Top/Best FUE Surgeon in North America

[hairlossPA]

Is there a general consensus in the community of who the best FUE surgeon is? Something how Erdogan is considered one of the best, if not THEE best. Interested to hear what people have to say. I see very sporadic answers to this. A lot offer FUT and FUE, but it’s hard to call any of them FUE pros

[lakes9925]

this should really be discussed.

[Melvin- Admin]

This is difficult, because the artistry of surgeons vary from surgeon to surgeon. Some patients, may like Dr. Diep's hairline designs, while others may prefer Dr. Rahal, it is somewhat like choosing between a Mercedez and BMW. It comes down to preference. We recommend most of the best FUE surgeons on the planet, Dr. Erdogan, Dr. Diep, Dr. Devroye, Dr. Feriduni, Dr. Bisanga, Dr. Konoir etc.

[RecessionProof]

My top 3 after a lot of research were Konior, Rahal, and Hasson & Wong. I have also seen excellent results from Cooley, Gabel, Diep, and Carlos Wesley, and would consider all of them contenders. Nadimi seems like another great up and comer.

I personally would go with Konior for his incredible naturalness, ability to use way fewer grafts than most to create strong visual coverage, and the sheer volume of home run level results I’ve seen posted here.

Rahal’s hairlines are godly though, and may be my favorite surgeon with a more aggressive approach.

Edited September 5, 2018 by RecessionProof

[hairlossPA]

anyone else? everyone always names the classic docs but it seems there’s no general consensus in this community. I understand there’s preferences to the artistry but come on... let’s start a debate or something here 

[Castillo]

There are many better doctors than Erdogan, he does not even operate in his clinic, his assistants do.

In my opinion, the best doctor in FUE is Cuban and operates in Spain, Dr Couto.

That is why the waiting list for surgery is 4 years, or I think the list is closed at this time due to the high demand that the doctor has.

 

Freitas also operates in Spain and is better than Erdogan, like Lorenzo in my opinion is much better and if they intervene in the operation.

Edited September 7, 2018 by Castillo

[JayLDD]

1 hour ago, Castillo said:

There are many better doctors than Erdogan, he does not even operate in his clinic, his assistants do.

In my opinion, the best doctor in FUE is Cuban and operates in Spain, Dr Couto.

That is why the waiting list for surgery is 4 years, or I think the list is closed at this time due to the high demand that the doctor has.

 

Freitas also operates in Spain and is better than Erdogan, like Lorenzo in my opinion is much better and if they intervene in the operation.

Its fine to have a preference for doctors, but this comment is based on a lie.

 

Freitas does not extract the grafts, techs do across multiple patients per day.

Lorenzo does not extract the grafts, techs do, techs do across multiple patients per day.

Do these surgeons 'not even operate" in their clinics or are there different standards for Turkish surgeons vs Spanish surgeons? 

When you say he doesn't operate his clinic and then proceed to list clinics which similarly don't have the surgeon perform the extractions, its hard to take you seriously.   Saying that Erdogan doesn't intervene in the operation is defamatory quite frankly. 

Not that your picks aren't fantastic surgeons though, in terms of artistry I don't think any are at the level of Freitas.  Its also a question of what the patient is looking for, if you are after a large FUE megassession then there are none better or at the level of Erdogan period. If you want a small hairline refinement Konior or Keser and their use of stick and place is likely a good option, for midsized sessions someone like Freitas or Baubac.

To OPs point, there's never going to be consensus because different people have different requirements and desires for what they want in a procedure as well as contrasting aesthetic tastes. I do feel its fair to say many of the highly rated Americans are in general very overrated in their FUE though.

[Castillo]

22 minutes ago, JeanLDD said:

Its fine to have a preference for doctors, but this comment is based on a lie.

 

Freitas does not extract the grafts, techs do across multiple patients per day.

Lorenzo does not extract the grafts, techs do, techs do across multiple patients per day.

Do these surgeons 'not even operate" in their clinics or are there different standards for Turkish surgeons vs Spanish surgeons? 

When you say he doesn't operate his clinic and then proceed to list clinics which similarly don't have the surgeon perform the extractions, its hard to take you seriously.   Saying that Erdogan doesn't intervene in the operation is defamatory quite frankly. 

Not that your picks aren't fantastic surgeons though, in terms of artistry I don't think any are at the level of Freitas.  Its also a question of what the patient is looking for, if you are after a large FUE megassession then there are none better or at the level of Erdogan period. If you want a small hairline refinement Konior or Keser and their use of stick and place is likely a good option, for midsized sessions someone like Freitas or Baubac.

To OPs point, there's never going to be consensus because different people have different requirements and desires for what they want in a procedure as well as contrasting aesthetic tastes. I do feel its fair to say many of the highly rated Americans are in general very overrated in their FUE though.

Lorenzo and Freitas continue to extract, they had to train technicians due to the high demand for operations, and however their quality remains in spite of it.

Couto does most of the operation, and I like this doctor because his results do not see them in others, you can look for them in YouTube, Instagram ... for something he has 4 years of waiting list.

 

From the United States, Los Angeles Hair Transplant Clinic attracts my attention, it has good natural results, and the price is $ 6 per unit, I think the average in the USA.

[JayLDD]

1 minute ago, Castillo said:

Lorenzo and Freitas continue to extract, they had to train technicians due to the high demand for operations, and however their quality remains in spite of it.

Couto does most of the operation, and I like this doctor because his results do not see them in others, you can look for them in YouTube, Instagram ... for something he has 4 years of waiting list.

 

From the United States, Los Angeles Hair Transplant Clinic attracts my attention, it has good natural results, and the price is $ 6 per unit, I think the average in the USA.

 

"Lorenzo and Freitas continue to extract, they had to train technicians due to the high demand for operations, and however their quality remains in spite of it."

Well which is it, do they continue to extract (I'll give you a hint, they don't) or do they use techs? Blatant double standards, you can't have it both ways.

I agree their quality remains in spite of techs, but you can't attack Erdogan for using them and that he doesn't have enough involvement in the procedure despite Lorenzo and Freitas not doing extractions themselves either, which you call fine supposedly. 

Another inaccuracy to mention is that Couto doesn't do "most" of the operation, he does all of it.   

 

[Speegs]

I'd favor a doctor who can do both FUE and FUT for the sake of their own experience and the fact they will have the microscopes in-house to prep the grafts for optimal survival and placement.

Also, avoid any practice using a robot, the doc must extract personally.

Gabel, Konior, Hasson & Wong are the immediate names for that criteria.

[bismarck]

7 hours ago, Castillo said:

That is why the waiting list for surgery is 4 years, or I think the list is closed at this time due to the high demand that the doctor has.

His waiting list has gone up to 6 years

[hairlossPA]

what are people’s thoughts on doctor diep? don’t give me the typical “he’s a great doctor and we recommended for both FUT and FUE”

his youtube is convincing but i’ve heard questionable things from the forum

[razzy]

No one actually answered the question directly which was interesting.

FUE in North America? Dr. Konior.

 

[Melvin- Admin]

What question about Dr. Diep? 

Allow me to state the facts, I really hate doing this, because I am personally his patient and it sounds like im defending him which im not, im simply stating facts. 

The “patient” that repeatedly came on here to bash Dr. Diep, never once revealed his name so we could reach out to Dr. Diep for his response and to verify hes a legitimate patient. Furthermore, he never once posted a before picture or a full hairline picture. Moreover, every picture posted was a poor quality photo close up of his temple spread apart, this is obviously not an accurate depiction of a result.

The same way we keep clinics accountable for taking pictures in favorable lighting, we have to keep patients accountable also, i can make my HT look horrible, ill wet my hair stand under a bright light and spread it apart. I guarantee people will say wow, then i can turn around and take pictures in favorable lighting with my hairstyled and I’ll get the same response, but positive. Thats why video documentation is so important.

I have yet to see one patient complain after a full 12 months, now im not saying there aren’t, every surgeon has patients where the results are lackluster I assure you, but Dr. Diep, has an enormous portfolio and many of his YouTube patients are actually on this forum like hairvanity and myself.  

[JayLDD]

17 hours ago, hairlossPA said:

what are people’s thoughts on doctor diep? don’t give me the typical “he’s a great doctor and we recommended for both FUT and FUE”

his youtube is convincing but i’ve heard questionable things from the forum

Two issues I think should be noted about Diep. Firstly he uses punch sizes with an area almost double that of 90% of top FUE surgeons and occasionally the scarring is very visible even at low graft numbers, realistically a 1mm punch is 100% going to damage surrounding hairs in the donor also.The phenomenon demonstrated in this pic from a Bisanga report 

 

 

 

Secondly from what I've read he doesn't offer any kind of compensation for a poor result, which the vast majority of other surgeons do, even if its just a touch-up or a partial refund. I don't know that for sure but its what from multiple patients, certainly in every case I've read of complaints there didn't seem to be any form of resolution from the clinic.  

In recent times he seems to be very consistent and certainly among the best in North America in terms of recipient results for FUE, but I think patients should be aware of those points before they choose him. 

[Legend007]

Every result that patients have started a thread  about diep, documenting their journey from the start on this forum ..  all the results have come back homeruns..

as for refunds, their clinic makes it clear there is no refunds . .. I asked this myself when I went for my consultation with diep .. no guarantees , since everyone’s hair is different n not everyone’s hair will grow ..  they only guarantee that they will do their best to give u a chance at a great result .. 

The majority of their patients are happy customers .. its the chance u take . There’s lots of bad clinics that will give u a warranty if it don’t grow , n will offer a second procedure for free .. it probably means they have quite a bit of bad results .. so do u really want to go back to the same clinic that gave u a bad result in the first place ? Or go to a clinic that offers no guarantee but confident in their abilities to give u a great result the first time .. 

i chose the latter .. get it done right the first time .. 

[razzy]

^ Neither of those options Legend.

I would rather go to a clinic that produces outstanding quality results AND backs it up.

Edit: Diep is a good doc no doubt but the punch size and post care irks me.

Edited September 8, 2018 by razzy

[Legend007]

Well yeah so would I .. that’s why I choose to pick a clinic that’s endorsed by this forum .. if all else fails n the clinic did a hack job .. this forum usually have ur back .. 

[hairlossPA]

3 hours ago, razzy said:

^ Neither of those options Legend.

I would rather go to a clinic that produces outstanding quality results AND backs it up.

Edit: Diep is a good doc no doubt but the punch size and post care irks me.

the punch size definitely concerns me. i saw a post here where it was clearly obvious with the punch size. the kid had a fade on the side and you could easily see the circles on the side by his ears. before everyone freaks out... yes i know no transplant has 0 scarring lol

can you request doctors to not use above a certain punch size? i’ve read that asians usually require a larger punch size. what about caucasian? 1mm seems way too high 

Edited September 8, 2018 by hairlossPA

[Melvin- Admin]

First of all, who say's Dr. Diep, does not offer a touch up? The "patient" that said this never identified himself privately, so we could never reach out to Dr. Diep, to receive his input on the matter. This is why our community prides itself on being fair, we allow patients to fully express themselves and post up positive and negative reviews, but when they do not give the surgeon the opportunity to respond this happens, as they say there are two sides to every story and "we" can not take someone's word as fact. Sometimes unhappy patient's don't want a touch up they want a refund, which is understandable, but to make the doctor look worse they will say he offered nothing, believe me this happens I've seen it happen myself.

Secondly, I see everyone saying Dr. Diep, only uses 1mm punches, this again is also false, he uses "up" to 1mm punches depending on the hair shaft diameter. This is because the thicker the follicle and smaller the punch the higher the transection rate, which means the lower the yield. However, this is all dependent on how thick your hair is, my hair is medium and Dr. Diep used .9mm on me. Also, my first surgery (another doctor) I had 1mm punches used, I've gone on to have two additional surgeries, so obviously it didn't ruin my donor. 

Lastly, I don't say this so that any of you choose Dr. Diep, while I can personally endorse him based on my own experience. I also know that there are several other great doctors recommended on this site. So, if there is something you don't like about Dr. Diep, simply choose another doctor. I promote results and many of our doctors have a long track record of providing good results. In the end, the outcome is what matters the most. 

[Melvin- Admin]

Also, scarring is highly dependent on the individual, this was right before my procedure with Dr. Diep, mind you this was already after having had 1mm punches in my first surgery and over 4,000 grafts via FUE overall. This was shaven at a zero guard.

[Legend007]

U tell them HT .. u know from first hand experience ..diep did wonders for u .. using  almost half the grafts as most other clinics to achieve the same results, if u look at his you tube vids and many examples from other patients on this forum , he seems to make the most of the graft counts for most his patients .. requiring less grafts to achieve maximum yield and results .. I feel comfortable going to Him in November .. 

[JayLDD]

9 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

First of all, who say's Dr. Diep, does not offer a touch up? The "patient" that said this never identified himself privately, so we could never reach out to Dr. Diep, to receive his input on the matter. This is why our community prides itself on being fair, we allow patients to fully express themselves and post up positive and negative reviews, but when they do not give the surgeon the opportunity to respond this happens, as they say there are two sides to every story and "we" can not take someone's word as fact. Sometimes unhappy patient's don't want a touch up they want a refund, which is understandable, but to make the doctor look worse they will say he offered nothing, believe me this happens I've seen it happen myself.

Secondly, I see everyone saying Dr. Diep, only uses 1mm punches, this again is also false, he uses "up" to 1mm punches depending on the hair shaft diameter. This is because the thicker the follicle and smaller the punch the higher the transection rate, which means the lower the yield. However, this is all dependent on how thick your hair is, my hair is medium and Dr. Diep used .9mm on me. Also, my first surgery (another doctor) I had 1mm punches used, I've gone on to have two additional surgeries, so obviously it didn't ruin my donor. 

Lastly, I don't say this so that any of you choose Dr. Diep, while I can personally endorse him based on my own experience. I also know that there are several other great doctors recommended on this site. So, if there is something you don't like about Dr. Diep, simply choose another doctor. I promote results and many of our doctors have a long track record of providing good results. In the end, the outcome is what matters the most. 

There are a large number across here and Realself who say he does not give touchups to poor results who have had that experience, Legend also said in this thread he asked one of their consultants and they confirmed this. There wasn't just one patient here (the one with the deleted thread you're referring to) who claimed a bad result either.   Obviously I'm looking at a limited number of patient posted Diep cases because there aren't a huge number lately, but it seems to be common that they have been done by 1mm punches and in which scarring is more of an issue than usual, and even 0.9mm is  larger than average.   Yes scarring is patient dependent but when there are people who have visible scarring under the 2000 graft mark at above a number 2 length I think that's worth considering. 

 

"Sometimes unhappy patient's don't want a touch up they want a refund, which is understandable, but to make the doctor look worse they will say he offered nothing, believe me this happens I've seen it happen myself."

I agree with this and have seen it too, but I've specifically seen a variety of people saying that they were still made to pay full or close to full amount for a touchup procedure.

 

I'm not saying he's a bad surgeon or even that he isn't one of the best in the US for recipient results, but he does use larger punch sizes than average among top surgeons and he clearly doesn't offer touchups for poor results like most surgeons represented on this website do. It's backed up by a large number of sources including Legend directly asking which makes it clear. It's a variety of patients on a variety of websites making the claims, not just me. 

[Legend007]

His office manager told me they won’t guarantee results .. because not everyone’s hair will grow the same .. which seems reasonable .. (I think she’s his wife) but I’m not sure .. diep   doesn’t handle the buisiness side of things .. he’s the doctor n a genuinely caring guy that strives for good results .. the money part he doesn’t handle . But if u were to document ur journey here n if ur bad results are clearly the clinics fault , n u make a fuss about it I’m sure they will work with ya.. just like most clinics .   on ur own .. I doubt it .. 

 

[Melvin- Admin]

36 minutes ago, JeanLDD said:

There are a large number across here and Realself who say he does not give touchups to poor results who have had that experience, Legend also said in this thread he asked one of their consultants and they confirmed this. There wasn't just one patient here (the one with the deleted thread you're referring to) who claimed a bad result either.   Obviously I'm looking at a limited number of patient posted Diep cases because there aren't a huge number lately, but it seems to be common that they have been done by 1mm punches and in which scarring is more of an issue than usual, and even 0.9mm is  larger than average.   Yes scarring is patient dependent but when there are people who have visible scarring under the 2000 graft mark at above a number 2 length I think that's worth considering. 

 

"Sometimes unhappy patient's don't want a touch up they want a refund, which is understandable, but to make the doctor look worse they will say he offered nothing, believe me this happens I've seen it happen myself."

I agree with this and have seen it too, but I've specifically seen a variety of people saying that they were still made to pay full or close to full amount for a touchup procedure.

 

I'm not saying he's a bad surgeon or even that he isn't one of the best in the US for recipient results, but he does use larger punch sizes than average among top surgeons and he clearly doesn't offer touchups for poor results like most surgeons represented on this website do. It's backed up by a large number of sources including Legend directly asking which makes it clear. It's a variety of patients on a variety of websites making the claims, not just me. 

.9mm is actually the average according to the ISHRS survey, but that's besides the point. Is anyone on Realself actually verified? As far as I am aware, Realself does not have any standards of quality. Therefore, anyone can basically make a negative or positive post. In fact, I'd say nearly half of all the results posted on realself are posted for monetary reasons and it shows. We can not go by anonymous postings on third party site with no standards. There is a difference between hearsay and facts, I know Dr. Diep, stands by his work and would offer touch ups if necessary. However, I do not believe that he offers refunds as he clearly states that before you book a procedure with him, so as I said earlier if that is something you're not willing to bargain with, there are several other quality doctors to go to that may offer refunds.