surgeries were
done!! The scalp reduction surgeries you 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 the
news article I mentioned clearly shows (link again below if you missed
it! ) a surgeon Dr. Brandy was SUED in part for performing this type
of scalp reduction over 10 years ago!!!
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19960915&slug=2349352
I have consulted a total of four cosmetic surgeons and all four of
them were completely HORRIFIED by what you did to my head!! ALL of
these surgeons were well aware of WHEN you did the procedures on me.
BUT NOT ONE of them said that these were standard (let alone "state of
the art"!) techniques at the time you did the surgeries!!! Therefore,
to argue that somehow at the time they were done, the procedures were
state of the art is PATENTLY ABSURD. The plain fact is that within a
month after you left me scarred and disfigured, I sought the advice of
another hair transplant surgeon who knew at once that what you did was
SHEER INCOMPETENCE!!!
Regarding your paper and your claim that "The actual paper is much
longer", let’s be CLEAR: I copied and pasted your quote EXACTLY as it
was presented on the regrowth.com website WITHOUT deleting or adding a
single word, LINK:
For years, you had the opportunity to correct the quotation on the
regrowth website if you felt that you were misquoted, and you never
did!! To even insinuate that I somehow misquoted you is PATENTLY FALSE
AND A LIE!!! Given that for years you never complained to regrowth.com
about a possible “out of context” quote, and only after a former
patient uses the SAME quote do you complain about being quoted out of
context shows that you have ABSOLUTELY ZERO CREDIBILITY!!!
Regarding your offer to help me now., my response is WHY would I ever
want this...so that I can be treated by a TOTALLY INCOMPETENT surgeon
again??? THANKS BUT NO THANKS!!!
Finally, with respect to you being "a conscientious surgeon", I do not
dispute that. HOWEVER, being a conscientious surgeon HAS NOTHING TO DO
WITH being COMPETENT surgeon. Competency and being conscientious are
two totally separate things. When you treated me, you may well have
been "conscientious" but definitely NOT COMPETENT!!
Doctors like you may have thought that doing a subpar 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 show and/or disclose the scars
and disfiguration on their heads. 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 embarrassment and humiliation in public. In other
words, doctors like you grossly miscalculated! Welcome to the
internet!!
jcran
----
Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat (aka Dr. Tony Mangubat, LA BELLE VIE Cosmetic Surgery Centers, used to be known as Southcenter Cosmetic Surgery & Medical Spa ) is INCOMPETENT
This is a NON-COMMERCIAL posting/website. Any statements I make below are my own opinion.
To read PROOF of Dr. E Antonio Mangubat’s (aka Dr Tony Mangubat’s) INCOMPETENCE, please follow these links:
http://arlington45678.angelfire.com
Dr. Mangubat was a surgeon with Puig Medical Group (PMG) from 1989 – 1996. Follow this link for the truth about PMG:
http://www.angelfire.com/indie/hairtransplant/94book.html
OR keep reading below.
I posted online my HORRIBLE experience as a hair transplant patient of Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat (aka Dr. Tony Mangubat, LA BELLE VIE Cosmetic Surgery Centers) in the mid 1990s (see above or link: http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/antonio-mangubat-hair-transplant-doctor-c251385.html ). Dr. Mangubat denied my claims and suggested that I was unfairly damaging his reputation. I will now present PROOF of Dr. Tony Mangubat’s sheer incompetence and his unethical, deceptive, and illegal conduct.
According to Dr. Tony Mangubat’s OWN resume posted on his website (link: http://www.labelleviecosmetic.com/mangubat.shtml ), he was a cosmetic surgeon for Puig Medical Group (“PMG”, aka Cleveland Hair Centers) from 1989 – 1996. From Dr. Mangubat’s official resume, “Professional Affiliations” section:
Physician/Surgeon, Puig Medical Group, Chicago, IL, Washington, DC 1989-1996
I have also posted at the bottom of this webpage pgs 1 – 3 of Dr. Tony Mangubat’s (aka Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat, ) resume as HE posted it online on HIS website, LA BELLE VIE Cosmetic Surgery Centers, on 12/5/2010.
As described in elaborate detail by another VICTIM of PMG, PMG and its doctors like Dr. Tony Mangubat (aka Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat) and his former boss at PMG Dr. Carlos J. Puig were engaged in INCOMPETENT, UNETHICAL, and ILLEGAL conduct and used high pressure sales and false advertising to lure unsuspecting clients to become their patients. Follow this link for details:
http://www.angelfire.com/indie/hairtransplant/94book.html
http://www.angelfire.com/indie/hairtransplant/lies.html
Screenshots of the same content of the above are posted in this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/117812991164449030691/DrCarlosPuigDrEAntonioMangubat#
http://picasaweb.google.com/117812991164449030691/PuigMediGrpIllegalFalseAdvertising#
This person (I don’t know who he is so I will call him Mr. X) was kind enough to post scanned copies of PMG 1994 totally deceptive, false, and fraudulent marketing/sales letters and brochure that used completely unethical high pressure sales tactics. PLEASE NOTE: Dr. Tony Mangubat (aka Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat, LA BELLE VIE Cosmetic Surgery Centers) worked for PMG from 1989 to 1996, and so he CANNOT deny that he was a member of PMG’s medical team when this 1994 marketing brochure and cover letter were sent to potential clients, including me.
In mid 1990s, Dr. Tony Mangubat (aka Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat ) and PMG promised to cure my premature baldness in my 20s and give me a “full head of hair” [these words are an exact quote of a complete LIE from the PMG cover letter, see below] after the hair transplants and “Brandy” scalp reduction surgeries. Instead, Dr. Tony Mangubat (aka Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat ) left my head COMPLETELY SCARRED AND DISFIGURED with only a few hairs growing that was of VERY LITTLE, if any, cosmetic significance!!!! He basically left me looking like a FREAK!! I have had AT LEAST 10 reconstructive cosmetic surgeries to reverse what Dr. Tony Mangubat did to me, and to look at least somewhat normal and not like a FREAK!!
I became a patient of PMG in the mid 1990s and I received the SAME 1994 brochure and letters that Mr. X posted on his website with the SAME LIES,HARD SELL & FALSE ADVERTISING and DECEPTIVE LANGUAGE. Please follow the link below for the “cover letter” I received from Puig Medical Group’s (PMG) in 1994:
LINKS [for snapfish website, please just register to access link]:
The letter in the above link is Puig Medical Group’s (PMG) 1994 Cover letter that I received when I inquired about getting hair transplants done with PMG. This letter is FILLED with LIES,HARD SELL TACTICS & FALSE ADVERTISING and DECEPTIVE LANGUAGE.
The most BLATANT and COMPLETELY 100% LIE is when in the cover letter, PMG promised the potential client that PMG’s hair transplants will result in a “full head of hair” [2nd line of 2nd para of letter] that is "virtually non-detectible." [5th bullet in letter] No HALF-competent hair transplant doctor would ever say this because of the limited amount of donor hair in the back of the head of a typical hairloss patient, such as me. But PMG was perfectly willing to say this to MAXIMIZE its sales and LURE unsuspecting clients into selecting PMG instead of one of its competitors.
If Dr. Tony Mangubat (aka Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat ) & Dr. Carlos J. Puig were HALF-honest with their patients, they would have NEVER claimed to restore a “full head of hair” in the PMG’s cover letter to me and other potential clients!!
Please follow links below for the cover page & page 1 from PMG's 1994 brochure that is FILLED WITH EXTREMELY MISLEADING STATEMENTS & LIES:
LINKS [for snapfish website, please just register to access link]:
The above links are to the Cover Page, & Pages 1 of Puig Medical Group’s 1994 marketing brochure is FILLED with MISLEADING STATEMENTS, UNETHICAL HARD SELL tactics, and OUTRIGHT LIES.
- E.g. OUTRIGHT LIES: “Advances in surgical techniques now allow for complete and permanent correction of this cosmetic imperfection.” [Page 1 of PMG booklet] A COMPLETE LIE: even in 2011, advances in surgical techniques do NOT allow for a complete correction of baldness (i.e. a “full head of hair” as claimed by PMG”) for most hairloss patients. The key challenge is limited donor hair in the back of the head, and any HALF-competent, ethical doctor would know this and never make this claim (i.e. this 100% LIE) of “complete correction” made by PMG.
- E.g. of HARD SELL tactics: “Let's face it: baldness suggests premature aging.” [Page 1 of PMG booklet]. Male pattern baldness is due to a person having genes programmed to result in hairloss, and that’s it; baldness has NOTHING to do with premature aging!!
Please follow link below for page 7 of the 1994 booklet that contains LIES based on what is OMITTED from the text.
LINKS [for snapfish website, please just register to access link]:
-Another E.g. of OUTRIGHT LIES, “Bald Area Reduction … can eliminate a major portion of the bald area.” [Page 7 of PMG’s 1994 booklet] This is a LIE because of what is OMITTED from this claim. Bald area reduction is MAJOR surgery that leaves the head with LARGE SCARS around the scalp area that is removed. In my case, Dr. Tony Mangubat performed a few “Brandy” scalp reduction procedures that left a HUGE horse-shoe shaped 8+ inch long and ½ inch thick SCAR from one TEMPLE to the CROWN and back down to the other TEMPLE on my head!! More info on scalp reduction surgeries here: http://www.angelfire.com/indie/hairtransplant/scalp.html (see below for LAWSUIT in 1996 regarding “Brandy” scalp surgeries, also see this 1996 news article:
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19960915&slug=2349352 )
But PMG in its marketing brochure makes NO MENTION of any scarring!!!! Talk about doctors (PMG doctors like Dr. Carlos J. Puig & Dr. Tony Mangubat) who leave out CRITICAL info needed for a patient to make an informed decision about the major surgery!!!!
Please follow link below for an insert page from the 1994 PMG booklet that has more LIES!!
LINKS [for snapfish website, please just register to access link]:
- E.g. of Misleading statement/LIE: “The most natural hairline that is virtually undetectable...Cosmetically incredible….You will look and feel the way you hoped to AGAIN!!” [Insert page in link above of PMG booklet] In the case of most patients, including me, another COMPLETE LIE. My hairline was anything BUT natural after Dr. Mangubat's procedures with a few hairs growing in different parts of the hairline and the majority of the front hairline with no hair at all!! With the LIMITED amount of donor hair and hairloss on the front and crown in many patients, there is NO WAY there would be enough donor hair for hair transplants to result in a "full head of hair" with a "virtually undetectable" hairline!!!! And yet, PMG was perfectly willing to promise "you will look and feel the way you hoped to AGAIN!!"
So, as Mr. X asked in his review of PMG, “WHY is the Puig Medical Group creating this false premise in the minds of potential patients? Because building FALSE HOPES in patients is good for BOOSTING SALES.” Dr. Tony Mangubat (aka Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat) was part of the team at PMG that ONLY cared about SALES, and patient’s welfare was NOT of the SLIGHTEST concern. That is why doctors at PMG (e.g. Dr. Tony Mangubat & Dr. Carlos J. Puig) were willing to say ANYTHING, EVEN OUTRIGHT LIES, to ensure that the potential client would select PMG, and not one of its competitors, for hair transplants.
Please follow link below for page 1 of Dr. Tony Mangubat’s (aka Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat) resume in the mid-1990s that I received from PMG:
LINKS [for snapfish website, please just register to access link]:
Above link is to Page 1 of Dr. Tony Mangubat’s (aka Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat) mid-1990s resume that I received from Puig Medical Group in 1994. Please note that on Page 1, the part underlined in red clearly shows that Dr. Tony Mangubat was a doctor with Puig Medical Group from 1989 until the date of the resume (i.e. mid-1990s). So Dr. Mangubat cannot deny that he was a doctor with PMG in the mid-1990s, even if he may want to now!!
Please follow link below for Page 2 of Dr. Mangubat’s 1994 resume while at PMG. Please note the text at the bottom [underlined in red], which CLEARLY shows that Dr. Mangubat performed “Brandy”-style scalp surgeries that left me SCARRED and DISFIGURED. “Brandy” refers to Dr. Dominic Brandy, who was in 1996 SUED and PAID damages for performing such scalp reduction procedures [again link to a news article about this: http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19960915&slug=2349352
LINKS to page 2 of 1994 resume [for snapfish website, please just register to access link]:
Above link is to Page 2 of Dr. Tony Mangubat’s (aka Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat) mid-1990s resume that I received from Puig Medical Group. Please note that at the bottom of page 2, it clearly says [underlined in red] that Dr. Mangubat performed “71 Modified Brandy Flaps”, and he did a few "Brady" scalp reduction procedures on me. As I just mentioned, “Brandy” refers to Dr. Dominic Brandy, who was in 1996 SUED and PAID damages for performing such scalp reduction procedures; here again is a link to a news article about this:
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19960915&slug=2349352
NO ONE has to just rely on my review to decide that Dr. Tony Mangubat (aka Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat) and Dr. Carlos J. Puig are COMPLETELY INCOMPETENT. Anyone can just read the 1994 cover letters & marketing brochures of Puig Medical Group itself to come to your own conclusions.
(again available here:
http://www.angelfire.com/indie/hairtransplant/94book.html
and here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/117812991164449030691/DrCarlosPuigDrEAntonioMangubat# )
When you read these documents, you’ll see for yourself the TOTALLY deceptive practices, false advertising, and outright LIES that PMG’s doctors engaged in to lure unsuspecting clients.
Let me STRESS again, Dr. Tony Mangubat (aka Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat ) himself on his online resume PROUDLY says that he worked as a cosmetic surgeon at PMG from 1989 – 1996, and he therefore was a FULL PARTICIPANT in PMG’s incompetent, unethical, and illegal conduct that is a COMPETE DISGRACE to the medical profession. I know this FIRSTHAND because of what Dr. Tony Mangubat (aka Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat ) did to me, i.e. promised me a “full head of hair”, and left me SCARRED and DISFIGURED!!
If Dr. Tony Mangubat (aka Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat ) argues that he never saw or participated in any deceptive practices and/or GROSSLY OVER-PROMISING on the results to potential clients, you have to believe that he NEVER read any of PMG’s marketing literature or letter or discussed or participated in surgeries or consultations with clients during his ENTIRE SEVEN year stint as a Physician/Surgeon at PMG—this is a COMPLETELY LAUGHABLE argument!!!!!
Please note that I am not the author of Mr. X’s angelfire website on PMG, but I completely agree with what this person Mr. X says. This person is another totally INNOCENT VICTIM of PMG and its INCOMPETENT FRAUD doctors (e.g. Dr. Carlos J. Puig & Dr. Tony Mangubat (aka E. Antonia Mangubat). Dr. Tony Mangubat’s (aka Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat ) and Dr. Carlos J. Puig’s licenses to practice medicine should have been REVOKED a LONG TIME AGO!!!!
If after reading this posting, Dr. Tony Mangubat (aka Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat ) decides to delete the reference to Puig Medical Group from his official resume on his website, LA BELLE VIE Cosmetic Surgery Centers, the 1st question you MUST ask him just exactly where did he work from 1989 – 1996 and did he ever work for Puig Medical Group ??!!
Please follow links below for screenshots of the 1st 3 pages of Dr. Tony Mangubat's (aka Dr. E Antonio Mangubat) resume as HE POSTED it online on HIS website on 12/5/2010, LA BELLE VIE Cosmetic Surgery Centers (used to be known as Southcenter Cosmetic Surgery & Medical Spa):
http://www.labelleviecosmetic.com/mangubat.shtml .
On page 3, he CLEARLY STATES that he worked for Puig Medical Group from 1989 - 1996:
LINKS [for snapfish website, please just register to access link]:
Above is the link to Page 1 of Dr. Tony Mangubat's resume as HE posted it on his website on 12/5/2010. Please see links pages 2 & 3 of the resume below for confirmation that he worked as a Physician/Surgeon at PMG from 1989 – 1996:
LINKS [for snapfish website, please just register to access link]:
Above is the link to Page 2 of Dr. Tony Mangubat's resume as HE posted it on his website on 12/5/2010. At the very bottom is of Page 2 is confirmation that he worked as a Physician/Surgeon at PMG from 1989 - 1996. You can see the entire "Professional Affiliations" section below in Page 3:
LINKS [for snapfish website, please just register to access link]:
Above is the link to Page 3 of Dr. Tony Mangubat's resume as HE posted it on his website on 12/5/2010. The red arrow points to part of the resume that confirms that he worked as a Physician/Surgeon at PMG from 1989 - 1996.