Best affordable place for surgery in Europe?

[Zim]

Hi guys,

 

I am from the UK and planning to get a FUE for my hairline (currently about NW3, frontal receding) and am just getting serious with my research. I know it goes without saying that price shouldn't be a consideration but the reality is, I will never be able to afford the absolute best guys in Europe (Feriduni or other top Belgian guys for example). I also firmly believe there are excellent surgeons for more affordable prices, Turkey being the obvious example. My limit is really about 3 euros per graft.

 

To me it seems clear that Erdogan does the best work for an affordable price. His hairline work, which is my main concern, is up there with the best in the world. He would be my first choice but I'm concerned that he overuses grafts to achieve the dense-packed great looking hairlines. I haven't got any quotes yet but just looking online it seems what most clinics would quote you 2000, Erdogan will quote 3200 or something. Donor hair is precious and I'd be hesitant to use up half of mine basically just filling my temples. It also bumps the price up considerably.

 

Who other guys would you recommend for excellent hairline work at a good price? I'm also considering these surgeons.

 

Dr De Reys in Belgium (does everything himself but can barely find any hairline work)

Dr Demirsoy in Turkey

Dr Ozgur/HLC in Turkey

 

Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

EDIT: Realise the title says Europe, technically I don't think Turkey is Europe...

[VanNistelroy]

You should take a look at Cyprus HDC and Doctor Maras work as well.

(not a representer, just a satisfied customer)

[hsrp10]

I think you'll get some answers from users who have gone to surgeons on the lower part of your list, but I'd go with ASMED and Dr. Erdogan based on high number of solid results and low number of complaints.

 

Seems like anything cheaper than their rates increases your risks.

Just my opinion.

 

Do agree with his "higher graft quotes" but the results are there to back it up I guess.

You could always ask them for a more conservative approach during the pre-op discussion.

[delancey]

I have been researching different Doctors for 3 years now. If you cannot afford the best, you shouldn't even entertain the idea of modifying your appearance. This is my perspective and I know some will disagree with me here. You aren't purchasing a television set or a brand new car here. This is something that you'll have to live with for the rest of your life. At the end of the day, once you've understood exactly what you can expect from a hair transplant, anything less is a failure (that perhaps cannot be fixed depending on your situation). This is why you need to get it right the first time around.

 

If you are a person who worries a lot about the outcome (remember that it can take 12-15 months to see the full result from a hair transplant), it is certainly worth it to pay a few thousand euros more to have the "right" surgeon himself perform more of the vital steps of the surgery. There are of course many brilliant technicians who can run circles around many "recommended" surgeons. Again, my opinion. Which surgeon or clinic you choose is key.

 

 

Take into consideration that you'd only pay a few thousand euros more by going to someone who is considered the very best. Buy clothes at H&M for a year and skip your annual vacation, and that should compensate for the difference. But you already know this.

 

With that said, I actually happen to think that Dr. Erdogan is an excellent FUE practitioner. Dr. Lorenzo, who is highly regarded within the hair transplant community, works closely with Dr. Erdogan. I know of at least one reputable North American strip outfit who sent technicians to train under Dr. Erdogan's supervision and guidance in Turkey. This clinic also happens to charge an arm and a leg for the very same FUE (ironically with little Doctor involvement).

 

Personally I believe in smaller sessions. 2000-2500 grafts per surgery. That way should something go wrong, you can always go back and add more (with a nice amount of grafts remaining in your follicular bank account). Some men only have 4000-5000 grafts available via FUE, so using up 3000-4000 in one surgery is very risky. Take it slow, and be damn sure about your decision.

 

Dr. Lorenzo

Dr Bisanga

Dr. Lupanzula

 

 

I really like some North American Doctors, but their FUE pricing is just too high for me.

 

Also, my very first consultation was with Dr. Bisanga. He is a very honest and ethical Doctor. Why not visit him for a free consultation?

 

Good luck to you. Cheers.

Edited October 28, 2016 by delancey

[delancey]

And another important point to bring up is that I see some results coming out from some of the so-called budget clinics looking unnatural. I saw one case recently where an Indian FUE Doctor had worked on someone's temple points, and the result did not look natural (to me). You cannot put a price on stepping out of your house knowing that the result looks natural.

 

Everything needs to be perfect. You don't want to be that guy who has beard hair sticking out at a slightly incorrect angle. That will create unwanted stares.

[Zim]

Thank you for the input guys.

 

I think you'll get some answers from users who have gone to surgeons on the lower part of your list, but I'd go with ASMED and Dr. Erdogan based on high number of solid results and low number of complaints.

 

Seems like anything cheaper than their rates increases your risks.

Just my opinion.

 

Do agree with his "higher graft quotes" but the results are there to back it up I guess.

You could always ask them for a more conservative approach during the pre-op discussion.

 

I agree with this. I could go to a "decent" doctor like Doganay or Bhatti tomorrow but the risk is too great. This thread was really to gauge if there is anyone out there as good as Erdogan for similar price. Erdogan is my first choice and I would be really interested to see if he would accomodate a lower graft count if I insisted. Do you know if any clinic would agree to this? I'll be 27 when I go for surgery, I just want to be conservative in my approach if I only have say 6000 donor hairs. Using 3000 for dense packing a teenage hairline would be irresponsible I feel. I would prefer to use 2000 for a more conservative, mature hairline around NW1.5-2 rather than a straight NW0.

 

Having looked closer at Demirsoy's results I think he's off the list. 1 euro per graft and it shows in the inconsistency of results. Dr Keser may come onto the list and he's 3.5 euro.

 

I appreciate the prevailing wisdom in the HT community is basically "this isn't a car or a TV, this is your hair, if you can't afford the best in the world then don't bother" but right now I firmly believe there is excellent work out there that will give me a hairline I'm happy with around the 2.5-3.5 euro range. If I can't find this, then yes I'll go to one of the more expensive Belgium docs for 5/6 euros+ but it will mean making huge sacrifices for where I am in professional and personal life right now. I've given it huge thought and will continue to in my research.

[hsrp10]

True story, I almost went with one of the other Turkish Docs not mentioned above who has fallen out of favor recently for a touchup, and my main reason was thinking about cost. In the end I ended up going to Dr Konior again and really glad I spent the extra money.

 

Also with everything else going on in the geopolitical world In Turkey now at least you want to make sure the surgery part itself will be as close to a sure thing as possible.

Anyway good luck, from reading your posts you seem to have your research down.

[wibbles180]

Have a serious look into dr lupanzula (medekimos) he's just started posting on here so there are only a few of his cases to view on here but there loads of videos on YouTube if your search medikemos . I was totally sold on erdogan as well and I went to a live consultation with him in London last may . Sounds like I'm similar to yourself in wanting a conservative approach rather than blasting 3/4 of my donor in the hairline ! The hairline he drew in for me was lower than I'd ever had even as a kid ! He proposed 3800 grafts , when I asked him if I could go more conservative he said yes and upped the count to 4200 !! Obviously this was a miscommunication but I couldn't explain as the consultation lasted all of 7 minutes after waiting 2.5 hours to see him

 

Now I'm not denying that his work looks very impressive and I potentially still may go there for my first surgery if things don't work out at my consultation with dr lupanzula this January in London (you should contact them to get a consultation?) but it just seems that doctor erdogan is not as overly concerned about future loss as some of the other top docs . I may even go for a consultation with him in Istanbul to see if it would be possible to do the hairline I want rather than the straight one he drew in London .

 

I personally wouldn't go anywhere near the 1 Euro Turkish clinics the results hygiene etc etc are just not good enough .

 

These are currently the only doctors I would go to for my first surgery .

 

Dr Jose Lorenzo = quite pricey but an extensive catalogue of work to be viewed on YouTube/Vimeo unfortunately now he does 3-4 surgeries per day and more just oversees the operations rather than 1 on 1 with each patient , still superb results that speak for themselves.

 

Dr lupanzula = slightly more than the price you are looking for but you may not need the amount of grafts that you would be pushed into having in turkey so might even out ? He also extracts every graft creates all incisions and then checks over and tweaks (if required) grafts that are placed by his experienced technicians , I'm pretty sure it's a 1 surgery per day so you have the whole teams attention .

 

Dr erdogan = excellent price and loads of documented excellent results just concerns of over use of a limited donor even on young patients who are unmedicated with finasteride , the clinic is absolute state of the art and hygiene impeccable but you are still 1 of 4 patients and the only part performed by dr koray are the incisions .

 

After all my research I think I personally would prefer the man with the qualifications and his name on the door to do my surgery but obviously cost is a big factor and if you can get the same results for less then why not.

 

I'm going to post on here for advice once I've had my consultation with dr lupanzula in january then it will be decision time for me :confused:

I will have then had live consultations with all 3 doctors that I am considering .

 

Hope I've helped in some way .

Edited November 6, 2016 by wibbles180

[KO]

There is actually a pretty big world of good/decent surgeons that aren't known on this site. You'll need to do a bit of digging and research but cast your net pretty wide for sure. Some names that might interest you that are in your price range:

 

Maras

Lupanzula

Chueco (Argentina-based colleague of Lorenzo)

Marwan Saifi

Juan Couto

Rafael De Freitas

 

Also check out Dr Ball in England, I don't know how good he is, he used to work for Ziering Hair which is not great but he's ramping up after starting his clinic and will likely be more visible on the forums.

[KO]

Also check some of these names out

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_FUE_Institute

[wibbles180]

Hey KO ,out of interest what is it that you like about Saifi ?

[wibbles180]

There is actually a pretty big world of good/decent surgeons that aren't known on this site. You'll need to do a bit of digging and research but cast your net pretty wide for sure. Some names that might interest you that are in your price range:

 

Maras

Lupanzula

Chueco (Argentina-based colleague of Lorenzo)

Marwan Saifi

Juan Couto

Rafael De Freitas

 

Also check out Dr Ball in England, I don't know how good he is, he used to work for Ziering Hair which is not great but he's ramping up after starting his clinic and will likely be more visible on the forums.

 

Juan couto is a new surgeon that you have brought to my attention , after a quick look at his YouTube videos he looks excellent ! Do you know his prices ? His website seems to be only in Spanish ? Cheers

[MrGio-WHTCClinic]

Hi guys,

 

I am from the UK and planning to get a FUE for my hairline (currently about NW3, frontal receding) and am just getting serious with my research. I know it goes without saying that price shouldn't be a consideration but the reality is, I will never be able to afford the absolute best guys in Europe (Feriduni or other top Belgian guys for example). I also firmly believe there are excellent surgeons for more affordable prices, Turkey being the obvious example. My limit is really about 3 euros per graft.

 

To me it seems clear that Erdogan does the best work for an affordable price. His hairline work, which is my main concern, is up there with the best in the world. He would be my first choice but I'm concerned that he overuses grafts to achieve the dense-packed great looking hairlines. I haven't got any quotes yet but just looking online it seems what most clinics would quote you 2000, Erdogan will quote 3200 or something. Donor hair is precious and I'd be hesitant to use up half of mine basically just filling my temples. It also bumps the price up considerably.

 

Who other guys would you recommend for excellent hairline work at a good price? I'm also considering these surgeons.

 

Dr De Reys in Belgium (does everything himself but can barely find any hairline work)

Dr Demirsoy in Turkey

Dr Ozgur/HLC in Turkey

 

Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

EDIT: Realise the title says Europe, technically I don't think Turkey is Europe...

 

Donor resources are surely finite whether or not you manage the economic factor. In order to know which surgical method is best, consider which hair styles you would prefer if you achieved your hair loss goals. Hairline work is special.

[Zim]

snip

 

snip

 

Hi guys, thanks a lot for the input, much appreciated. I will take a look at those guys you mentioned KO. I think I've already accepted this is going to cost more than originally expected. Probably around 7000-9000 euros, I've been looking mostly at these:

 

Dr Erdogan (first choice but not at the cost of half my donor)

Dr Keser (great hairline work, does everything himself)

Dr Bisanga (over my budget but very well regarded)

Dr Lupanzula (seems new on the scene but great work - anyone know price)

Dr Ozgur

Dr Maras

 

I think I won't be able to narrow down this list properly until I receive graft quotes from clinics, but I don't intend on getting a HT for another 10 months at least so its a bit early for that I guess. Right now I think the graft count is more important than the cost. If Erdogan says I need 3200 and Bisanga says he can do it with 2000 I would go with Bisanga.

 

Here is an example of roughly where my hair is and what result I'm after. My hair is slightly less advanced than the before pic though, similar temple loss but my forelock is wider and stronger. I think I'm a strong NW2.5-3. I understand this is quite an exceptional result and not the norm. It's probably one of my favourites. The end result is how my hair looked before my temples started receding!

 

ASMED | Hair Transplant Results Gallery - Norwood 3 - Dr Koray Erdogan - 2000 grafts FUE + 800 grafts FUE

Edited November 7, 2016 by Zim

[wibbles180]

Hi zim , I'm pretty sure medikemos (dr lupanzula) is 4.50 euros for the first 1000 and 4 euros for any after the first 1000 , not sure if the price stays at 4 euros for any further procedures in the future like Lorenzo offers . Either way I'm taking the opportunity to meet him in London so will be able to ask any questions anyone has . The result you've posted from Asmed is incredible, do you think your donor characteristics are as strong as that guy though ?

[hsrp10]

Dr Keser (great hairline work, does everything himself)

 

So Dr. Keser is like a Konior/Lorenzo but under the radar?

Would like to see more cases from him.

 

I really hate leaving things to the techs especially after having gone with Dr. Konior previously, you just never know.

During one of my touchups I actually heard this in the procedure room at a well respected clinc: " ### didn't show up today, who's doing the graft placement...?" :rolleyes:

[hsrp10]

Btw you can read the nine pages on Dr. Keser's previous recommendation bid here if you haven't already.

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/139030-potential-recommendation-dr-abdulmuttalip-keser-turkey-9.html

 

this was the final conclusion:

Dear members and guests.

 

While Dr. Keser has presented several examples of his results on our forum, many members were on the fence as to whether or not we should approve him for recommendation. Concerns surrounding his approval included extracting donor hair outside the universal safezone, lower hairline placement on younger patients and whether or not Dr. Keser was acting in the long term interest of the patient.

 

In my opinion, Dr. Keser appears to be doing quality FUE however, I too share the above concerns.

 

After speaking with Dr. Keser's clinic regarding these concerns on and offline, Dr. Keser and his staff have decided not to undergo the final evaluation and review process and thus is no longer being considered for recommendation. However, this community hopes that he takes the constructive feedback he received from this community regarding his technique seriously and uses it to continue to improve his technique and results.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[fito88]

Hi guys, thanks a lot for the input, much appreciated. I will take a look at those guys you mentioned KO. I think I've already accepted this is going to cost more than originally expected. Probably around 7000-9000 euros, I've been looking mostly at these:

 

Dr Erdogan (first choice but not at the cost of half my donor)

Dr Keser (great hairline work, does everything himself)

Dr Bisanga (over my budget but very well regarded)

Dr Lupanzula (seems new on the scene but great work - anyone know price)

Dr Ozgur

Dr Maras

 

I think I won't be able to narrow down this list properly until I receive graft quotes from clinics, but I don't intend on getting a HT for another 10 months at least so its a bit early for that I guess. Right now I think the graft count is more important than the cost. If Erdogan says I need 3200 and Bisanga says he can do it with 2000 I would go with Bisanga.

 

Here is an example of roughly where my hair is and what result I'm after. My hair is slightly less advanced than the before pic though, similar temple loss but my forelock is wider and stronger. I think I'm a strong NW2.5-3. I understand this is quite an exceptional result and not the norm. It's probably one of my favourites. The end result is how my hair looked before my temples started receding!

 

ASMED | Hair Transplant Results Gallery - Norwood 3 - Dr Koray Erdogan - 2000 grafts FUE + 800 grafts FUE

 

The results in the link you provided are almost impossible to believe. It looks like 2 completely different people! The hair's texture and thickness look completely different. This makes me worried about the legitimacy of this clinic...

 

I hope someone of the gurus on this forum can have a look at these pictures and confirm that it is possible to have these results with only 2800 grafts transplanted. I am norwood 3, exactly as the guy in the before pics, and if i can achieve these results with only 2800 grafts, then im willing to pay anything for this!

[Ernie]

The results in the link you provided are almost impossible to believe. It looks like 2 completely different people! The hair's texture and thickness look completely different. This makes me worried about the legitimacy of this clinic...

 

I hope someone of the gurus on this forum can have a look at these pictures and confirm that it is possible to have these results with only 2800 grafts transplanted. I am norwood 3, exactly as the guy in the before pics, and if i can achieve these results with only 2800 grafts, then im willing to pay anything for this!

 

Hi fito88,

 

ASMED is a reputable clinic and Dr. Erdogan is a great doctor. The patient results you're referring to are indeed incredible. I went the FUT route but Erdogan was in my top 3 for FUE

[fito88]

Hi fito88,

 

ASMED is a reputable clinic and Dr. Erdogan is a great doctor. The patient results you're referring to are indeed incredible. I went the FUT route but Erdogan was in my top 3 for FUE

 

The results in the link above are indeed incredible! Almost too good to be true!! I don't think this Dr. or any other HT Dr. can deliver results like these quiet often!

 

I have almost the same head as the before picture of that guy and i had a video consultation with Dr. Armani's clinic and i was told i needed 2500 + or - 500 grafts to fill in my temples and lower my hairline by 1 cm in total, they promised i will achieve 60-70 grafts/cm2 density after the operation. These promises were almost too good to be true to me and they sounded like a scam! luckily i saw a few posts on this forum warning people from this clinic, and how they are scam artists.

 

If Dr. Erdogan can deliver similar or close results like these on my head, then im more than read to pay extra and go for him for an FUE. But again, I wish but i highly doubt it..

[hsrp10]

I've been looking mostly at these:

 

Dr Erdogan (first choice but not at the cost of half my donor)

Dr Keser (great hairline work, does everything himself)

Dr Bisanga (over my budget but very well regarded)

Dr Lupanzula (seems new on the scene but great work - anyone know price)

Dr Ozgur

Dr Maras[/url]

 

Based on this list and also sanity checking and researching all possible "decent" FUE surgeons for my last procedure ever, it seems both in Turkey and on the European forums like Bellicapelli that for Turkey the most recommended clinics are ASMED (Dr. Erdogan) [2.5 euros], Dr. Keser [3.5 euros], and Dr. Ozgur (Hairline Clinic) [2.7-3 euros]. Some in Turkey and elsewhere rank Dr. Keser ahead of Dr. Erdogan due to the fact he does all the work himself and only does 500-700 grafts per day.

 

It seems that Dr. Keser is very selective in choosing patients however, and might reject higher NWs who've had previous surgeries, one guy from this forum HARIRI mentioned that as well. If you're a younger lower NW he seems to be eager to work on you. Also correspondence might take some time.

 

Regarding Dr. Ozgur I couldn't get a real feeling for him or find a large number of results, but his clinic Hairline Clinic has a "Premium" ranking on Bellicapelli <http://bellicapelliforum.com/en/>

 

The Belgium doctors including most recently Dr. Lupanzula we all know well about already.

[fito88]

Based on this list and also sanity checking and researching all possible "decent" FUE surgeons for my last procedure ever, it seems both in Turkey and on the European forums like Bellicapelli that for Turkey the most recommended clinics are ASMED (Dr. Erdogan) [2.5 euros], Dr. Keser [3.5 euros], and Dr. Ozgur (Hairline Clinic) [2.7-3 euros]. Some in Turkey and elsewhere rank Dr. Keser ahead of Dr. Erdogan due to the fact he does all the work himself and only does 500-700 grafts per day.

 

It seems that Dr. Keser is very selective in choosing patients however, and might reject higher NWs who've had previous surgeries, one guy from this forum HARIRI mentioned that as well. If you're a younger lower NW he seems to be eager to work on you. Also correspondence might take some time.

 

Regarding Dr. Ozgur I couldn't get a real feeling for him or find a large number of results, but his clinic Hairline Clinic has a "Premium" ranking on Bellicapelli <http://bellicapelliforum.com/en/>

 

The Belgium doctors including most recently Dr. Lupanzula we all know well about already.

 

 

Dr. Erdogan gives ridiculous quotes for graft numbers though. Im 28 and barely NW3 and he quoted me 4000-5000 grafts!!! and when i asked him to be more conservative i didn't even get a reply back!! i really don't understand how is high very highly rated here?!?!

[hsrp10]

Agreed, and that was Zim's concern as well: Dr Erdogan (first choice but not at the cost of half my donor)

 

I have around 1,500 lifetime donor FUE grafts left, and they quoted me at 2,000 and seemed didn't want to budge in follow-up emails, though they did say it would be based on in person inspection.

 

I personally believe their graft quoting method is built into their pricing system, because across the board for all patients they quote much higher graft counts than other clinics. They offer a "lower" rate of 2.5 euros but make it up with higher graft counts.

Do like their work and Dr. Erdogan is a leading pioneer in FUE, so there are pros and cons.

[JON86]

4000-5000 for a NW3 is ridiculous. It's good you realize this is way too high a number. Choose wisely you only have so many grafts to deal with the loss you will have in the future.

[fito88]

Dr. Erdogan gives ridiculous quotes for graft numbers, though. I'm 28 and barely NW3 and he quoted me 4000-5000 grafts!!! and when I asked him to be more conservative I didn't even get a reply back!! I really don't understand how is high very highly rated here?!?!

 

What's more ridiculous is Erdogan and his Clinic ASMED seem to be consistent with their ridiculously overestimating of graft number for lots of patients, and there's still not many people on this forum calling him out for it, especially the moderators!!

 

I remember one of the moderators commented before on the reason why some surgeons are not recommended by the forum, and one of the reasons to that is that they overestimate on their graft numbers!! while Erdogan seems to do it consistently!!!

 

They guy wants to literally transplant 80% of my donor area while I'm still 28 and NW3 only!! with an absolute disregard for my future!!! How is that even ethical in the slightest??!!! And why would I care if he's work is amazing if he is going to make me look good for 5-10 years then later on when I start losing more hair I'll be left with a severely weakened and depleted donor area???

 

And imagine if he gave me a bad hair transplant with 5000 grafts!! which can happen to any surgeon in the world, and I'm sure he is not immune to that possibility!! Then what will i do from then??? I don't even think he even has a refunding policy!!! So basically he butchers people's donor area with an absolute disregard for their future, age and situation, hence, his cheap prices!!! Again, how is that even ethical??? And how is he not getting called out for it on this forum yet??!!!!!