Unshaven Recipient Area FUE Surgeons

[PWSB]

So after 10 years of being a forum lurker, I am seriously considering getting FUE for a receeding hairline and temple work- I'm a Norwood 3. I can't say my hairloss hasn't progressed over the past 10 years but it's been slow. I am very comfortable getting a procedure done knowing that I will need follow up procedures later on. My career is very client relationship focused, so I am looking into doctors that do FUE with unshaven recipient areas. My hair is relatively short on the sides and back, and I'll likely take a month off work so I don't mind having my donor area shaven. Cost is not really a factor but I think US surgeons that are charging $8-10/graft are way overpriced compared to other regions of the world. I came up with a short list of potential surgeons and I've reached out to them for online consults.

 

How would you rank the surgeons currently on my list? Is there anyone else that I should be considering or consider removing from the list? Bisanga and Konior are at the top of my list at the moment- both have shown excellent hairlines and strong ethics in my opinion.

 

Dr. Bisanga

Dr. Konior

Dr. Erdogen (shows great results but a little worried about who's actually doing the work)

Dr. Diep (Checking if he does unshaven recipient surgeries- does anyone know?)

Dr. Shapiro

Dr. Mwamba

Dr. Umar

Edited December 29, 2016 by PWSB

[fortune11]

So after 10 years of being a forum lurker, I am seriously considering getting FUE for a receeding hairline and temple work- I'm a Norwood 3. I can't say my hairloss hasn't progressed over the past 10 years but it's been slow. I am very comfortable getting a procedure done knowing that I will need follow up procedures later on. My career is very client relationship focused, so I am looking into doctors that do FUE with unshaven recipient areas. My hair is relatively short on the sides and back, and I'll likely take a month off work so I don't mind having my donor area shaven. Cost is not really a factor but I think US surgeons that are charging $8-10/graft are way overpriced compared to other regions of the world. I came up with a short list of potential surgeons and I've reached out to them for online consults.

 

How would you rank the surgeons currently on my list? Is there anyone else that I should be considering or consider removing from the list? Bisanga and Konior are at the top of my list at the moment- both have shown excellent hairlines and strong ethics in my opinion.

 

Dr. Bisanga

Dr. Konior

Dr. Erdogen (shows great results but a little worried about who's actually doing the work)

Dr. Diep (Checking if he does unshaven recipient surgeries- does anyone know?)

Dr. Shapiro

Dr. Mwamba

Dr. Umar

 

 

You have listed some solid names up here. I recently had an FUE with Ron Shapiro but he does like to trim the recipient area for better placement . But if you are looking at hairline, I would strongly consider Ron Shapiro nonetheless, or atleast get his thoughts on what you prefer and if it is feasible in his opinion.

 

My hairline transplant with him in 2004 was as solid as can be and he designed it accounting for my future loss pattern, looks very natural. That was FUT, but he still trimmed the recipient area to get in between hairs.

 

The one time i did not get my hair trimmed was 2011 (different doctor though) and that transplant did not turn out to be as well as the others. Was that the only factor - probably not , but did play a role I think.

 

I also work in a client facing industry and was very concerned about trimming / shaving since I cannot wear a hat at work. But I often only had 1-2 weeks off from work unlike what you have. Personally I think a month off from work is plenty of time for regrowth. You can also manage with hair concealers in the meantime (if you post pics , it may be easier to comment on this aspect) . And before heading for a transplant you can clip your hair short so that people get used to it and it is not that big of a surprise when they see you again after a month.

[hsrp10]

That's a pretty solid list there and makes me feel you've already researched it a lot.

Most of those are on my watch list for my small FUE procedure next year (recipient possibly unshaven but I may buzz the immediate small area down), so I will give my comments based on my experience and research.

 

I will also add the advice to do two more added research steps for making your final choice:

(1) Determine your own hair caliber (fine, average, coarse etc) and determine which of the above doctors will give you the most natural and densest hairline, based on published results with patients of your same hair caliber type (almost any doc these days can produce a "visual" home run in pictures with patients having thick dark, coarse hair so this is important).

(2) Research which techniques and tools the above surgeons use for transplanting into existing native hair, especially in the case of unshaven fue this is very important for protecting against shockloss. Example do they use "stick and place" or make all of the incision openings first, do they use custom blades or needles for creating the recipient sites etc?

 

Dr. Bisanga - One of the best in the biz for FUE, has a conservative approach but can go dense if the situation and patient's donor hair allows it. Price is on the more reasonable side compared to US fue surgeons. Also a master at graft extraction technique for future donor management. I've had both temple corner work and minor temple point work done there and the results are excellent.

I will mention that there are some recent cases of subpar work done there of late (temple point case, and some patient's requiring free touch ups referenced on this site) so research those as well.

 

Dr. Konior - I had two smaller FUT surgeries with him previously, and he will give you the best personalized patient experience possible in the HT industry, as he handles every step of the consultation process and surgery himself basically. He also literally wrote the book on hair restoration. Produces amazing, natural results and you will be hard pressed to find a bad report or negative experience posted about him.

Cons: can you get an actual booking date with him? price is very high for FUE compared to the global average and not so many published FUE results (I can find 3-4 on this site). But I'd have a FUE procedure with him in a heartbeat.

 

Dr. Erdogen - Are you getting long hair FUE done there? Otherwise I've found that they will not agree to partial shaving or unshaven FUE. Seems across the board they will also quote you with a very high graft count, sometimes twice of what other clinics will quote you with. They produce amazing results, but I want to know if they are practicing the same high standard of donor management techniques done in Belgium and elsewhere.

 

Dr. Diep - Has lot of aggressive dense hair line results for FUE, price seems competitive for N. America, seems booked out 6 months or more in advance which is not all that bad if you can plan it. Multiple patient experiences and Diep supporters on this site.

 

I don't have any experience with the others, but Dr. Lupanzula who trained under Bisanga and is tad bit cheaper and also recommended on HRN as well as Dr. Maras in Cyprus (3.5 euro/graft with solid results out there) are two others you could benefit from researching as well. I know they can both do unshaven recipient or at least partial shaving.

 

anyway good luck!

Edited December 30, 2016 by hsrp10

[PWSB]

hsrp10/fortune11- Thanks for the quick responses! After 10 years of going back and forth on a transplant, I've done a decent amount of research but there is always more to be done. I told myself I'd wait 10 years (early 30s) and that's why I'm ready to move forward now.

 

Great point to ask about the tools/techniques each surgeon uses. In an ideal world, what would be the optimal techniques/tools or does it depend on your hair type? Stick/place vs. incisions first? Custom blades vs. needles? I'd say that I have average hair, maybe average to coarse.

 

Dr. Konior - After discussing with Dr. Konior, he is unfortunately on the very high end of the price range that I mentioned for unshaven recipient FUE. I'm pretty confident in my top 3-4 surgeons so it'll be hard to justify spending twice as much.

 

Dr. Bisanga - With Belgiums 21% VA Tax, Dr. Bisanga will be surprisingly close to US surgeons, especially when factoring in travel costs. I was quoted 1500-1800 grafts, which seems a little low to me but I trust his opinion. I was estimating closer to 2500 grafts.

 

Dr. Diep - He's rising more and more to the top of my list and I have a consultation with him in a few weeks so I'll see what he says.

 

Drs. H&W - adding them to my list. Great work but they need more picture before they can say an unshaven fue is possible.

 

Dr. Erdogen - Still waiting to hear back but I'm hoping they offer partially shaven FUE. Given that all of the work I require is in the temples and hairline, long hair fue seems like an additional risk that is unnecessary.

 

Who knows, if all of the doctors recommend shaving my head and the cost is significantly less, I may just say F-it and shave. My hair is usually forward so it would be easy to hide a HT, so I'm holding out hope. I plan on taking more pictures in direct sunlight this weekend, but I attached some that I had on hand.

[wibbles180]

Looks a pretty solid list , out of interest why did dr Lorenzo not make the cut ?

[PWSB]

Looks a pretty solid list , out of interest why did dr Lorenzo not make the cut ?

 

I just haven't done much research on Dr. Lorenzo. To be honest, going internationally (I live in California) for surgery makes me nervous with the exception of Belgium. Dr. Erdogen is on my list only because he is talked about extensively and has done so many procedures, but I would still be extremely nervous to travel to Turkey (and not because of safety). I'm waiting to do consults with everyone on my list and gather all of the information I can. When I make my decision I'll short list all of the surgeons that I am equally confident in then have to weigh the cost/travel pros and cons. Like I mentioned, I plan on taking a month off so travelling for 3-4 weeks after a week of recovery sounds fun but international surgery makes me very nervous. Maybe it's ignorant but I'm also factoring in recourse if something goes wrong and needing touch up procedures in the future.

[hsrp10]

Yeah if you're in California Dr. Diep could be as close to a no-brainer choice as you're going to get.

Would definitely have an in person consultation with him and also interact with/PM former Diep patients here on HRN.

 

As for techniques transplanting into existing hair, I think Dr. Konior's "stick and place" one graft at a time method is the best for such cases (opening all the incision sites at one time might be better for virgin scalp), and needles or implanter pens (Dr. Lorenzo uses implanter pens) may be slightly better than custom blades, as one side of the needle is dull which may help in avoiding transection.

 

Also Dr. Erdogan at ASMED seems to use his own special tools & techniques when transplanting into existing hair from what I've read.

"The extraction part of the surgery is performed with special punches patented by Dr.Koray, the incisions are performed by Saphire Blades in order not to damage original hair roots and the placement of the grafts by KEEP (Koray Erdogan Embedding Placer) again patented by Dr.Koray. "

 

Dr. Bisanga uses both blades and needles but he seems to prefer needles when making sites into existing hair btw.

[fortune11]

One item -- I know this is maybe not the answer you want to hear but seeing your hair pics , I personally don't think a transplant is even needed at this point. If you decided to get one, concealment would be very easy given you have plenty of coverage all over the scalp. Trimming the hair short well before the transplant would be a good strategy. Do give Ron Shapiro a call though, he is certainly among the very top few in the world when it comes to designing hairlines.

[Dolph1969]

Expect Erdogan to quote about 4000.....

 

I would also consider Dr Saifi in Poland. I had an excellent experience with him and others highly recommend him too. I would say no more than 1500-2000 grafts based on your pictures. He does unshaven fue regularly.

[hsrp10]

 

I would also consider Dr Saifi in Poland. I had an excellent experience with him and others highly recommend him too.

 

He's already got a list that includes 3-4 tier 1 world-class elite hair restoration surgeons.

I don't know much about Saifi, but is he in the same league? Mostly playing devil's advocate here.

[Dolph1969]

He's already got a list that includes 3-4 tier 1 world-class elite hair restoration surgeons.

I don't know much about Saifi, but is he in the same league? Mostly playing devil's advocate here.

 

He was my choice, based on researching his results here. I'll tell you in a years time if i'm happy with the final result.

 

Based on my overall experience with him and the clinic, I would highly recommend him.

 

Personally, I wouldn't go near Turkey at the moment.

Edited January 2, 2017 by Dolph1969

[wibbles180]

Just one quick look at dr saifis website put me off instantly:(

[wibbles180]

Where's the face masks ????

[wibbles180]

And this result makes it into his results that he is clearly proud of ?!?! Looks like very average work at best .

 

Also the fact that he offers Botox fillers etc etc ... a definite no no , especially given the fact he's similar price to asmed , hope your result works out dolph but I wouldn't go near after 10 mins research . Remember not all is what it seems when reading patient testimonials on here .

[Dolph1969]

Each must make they're own choice. There have been unhappy clients with probably most surgeons recommended on here, including a well known Turkish one... ot comes down to individual expectations.

 

I'm happy with my choice so far. Proof will be in the final result. His best patient results are on his own database of people who don't want to go public on his website.

 

In relation to travelling to Turkey, I'd prefer to have a head to wear the hair on.

[Dolph1969]

And this result makes it into his results that he is clearly proud of ?!?! Looks like very average work at best .

 

Also the fact that he offers Botox fillers etc etc ... a definite no no , especially given the fact he's similar price to asmed , hope your result works out dolph but I wouldn't go near after 10 mins research . Remember not all is what it seems when reading patient testimonials on here .

 

I must be missing something. That guy was a Norwood 5. I guess people have different perceptions regarding what's a good result.

[wibbles180]

Each must make they're own choice. There have been unhappy clients with probably most surgeons recommended on here, including a well known Turkish one... ot comes down to individual expectations.

 

I'm happy with my choice so far. Proof will be in the final result. His best patient results are on his own database of people who don't want to go public on his website.

 

In relation to travelling to Turkey, I'd prefer to have a head to wear the hair on.

 

I totally agree about the turkey situation at the mo and was only using asmed as a price comparison, you could easily go to dr lupanzula in Brussels for a very similar price , as for the result I posted I honestly think it looks very pluggy and not natural , yet it still made it onto his website !

 

I suppose it's each to there own but I'd love to know if dr Saifi and technicians used face masks whilst performing your recent procedure??

[Dolph1969]

No. No face masks, i think. Does this impact the end result? ? The clinic was spotless, as were the staff.... hopefully my end result won't turn out pluggy ... I'm late 40s so any extra hair will be a bonus..

[PWSB]

Expect Erdogan to quote about 4000.....

 

I would also consider Dr Saifi in Poland. I had an excellent experience with him and others highly recommend him too. I would say no more than 1500-2000 grafts based on your pictures. He does unshaven fue regularly.

 

Dolph1969- I agree, Erdogen will likely quote a very high graft number, which makes me uneasy for multiple reasons. Dr. Saifi shows some decent results but I agree, I'm discouraged by doctors performing routine cosmetic surgury like botox and fillers.

 

**Update** Somewhat surprised but based on the pictures provided to Dr. Erdogen, his recommendation was for 2400 grafts. I was expecting 2000-2500 from most doctors but 3000-4000 from him. Also, he does provide partially shaven FUE as well as the long hair FUE.

 

Looking at my original list, the top three are likely Drs. Diep, Shapiro, and Bisanga. I have online consultations with all three over the next few weeks and will likely take a drive up to Northern California to visit Dr. Diep after.

 

Across the board, prices for unshaven recipient FUE are higher than I anticipated and representatives from each clinic have discouraged going that route. If it'll cost twice as much to do an unshaven recipient area and results are perceived to be more risky, I may pick up the razor.

Edited January 3, 2017 by PWSB
Update on Erdogen Consultation

[PWSB]

One item -- I know this is maybe not the answer you want to hear but seeing your hair pics , I personally don't think a transplant is even needed at this point. If you decided to get one, concealment would be very easy given you have plenty of coverage all over the scalp. Trimming the hair short well before the transplant would be a good strategy. Do give Ron Shapiro a call though, he is certainly among the very top few in the world when it comes to designing hairlines.

 

I definitely appreciate your opinion, everyone's. I continuously have the thought of "maybe I should still hold off" but that's a thought that I've been having for 10 years. I always told myself I'd wait till ~30 to have a HT. I've waited a few more years and it's starting to feel like the time is right. Based on my family history (and I know that doesn't mean everything), I'm following the exact same pattern as my father and uncle (norwood 3A) but holding up better due to meds (most likely). Over the next 20-30 years I expect to lose some ground in the frontal regions but the crown will stay fairly strong. Because of this, I expect to need maintenance every 5-10 years and I don't anticipate getting an aggressive HT so the hairline that I'd like today is the hairline that I'll like in 20 years. By using up 2000-2500 grafts today, I think I would be leaving decent donor supply for maintenance later on but it's certainly a question I've been asking during my consultations.

[wibbles180]

No. No face masks, i think. Does this impact the end result? ? The clinic was spotless, as were the staff.... hopefully my end result won't turn out pluggy ... I'm late 40s so any extra hair will be a bonus..

 

not using a face mask whilst performing surgery shouldn't affect the overall result I think it's just common practice for any medical profession to avoid possible infections, even my dentist wears one whilst performing a standard check up where there are no open wounds etc ... either way hope all goes well and look forward to following your result as things develop please keep us all updated

[romperstomper29]

Hey wibbles feel free to check out my post on my HT with Dr Saifi http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/181146-fue-hair-transplant-dr-marwan-saifi-wroclaw-poland-fue-2050-grafts-2-10-15-diffuse-norw.html i decided on him after over 6months of extensive research so maybe your 10minute decision is somewhat naive

[KO]

Marwan Saifi is legit IMO, at least for FUT, I don't know about his FUE.

[wibbles180]

Hey wibbles feel free to check out my post on my HT with Dr Saifi http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/181146-fue-hair-transplant-dr-marwan-saifi-wroclaw-poland-fue-2050-grafts-2-10-15-diffuse-norw.html i decided on him after over 6months of extensive research so maybe your 10minute decision is somewhat naive

 

Hi mate , I don't need to reserch any further as confirmed earlier there are no masks used whilst performing surgery and hygiene is as important to me as results , also as I pointed out earlier I wouldn't use a doctor who offers other services i.e.: Botox fillers etc . It's just my personal preference but the no mask thing is an instant no in my book . I can't honestly see why any medical professional would choose not to wear a mask when performing any type of surgery . Also his results on his own website left a lot to be desired .

[wibbles180]

This jumps out to me as hairtransplant !