HLC vs Dr Laorwong

[Sel Ma]

Hi everyone, I am a 24 year old male from Australia and have been experiencing hair loss since 21. I've been taking minoxidil for 2 years and dutasteride for 6 months. I lost most of my hair early this year when switching to a weaker strength of minoxidil (was cheaper). Managed to negate any losses since then and have actually been experiencing growth over the last 2 months. 

Anyway, since I am experiencing growth, I wanted to have an FUE HT on the front of my head and let the minoxidil + dutasteride help hair growth on my crown (improved a lot over the last 2 months). Interested to see who everyone would recommend out of HLC vs Dr Laorwong? I've spoken with Dr Laorwong who recommends 3000-3500 grafts on the front of my head (seems like a lot to me but idk) and I'm still discussing with HLC. Who does everyone prefer and why? 

Thanks in advance. 

[Portugal25]

@Sel Ma you are very young at 24 years and therefore a ethical Doctor will want you to be on Finasteride to do your surgery because your hairloss will progress and any transplant done at the age of 24 will look very bad in 10 years if you don’t take Finasteride to stop your hairloss and strengthen your hair.

HLC is the better option between the two because Laorwong is doing DHI with pre-made slits and then has techs implanting the grafts with implantor pens that basically means you get no benefit from the DHI technique while HLC is doing a Doctor only surgery using stick&place so you get the full benefit of this technique and a Doctor always by your side.

However if you can afford HLC you should you look at Dr. Bruno Pinto, Dr. Ximena Villa and Dr. Bruno Ferreira that are in a whole other league and charge the same price.

Check the benchmark table below: 

Wish you all the best!

[Gasthoerer]

7 minutes ago, Portugal25 said:

@Sel Ma you are very young at 24 years 

HLC is the better option between the two because Laorwong is doing DHI with pre-made slits and then has techs implanting the grafts with implantor pens that basically means you get no benefit from the DHI technique while HLC is doing a Doctor only surgery using stick&place so you get the full benefit of this technique and a Doctor always by your side.

However if you can afford HLC you should you look at Dr. Bruno Pinto, Dr. Ximena Villa and Dr. Bruno Ferreira that are in a whole other league and charge the same price.

While I agree with the first point - 24 is very young, and you should be very cautious - I only partly agree with the second point and do not agree with the last point. The clinic you mention are not in "another league" as HLC. 

[Portugal25]

1 hour ago, Gasthoerer said:

While I agree with the first point - 24 is very young, and you should be very cautious - I only partly agree with the second point and do not agree with the last point. The clinic you mention are not in "another league" as HLC. 

HLC is a very good clinic and maybe the best option in Turkey but I do consider the other Doctors I mentioned (on the same price point) better if only because you know who’s the Doctor doing the surgery while at HLC it can be any of the Doctors available on staff. 

Edited October 24, 2021 by Portugal25

[Gasthoerer]

3 hours ago, Portugal25 said:

HLC is a very good clinic and maybe the best option in Turkey but I do consider the other Doctors I mentioned (on the same price point) better if only because you know who’s the Doctor doing the surgery while at HLC it can be any of the Doctors available on staff. 

I respect you opinion as you are one of the most knowledgeable users in here, but: "To consider someone better because of sth. is not the same as in "whole other league". The later is IMO wrong, the first I can accept looking from you perspective. 

[MachoVato]

7 hours ago, Portugal25 said:

HLC is a very good clinic and maybe the best option in Turkey but I do consider the other Doctors I mentioned (on the same price point) better if only because you know who’s the Doctor doing the surgery while at HLC it can be any of the Doctors available on staff. 

I agree with this. Even as a HLC patient, I would prefer to know in advance the exact doctor(s) that would be doing the work. On one point I give HLC an advantage over most, that is the use of stick & place technique. Most doctors don't use this and, even after a procedure with Bisanga, I believe stick & place is a superior technique.

I agree that at 2.5 Euro price point, Vila, Pinto, BHR Malaga and others should be considered. At 3.0 Euro, Ferreira and De Freitas are options. 

[Fego]

51 minutes ago, MachoVato said:

I agree with this. Even as a HLC patient, I would prefer to know in advance the exact doctor(s) that would be doing the work. On one point I give HLC an advantage over most, that is the use of stick & place technique. Most doctors don't use this and, even after a procedure with Bisanga, I believe stick & place is a superior technique.

I agree that at 2.5 Euro price point, Vila, Pinto, BHR Malaga and others should be considered. At 3.0 Euro, Ferreira and De Freitas are options.

From your experience with HLC and Bisanga. do you see bisanga work  worths  the extra price charge compared to the price of HLC. Because if the difference in the results is not great. One can go to HLC or pekiner and save the difference in price particularly someone like me needs from4000 to 5000 grafts. 

[MachoVato]

39 minutes ago, Fego said:

From your experience with HLC and Bisanga. do you see bisanga work  worths  the extra price charge compared to the price of HLC. Because if the difference in the results is not great. One can go to HLC or pekiner and save the difference in price particularly someone like me needs from4000 to 5000 grafts. 

This is not easy to answer. Bisanga is a master and in my opinion is one of the best in the world. But cost is a factor. After Belgium VAT, he costs almost 5 Euro/graft. Almost double HLC.

I also had 4000 grafts my first procedure. I couldn't afford Bisanga then. But my second was only 1500 and I wanted a specialist for crown and temples... and expert donor management. Bisanga was perfect.

I think it's a smart strategy to go with a 2.5 Euro priced clinic if your first procedure is large. Then go to a top expert for second, smaller procedure to perfect hairline and improve density. 

[Melvin- Admin]

I don’t think HLC are above Dr. laorwong at all. Very comparable. Are you from Australia? If so, the distance alone would make Dr. laorwong a no-brainer.

[Portugal25]

@Melvin- Moderator I do agree Dr. Laorwong gets decent results but I find it immensely strange for a Doctor to claim to be doing a DHI surgery when in fact he’s still doing pre-made slits and then has techs do the implanting with implantor pens.

Doctors using the same DHI technique advocate that the advantages of DHI is in fact the possibility to load each graft into implantor pen and be able to punch the slit and implant the graft at the same time with this device. 

Basically doing pre-made slits eliminates the advantages from doing a HT with implantor pens unless the advantage is simply that it’s easier for technicians to implant using implantor pens rather than good old forceps.
I do suppose this is the reason why many hairmills are now doing DHI with pre-made slits because techs using implantor pens have less chance of mishandling the graft.

I just find it odd that Dr. Laorwong would be using the same money focused technique instead of a proper DHI technique that obviously means the Doctor has to be present during the whole surgery to assure his team doesn’t place the grafts incorrectly in the scalp due to the lack of pre-made slits to mark the spot. 

Anyways it’s just my personal opinion on DHI with pre-made slits.

[Sel Ma]

19 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

I don’t think HLC are above Dr. laorwong at all. Very comparable. Are you from Australia? If so, the distance alone would make Dr. laorwong a no-brainer.

Yes I'm from Australia. I agree Dr Laorwong is a lot more convenient but I wouldn't mind travelling further. I saw a few odd reviews here on Dr Laorwong but there wasn't much photo evidence to support the reviews so I don't know what to think. I might stick with Dr Laorwong because of the significant price difference - it baffles me why HLC are so much more expensive.  

Can I ask what makes you think Dr Laorwong and HLC are very comparable?

Thanks 

[Sel Ma]

On 10/24/2021 at 10:11 PM, Gasthoerer said:

While I agree with the first point - 24 is very young, and you should be very cautious - I only partly agree with the second point and do not agree with the last point. The clinic you mention are not in "another league" as HLC. 

yes I know I'm young. Although I plan to have surgery, I will continue to still take minoxidil + dutasteride afterwards to prevent hair loss in further areas. 

[Sel Ma]

On 10/24/2021 at 10:01 PM, Portugal25 said:

@Sel Ma you are very young at 24 years and therefore a ethical Doctor will want you to be on Finasteride to do your surgery because your hairloss will progress and any transplant done at the age of 24 will look very bad in 10 years if you don’t take Finasteride to stop your hairloss and strengthen your hair.

HLC is the better option between the two because Laorwong is doing DHI with pre-made slits and then has techs implanting the grafts with implantor pens that basically means you get no benefit from the DHI technique while HLC is doing a Doctor only surgery using stick&place so you get the full benefit of this technique and a Doctor always by your side.

However if you can afford HLC you should you look at Dr. Bruno Pinto, Dr. Ximena Villa and Dr. Bruno Ferreira that are in a whole other league and charge the same price.

Check the benchmark table below: 

Wish you all the best!

Thanks for your input. There is just such a big price difference between HLC and Dr Laorwong so I may stick with Dr Laorwong. Tbh, balding in my mid 30s is not such a bad thing - who really cares? Balding in mid 20s I do care. 

With regards to the treatment with Dr Laorwong, I spoke with him and he said I can take dutasteride through the surgery but I will need to stop minoxidil 1 week before the surgery (can start again straight after). This should have no affect for hair loss in other areas 

Edited October 27, 2021 by Sel Ma

[Gasthoerer]

6 hours ago, Sel Ma said:

.... balding in my mid 30s is not such a bad thing - who really cares? Balding in mid 20s I do care. 

 

That is a typical way of thinking in your age, but it is not true. 

1. If you care about your hair now, you will care about it later. And you spend more time of your life above 30 then between start of balding and getting 30.

2. Worse than being is bald, is bald with a botched transplant

3. Having a transplant is a one-way-street for most. Shaving it off is mostly not possibly any more. 

[Mycroft]

Buddy, I am here to tell you that you will 100% care in your thirties if you care now. Do not fall into this mindset because it's a trap.

 

[Portugal25]

20 hours ago, Sel Ma said:

Thanks for your input. There is just such a big price difference between HLC and Dr Laorwong so I may stick with Dr Laorwong. Tbh, balding in my mid 30s is not such a bad thing - who really cares? Balding in mid 20s I do care. 

With regards to the treatment with Dr Laorwong, I spoke with him and he said I can take dutasteride through the surgery but I will need to stop minoxidil 1 week before the surgery (can start again straight after). This should have no affect for hair loss in other areas 

@Sel Ma OMG when I was 25 years old I wrote here on HRN the exact same thing you just wrote.
After 14 years I’m now 39 years old married with two kids and I can tell you that you will most definitely care about your hairloss when you are in your mid thirties and will surely be having another HT even if you start taking Finasteride.

[Curious25]

14 hours ago, Gasthoerer said:

And you spend more time of your life above 30 then between start of balding and getting 30

👌🏻

[Sel Ma]

I guess time will tell. I can always do the front for the time being and then hold off to see how the rest of my hair pulls up while staying on Dutasteride/minoxidil.

If I feel I need to, I guess I can always go for another HT later on in my life (I've actually been advised just to do the front and wait a bit for the crown)

[bw77]

These might be comments for another thread but I think they relate to the OP's question. I think it's hard to base a decision on the technique the doctor's use. Although, intuitively stick & place seems like the approach that is safest we've seen some outstanding results from docs that use DHI or other techniques and most don't do stick & place. It also seems to me like some of the top docs, those with great results do very little actual work. They rely on techs to do much of the heavy lifting and this has always concerned me as you don't know if the techs you're working with have truly been with the doc for years (as they always say) or if they accepted the job last week and you are patient number 1? The doc just comes and goes to take a look from time to time. 

From my understanding, Dr Laorwong does all of the graft removal and places grafts with just one assistant. That's pretty good from my perspective, given that other docs do so much less. I've always thought graft removal during the FUE process was the most important aspect followed by implanting. And things go wrong when techs use old school forceps instead of KEEP or implanters. If Laorwong is doing as much as I described, I think he's a pretty good match for HLC.

I'm not advocating strictly for Dr Laorwong in this case, I like the work of HLC and I think it's a tough choice. I just think making a decision based on technique is difficult because the experts in the industry all do different things. I like both Laorwong and HLC because both outftits are far more hands-on than others. For those of you that went with name docs that rely on techs, H & W, Bisanga, De Freitas and Feriduni, how did you make the decision and what factors did you consider? Did you base your decisions on reputation, how much work did the doc actually do? If the OP is new to this process, your perspectives would be helpful. 

Edited October 28, 2021 by bw77

[Sel Ma]

On 10/28/2021 at 9:28 PM, bw77 said:

These might be comments for another thread but I think they relate to the OP's question. I think it's hard to base a decision on the technique the doctor's use. Although, intuitively stick & place seems like the approach that is safest we've seen some outstanding results from docs that use DHI or other techniques and most don't do stick & place. It also seems to me like some of the top docs, those with great results do very little actual work. They rely on techs to do much of the heavy lifting and this has always concerned me as you don't know if the techs you're working with have truly been with the doc for years (as they always say) or if they accepted the job last week and you are patient number 1? The doc just comes and goes to take a look from time to time. 

From my understanding, Dr Laorwong does all of the graft removal and places grafts with just one assistant. That's pretty good from my perspective, given that other docs do so much less. I've always thought graft removal during the FUE process was the most important aspect followed by implanting. And things go wrong when techs use old school forceps instead of KEEP or implanters. If Laorwong is doing as much as I described, I think he's a pretty good match for HLC.

I'm not advocating strictly for Dr Laorwong in this case, I like the work of HLC and I think it's a tough choice. I just think making a decision based on technique is difficult because the experts in the industry all do different things. I like both Laorwong and HLC because both outftits are far more hands-on than others. For those of you that went with name docs that rely on techs, H & W, Bisanga, De Freitas and Feriduni, how did you make the decision and what factors did you consider? Did you base your decisions on reputation, how much work did the doc actually do? If the OP is new to this process, your perspectives would be helpful. 

Thanks for your feedback. By the looks of it, Dr Laorwong might not be as good as HLC, but I do think his work is reliable.  I have looked around in Australia and I can confidently say, I trust no one there (they also charge over double the price of Dr Laorwong). 

I agree making a decision is difficult. My priorities were to get a well respected doctor who operates on 1 patient a day. Both HLC and Dr Laorwong meet those requirements, so I think either will be a good choice.

I did also consider Dr Bicer, but she is way too busy. 

[Portugal25]

9 minutes ago, Sel Ma said:

Thanks for your feedback. By the looks of it, Dr Laorwong might not be as good as HLC, but I do think his work is reliable.  I have looked around in Australia and I can confidently say, I trust no one there (they also charge over double the price of Dr Laorwong). 

I agree making a decision is difficult. My priorities were to get a well respected doctor who operates on 1 patient a day. Both HLC and Dr Laorwong meet those requirements, so I think either will be a good choice.

I did also consider Dr Bicer, but she is way too busy. 

In that price point I would go for Dr. Bicer instead of Dr. Laorwong. She does just 1 patient per day and is getting pretty decent results. 

Edited October 29, 2021 by Portugal25

[Melvin- Admin]

On 10/27/2021 at 4:50 AM, Sel Ma said:

Thanks for your input. There is just such a big price difference between HLC and Dr Laorwong so I may stick with Dr Laorwong. Tbh, balding in my mid 30s is not such a bad thing - who really cares? Balding in mid 20s I do care. 

With regards to the treatment with Dr Laorwong, I spoke with him and he said I can take dutasteride through the surgery but I will need to stop minoxidil 1 week before the surgery (can start again straight after). This should have no affect for hair loss in other areas 

I’m 36 and I DEFINITELY care, I’m going for my 4th hair transplant at the end of the year. Your gonna care about hair loss, as long as you’re alive. Trust me. One more suggestion is Dr. Path in Thailand, he’s absolutely excellent. Check him out

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVdMiKapKDD/?utm_medium=copy_link

[Curious25]

3 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Tbh, balding in my mid 30s is not such a bad thing - who really cares? Balding in mid 20s I do care. 

 

From my personal experience, the more hair I have lost, the more I have cared. I do agree, to some extent, that the older one is, the more 'acceptable' balding appears. A good mark of this is crown balding. Crown balding in your 20's and early 30's is unusual, and dramatically ageing. A man in his 40's or 50's with pretty good hair, yet a thinner crown, is age appropriate, and can still be a very aesthetic look - Have a look at the latest De Freitas clinic posted case, patient in his late 40's, they heavily focus on his frontal third and mid scalp region, and leave his crown somewhat thinner, and he looks excellent. 

[Sel Ma]

Thought I'd update my decision. Not sure what happened over the last week, but I decided to shave my head bald - best thing ever. Will not be getting a hair transplant as I'm quite happy with this look. 

If anyone is considering a hair transplant, that's cool but I do advise you to shave your head a few months or so before the procedure. You never know, you could like the look. I never (I mean never) considered shaving it off so just try out it. Lucky now I don't need to worry about side effects of staying on minoxidil/Dutasteride (I started noticing them over the last month).

P.s I do have a nice thick beard so imo that really helps. Goodluck to anyone who is going through this. 

[Curious25]

3 hours ago, Sel Ma said:

Thought I'd update my decision. Not sure what happened over the last week, but I decided to shave my head bald - best thing ever. Will not be getting a hair transplant as I'm quite happy with this look. 

If anyone is considering a hair transplant, that's cool but I do advise you to shave your head a few months or so before the procedure. You never know, you could like the look. I never (I mean never) considered shaving it off so just try out it. Lucky now I don't need to worry about side effects of staying on minoxidil/Dutasteride (I started noticing them over the last month).

P.s I do have a nice thick beard so imo that really helps. Goodluck to anyone who is going through this. 

Good for you man, enjoy your new look.