Best affordable place for surgery in Europe?

[fito88]

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

 

Agreed!! and it's so annoying how he seems to be consistent at doing this!!

 

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.

 

What does it benefit me as a patient if my surgeon is a pioneer at what he do, but he has no interest in me and my future, and all he cares about is staking on piles of money??!!

 

The problem is, he seems to overestimate the graft numbers on purpose!! Because i asked him TWICE to go for a more conservative approach rather than butcher my donor area at the age of 28, and i got ZERO replies for 2 weeks now!! While it only took him 2 days to quote me 4000-5000 grafts!!!!

 

That's ethics out of the window right there, and he SHOULD be called out for it to stop this behaviour!!

Edited November 28, 2016 by fito88

[Ernie]

When/if I ever need a 2nd procedure, I'd be inclined to go to Erdogan for FUE - but only if I could be in more control of the graft count and the payment situation.

 

May sound dumb to challenge a doctors graft recommendation, but umm.... Not if its Erdogan and you've studied up on this forum long enough.

 

----

 

For FUT, I'd go back to Rahal as he took care of me very well from a results standpoint

[fito88]

When/if I ever need a 2nd procedure, I'd be inclined to go to Erdogan for FUE - but only if I could be in more control of the graft count and the payment situation.

 

May sound dumb to challenge a doctors graft recommendation, but umm.... Not if its Erdogan and you've studied up on this forum long enough.

 

----

 

For FUT, I'd go back to Rahal as he took care of me very well from a results standpoint

 

What would be your next choice after Erdogan?

[Ernie]

What would be your next choice after Erdogan?

 

2. Lorenzo

3. Feriduni

 

But watching this Lupanzula guy too. And Keser...

[fito88]

2. Lorenzo

3. Feriduni

 

But watching this Lupanzula guy too. And Keser...

 

Fantastic choices, as they all perform Manual FUE.

 

Have you thought about Dr. Bhatti?

[Ernie]

Fantastic choices, as they all perform Manual FUE.

 

Have you thought about Dr. Bhatti?

 

I'm not a fan, which doesn't mean much since I'm just one dude on a forum. But you asked for ny opinion

[fito88]

I'm not a fan, which doesn't mean much since I'm just one dude on a forum. But you asked for ny opinion

 

All good

[hsrp10]

2. Lorenzo

3. Feriduni

 

But watching this Lupanzula guy too. And Keser...

 

Two great FUE masters but Lorenzo is a bit on expensive side which goes against the theme of Zim's thread (though price shouldn't be the ultimate factor of course) and also quite difficult to get a booking with.

 

Lupanzula is the more affordable of that group outside of Turkey, 4.50 euros for the first 1,000 grafts and 4 euros for any after the first 1,000 (according to Wibbles etc.). Cheaper than both Bisanga and Feriduni.

[GuyFromTheUK]

2. Lorenzo

3. Feriduni

 

But watching this Lupanzula guy too. And Keser...

 

Why not Bisanga?

[Dumpling]

^Bisanga is a bit underrated for some reason. He's probably the European surgeon with the best reputation, somebody who is good at both FUT/FUE but somehow gets left out of these lists, probably because he's not seen as a "hairline guy" or a "massive megasession guy".

[hsrp10]

He did my temple corners which came out great, and does great hairlines too.

I recommend him for everything except for temple points (due to recent case posted).

[mikeyhwk]

^Bisanga is a bit underrated for some reason. He's probably the European surgeon with the best reputation, somebody who is good at both FUT/FUE but somehow gets left out of these lists, probably because he's not seen as a "hairline guy" or a "massive megasession guy".

 

He is underrated, I think it has to do with him not being flashy. His style is conservative and he has a very long term approach to transplanting. He uses enough grafts to get the job done and looking good but he won't throw extra grafts at a hairline to wildly dense pack it just because you want that if that isn't in your best interest and he won't do huge numbers of as you said the mega sessions so he isn't going to have the same number of results that just blow you away. He just does consistently excellent work and stands behind it. Even in the case of the temple which was brought up on this forum, he was willing to fix it . That was really one of the only examples of a screw up I've seen from their clinic and all docs got them. I went with him as my doc and I asked every doc I consulted with who they would go to for fue if they had to get it for themselves, his name came up the most. That was a good sign to me. I'm only 3 months post op but do feel like I was in great hands, time will tell.

[Zim]

Thanks for the input guys. I think we are mostly in agreement. I obviously won't be able to get the full picture until I have my donor area assessed and get some graft counts from clinics. Graft quotes will decide whether it is Erdogan, Keser, Lupanzula or Bisanga. (shortlist for now, subject to change ofc!). Obviously I can't be sure but having researched hundreds of results, I am quite confident I can get the results I desire for 2.5k-3k grafts in the hands of a great surgeon. I am 27, NW3 with dense hair and temporal recession. Erdogan is my first choice but I am sure he will quote me 3.5k minimum.

[Zim]

Small update - I sent pics to Erdogan and they quoted me 3k-3.2k grafts. Not too bad but I think that might go up by the time I get round to having it + there being more miniaturization on my scalp than the pics show (behind the temples).

 

Gonna send my pics round to a few others on the shortlist and see what the differences in graft # are

Edited January 4, 2017 by Zim

[hsrp10]

If it's your first transplant, meaning you don't need to overly worry about your donor hair (we all need to manage it though) and don't mind shaving I think Erdogan could be an almost no-brainer in your case.

Given the proven results and the cost of FUE surgery for 3K or more grafts.

 

Anyway good luck man, are you able to have any in person consults in Belgium etc?

[Zim]

If it's your first transplant, meaning you don't need to overly worry about your donor hair (we all need to manage it though) and don't mind shaving I think Erdogan could be an almost no-brainer in your case.

Given the proven results and the cost of FUE surgery for 3K or more grafts.

 

Anyway good luck man, are you able to have any in person consults in Belgium etc?

 

I thought the average donor capacity was around 6-8k? Donor is my main concern, seen as I'm only 26 and do have a thinning crown too. I think my donor area is average. I would be much more relaxed if my crown was untouched as I understand it completely eats grafts compared to the front. I'm happy to put 3-3.5k in my frontal third as long as the area behind my temples/forelock is reinforced - I do see some guys spunking this amount of grafts in a NW2 hairline area which is a luxury I can't afford. It's my hope that this first procedure will sort my frontal third for life, is this naive?

 

I think you're right about Erdogan being a no-brainer so I don't plan to have any in-person consults for the moment.

 

I do keep a close eye on future treatments and believe at least one of them will come out in the next few years that would allow me to maintain my remaining hair. That's obviously a bonus though and not something I'm basing this transplant decision on - more for the future when I'm in my 30s/40s. If they all fail miserably then in all likelihood I will have to deplete my donor completely and still have a thin crown/midscalp.

 

I've attached some crappy pics to give you a general idea of my hair.

Edited January 6, 2017 by Zim

[Vainism]

Really interesting thread, some great posts, i have the same recession as OP, and i've been quoted 3200 as well, at the end of the day I think a strong hairline kings crown any day of the week as the frame of the face is imperative.

 

Long term wise if 1/3 of your hair requires 3k, then 7-9k donors is all you need..

I do think you should go see a local hair surgeon and get a donor graft count tho to ease your mind.

or perhaps you should record a video of your donor region and comb through it up and down and send it to a surgeon who would give you a good estimate.

[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...

 

Try to find a place that might work with your budget. FUE on the hairline and temples is not easily accomplised; repairing them with certainty involves significantly more than 3 euro per graft-expensive.

 

Even a 3-hair FUE graft on the hairline or temples could cost you 25 euro to repair.

[jcs87]

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

 

There was a separate thread that I don't have handy at the moment but here was the pricing from that thread (I believe the prices listed were current as of late 2016):

 

"First 1500 grafts = 4.5EUR

From 1500 to 3000 = 4EUR

Everything above that = 2.50EUR"

 

 

Two great FUE masters but Lorenzo is a bit on expensive side which goes against the theme of Zim's thread (though price shouldn't be the ultimate factor of course) and also quite difficult to get a booking with.

 

Lupanzula is the more affordable of that group outside of Turkey, 4.50 euros for the first 1,000 grafts and 4 euros for any after the first 1,000 (according to Wibbles etc.). Cheaper than both Bisanga and Feriduni.

 

Bisanga is actually cheaper than Lupanzala for any procedure above 1,500 grafts. I was operating under the impression that Lupanzala was gonna be cheaper but when I actually looked at the price structure this is how the math worked out.

 

Didn't Lupanzala train w/ Bisanga? I'm surprised he's charging higher rates.

 

Bisanga did my temple corners which came out great, and does great hairlines too.

I recommend him for everything except for temple points (due to recent case posted).

 

I am looking at FUE docs for hairline and temple work and Bisanga is on my short list - would you mind linking me to the thread you're referring to.

 

He is underrated, I think it has to do with him not being flashy. His style is conservative and he has a very long term approach to transplanting. He uses enough grafts to get the job done and looking good but he won't throw extra grafts at a hairline to wildly dense pack it just because you want that if that isn't in your best interest and he won't do huge numbers of as you said the mega sessions so he isn't going to have the same number of results that just blow you away. He just does consistently excellent work and stands behind it. Even in the case of the temple which was brought up on this forum, he was willing to fix it . That was really one of the only examples of a screw up I've seen from their clinic and all docs got them. I went with him as my doc and I asked every doc I consulted with who they would go to for fue if they had to get it for themselves, his name came up the most. That was a good sign to me. I'm only 3 months post op but do feel like I was in great hands, time will tell.

 

Who were the other docs that were frequently mentioned?

 

Thanks for the input guys. I think we are mostly in agreement. I obviously won't be able to get the full picture until I have my donor area assessed and get some graft counts from clinics. Graft quotes will decide whether it is Erdogan, Keser, Lupanzula or Bisanga. (shortlist for now, subject to change ofc!). Obviously I can't be sure but having researched hundreds of results, I am quite confident I can get the results I desire for 2.5k-3k grafts in the hands of a great surgeon. I am 27, NW3 with dense hair and temporal recession. Erdogan is my first choice but I am sure he will quote me 3.5k minimum.

 

Any particular reason you decided to omit Ozgur Oztan from the short list at this point in time?

[mikeyhwk]

 

Who were the other docs that were frequently mentioned?

 

 

 

 

Keep in mind my question was only about fue docs. Bisanga and Feriduni were mentioned almost in the same breath. From my limited ( I only asked a dozen, a couple didn't answer) research those were the top 2 most respected among their peers. Only other docs to get more than 1 mention were Mwamba, and Lorenzo. I was surprised to hear very few american docs mentioned and none got a 2nd mention even when I asked the american docs that question they mentioned the Euro guys which led me to believe they are the standard to which they measure themselves against. I was also surprised I didn't hear Erdogan as he's so well thought of on the forums but then no Turkish docs were mentioned, I didn't press them and say what about so and so, I just said if you had to have your surgery and you could choose from any fue doc worlwide who would you trust, give me your top 3 if you trust that many. Some couldn't name 3, and a few came back with the same response, Bisanga, Feriduni, myself lol I didn't include the vote for themselves as an official vote

[jcs87]

Keep in mind my question was only about fue docs. Bisanga and Feriduni were mentioned almost in the same breath. From my limited ( I only asked a dozen, a couple didn't answer) research those were the top 2 most respected among their peers. Only other docs to get more than 1 mention were Mwamba, and Lorenzo. I was surprised to hear very few american docs mentioned and none got a 2nd mention even when I asked the american docs that question they mentioned the Euro guys which led me to believe they are the standard to which they measure themselves against. I was also surprised I didn't hear Erdogan as he's so well thought of on the forums but then no Turkish docs were mentioned, I didn't press them and say what about so and so, I just said if you had to have your surgery and you could choose from any fue doc worlwide who would you trust, give me your top 3 if you trust that many. Some couldn't name 3, and a few came back with the same response, Bisanga, Feriduni, myself lol I didn't include the vote for themselves as an official vote

 

That's a great idea and pretty valuable insight from people that see behind the scenes. Pretty impressed that you were able to get 10 out of 12 to respond to a question like that.

 

Interesting that Lupanzala, Erdogan, Keser, Shapiro, and Konior didn't get any mentions. I'd also be fascinated to know what the docs think of Juan Cuoto.

[mikeyhwk]

That's a great idea and pretty valuable insight from people that see behind the scenes. Pretty impressed that you were able to get 10 out of 12 to respond to a question like that.

 

Interesting that Lupanzala, Erdogan, Keser, Shapiro, and Konior didn't get any mentions. I'd also be fascinated to know what the docs think of Juan Cuoto.

 

Most were fine to speak about who they respected as it wasn't about being disrepectful to anybody else. I can only speculate as to reasonings as I said I didn't push for explanations. If you see a lot of the transplant conference speakers lists, the overwhelming majority of the speakers for fue are euro guys so I think they just become the respected names while their US counterparts are newer to the fue game as fut has ruled NA. That's what I am assuming is the reason that the US guys didn't make the radar for the Euro guys while the Euros did for the Americans. I am sure there is respect for some American docs as there are clearly some great ones. No idea why the Turks weren't mentioned as Erdogan does make the conference rounds and has worked with quite a few fue docs. Nobody brought up Cuoto and again I'm just speculating but he seems a newer doc so he may not have the longevity of some of the other docs which is why I speculate Lupanzula wasn't on many lists either. I had asked Dr Bisanga about Dr Lupanzula and he spoke highly of him.

[jcs87]

Most were fine to speak about who they respected as it wasn't about being disrepectful to anybody else. I can only speculate as to reasonings as I said I didn't push for explanations. If you see a lot of the transplant conference speakers lists, the overwhelming majority of the speakers for fue are euro guys so I think they just become the respected names while their US counterparts are newer to the fue game as fut has ruled NA. That's what I am assuming is the reason that the US guys didn't make the radar for the Euro guys while the Euros did for the Americans. I am sure there is respect for some American docs as there are clearly some great ones. No idea why the Turks weren't mentioned as Erdogan does make the conference rounds and has worked with quite a few fue docs. Nobody brought up Cuoto and again I'm just speculating but he seems a newer doc so he may not have the longevity of some of the other docs which is why I speculate Lupanzula wasn't on many lists either. I had asked Dr Bisanga about Dr Lupanzula and he spoke highly of him.

 

Yep - that all makes sense to me. When did you pose this question to the various docs (was it late 2016)?

[KO]

jcs87, I understand what you're doing in terms of asking other posters. But what do you like? Which doctors impress you? You have to remember, there are many doctors doing good work, but only a small number of names get passed around as "recommendations". Only 3 years ago did Bisanga get on this forum, and few english speaking posters had heard of Dr Lorenzo. I don't know how many of those realize that Dr. Vila's results also are part of Injerto Capilar's results library. Most posters hadn't heard of Couto, but in a few months you see posters touting him. Relying on poster recs will lead you to a limited set of names. Just FYI.

[mikeyhwk]

Yep - that all makes sense to me. When did you pose this question to the various docs (was it late 2016)?

 

Mid 2016, the summer.