Help choosing a surgeon? HLC, Pinto or Ferreira?

[DairyMilk]

37 year old, NW3, mainly receding on temples with no thinning where there is hair. Donor in great condition. Been consulted to need in region of 2500-3000 grafts. 

Done a lot of research and my choice was HLC but I've seen some recent not so satisfactory results and its making me reconsider. 

I'm waiting on consultation from Pinto & Ferreira but I understand that could be a while.....

I also looked into Bicer but she doesn't do all the work which puts me off. 

Pekiner seems to have gone missing? Clinic & social media seem to be gone? 

Anyone with experience in this area able to alleviate on some of these concerns? 

For instance, how important is that a doctor carries out the extraction & implantation? (Which Bicer does not)

How much should I read into a few recent bad results ive seen from HLC? Surely all clinics have some bad results? Whilst in contact with HLC, they said they guarantee to offer free touch ups if the hair does not turn out as expected. 

My budget is no more than €10k so any clinics with a rate more than €3 per graft are out of the question. 

[digi23]

42 minutes ago, DairyMilk said:

37 year old, NW3, mainly receding on temples with no thinning where there is hair. Donor in great condition. Been consulted to need in region of 2500-3000 grafts. 

Done a lot of research and my choice was HLC but I've seen some recent not so satisfactory results and its making me reconsider. 

I'm waiting on consultation from Pinto & Ferreira but I understand that could be a while.....

I also looked into Bicer but she doesn't do all the work which puts me off. 

Pekiner seems to have gone missing? Clinic & social media seem to be gone? 

Anyone with experience in this area able to alleviate on some of these concerns? 

For instance, how important is that a doctor carries out the extraction & implantation? (Which Bicer does not)

How much should I read into a few recent bad results ive seen from HLC? Surely all clinics have some bad results? Whilst in contact with HLC, they said they guarantee to offer free touch ups if the hair does not turn out as expected. 

My budget is no more than €10k so any clinics with a rate more than €3 per graft are out of the question. 

Dr Pekiner seems to be opening a new clinic. 

https://www.instagram.com/drpekinerkaan/

https://www.instagram.com/neoheadclinic/

https://www.facebook.com/Neohead-Clinic-102180532286929/

Dr Bicer is involved in the whole surgery, doing incisions and extraction. Supervising implantantion.

Edited January 23, 2022 by digi23

[JDEE0]

I think they're all good choices and great clinics, although I would go Pinto or Ferreira out of the 3. Every clinic has unsatisfactory results, and the two cases you're referring to  are quite hard to actually judge in my opinion as the 2 guys do seem to have exposed the weaknesses of their HT's in their threads and I struggle to actually see the full clear picture (not having a go at them or saying they're in the wrong, if they're unhappy that's fine, I just don't think I can judge properly based off the pics they've provided in their threads). 

There are many clinics in the world who are great that the doc doesn't do the steps you've mentioned, so it isn't causative to good results, although I personally do like the touch and it was much appreciated and put me at ease with my own surgery with Pinto.

I'm pretty sure all 3 will provide a free of charge top up if the doctor feels the result isn't quite what they themselves are happy with.

 

[MachoVato]

I went to HLC so I have a bit of a bias towards them. Remember that HLC works on about 4 or 5 patients per day and have been doing that for years. Don't let one unhappy patient, who can easily get a free follow up to remedy the issue, deter you. The other is at 6.5 months, so too early to determine results. There are *many* other great results on other forums that validate the quality of their work.

Personally, I think Ferreira and Pinto have done some great work. I would have put them on my short list. In the same price range, have you looked at Ximena Vila (worked under Lorenzo before)? I think she's at 2.5 euro. 

The best advice is to get your own evaluations from them. And ask them about your concerns and timing. I think Ferreira is a year waiting list. Bes of luck!

[MachoVato]

2 hours ago, digi23 said:

Dr Pekiner seems to be opening a new clinic. 

https://www.instagram.com/drpekinerkaan/

https://www.instagram.com/neoheadclinic/

https://www.facebook.com/Neohead-Clinic-102180532286929/

 

I wondered what was up with him. His site went down and all that. I'm glad he's back. I like his work. 

I actually was supposed to get my first transplant with him before I went to HLC. I sent him a deposit and everything. The pandemic ruined my plans.

[Melvin- Admin]

Bicer does the procedure her self, it’s industry standard for technicians to place grafts. 

[AB2000]

On 1/23/2022 at 6:24 PM, digi23 said:

Dr Pekiner seems to be opening a new clinic. 

https://www.instagram.com/drpekinerkaan/

https://www.instagram.com/neoheadclinic/

https://www.facebook.com/Neohead-Clinic-102180532286929/

 

 

Pekiner's instagram has no posts and the Neohead Clinic links make no reference to him.  Is he not practicing at the moment?

 

Also, I noticed that his personal website is scrubbed: https://drpekiner.com/

Edited February 8, 2022 by AB2000

[DairyMilk]

I tried contacting Pekiner via the new sites but got no response. Seems a strange one to me......

 

Anyhow I have booked with Dr Pinto for October. There were a few earlier dates available but I wanted to wait unti after the summer before getting the op. Hopefully I get the results I am hoping for.

 

Thanks to all who replied 🙌

[HappyMan2021]

3 minutes ago, DairyMilk said:

There were a few earlier dates available but I wanted to wait unti after the summer before getting the op.

curious why you want to wait till after the summer? I myself CAN'T STAND the wait until surgery. I literally would pay thousands of dollars extra to get to the front of the line....

[DairyMilk]

I dont want to have to avoid direct sunlight on my hair for the first 4 weeks. I'd like to enjoy the summer months freely. 

I'd imagine the heat/sweat in summer months may make it more uncomfortable. 

Perhaps the biggest reason is it will be easier to hide in autumn/winter months with the use of hats/hoods, especially the ugly ducking stage!

[Jtoorrees]

I like Freitas from your list, I’m waiting on him opening up consultations. Have you checked out De Freitas?

[DairyMilk]

Yeah his work seems good but he's based in Spain & that doesn't quite work for me. Also, techs do the extractions & whilst I'd imagine they're very skilled I preferred for a doctor to conduct the entire procedure. 

I'm very happy with my decision to go with Dr Pinto so hopefully it all goes as I hope. 

[Inch6]

What is the cost of Dr. Freitas and Dr. Pinto? I checked their YouTube page and they have awesome results. 

[Britanium]

Just now, Inch6 said:

What is the cost of Dr. Freitas and Dr. Pinto? I checked their YouTube page and they have awesome results. 

De Freitas is €3.50 for first 1000 grafts and then it drops to €2.50 thereafter. He can be contacted through the forum:

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/physician/Spain/Rafael-De-Freitas/693

 

[Britanium]

3 minutes ago, Inch6 said:

What is the cost of Dr. Freitas and Dr. Pinto? I checked their YouTube page and they have awesome results. 

Dr Pinto is around €2.60 per graft. Most Euro options are between €2-5 approx. 

[Inch6]

1 minute ago, JC71 said:

De Freitas is €3.50 for first 1000 grafts and then it drops to €2.50 thereafter. He can be contacted through the forum:

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/physician/Spain/Rafael-De-Freitas/693

 

Thanks. I will try to contact him and see how many grafts he quotes me.

[Inch6]

20 hours ago, JC71 said:

Dr Pinto is around €2.60 per graft. Most Euro options are between €2-5 approx. 

I think I need about 2000 grafts just like forum user JDEEO, as I have exact same hair loss pattern and he went to Dr Pinto. It would cost 5200 euro, not a huge increase from my previous budget of about 3000 dollars. Its hard by now to come away from the fact that good clinics has much more polished work. Is Dr Pinto a wise choice?  He's not recommended here on the forum and there are only a few reviews here even though that he has very good results on his YouTube page. I found another thread by Falconary but he is also early in the progress. I'm also checking out Dr Freitas but it would cost more and I'm not sure if the result/cost ratio is justified because the result seems to be about the same as Dr Pinto, however Dr Freitas is recommended here on the forum. 

[Britanium]

5 minutes ago, Inch6 said:

I think I need about 2000 grafts just like forum user JDEEO, as I have exact same hair loss pattern and he went to Dr Pinto. It would cost 5200 euro, not a huge increase from my previous budget of about 3000 dollars. Its hard by now to come away from the fact that good clinics has much more polished work. Is Dr Pinto a wise choice?  He's not recommended here on the forum and there are only a few reviews here even though that he has very good results on his YouTube page. I found another thread by Falconary but he is also early in the progress. I'm also checking out Dr Freitas but it would cost more and I'm not sure if the result/cost ratio is justified because the result seems to be about the same as Dr Pinto, however Dr Freitas is recommended here on the forum. 

He is very well revered worldwide, both Pinto & Ferreira are excellent choices. The forums recommended list isn’t exhaustive. You will notice some of the Spanish top choices are not on the list either. Dr Freitas was the most recent addition. 
Mostly because people will tend to post in their native language, could be Spanish, Portuguese etc. So you would see more results in other forums which would be in their own countries.

[JDEE0]

33 minutes ago, Inch6 said:

I think I need about 2000 grafts just like forum user JDEEO, as I have exact same hair loss pattern and he went to Dr Pinto. It would cost 5200 euro, not a huge increase from my previous budget of about 3000 dollars. Its hard by now to come away from the fact that good clinics has much more polished work. Is Dr Pinto a wise choice?  He's not recommended here on the forum and there are only a few reviews here even though that he has very good results on his YouTube page. I found another thread by Falconary but he is also early in the progress. I'm also checking out Dr Freitas but it would cost more and I'm not sure if the result/cost ratio is justified because the result seems to be about the same as Dr Pinto, however Dr Freitas is recommended here on the forum. 

Would be good if you could create a thread to post some pictures of your situation so we can advise on what you likely need.

Dr. Pinto has lots of patient posted reviews on the Spanish forum, around about 60 of them last time I looked, and is very popular in Spain and Portugal and their respective forums. As @JC71says, these people don't really come on here just as we in the UK, US, Canada and Australia etc don't really visit their forums as people like to post in their native languages for the most part for obvious reasons.

 As far as English speaking posters/forum members, I'm pretty much the first one to post a pinto case, hence why you won't find much in the way of reviews on here or say the UK forum for him.  If you want, I can DM you the links to his cases on the Spanish forums so you can look for yourself and decide if you think he's a good fit for you, just shoot me a message and I'll send it over to you. 

Edited February 14, 2022 by JDEE0

[Inch6]

1 hour ago, JDEE0 said:

Would be good if you could create a thread to post some pictures of your situation so we can advise on what you likely need.

Dr. Pinto has lots of patient posted reviews on the Spanish forum, around about 60 of them last time I looked, and is very popular in Spain and Portugal and their respective forums. As @JC71says, these people don't really come on here just as we in the UK, US, Canada and Australia etc don't really visit their forums as people like to post in their native languages for the most part for obvious reasons.

 As far as English speaking posters/forum members, I'm pretty much the first one to post a pinto case, hence why you won't find much in the way of reviews on here or say the UK forum for him.  If you want, I can DM you the links to his cases on the Spanish forums so you can look for yourself and decide if you think he's a good fit for you, just shoot me a message and I'll send it over to you. 

Thanks, I will probably open a thread after I take some good pictures. Btw, I just found a spanish forum with many cases, used google translate  basically everyone has really good results, and there seems to be a few other highly regarded doctors there as well. But the results between them seems to be about the same, so my cheap ass mind tells me to pick the cheapest one However I've travelled everywhere in Spain, but never visited Portugal so I'm a bit inclined towards Portugal, perhaps plan for a vacation there and do the hair transplant in the last day. I'm also checking out Dr Ferreira, will probably make consultation after I make a top list, check prices and result/price ratio and decide thereafter.

Edited February 14, 2022 by Inch6

[JoeMan]

11 minutes ago, Inch6 said:

However I've travelled everywhere in Spain, but never visited Portugal so I'm a bit inclined towards Portugal, perhaps plan for a vacation there and do the hair transplant in the last day. I'm also checking out Dr Ferreira, will probably make consultation after I make a top list, check prices and result/price ratio and decide thereafter.

Portugal is pretty cheap to stay and eat as an added bonus. I had an Airbnb for 2 weeks and it was only like $1100 USD. Food is relatively inexpensive of course you can find expensive restaurants too. I like Dr's Pinto and Ferreira. Pinto I believe will have a shorter wait list. 

[Jtoorrees]

Speaking of Ferreira, any one have any insider info on when he’s gonna open consultations back up 😅

[JoeMan]

2 minutes ago, Jtoorrees said:

Speaking of Ferreira, any one have any insider info on when he’s gonna open consultations back up 😅

I was there Jan 11/12. He mentioned opening up the Fast track consultation again soon but then he also said he didn't see the point since he's a year out right now. If I had to guess in a couple of months he'll start again but that's just my opinion. If you want I can ask his patient coordinator and see if they let me know anything additional.

[JDEE0]

25 minutes ago, Inch6 said:

Thanks, I will probably open a thread after I take some good pictures. Btw, I just found a spanish forum with many cases, used google translate  basically everyone has really good results, and there seems to be a few other highly regarded doctors there as well. But the results between them seems to be about the same, so my cheap ass mind tells me to pick the cheapest one However I've travelled everywhere in Spain, but never visited Portugal so I'm a bit inclined towards Portugal, perhaps plan for a vacation there and do the hair transplant in the last day. I'm also checking out Dr Ferreira, will probably make consultation after I make a top list, check prices and result/price ratio and decide thereafter.

Have a look on Recuperartupelo as well as Recuperarelpelo (I assume you found the second forum I've listed there, as it's the main one, but the first one has all Pinto's cases organised in a neat section).

Dr. Ferreira is also a great choice. 

Edited February 15, 2022 by JDEE0

[Jtoorrees]

4 minutes ago, JoeMan said:

I was there Jan 11/12. He mentioned opening up the Fast track consultation again soon but then he also said he didn't see the point since he's a year out right now. If I had to guess in a couple of months he'll start again but that's just my opinion. If you want I can ask his patient coordinator and see if they let me know anything additional.

I would love that if you don’t mind! I’m basically down to choosing between him and Freitas. I’m aiming for end of year next year but can wait until the following year if needed to, so not the biggest rush to get it done, more so just wanting to get it over with and choose who I’m going with. Freitas’s team gave me a deadline of March to decide if I’ll be going with them and would be happy to go with them, but it would just kill me to sign the contract without hearing what Ferreira has to say first atleast. I appreciate it boss!