CatsMeow83

I posted earlier today about my current decision process regarding whether to go with Erdogan, or go with Rahal in Canada (see link below to my post). Rahal is about 50% more expensive, so I would be saving about $5,000 by going with Erdogan. I want to get comfortable with Erdogan, but I just can't get past some of the issues raised in this thread and others. The guy complaining in this post is definitely a little over the top, for sure, but I think it's undisputed at this point that Erdogan has between 4 and 6 procedures happening on any given day, and he is jumping between them to supervise, etc. Now, I certainly don't expect Erdogan or any other doctor to personally handle or oversee an entire 8 hour FUE procedure. But I'm still uneasy about the daily volume that Erdogan is apparently juggling. I mean, a hair transplant is still a surgical procedure, and no matter how routine or low risk, I feel like either the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, or another doctor (or, at the very least, a certified registered nurse) should be present for most, if not all, of the procedure. I saw a post by Dr. Erdogan responding to some of the concerns in this post, and he notes that each of his technicians are required to place at least 10,000 grafts on a simulator before they actually work on a real patient. I didn't find this reassuring at all. I mean, a new trainee could easily knock out 10,000 practice grafts in just a 4 or 5 day period. I don't think I'm comfortable trusting my hairline to a technician that may only have a week's worth of practice, and may not even have any formal medical or nursing training. I'm not trying to beat up on Erdogan or unfairly cast doubt on his abilities. He's obviously a top tier transplant surgeon by any standard. But I think I'm going to end up going with Rahal and forking over the extra $5,000. I'm just not comfortable putting myself in the hands of non-medically trained technicians that may not have more than a few weeks or months of experience.

Check out my post from earlier today (link below). I am in a similar situation. I want someone who will take an aggressive approach to my hairline restoration and give me something that looks natural. The big name I keep coming back to is Rahal (Canada). He is the undisputed king of hairline FUT, and he is apparently top-tier when it comes to FUE as well. Erdogan (Turkey) is the other doctor I am considering. Check out my post - it may help you out a little.

Sounds like you and I are in similar situations. Check out the post I made earlier this afternoon (link below). I am considering Erdogan or Rahal for this type of work. Rahal told me this morning that his earliest current appointment is April 17th. Not sure about Erdogan, but I don't think his wait time is generally very long, so I would expect he could get you in during the next couple months.

Yeah - it seems like hairline restoration work is an animal of its own in the hair transplant world. Like I said in my post, Erdogan and Rahal are the names that keep coming up in terms of aggressive hairline treatments. I also hear good things about Hasson & Wong. I am considering doing a consult with those guys as well, although they will be on the high end of the cost spectrum (about 20% more expensive than Rahal). Hopefully we will get some advice from the guys on this forum.

My Situation: 35 y/o American with frontal balding and thinning, and moderately receding hairline (see included pics). The loss and thinning began 10 years ago and happened fairly quickly; however, the loss and thinning has slowed significantly in recent years. Hair is thick and coarse throughout (it typically has to be thinned out on the sides when I get a haircut), with the exception of the frontal area. I have had 3 consults; all confirm eligibility for FUT and/or FUE and recommend placement of 2,500-3,000 grafts. My available donor hair is more than sufficient to cover expected future needs. I have some family history of frontal baldness on maternal side, but no history of complete baldness or other extreme Norwood cases. Post-procedure, I will do Finasteride + Rogaine. I used Propecia previously with no side effects. Due to an existing scar on the back of my head, I never cut my hair short (so an FUT scar would not be a huge problem for me). No prior hair transplants. My Goals: Looking for an aggressive approach to restoring my hairline and adding some density to the front and temple areas in hopes of replacing some of the frontal hair loss I have experienced. Hoping to bring down my existing hairline just a little bit - maybe 1-2 centimeters below the center point of my current hairline. I have a high forehead to begin with, so I should be able to bring down my current hairline a little bit without creating something that looks artificial or age inappropriate. My Options: A few doctors seem to be known for this type of aggressive hairline work, and I have narrowed it down to two of them: Erdogan (Turkey) and Rahal (Canada). To that end, here are my 3 options (costs in USD, inclusive of projected travel expenses): 1. Erdogan FUE 2,500-3,000 Grafts; $8,000 - $9,300 2. Rahal FUE 2,500-3,000 Grafts; $11,000 - $14,200 3. Rahal FUT 2,500-3,000 Grafts; $8,200 - $10,600 My Questions: Which of these 3 options would you all recommend? Specifically, what are your thoughts, re: FUT vs. FUE for my situation? And what are your thoughts, re: Erdogan vs. Rahal for FUE procedure? Rahal seems to be the undisputed king of FUT, so if I go the FUT route, then I’m definitely going with him. On the FUE side, he also seems to be top tier. Rahal tells me his FUE procedure is giving him substantially the same graft yield and overall result as his FUT procedure. He is saying that the cost savings are really the only advantage of the FUT route at this point. For me, the cost savings are not a material factor, and I wouldn’t go with a more invasive FUT procedure simply to save a few grand. BUT, I would absolutely go the FUT route if I thought it would yield a better result. As for the Erdogan vs. Rahal debate if I go with FUE, I am leaning towards Rahal, but would love to hear you guys’ opinion of the two. My main concern with Erdogan, which has been voiced several times recently on this forum, is his lack of personal involvement in the procedure. Specifically, the fact that Erdogan may be running 4 surgeries simultaneously each day is a concern for me. I understand the nature of this procedure, and I don’t expect the doctor to plant every hair (I’m sure Rahal doesn’t do that either), but some of what I am hearing on this forum about Erdogan’s operation procedure gives me pause. That said, Erdogan has published some impressive results, and his expertise in the FUE field is obviously beyond question. What do you guys think? I would appreciate any insights or random thoughts that you may have on any of these issues.