Good European options for hairline restoration?

[HMSDread]

Hi all,

I'm a 24 year old female who's lost a bit of hair around my hairline due to surgery which is kinda noticeable when tied back. The rest of my hair is fine though.

I've consulted with two supposedly good UK surgeons: Dr Ed Ball from the Maitland Clinic & Dr Farjo from the Farjo Hair Institute. But for the prices they charge, I wasn't that impressed with their work tbh. I consulted with Hasson & Wong before COVID & travel restrictions hit and their prices are comparable to Farjo & Dr Ball but they seem to get far more consistent results. 

This is something I'd like to get fixed sooner rather than later, ideally this year, but there's no telling when Canada will open back up to international travellers.

Are there any good options in Europe for hairline restoration? Or should I just be patient and wait for travel to North America to reopen? 

[Britanium]

Have you considered Dr Bisanga? Check out the following link:

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/physician/Belgium/Christian-Bisanga/667

[Britanium]

I could also say that HDC and @DrTBarghouthido some really good work also. Both are also recommended by the forum ! 

 

Edited March 18, 2021 by JohnAC71

[Melvin- Admin]

Sounds like you’re in the UK, if so definitely check out Dr. Arshad. They are both excellent doctors with consistency. 
 

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/surgeon-list/UK/United Kingdom

 

Here are some other options in Europe Dr. De Freitas in Spain. 

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/surgeon-list/ESP/Spain

Feriduni and Bisanga in Belgium 

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/surgeon-list/BEL/Belgium

My suggestion is to consult with many. Personally, I feel Europe has a lot of talent now, and is on par with the US.

[HMSDread]

Thanks for the suggestions! 

Bisanga seems like he could be a good option. I'll reach out to them. 

1 hour ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Dr. Reddy

I've seen Reddy suggested a few times for UK based HTs. Doesn't he only do FUE? Shaving my head isn't really an option. 😬 

On UK surgeons, does anyone know anything about  Dr Dilan Fernando? https://www.treatmentroomslondon.com/about-us/dr-dilan-fernando/

Edited March 18, 2021 by HMSDread

[TommyLucchese]

Hattingen in Switzerland have some great female cases - they do FUT and FUE. I've had a consultation with them and was really impressed, will be going there from the UK next year.

 

 

 

[Raphael84]

1 hour ago, JohnAC71 said:

Have you considered Dr Bisanga? Check out the following link:

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/physician/Belgium/Christian-Bisanga/667

Thanks @JohnAC71

@HMSDreadYou have received some great recommendations above. Reach out to each clinic that may resonate with you and ask any questions related to your concerns etc. and you will soon get an idea of which doctors may feel right.

31 minutes ago, HMSDread said:

Bisanga seems like he could be a good option. I'll reach out to them. 

Without knowing anything about your personal case or hair characteristics, below are a few examples of female patients who have allowed us to share their results publicly. 

Again, take your time. Consult with several clinics and continue your research, which will enable you to make the most informed decision possible.

I wish you the best.

 

 

[Melvin- Admin]

40 minutes ago, HMSDread said:

Thanks for the suggestions! 

Bisanga seems like he could be a good option. I'll reach out to them. 

I've seen Reddy suggested a few times for UK based HTs. Doesn't he only do FUE? Shaving my head isn't really an option. 😬 

On UK surgeons, does anyone know anything about  Dr Dilan Fernando? https://www.treatmentroomslondon.com/about-us/dr-dilan-fernando/

I’ve spoken to this doctor and his partner Dr. Vara, but I haven’t seen any reviews. So I can’t say for sure. Definitely check out Feriduni as well, he’s an excellent option. Remember lists and names are just starting points for research.

[DrTBarghouthi]

Thanks @JohnAC71

Please do share some photos of the frontal area and the resulting scar. Was it related to a cosmetic facial procedure?

[nicoandgello]

3 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Sounds like you’re in the UK, if so definitely check out Dr. Arshad and Dr. Reddy. They are both excellent doctors with consistency. 
 

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/surgeon-list/UK/United Kingdom

 

Here are some other options in Europe Dr. De Freitas in Spain. 

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/surgeon-list/ESP/Spain

Feriduni and Bisanga in Belgium 

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/surgeon-list/BEL/Belgium

My suggestion is to consult with many. Personally, I feel Europe has a lot of talent now, and is on par with the US.

Eu is better, and its not even close

[rj.]

Unfortunately I agree. Worth noting that BHR are looking to open a Manchester clinic this year.

[HMSDread]

21 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Feriduni

I haven't heard of Feriduni before but really like his work, also nice to see he has a section on his website for reconstruction following trauma. 

Going to request a consultation for sure, thanks. A lot of patient experiences on this forum though say he's not actually involved in a lot of the transplant work? Is that something be to be concerned about?

[j1mmy]

With the few "world class" doctors that have many years of consistent results, for example; belgian doctors (Feriduni, Bisanga, Lupanzula), UK (Ball, Reddy), Spain has many good but they are generally very busy, I would personally not be so concerned about who is performing the majority of the work. That is a different case if I didn't know anything about a clinic. What you can say they have in common though is very good teams, world class technicians. Some of them have more or less involvement, but all produce "top" results. It is up to you how much this determines your decision about a particular clinic, but they wouldn't use technicians to delegate work if they thought it would compromise their results. 

I would ask who is in their team, and who is performing which roles in the surgery. Are the technicians consistent members in the team? How long have they worked with you, how many years? How many patients are you working on each day? All these very respected clinics should have clear and satisfying answers to these questions, but it is worth asking so you know. 

I personally like that my doctor is making all extractions, and all incisions, and I am the only patient for the day. Another person could argue my doctor would be tired, and perform sub-optimally, and they may be right. Food for thought

[Melvin- Admin]

3 hours ago, HMSDread said:

I haven't heard of Feriduni before but really like his work, also nice to see he has a section on his website for reconstruction following trauma. 

Going to request a consultation for sure, thanks. A lot of patient experiences on this forum though say he's not actually involved in a lot of the transplant work? Is that something be to be concerned about?

I don’t believe that’s true, he may not do extractions, but you want FUT anyway. He would be the one making the strip incision and suturing you up. That cannot be done by a technician.

[HMSDread]

Thanks guys. Lots to consider. I'll schedule some more consultations.

[Curious25]

On 3/18/2021 at 9:48 PM, nicoandgello said:

Eu is better, and its not even close

I think with regards to FUE , there is a far higher number of clinics here in Europe producing consistent knock out results than what I see coming from the US. 
 

OP - if you want FUT in Europe, I will spare you the hassle - there is only one option, and that is the brilliant Hattingen. No one comes close to their FUT results this side of the Atlantic. 

[Curious25]

Also - you don’t have to shave your head for FUE. 

A doctor can shave a strip in your donor region, and extract the grafts via FUE from there, and then it’l be covered by the longer hair (I’m presuming you have) making it unnoticeable. 
 

Think of it like an under cut. 

[HMSDread]

So I think I've narrowed my choices down to either Feriduni or waiting for Hasson & Wong.

Feriduni recommends FUE with 'macrolines' so the donor doesn't have to be visibly shaven, but costs extra because it 'significantly complicates the procedure'. When I google 'FUE macrolines' Feriduni is the only person that comes up so makes me think it's not something widely used? 

What do you guys think? 

Pros of Feriduni is I'd be able to get it done a lot sooner than H&W. 

[Raphael84]

Congratulations on narrowing down your search and choice of doctors. It is always a relief and an important moment when you are able to feel assured of which doctors may present the right "fit" for you and allows you to really focus on your choices and their results etc.

Female FUE depending on graft count is often performed using a partial shave of the donor and non shaven recipient to allow an easier concealment post surgery, and as females generally have longer hair, this is often easier to do than with a male restoration. A partial shave may be called patchy shave, or macro/micro amongst other terms.

Due to a generally lower graft count, a smaller surface area can be used as opposed to having to distribute the donor extraction pattern throughout the more classic donor area. Again, with female restoration, it is likely that their hair will never be cut as short as the average male cut/style and so no visual change in density will be visible.

A recent male case with a partial shaven donor springs to mind that we posted over the last weeks, and this approach was possible due to the more modest graft count.

I wish you the best of luck deciding upon your chosen doctors, and it would be great if you were able to share your experience and case here for us all to follow.

[DrTBarghouthi]

Best of luck @HMSDread

Yes macrolines are being used in FUE for smaller procedures or moderate ones if hair length allows good coverage (as in females). It probably has many different names in different clinics but it is a used and a nice approach provided the patient needs a quicker aesthetic recovery and has a smaller number of grafts needed. 

[HMSDread]

Hi all,

Just posting to give an update for anyone who cares! 😛  I've finally decided on a surgeon and if everything goes well I should be having surgery with Dr. Bisanga towards the end of May! Excited! 

In my last post I said I had narrowed my choice down to either Dr. Feriduni or H&W, but after talking with Raphael84, reading patient stories, and my experience with the clinic so far , I feel confident in going with Bisanga. 

I'll check back in after having had the surgery hopefully. 🙂

[Britanium]

Excellent choice ! Will look forward to seeing your results and updates 🙏

[Raphael84]

@HMSDread
Congratulations on your decision to proceed with surgery. It was my pleasure to assist in anyway possible and you are in great hands with Hilde who will guide you from here on. 
I wish you the very best!

[HMSDread]

So looks like all is going ahead, but I figured I'd ask the forum as the clinic is probably tired of my emails lol. 😁

What does it mean if your grafts are 'small follicles' and 1 and 2 hairs? 

[Raphael84]

@HMSDread Great to hear that your surgery will be going ahead. Im sure you are very excited to move forward and it is completely normal and expected to have some nerves as your surgery date approaches also. With that in mind, the clinic will never tire of your questions and emails and that support is always available through your advisor.

Each persons donor area is unique to them. Their donor density, follicular grouping (how many hairs in a follicle 1/2/3/4), calibre of their hair etc. Some patients may have ratios of higher hair groupings, whilst others will naturally have smaller/lower hair groupings such as you have noted in your post.

Graft count represents one data point. This is the most commonly referred to term in regards to the size/demands of the surgery session as it is graft units that are extracted/dissected, and graft units that are placed and so therefore graft count has a direct correlation to the labour involved in the surgery and how long the session may take and this is also why surgery is charged per graft.

Hair restoration surgery achieves an illusion of density. This density is achieved by a combination of factors, one of them being hair count. As each patient´s donor area has unique hair ratios, 2000 grafts in one patient may provide more or less hairs than 2000 grafts in another. When also considering hair diameter/thickness, hair characteristics in terms of curly or straight hair and the potential contrast between hair colour and skin tone which all play their part in achieving the "illusion of density", this highlights why no two patients are the same and also why direct comparisons between patients with similar graft counts are not always appropriate.

This also underlines why a thorough consultation pre-surgery is necessary to be able to compile such data which will then influence and guide the unique approach to surgery.

The following video is a great source of education that considers all influential factors in achieving the most optimal result and provides understanding regarding how donor characteristics will influence surgery and dictate required graft numbers.