Hello gents (assuming you're still keeping an eye on the topics you've responded to).
I'm back from Belgium and my consultations with both Dr.Devroye & Dr.Feriduni.
I have to say i was pretty tired on the day of the consults (a result of travel chaos due to volcanic ash cloud! and a traffic jam driving back into Brussels!) and not quite in top form, so my views may have been tainted as Dr Devroye was my 2nd appointment by which point i just wanted some food and to chill out!
Dr Devroye was however very professional, amiable and undoubtedly from all that you can see about him and his clinic online- an excellent surgeon! As an added bonus i got to see that days' patient in his surgery, whose case coincidentally was very similar to mine. Everything looked really good, especially the donor scar which was amazingly neat looking. Dr Devroye after a quick inspection of me thought 2,300-2,800 grafts approximately would suit my needs. The clinic itself and all the staff have a really laid-back and friendly air which many will find just what they need.
I personally however found Dr Feriduni to be a bit more on my wavelength in his ideas and concerns over my hair. His calculations of graft counts and areas were simple mathematics and his estimate for my needs was 1600-1800. Everything he did was quite meticulous, thorough, and highly informative. He was instantly easy to talk to, very tuned in and interested in the individual's case! I ultimately felt more comfortable after our discussions that he would be my preference into whose hands i would rather place my head! His results and case studies that he had to share with me at the touch of a button spoke for themselves.
I wasn't sold by the stylish new clinic or anything (i can see past shiny-new-things!) but the whole time i was there it was a seamless meeting and i couldn't help but be a little impressed.
What DID sway me was the man himself. I didn't have high expectations in advance because as with some others on here i'd trouble getting a response via email from the clinic... some complaints it seems going back 2 years (surely technical problems can be solved a bit quicker than that)
But, from the time i entered until i left, i felt i was in a place i could trust. He just seems a really genuine guy, who happens to be a highly rated surgeon that gets great transplant results and is alot more affordable (through my research) than the vast majority of surgeons.
Obviously, these are just my opinions. Having had the consults, I said i'd post my thoughts. Everyone to their own... I've had several online consults with U.S and Canadian docs that were also very good, and their results too are fantastic... unfortunately for me they're not a cheap airfare away so i'd have to talk with them via Skype or phone to form a truer opinion of them, and frankly from my research i'm not sure how much (if at all) more they'd have to offer.
So whilst i'm not 100% on where i'll go, i'm happy i went for the consults to give me a bit more insight into what's out there. Ron Shapiro obviously is a doc that is perhaps the most highly regarded anywhere, and then i would also like to talk more with Dr Konior who i thought was very worthwhile.
I'll keep on researching and stay up to date with peoples posts on here, and most importantly get some money together so that i can fix a date for my HT wherever the destination!
Hope this post has helped someone, and maybe saved somebody else some leg-work!
Cheers.