Surgeons known for their optimal use of grafts?

[HelpfulFriend]

Hey all,

Bit of a long-time lurker, first time poster here.

This website has been fantastic in helping me look at a potential surgeon for a HT, and I'm pretty close to jumping in.

I was just wondering if any surgeons spring to mind, in terms of maximising grafts?

I ask as I am late 20's, NW3, and have an extensive family history of hair loss. I'd like to find a doc that is known for conservative, but effective follicle management, and make my donor go the furthest it can as I cannot predict the future. 

Some patients may be suited to the likes of H&W, who do an amazing dense-pack, but I don't want to utlilise a lot of my donor up front, as I may/probably will recede a lot more.

Thanks a bunch.

Edited December 20, 2019 by HelpfulFriend

[Sean]

Very feW surgeons can artistically use less grafts and achieve higher graft yields.  Depends on your hair type and texture and surgical protocols used by a surgeon.  Generally, less is more and the less your grafts are outside your body for given amount of time, the greater the chance of graft survival.  Be careful though, i thought i was a norwood 3 and now stuck in worse state since this journey started.  Wreckless and unethical actions resulted in damaged scalp.  All proven by other professionals.  You do not want to be in that situation.  Ive lost trust in some surgeons and realized how folks can be and how they’ve negatively impacted others.  Just be careful.  If you are local I can show you what to expect with my particular hair type and from what.  
 

You should definitely consider getting at least 10 consults from surgeons and weighing what majority tell you.  Do not rely on false marketing tactics that show a highly dense result in like a Norwood 4 or so, which is indicated by a doctor as their typical patient or so.  

[JayLDD]

I agree with Konior, also Nadimi who works at his clinic. I know you mention that HnW as using large graft numbers which is true, but Wong in particular is extremely impressive in terms of his ability to create coverage with a lesser amount of grafts. Their ability to extract a greater number of grafts than average via FUT and their success with high norwood cases also worth considering and they have ample to view, as well as very few cases with below par scarring. Hattingen in Europe another clinic that are very proficient with high norwood cases and often more conservative hairline design. 

In terms of clinics that achieve the best results with high norwood patients these are the three I'd consider most, all being FUT also. If you're particularly concerned with your donor in the long run FUT is the best option.

[Ray123]

My answer to all hair transplant questions:

K O N I O R.  

[harry_potter1]

FUT or FUE, that is an important question. I think with each of those options you will head to different doctors.

For FUT:

In US I would go for Konior, I think he is obviously elite.

Canada I think Wong is successful with that more than Dr.Hasson.

Europe I do really really like Hattingen, their results with FUT is wow and they barely go further than 6K in total, only one bad FUT result I've seen from them. couple of dozen brilliant ones at least.

FUE: I think there are some good surgeons in Turkey like Cinik, there is also another guy but I don't remember his name, but was known to be very conservative with number of grafts he do. Rarely mega sessions. 

Like Diep too. Belgium has great surgeons like Devroye & Bisanga  

Don't like Hattingen or H&W as FUE surgeons, they are good but they aren't as standout as they are in FUT

 

But I agree with @JayLDD, FUT is the best way for what you want.

[Sam818]

You should post good pictures of your hair if you want serious advice from people. Also, are you on finasteride at all and if so how long? Are you limited at all as far as money is concerned for this procedure? If your not satisfied with the results of the procedure or if something goes wrong do you also have the money for a second procedure with a different surgeon? Have you ever buzzed your hair to see how you look and if so do you hate it or could you rock that look? These are important questions you have to ask yourself because once you get in that chair and you're cut there is no going back. A crappy hair transplant is way worse than naturally balding. Whichever surgeons you decide you like you need to schedule IN PERSON consultations with them to see who you are most comfortable with even though its gonna cost you money. Forget about facetime consultations or patient representatives/consultants. Don't trust anybody who recommends a doctor that they didn't do a procedure with and has the evidence to back it up. Good luck with whatever you do.

[HelpfulFriend]

Thanks for the input, everyone - the surgeons mentioned are pretty much who I;d been looking at, and I really appreciate the thoughtful responses :) 

[HelpfulFriend]

5 hours ago, Sam818 said:

You should post good pictures of your hair if you want serious advice from people. Also, are you on finasteride at all and if so how long? Are you limited at all as far as money is concerned for this procedure? If your not satisfied with the results of the procedure or if something goes wrong do you also have the money for a second procedure with a different surgeon? Have you ever buzzed your hair to see how you look and if so do you hate it or could you rock that look? These are important questions you have to ask yourself because once you get in that chair and you're cut there is no going back. A crappy hair transplant is way worse than naturally balding. Whichever surgeons you decide you like you need to schedule IN PERSON consultations with them to see who you are most comfortable with even though its gonna cost you money. Forget about facetime consultations or patient representatives/consultants. Don't trust anybody who recommends a doctor that they didn't do a procedure with and has the evidence to back it up. Good luck with whatever you do.

Hey Sam, good points there.

I've been on Finasteride and Minox for about three years, and it slowed my loss considerably. 

Money isn't necessarily an issue, but I look terrible buzzed/bald, haha. I have had my hair very short, and I don't have the best head for it unfortunately.  

I'm pretty set on getting one, I'm all about keeping my hair - although I am admittedly nervous due to my family history.

The main issue is me living in Australia at the moment, so, I cannot get any in person consultations. This is probably my biggest obstacle at the moment. 

[harry_potter1]

15 hours ago, transplantedphil said:

Did you mean Keser in Turkey? He's more a hairline specialist (cant say ive seen any crown work from him etc) but this is what he did with 1700 grafts (and the patient was initially complaining about the growth lol) https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/53700-dr-keser-ankaraturkey-14112018/page/3/?tab=comments#comment-503144

Diep has a bad track record with donor management (his only forte is the hairline) and Devroye uses soft lighting to enhance his results. 

@HelpfulFriendAgree with the other posters that if your future is unpredictable and you are looking to maximise your donor FUT is the way to go; so Hattingen, H&W and Konior the obvious choices. 

 

Yes, Keser is the one. The guy is NW3 so someone conservative for hairline is what he look for atm.

I like Diep, but I feel I am missing something as there is many complains recently on his work. Regarding Devroye I kind of agree with you, but still put him because of limited number for FUE type of doctors for that criteria,.

[harry_potter1]

Yeah, Path work seem underrated though as you say there is few of patient posted results 

[bonkling]

On 12/22/2019 at 1:56 PM, transplantedphil said:

Just to add further suggestions, Feriduni is another that has always impressed me, and gave this NWV a full head of hair with 5500 grafts;

https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/55457-case-performed-by-dr-feriduni-–-5556-fu-in-2-procedures/?tab=comments#comment-524078

And Dr Path as well did wonders with this guy for only 2500 grafts;

https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/54976-drdamkerng-pathomvanich-dht-clinic-fue-2518-grafts-post-op-10-months/?tab=comments#comment-518588

Both are clinic postings (not patient postings) so you'd probably have to investigate further.

Good luck.

I second this. I've seen Dr. Path have good results from comparatively low harvests.

Would be interesting to see if there were more patient posts to verify.

[Melvin- Admin]

There are some things that need to be clarified, there is so much talk about Turkey, but if you guys were privy to a lot of information, you would actually see that a lot of these clinics censor patients online. Not the ones recommended by our community, as we are one of the few and last forums that host negative results publicly, but the reality is that public perception is skewed especially when it comes to results.

As for Diep, I'm a happy patient, I recommended him to one of my best friends, and he's now a happy patient too. I can list off about a dozen forum members here who've had great results @bondi @baldlivesmatter @JBlonde @m0dthispny @E39 @spyk777 @shookwon33 @jkm3 @hairvanity @Kpat131

Now having said that, there is no perfect surgeon, and every single surgeon mentioned here has had unhappy patients including Diep- this is the reality of surgery. There are no guarantees regardless of who you choose. Lists are starting points, surgeons to consult with and look at their work.

You should look for real patient posted results first and foremost, second to that I believe video documentation is important as well. Remember no one is going to do the research for you, use our forum and our "advanced search page" is basically like google so take advantage of i.

[GEazy]

Dr path is definitely worth a look and being in thailand makes things easier for us aussies.

[Melvin- Admin]

33 minutes ago, GEazy said:

Dr path is definitely worth a look and being in thailand makes things easier for us aussies.

Dr. Path is definitely worth looking at so is Dr. Laorwong.

[HelpfulFriend]

Hey all,

Just wanted to say thank you for your help with my question.

I've enquired with Dr. Konior for a frontal restoration. Dr. Konior has quoted me at approximately 2k grafts. 

His clinic is a bit more expensive than others, but it's obviously a fantastic clinic run by a great surgeon. 

I'm just wondering if people ever tend to spend a bit more on the front/hairline, then maybe go cheaper for the remainder?

[Melvin- Admin]

7 hours ago, HelpfulFriend said:

Hey all,

Just wanted to say thank you for your help with my question.

I've enquired with Dr. Konior for a frontal restoration. Dr. Konior has quoted me at approximately 2k grafts. 

His clinic is a bit more expensive than others, but it's obviously a fantastic clinic run by a great surgeon. 

I'm just wondering if people ever tend to spend a bit more on the front/hairline, then maybe go cheaper for the remainder?

The front is the most important aspect of surgery, I believe return patients get a discount from Konior, if you get a good result the first time why not go back?

[RecessionProof]

11 hours ago, HelpfulFriend said:

Hey all,

Just wanted to say thank you for your help with my question.

I've enquired with Dr. Konior for a frontal restoration. Dr. Konior has quoted me at approximately 2k grafts. 

His clinic is a bit more expensive than others, but it's obviously a fantastic clinic run by a great surgeon. 

I'm just wondering if people ever tend to spend a bit more on the front/hairline, then maybe go cheaper for the remainder?

This was my thought process as well when I went with Dr. Konior...very expensive, but the hairline is so important that it’s worth spending the extra money. 
 

That being said, now that I’ve had the surgery I’d almost certainly go with Dr. K again for crown / midscalp work. Even though the cost per graft is high, the coverage he’s able to achieve per graft is better than what most surgeons can do (and perhaps this ultimately makes it more economical). 
 

Having an almost invisible FUT scar is nice too.

[makehairgreatagain]

I had my hairline done with Dr. Konior 3 years ago and my crown done in October. What he's able to do with less than 2500 grafts is amazing and you'll be very pleased with how natural of a result you'll get. 

[HelpfulFriend]

9 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

The front is the most important aspect of surgery, I believe return patients get a discount from Konior, if you get a good result the first time why not go back?

Good point, Melvin - the only issue is the cost, and my potential to need future procedures. I don't have heaps of money as such, and as an Aussie, the US exchange rate makes a 20k op a 28k operation. 

Just trying to ensure I'd have enough for surgeries down the road.

[HelpfulFriend]

On 12/22/2019 at 1:56 PM, transplantedphil said:

Just to add further suggestions, Feriduni is another that has always impressed me, and gave this NWV a full head of hair with 5500 grafts;

https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/55457-case-performed-by-dr-feriduni-–-5556-fu-in-2-procedures/?tab=comments#comment-524078

And Dr Path as well did wonders with this guy for only 2500 grafts;

https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/54976-drdamkerng-pathomvanich-dht-clinic-fue-2518-grafts-post-op-10-months/?tab=comments#comment-518588

Both are clinic postings (not patient postings) so you'd probably have to investigate further.

Good luck.

Hey Phil,

I've been looking at Dr. Path. It's much closer to Aus, and he seems to do well with FUT and graft utilisation.

Do you think the fact that most of the posts are clinic listings is something I should be wary of?

[HelpfulFriend]

13 hours ago, transplantedphil said:

Yes and no.

It's an industry built entirely on reputation so it's all about trying to discern what you as a patient can expect from surgery. Clinic postings are the best case scenarios - they are what surgeons are proud enough to showcase for the public. But they should not be your only guide. 

I myself went to a highly recommended/award winning surgeon in Belgium with 25+ years experience that turned out to be a nightmare. He did not follow any of the basic pre-surgical protocols (did not inspect me nor even mark out where to place the hairs) had another doctor in his clinic operate on me without telling me (i panicked during surgery when I found out), extended the surgery when i was unconscious so he could squeeze more money out of me, and then ultimately left me with a bad result. I actually thought I had researched him enough but failed to realise all his postings were clinic postings (i.e. NOT patient postings) and so did not notice that he used exceptionally soft lighting that made his results seem better than they actually were. 

So should you be wary of clinic only postings? While my case might be an extreme it should be a lesson in NOT trusting anything you see in this industry, and NOT taking someone's recommendation as any type of authority. The best and only real guide you have here are patient listings where you have access to the good, the bad and the ugly. It's also worth messaging patients directly, or even try meeting them in person.

Regarding Dr Path sadly I have not researched him myself properly, but have always admired his work from afar and so believe he is worthy of your attention (that and he fits your conservative criteria to a tea). His protege Dr Laorwong also does some truly impressive work. So aside from that all I can do is wish you good luck.

Cheers Phil,

That's kind of what I was contemplating. 

It's difficult as there aren't a lot of patient stories on this site, but I assume he would have more non-english speaking clients. 

Sorry to hear about your terrible experience, I hope it ended up okay in the end!  

I might put out a message for any patients and see if there are any stories I can gather.

Thanks for the advice, really appreciate it.

[HelpfulFriend]

Just wanted to say cheers for the advice everyone has given here.

I was lucky enough to get notified by Dr. Konior of a cancellation, and have opted for a spot which will take place in July, this year.

So, again, thanks for your help, everyone it made my decision much clearer. 

[RecessionProof]

12 hours ago, HelpfulFriend said:

Just wanted to say cheers for the advice everyone has given here.

I was lucky enough to get notified by Dr. Konior of a cancellation, and have opted for a spot which will take place in July, this year.

So, again, thanks for your help, everyone it made my decision much clearer. 

Congrats! You're in for a fun and painless experience.

[Dr Abhinav Kumar]

On 12/28/2019 at 7:41 AM, HelpfulFriend said:

Cheers Phil,

That's kind of what I was contemplating. 

It's difficult as there aren't a lot of patient stories on this site, but I assume he would have more non-english speaking clients. 

Sorry to hear about your terrible experience, I hope it ended up okay in the end!  

I might put out a message for any patients and see if there are any stories I can gather.

Thanks for the advice, really appreciate it.

 

On 12/28/2019 at 7:41 AM, HelpfulFriend said:

Cheers Phil,

That's kind of what I was contemplating. 

It's difficult as there aren't a lot of patient stories on this site, but I assume he would have more non-english speaking clients. 

Sorry to hear about your terrible experience, I hope it ended up okay in the end!  

I might put out a message for any patients and see if there are any stories I can gather.

Thanks for the advice, really appreciate it.

Absolutely... the behaviour of doctor towards patient quoting that he is coming from hair restoration network is different from those coming directly. Remember , the questions which you ask with their counsellors should be direct and precise and should be about each step of the surgery. The good clinics will clearly tell which steps will be done by surgeon and which step by assistants. The good clinics will also tell number of surgeries of your operating doctor on that day, whether the assistants are exclusive to your case or shall be moving around in multiple OT like in an assembly line clinics. A hair transplant surgeon will do the extractions himself in most of the times or his best possible assitant doctor will do the extraction. Implantation will be done by assitant or the doctor himself. A good surgeon will spend the maximum possible time before the surgery understanding your goals and discuss the hairline with the patient. A good surgeon and clinic will learn to say NO to your unrealistic expectation irrepective of the money you pay. See general reviews about the clinic on google business page as well along with the clinic postings on Hair restoration network. A good clinic will not differentiate between any patient coming from forum and coming directly without the forum. Their protocol will not change or so will the commitment. 

These opinions are unbiased and for general patient information as I am a veteran of 3 FUE surgeries, and hair transplant surgeon myself with extensive face to face  counselling expeirence, a co-author of the book- "Step by Step Hair Transplantation" where I majorly contributed in text and planning of the book and have done independent 200 FUE surgeries.  I m in the process of getting ISHRS membership in next few years.

[Melvin- Admin]

13 hours ago, HelpfulFriend said:

Just wanted to say cheers for the advice everyone has given here.

I was lucky enough to get notified by Dr. Konior of a cancellation, and have opted for a spot which will take place in July, this year.

So, again, thanks for your help, everyone it made my decision much clearer. 

Congrats you've chosen an excellent surgeon