SeanSouth78

100%. There is definitely a law of diminishing returns. Frankly paying $15k plus for a transplant is insane; that cost is largely down to American's broken medical system than the skill of the surgeon. No one can tell me that the likes of Couto or Bisanga are producing results inferior to the top US surgeons. And a large part of a HT result is down to the individual's hair. There's no point in a NW5 with thin, wispy hair thinking that if they shell out top dollar they are going to get an equivalent result to a Couto NW3 patient with a thick donor.

To echo the above posters, go to Dr. Nel or Blackrock Clinic in Dublin and get an estimate of your hair calibre/donor but don't, whatever you do, go to an Irish clinic for a transplant. Blackrock Clinic, despite being one of the most expensive clinics in the world, consistently produces mediocre and sub-par results; Dr. Nel is not much better (and he starts at €8k). For that price you can go to Bisanga/Feriduni in Belgium and get world-class results.

Strange that they didn't bring it up - possibly worth contacting them and seeing if you can get the 21% refunded if you send them a letter, as they may not pay VAT until the end of the tax year.

It's a strange rule, but some Belgian clinics won't mention it. Any doctor will do - just make sure it's on headed notepaper and signed. You can send it to the clinic before you book and they will confirm the 21% off.

Feriduni is brilliant at hairlines such as yours. Bisanga would be a great choice too. Also, while Belgian clinics charge 21% VAT, if you get a letter from a doctor saying your hair loss is causing you "mental stress" you get that VAT waived.

Hi Gasthoerer, thanks for commenting and some great points. Regards the hairlines, I guess it must be just the selection I have seen online, which all seemed to 'fill in' gaps in the existing hairline without ever lowering the hairline overall, but I had assumed he was open to doing that, without ever going "full Turkey" and ending up with a 18 year old rapper's hairline. Good points; at this stage it's purely about who would give the best result - and happy to spend more with Feriduni, if I get a better result than with HLC, although nothing is certain in this field, of course.

Hi, great resource here and was curious of the forum's opinions on the merits of Bijan Feriduni in Belgium vs HLC in Ankara, which, after a lot of research, are the two clinics I have narrowed it down to. Feriduni is maybe 30% more expensive (although easier to reach for me in the UK). Feriduni seems to get great results, although he is very conservative with the hairline, and I haven't seen many results where he lowered the hairline (which is something I want done, by maybe 2cm. HLC also get great results, although possibly not as natural looking as Feriduni, although that could be because they are more comfortable lowering hairlines, whereas Feriduni packs in more grafts in a smaller space... Both clinics suggested somewhere between 2400-3000 grafts - HLC would do the procedure over two days, Feriduni in one day. I am looking for a densely packed hairline, and, as I have a large forehead, lower the hairline by 1-2cm. Any thoughts? I am confident in both places, and at some point will have to decide, but curious to hear any opinions. Pic of hairline/donor area attached....