Was sold on BHR but now considering Feriduni

[swayzedo]

Hi all,

 

Things seem to have gotten a little more complicated which is a nightmare for an indecisive person like me.

 

I was totally sold on BHR clinic for my procedure then I came across a thread from a patient who basically has the same views as me as regards to hairline shape. I know what I want and I want my hairline, not low but quite broad especially at the temple points which I've had to live with for over 12 years so I obviously want to get as far away from that look as possible and I have a pretty firm idea of what I want.

 

The OP in this particular thread said that Dr Bisanga was quite insistent on his own design of hairline which was quite conservative and not what the patient wanted, but Dr Feriduni was more willing to do a less conservative hairline.

 

Looking at Dr Bisanga's results most, if not all of the hairlines are very similar and follow the conservative approach which I'm not really interested in. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not stupid and I don't want a juvenile hairline and to be honest I think my idea for a hairline is quite mature and pretty common but it IS less conservative than what I've seen from Dr Bisanga's work (Excellent though it is!)

 

I really like the look of Dr Feriduni's hairlines as well. They seem to be much more in keeping with what I'm after which is quite broad and every one I've seen has a lovely loose staggered look at the front in terms of graft placement which is very natural looking. Some (not all) of Dr Bisanga's graft work seems very 'tight' at the very front of the hairlne which isn't appealing.

 

I know little about Dr Feriduni plus he doesn't give a graft price on his website which makes it hard to budget for and Dr Bisanga has his immense ethical reputation and after-care on his side not to mention being based in the capital city.

 

I guess my question is what are your experiences with both doctors in regard to what you want vs what they want?

 

If what I want is a achievable then I want to get it, not what the doctor thinks looks good.

 

Of course all this is very up in the air until I have consultations but I just want some feedback on both the doctors 'views' if you will beforehand.

 

I'm really in a limbo right now!

 

Thanks!

[hairshopeing]

I think most people who chose bisanga looked into Feriduni and most who chose Feriduni looked at bisanga as well!

I looked into both and chose Feriduni, I think his hairlines are the most natural of all the surgeons out there, he may not display as many wow results as Lorenzo or erdogan, but his hairlines are as good of not better than any others!!

Both are superb and it's just a matter of personal preference, I know Johnny drama saw both and chose bisanga, so there's no right or wrong decision!

I'd have a consult with both, express what you want then go with who you feel will give you the result you want!!

Both are top draw!!!

[Rootz]

From consulting with both Bisanga and Feriduni I can tell you Bisanga is definitely more conservative. Feriduni is more of a YOLO surgeon, he agreed to my fairly aggressive hairline with no questions asked. Bisanga was quite hesitant and wanted to first to see me in person before proceeding with anything, which is a big deal considering I'm on a different continent. Out of the doctors I've spoke with, including Lorenzo, Feriduni had the highest graft estimate, which confirms my claim he's a YOLO doc.

 

I believe both their prices are very similiar if not the same. I think Feriundi charges 6 euros per graft for the first 1000, then 3 euros for each graft after.

 

And I agree Feriduni does the best hairline work.

[Octamus]

Very interesting thread, I was in a very similar position only you need to add Devoyre to the mix make it even more difficult to choose. I meet with them all and felt none of them would do a bad job. I went with Feruidini , he did offer a more appealing hairline design and a slightly higher graft count. No regrets I'm only 2.5 months out but feeling very positive about the experience start to finish.

[swayzedo]

Thanks for the reply's folks. I'm actually swinging more towards Dr Feriduni now because while I'm gratefully aware that Dr Bisanga may be cautious for the future on my behalf it's really all abut the final result at the end of the day (as I the one that will be living with it) and at 37 years old this year and my hairline not moving one bit in the last 6 years I don't think the future is going to be a worry.

 

It's so hard, both Doctors have such appealing qualities. I think Dr Bisanga has the most going for him in terms of patient security but Dr Feriduni has the edge on actual hairline designs in both quality and variety.

 

How easy or hard would it be to get consultations for both on the same day? I'll be travelling from Edinburgh to Brussels and probably only staying for the day at most so making the most of it would be good!

[JohnnyDrama]

Hey swayzedo, as hairshopeing mentioned, I've met both docs and I'm now 6.5 months post OP from Dr Bisanga.

 

I can entirely see why you're torn as I was in the very same position (granted I needed a different area of the scalp worked on). You've probably come across my thread regarding my consultation process......if not it's well worth a read given what you are looking into.

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/169664-blitzing-belgium-2-days-4-top-docs-bisanga-feriduni-de-reys-mwamba.html

 

It is possible to arrange consultations with these clinics withing a day or two of each other, but you have to be quite lucky to do so too and luck was on my side. I had a confirmed date with BHR set, so wanted to then arrange the consultations of 3 other docs around this. When I rang the Feriduni clinic (and I would recommend actually calling them once you have a date in mind) the girl said that the doc had surgery on the date I was looking for, as well as other consultations and that it was not possible. It turned out Dr Feriduni was beside her at the time and told her to go ahead and book me in anyway. Very lucky, seeing as there can be a 5-6 month waiting list at times!

 

I would strongly recommend you do actually meet the docs in person. After meeting both, your gut feeling will point you in the direction you're most comfortable with. Meeting 4 docs for me over a 3 day period was pretty tiring as there was a lot of trains, taxis and planes involved, but it's one of the best decisions I've ever made because you learn so much.

 

Regarding my own situation, I'm a rare enough case where I did not want any hairline work done, or indeed crown work. I needed my severely thinned midscalp/forelock thickened. I appreciate this is different to what you are looking at. Not surprisingly, my in-person consultations match up with what many others have found. To give you a very brief summary of the graft counts each of the 4 docs I met up with suggested, in the order in which I met them throughout the weekend:

 

Dr Bisanga: 2,000

Dr De Reys: 1,500

Dr Feriduni: 2,800-3,000

Dr Mwamba: 1,800 - 2,200

 

So you can see by the above alone, Dr Feriduni was by far the most aggressive in terms of the overall goal. I think he wanted to sprinkle several hundred thoughout my own hairline (zone 1), whereas the other docs were just happy to strengthen behind this and into the midscalp (zones 2,3,4). Even this morning when I look into the mirror, I'm not too sure where the extra 800 or so would have gone.

 

The 'YOLO' expression Rootz used in his post is actually what I thought myself at the time!

 

It was in the days after the consultations is where I went with my gut. I turned 31 last month. Taking this into account, I wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of using up so much of my FUE bank at a relatively young age. I'm very aware that in several years I may want to address further loss etc, and may want to do so again in my 40s, who knows.

 

Given the above, on top of me being very impressed with the yield I had seen in recent midscalp cases of Dr Bisanga, I was happy to go with BHR. All 4 docs I met had their own strengths and charms, and I wouldn't question anyone going whatever way.

 

While in my ugly duckling period, I put myself very briefly in the shoes of someone looking for just hairline work (as I may need it myself in years to come). There is a particular case on this site that blew me away for a small amount of grafts - Aj29 was the poster and he got 1,300 from Dr Bisanga with a brilliant final result.

 

Granted your age like you said plays into your hands and if you feel you are not likely to see too much more hairloss down the line, this could entitle you to a bigger graft count.

 

Maybe if Dr Bisanga met you, and assessed everything, he might be more open to going more aggressive. Then again he might not, but this is where meeting the docs in person is invaluable. It means there are little or no surprises on the morning you actually turn up for your HT, because you would have seen them several months prior and and plan put in place.

 

If I were in your shoes mate I'd pick up the phone and call both clinics. It may take several calls to each to eventually syncronise consultations, but it would be worth it. I feel only then will you be at ease with your decision. I certainly haven't been left with any 'what if's' after meeting 4 docs in two days!

[swayzedo]

Cheers for all the great info JohhnyDrama. The Aj29 case was one that I have been looking at a lot as it seems to be the same surface area that is covered that I need with maybe the hairline being preferably straighter and less curved.

 

I will certainly see both doctors as I think it will be a close finish between the two of them. I would certainly prefer Dr Bisanga from a security/cost/convenience/quality point of view but it really comes down to getting what I want which is to say I don't want my receding hairline replaced with a slightly smaller receding hairline which is what Dr Bisanga's results seem to be but who knows what he will say about my case until I meet him.

 

As you say it will all be in the consultations so I will need to wait and see but I will get on it as soon s I sit y own GP next week and sort out some pills for flying.

 

Thanks for all the great opinions guys , keep them coming if you have them!

[Mickey85]

I do admit, Feriduni has the best hairlines in the business, Erdogan and Mwamba close behind.

[FUE2014]

Mickey what do you think of Hakan's hairlines?

[GRIGRIMAN]

I met with Bisanga, Feriduni and Mwamba along with many others.

 

I actually chose Bisanga as a result of this self-assurance in what he believes to be best for the patient. This ethic is also reflected by his UK patient advisor, SL.

 

In my consultation, Bisanga immediately knew what was best for me based on my age and hair characteristics coupled with his experience and I was pleased his recommendation was in line with my aspirations.

 

I'm approaching three months and whilst I shall continue to reserve judgement, I can say that at this stage, the result including the aesthetics of the hairline is nothing short of exceptional.

[LondonHT]

I would also add that if you want to see Feriduni you had better start on them now, i found them slow to respond and hard to get appointments with. The exact opposite to BHR who through Stephen where just about the best service you could get any where.

This was important for me as its good to know some one is there straight away if you have any concerns. But i do agree that Dr Feriduni does great work. As for the Hairline design Dr Bisanga drew mine as near to exact as i had done on my own many times before my consultation so iam very happy!

[Mickey85]

Mickey what do you think of Hakan's hairlines?

 

Good but not great. I do rate him higher than guys like Feller, Lindsey, De Reys, Bisanga etc in hairline design but not to the caliber of Feriduni, Erdogan and Mwamba. Those guys make their patients have model hairlines.

[swayzedo]

I can entirely see why you're torn as I was in the very same position (granted I needed a different area of the scalp worked on). You've probably come across my thread regarding my consultation process......if not it's well worth a read given what you are looking into.

 

JohnnyDrama, just spent a good bit reading your consultation thread (A few times over) Loads of great info there and what you say about Dr Bisanga being very willing to listen to what you want has swayed me back a little toward him.

 

In my opinion density in brow/temple receding such as mine isn't the most important aspect, it's shape of hairline and most important carefully staggered graft placement at the front to make it look natural and if Dr Bisanga is as open as he sounds to suggestion (with obvious margin for compromise on both sides) he may very well be my man, it's just that all of his results do look very, very samey and more conservative than what I'd like (not by much) but of course these are just the documented cases.

 

One thing about Dr Feriduni that I've seen from his design work is that he seems to deliberately make the design pen markings uneven and dart in and out or up and down whichever way you want to look at it (plus he makes room for a widows peak at the front as well) which I assume he follows in graft placement and I really am attracted to that way of thinking whereas Dr Bisanga's cases it's just a round line and in one case I saw he placed the grafts a little higher than the pen template that was drawn

 

Also, not being a good traveller the added *sigh* factor of getting to Hasselt as well to see Dr Feriduni and he fact that he will probably be more expensive AND advise more grafts is a little off putting because although I don't think I need to worry for the future I am wary of conserving my donor area plus I want to be able to get away with as little grafts as possible for a good result and Dr Bisanga seems to be good at that.

 

Damn it really is still 50/50!

 

EDIT: LondonHT, that is a very fine point you bring up. I've been in talks with Stephan from BHR and I have to agree with you that the contact service with him is superb. Any question I ask get's answered within a day and it never feels like I am bothering anyone. This may swing the vote some more toward Dr Bisanga!

[Rootz]

At the end of the day (or should I say "year") I think what really matters is who will give you the aesthetic result you like most. This is supposed to be a lifelong commitment afterall. I wouldn't put too much stock into travel, price differences, the punctuality of their assistants, etc. Those are minor and temporary concerns, whereas the result of the HT is permanent and lifelong.

[Since21]

If what I want is a achievable then I want to get it, not what the doctor thinks looks good.

 

For what it's worth, I work in a creative field and I do my best work when clients give me the room to let me do my job. It's a collaborative process but in the end they're hiring me for my expertise and artistry. That's essentially what you're doing when you hire a HT surgeon. The best ones are as much skilled technicians as they are artists. You don't want to go in there and fight their aesthetic or push them in a direction they're not comfortable with.

 

I personally don't think you can wrong with either Bisanga or Feriduni. As far as hairlines go, they deliver some of the most natural I've seen. It's a matter of preference in terms of approach and design. I personally prefer Bisanga because I think his hairlines are more classic and natural in shape. They are very similar in design to the doctor I ultimately went with (Konior).

Edited March 25, 2014 by Since21

[Paulygon]

From consulting with both Bisanga and Feriduni I can tell you Bisanga is definitely more conservative. Feriduni is more of a YOLO surgeon, he agreed to my fairly aggressive hairline with no questions asked.

 

"YOLO surgeon"-- haha what a great expression Rootz!

[hsrp10]

Is it even possible to book with Dr. Feriduni this year? That may be actually the practical question here.

I have been doing online consults planning for hopefully my last HT, and seems Feriduni does not even have openings til early 2015.

You might want to check that and get on a waiting list etc.

[jason5]

Yolo expression used in this context is money. Laughed my ass of.

[jason5]

And also a fantastic thread for me that is actually going to visit Bisanga tomorrow. Thank you people.