Is it worth paying twice the money for Dr.Mwamba over Dr.Demirsoy?

[TheDarkHour]

Both are excellent surgeons and I know Dr.Mwamba has more experience with doing temple restoration. Problem is that Mwamba costs about twice as much as Dr.Demirsoy when you factor in the tax involved with Belgium transplants. It would probably take an entire year for me to save up for Mwamba and this is with his discounted €3/graft rate, usually it's €5/graft. The main factor for me favouring Mwamba over Demirsoy is that he has a lot more experience regarding aggressive temple points, whereas Demirsoy produces more conservative temple points.

Also, which donor is better when it comes to producing a densely packed hairline while preserving the donor.

Below are pictures of the hairline and temple design provided by Dr.Demirsory. Let me know what you guys think.

 

Edited May 17, 2023 by TheDarkHour

[Melvin- Admin]

Personally, I think Dr. Mwamba is one of the best in the world. I don’t know much about Demirsoy, he’s cost-effective, but not comparable to Mwamba. 

[HappyMan2021]

if you are a 1st timer or otherwise straightforward case then I would say no its not necessary - there are plenty of other competent doctors who you can get better bang for your buck. 

Especially bc of the VAT tax, but for other reasons as well. 

Unless you are a Belgian citizen and directly benefitting from the tax, it can be a very hard pill to swallow. The ROI I as an American get from paying an additional +25% costs of surgery to the Belgian government is literally the same as if I just lit the money on fire. It's alot easier to stomach paying for a very costly HT surgery as long as you know all your money is directly going towards the clinic, operation, medical staff, etc. But until the Belgian government starts providing me with some benefits, I consider the money sorely lost. 

But whatever. You have to follow the laws of the country you're in. What can you do 🤷‍♀️

If you want to look into other Belgian doctors, I am pretty sure Bisanga's patients dont have to pay the VAT tax. But I am not sure of the reason why. Maybe you want to look into him. 

Feriduni is good too. I have no idea if he has the VAT tax tho. 

Hattingen is an arms reach away in Switzerland, he might be a viable option. 

Lastly, keep in mind that the reality is most guys need multiple HT's for a happy end-result. So that would mean multiple VAT taxes as well. 

Edited May 18, 2023 by HappyMan2021

[Gatsby]

You want to be basing a life altering decision based on results. If you have to save up then so be it. Whoever you choose, remember that you will be looking at the results in the mirror for the rest of your life.

[mr_peanutbutter]

are you on meds? looks like you have miniaturization going on in the front…

[TheDarkHour]

8 hours ago, HappyMan2021 said:

if you are a 1st timer or otherwise straightforward case then I would say no its not necessary - there are plenty of other competent doctors who you can get better bang for your buck. 

Especially bc of the VAT tax, but for other reasons as well. 

Unless you are a Belgian citizen and directly benefitting from the tax, it can be a very hard pill to swallow. The ROI I as an American get from paying an additional +25% costs of surgery to the Belgian government is literally the same as if I just lit the money on fire. It's alot easier to stomach paying for a very costly HT surgery as long as you know all your money is directly going towards the clinic, operation, medical staff, etc. But until the Belgian government starts providing me with some benefits, I consider the money sorely lost. 

But whatever. You have to follow the laws of the country you're in. What can you do 🤷‍♀️

If you want to look into other Belgian doctors, I am pretty sure Bisanga's patients dont have to pay the VAT tax. But I am not sure of the reason why. Maybe you want to look into him. 

Feriduni is good too. I have no idea if he has the VAT tax tho. 

Hattingen is an arms reach away in Switzerland, he might be a viable option. 

Lastly, keep in mind that the reality is most guys need multiple HT's for a happy end-result. So that would mean multiple VAT taxes as well. 

Do you know if Switzerland has a VAT charge? Hattigen is pretty expensive at 4.55 euros per graft for FUE. 

3 hours ago, mr_peanutbutter said:

are you on meds? looks like you have miniaturization going on in the front…

I'm on both topical and oral minoxidil. The minaturised hairs on the front is mainly regrowth from topical minoxidil.

[BaldGuy]

14 hours ago, TheDarkHour said:

Both are excellent surgeons and I know Dr.Mwamba has more experience with doing temple restoration. Problem is that Mwamba costs about twice as much as Dr.Demirsoy when you factor in the tax involved with Belgium transplants. It would probably take an entire year for me to save up for Mwamba and this is with his discounted €3/graft rate, usually it's €5/graft. The main factor for me favouring Mwamba over Demirsoy is that he has a lot more experience regarding aggressive temple points, whereas Demirsoy produces more conservative temple points.

Also, which donor is better when it comes to producing a densely packed hairline while preserving the donor.

Below are pictures of the hairline and temple design provided by Dr.Demirsory. Let me know what you guys think.

 

Higher price doesnt mean that you will get a better result. Higher price many times is due to higher expenses of a specific country like taxes, rents etc...So if i was in your case i would go with dr Demirsoy who is very ethical surgeon in turkey and does the most important parts of the procedure by himself (extraction, incisions, plan and deisgn) for 1.5 €

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

@TheDarkHour,

I want to make it clear from the very beginning that everything went out to say has absolutely nothing to do with either doctor you’ve mentioned and there is no subliminal read between the line messages, etc. This is more of a general answer to your question about selecting surgeons based on price. 

Obviously, money is important and most of us are on a budget so we absolutely need to consider how much we are paying for anything in this world. That said, the way I look at it is this.

Hair transplant surgery is a lifetime investment. In my honest opinion, it is far better to go to a doctor that you are impressed with and has a long history of producing outstanding results consistently.  Now, if you happen to be just as impressed with both doctors and you’ve done the research substantiating this, then there’s nothing wrong with using price and location as the final determining factor on which surgeon/clinic to go to.

However, if  after researching you find that one surgeon stands out significantly more than the other,  then I think you should choose that one regardless of the price.

Long story short, price and location should be a last determining factor in choosing who to go to. Even if the surgeon you are most impressed with is currently out of your budget, it’s better to save the money and then go with the clinic you’re most impressed with based on consistent proven results.

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Transplant 

[ScottishGuy21]

Can only echo the above

Forget price and location. Look first at results and more importantly cases similar to your own hair loss pattern. Once you have grouped a handful of surgeons you like, contact them to get a feel / see what plan they’d have 

Even if you have to put surgery off for a year or two it will pass quickly compared to the lifetime result you are left with. 
 

When I first started researching price was my biggest factor too. The more I educated myself and the horrors of a potential botch job the less it became a primary deal clincher! That being said the two surgeons you have listed are very capable, it’s certainly not a dig at the cheaper option here. Good Luck whoever you choose!

 

 

Edited May 18, 2023 by ScottishGuy21

[Melvin- Admin]

26 minutes ago, ScottishGuy21 said:

Can only echo the above

Forget price and location. Look first at results and more importantly cases similar to your own hair loss pattern. Once you have grouped a handful of surgeons you like the look of contact them to get a feel and see what plan they’d have 

Even if you have to put surgery off for a year or two it will pass quickly compared to the lifetime result you are left with. 
 

When I first started researching price was my biggest factor too. The more I educated myself and the horrors of a potential botch job the less it became a primary deal clincher! That being said the two surgeons you have listed are very capable, it’s certainly not a dig at the cheaper option here. Good Luck whoever you choose!

 

 

Well said!

[GoliGoliGoli]

5 hours ago, TheDarkHour said:

Do you know if Switzerland has a VAT charge? Hattigen is pretty expensive at 4.55 euros per graft for FUE. 

 

Switzerland has a 7.7% VAT so a lot lower than Belgium. But whether they consider HT's VAT exempt is a question you'd have to research - my guess is not.

Turkey has a VAT of 18% but because they value the international money that HT's bring in they exempt HT's from VAT charges. 

One of the reasons America is wonderful is because we have no VAT. Instead each state has their own sales tax which is our version of the VAT. Some states have no sales tax at all. This benefits other countries when they import products into America because we don't charge them any additional % VAT or sales tax. 

Edited May 18, 2023 by GoliGoliGoli

[GoliGoliGoli]

As for the general topic being discussed here, I think it's a bit simplistic to say "find the Dr whose results you like the most and save until you have enough to go to them, or go into debt to be able to go to them". 

Finding which Dr you go to is a balancing act. Results are certainly the most important factor, but it is not the only factor to consider. Pricing is important as well since most people will need 2-3 HT's at least over their life. Also important to consider the ethics of the Dr, the distance you need to travel . Many other factors to consider that I am not thinking of right now. 

[TheDarkHour]

Thanks for the response guys. Do you think I could go for a slightly more aggressive hairline and have my temples reinforced a bit like below (see blue lines)? I was also told by Demirsoy's assistant that the procedure would be 2700 grafts max at 35-45 sq/cm. Would that be sufficient enough for a dense look?

 

 

 

[Abdul]

Did u go with dr Demirsoy? How are the results? Is he cinsidered conservative ? I mean to not go with the blue line u drew? My case is similar to yours