Differences between US and nonUS surgeons?

[NYC1180]

Other than the obvious huge cost difference, what would some of the other differences be between say a top NYC surgeon and one of the reputable foreign surgeons, such as Bhatti?

 

My initial argument was that a local surgeon in NYC would be be able to have close follow up if there was any complications. However, it seems from this message board follow up is rarely needed. The surgeon I spoke with does a good amount of FUE so experience level of FUE vs strip seems to be good. Any other reasons you guys would chose someone like Bhatti over a reputable US surgeon?

 

I guess more specifically speaking from those of you who have been analyzing the work from photos and stats over the years. Would the hairline quality, transection rates, and hair density be relatively equal? It seems Bhatti doesn't do PRP, but I understand the data hasn't really supported this fully yet anyway. It seems to be anecdotal at this point.

Edited May 21, 2015 by NYC1180

[BUSA]

there are far better choices then Dr. Bhatti. he's OK if ur own a really tight budget but the European doctors are far better choices and really won't cost much more.

 

the follow-up isn't really an issue for most. sure its nice but not necessary.

 

imo Bhatti falls short with hairline quality. meaning its just not that artistic. he's far better then he use to be but no where near the quality of top European doctors or even of those here is the US.

 

and if u look at his photos the grafts are rarely placed close together. there is always big gaps between the grafts which means less density. u can place more grafts on the head that way but will lack density.

 

PRP is good but not the end all be all.

[TakingThePlunge]

As a patient of Dr. Bhatti myself, I have to disagree with BUSA's opinion of his work. While it's fair to say that some of his early hairlines were not as refined as they could have been (something acknowledged by the doc himself on this very forum) his work has continued to refine and I find his hairlines quire artistic and natural or I certainly would not have risked the precious few remaining grafts I had. You can view my post-op pics by clicking the link in my signature. I I could have gone virtually anywhere. I wont' go into all my reasons for choosing Dr. Bhatti but you can read my thread if you're interested.

 

The bottom line is that there are excellent FUE surgeons here and abroad. I'm a realist and I understand that cost is a factor for most of us and I'm right there with you. I have a family to support and that leaves very little extra for me to indulge myself. Anything I do spend for me means something else has to be sacrificed. I want to stress that I'm not talking about sacrificing quality for low cost and I don't think you need to do that when you choose from among the physicians we recommend.

 

Consider your wants/needs. Consider what is realistic given your physiology. Identify the physicians that are delivering the results you find the most appealing. After that, sometimes it comes down to the vibe you get. Some people just don't click. You can be face to face with one of the world's most heralded hair transplant surgeons and if you don't feel comfortable with him, he may not be the best choice for you.

[NYC1180]

What are your opinions between Lorenzo, Feriduni, Bisanga and Erdogan? From what I've read on here Lorenzo seems to be a bit too conservative with hairlines. It seems like the most popular on the forum between those is Feriduni. Between those, do you know the approx cost per graft? Any of the have max out deals (I.e. The NY surgeon I spoke with doesn't charge additional above a certain graft count)?

[California]

there are far better choices then Dr. Bhatti. he's OK if ur own a really tight budget but the European doctors are far better choices and really won't cost much more.

 

the follow-up isn't really an issue for most. sure its nice but not necessary.

 

imo Bhatti falls short with hairline quality. meaning its just not that artistic. he's far better then he use to be but no where near the quality of top European doctors or even of those here is the US.

 

and if u look at his photos the grafts are rarely placed close together. there is always big gaps between the grafts which means less density. u can place more grafts on the head that way but will lack density.

 

PRP is good but not the end all be all.

 

Hi NYC1180,

 

Dr. Bhatti does offer PRP at an additional cost. In my opinion, the choice between a US based versus a non-US based HT Surgeon should never be based on cost alone. Cost is an important factor but not the only factor. I believe that the skill, experience and most importantly, the past results of the HT Surgeon should play a bigger role in the decision making process.

 

Dear Busa, with all due respect, your comments about Dr. Bhatti are starting to sound stereotypical now. As David put it very eloquently, Dr. Bhatti's hairline designs used to be conservative in the past (that he himself admitted to on this Forum about a year ago) but as we all know, HT Surgeons are also human beings and human beings tend to better their skills with the passage of time and with more and more experience. Dr. Bhatti has been doing FUE procedures exclusively for over 4 years now (Started working as a Plastic Surgeon in 1992 and been doing HT since 1996).

 

In regards to your comments about spacing between grafts, that is totally case by case. He would never advocate a "dense packing" for Patients with higher norwood and scarce donor. He does tend to be far sighted and try to "preserve" the Patient's donor supply for a predicted future hair loss. That is why he tends to encourage Patients to tap into BHT if the scalp donor supply is limited.

But for Patients with lower norwood and good donor supply, he is more than happy to go with a denser packing (see attached pics)

 

Last but not the least, the biggest validation for any HT Surgeon anywhere in the world should come from the Surgeon's past Patients, especially the ones that have taken the time to document their HT journeys for years and years. One such example is Johny24, who got his HT done by Dr. Bhatti about 3 years ago and is still helping out the hair loss Patients by posting his comments and updates (see the link below). God bless his heart.

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/167897-hair-transplant-dr-tejinder-bhatti-darling-buds-chandigarh-india.html

 

Best regards,

California

[CAMPBELL]

David seems to be very happy with his experience .

[KO]

What are your opinions between Lorenzo, Feriduni, Bisanga and Erdogan? From what I've read on here Lorenzo seems to be a bit too conservative with hairlines. It seems like the most popular on the forum between those is Feriduni. Between those, do you know the approx cost per graft? Any of the have max out deals (I.e. The NY surgeon I spoke with doesn't charge additional above a certain graft count)?

 

Feriduni is renowned for hairlines as you note. Since you are a nw2 he could be a good fit. Erdogan IMO goes insane with graft counts. I would definitely consider US based surgeons like Cooley, Feller, Lindsey as well for FUE.

 

Edit: Konior too.

[mav23100gunther]

Don't bother with NYC surgeons, there are some solid ones, but I don't believe they are the top surgeons. Feller is prob the best of the bunch with Wesley and Dorin behind, but the best for FUT are Rahal, Hasson, Ron Shapiro, and Konior. For FUE, the best are in Europe at much more competitive rates.U.S. FUE surgeons are an absolute rip-off. I by mistake picked a NY surgeon for my own HT, as I wanted to live/work close to the clinic. Besides going in every 2nd day that first week post surgery, I haven't needed to go back since (except for staples removal). Besides, if something goes wrong a week later, not much the doc can do anyway.

[BUSA]

Feriduni is renowned for hairlines as you note. Since you are a nw2 he could be a good fit. Erdogan IMO goes insane with graft counts. I would definitely consider US based surgeons like Cooley, Feller, Lindsey as well for FUE.

 

Edit: Konior too.

im not quite sure why u wud think more graft placements is a bad thing. it wud be if the survivability rate was low but its not. its one of the best in the business. and the fact that he can cram that many grafts into ppl's heads without native hairs falling out only demonstrates his skill. his transection rate is probably 3%.

 

you say that as tho any doctor can place that many grafts and be successful but just chose not to. thats cudnt be further from the truth.

[Shera]

Hi NYC1180,

 

I too have had my FUE HT done by Dr Bhatti, you will see that my results throw any argument against the good Doctor's graft spacing totally out the window.

 

A picture is worth a thousand words, so check out my pics below that should put one persons continual unfair criticism of Dr Bhatti's work to bed once and for all.

 

Also, as I have mentioned before with the Turkish Doctors, the cost per graft would have been twice as much at the time, and with the graft spacing being much tighter I would have needed twice as many grafts therefore eating into my future donor.

 

Therefore I would have paid up to 4 times the price, spent much longer in surgery, heavily reduced my donor area all for essentially more or less the same result over a year.

 

As I have also mentioned before, I would be interested in comparing my results over a year to that of the other doctors in order to prove my point.

 

Therefore by going to Dr Bhatti, I got myself a first class FUE, saved thousands and got a result I believe any Doctor would be proud off.

 

Check out my thread below

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/178931-my-fue-dr-tejinder-bhatti-oct-2014-a.html

[KO]

im not quite sure why u wud think more graft placements is a bad thing. it wud be if the survivability rate was low but its not. its one of the best in the business. and the fact that he can cram that many grafts into ppl's heads without native hairs falling out only demonstrates his skill. his transection rate is probably 3%.

 

you say that as tho any doctor can place that many grafts and be successful but just chose not to. thats cudnt be further from the truth.

 

It's bad because if you burn a lot of grafts on the hairline, you won't have anything in reserve if and when your loss advances.

[Sean]

Procedures are a lot cheaper overseas. You can even get one on one doctor participation in surgery without use of techs at fraction of the cost. Some folks pay 1/4 the price and still end up with terrific results. Take a look at Dr. Bhatti pricing, Dr. Karadeniz, Dr. Keser etc... Look at their surgical protocol and price. Dr Vories is in US and teasonably oriced, but you cant find others that will give you less than $4 per graft for FUE in North America.

[NYC1180]

Who has consistently better hairlines and density between Bhatti, Erdogan and Feriduni? I've looked at multiple photos from each and all seem to be relatively equivalent.

[Yonex]

Who has consistently better hairlines and density between Bhatti, Erdogan and Feriduni? I've looked at multiple photos from each and all seem to be relatively equivalent.

 

For me its

 

1. Feriduni

2. Erdogan

3. Bhatti

[NYC1180]

Wow....so Feriduni is out. Next surgical opening is summer 2016! As good as he is, I do not wish to wait that long.

[mav23100gunther]

Feriduni's wait list is insane - that should tell you everything you need to know about the guy. Bisanga seems to have more availability, and I only read great reviews on him. I don't know about his hairlines though. Busa seems to keep talking up Maras as well. Tough one mate. Erdoken seems to be the FUE version of Dr Hasson.

[ontop]

I can't say a bad word for any of the Drs mentioned on this post.

 

Its a tuff choice must be said & one which need to be right on the money, but look for a Dr who has been on the top of his game consistantly then you shouldn't go wrong IMO.

 

Best wishes.

[FUE2014]

Feriduni's wait list is probably the longest of all the coalition docs, but people do cancel more than you think, so I would ask to go on their cancellation list, I'd be surprised if there are not still a few openings this year.

[mav23100gunther]

Feriduni's wait list is probably the longest of all the coalition docs, but people do cancel more than you think, so I would ask to go on their cancellation list, I'd be surprised if there are not still a few openings this year.

 

Corresponded with Spex regarding the cancellation list, but it seems you need to put down the deposit and confirm another appointment. He also mentioned quite a few others are currently also on the list. I think it's tough if you are traveling from the States. I also need to confirm time off work and book airlines/hotel. It is tempting to book an apt 9 months out, but then you have to wait the 9 months just to have the procedure and another chunk of months after that for the hair to grow. That's a good year and a half I could be getting laid with my full head of hair I tell you. It is tempting though, and it's kinda reassuring to know you are getting someone so sought after.

[FUE2014]

Yeah his results are awesome tho, probably the best hairline doc in the world.

[mav23100gunther]

Yeah his results are awesome tho, probably the best hairline doc in the world.

 

 

Where would you rate Dr Ron Shapiro in terms of hairline?

[wibbles180]

And what about dr lorenzo

[NYC1180]

Lorenzo seems to have good hairlines, it's just they consistently seem to be high.

[wibbles180]

Yea he's offered to do my ht but will only do a very conservative mature hairline design even though I'm on meds and seem to have got my loss under control , the thing I really like about lorenzo are his comb through videos , I still don't understand why other clinics haven't followed suit and started to show there work like his clinic . I'm now trying to make a decision between lorenzo 1800 conservative hairline or erdogan 3400 full rebuild!!!

[wibbles180]

Yea he's offered to do my ht but will only do a very conservative mature hairline design even though I'm on meds and seem to have got my loss under control , the thing I really like about lorenzo are his comb through videos , I still don't understand why other clinics haven't followed suit and started to show there work like his clinic . I'm now trying to make a decision between lorenzo 1800 conservative hairline or erdogan 3400 full rebuild!!!

 

This pic is lorenzos design obviously the top red line