Looking for FUE surgeon advice.

[Dolph]

I was looking at Hasson & Wong but understand they have more FUT experience. Who is the best when it comes to FUE?

Ideally the surgeon would help me set realistic goals; focus primarily on FUE rather than FUT; offer but not be pushy about PRP/stem cell treatments; be knowledgable about topical finasteride and other recent advancements (CB etc); use modern tooling (not necessarily ARTAS or whatever, just a good system that they can defend); and finally, have good post-OP support. I want a doctor I can call after the treatment who can answer any questions and not just rush me off to an assistant -- a doctor who I could trust answering my questions so I could just make a phone call rather than turn to the forums for all my questions. A realist, a researcher, an artist.

I have an unlimited budget and could travel anywhere, but that doesn't mean I'm looking for the most expensive surgeon either.

So far, since ruling out Hasson & Wong, I've been looking at the following clinics:

Dr. Boden - http://hairtransplantct.com/
Dr. Welter - http://nehair.com/
Dr. Shapiro http://shapiromedical.com/

But I've only just begun my search. Any advice is welcome, and testimonials from the above would be great. But that list is just the first few I've found who seem good. It's a really hard process, I have no idea how to judge a good surgeon, so of course the criteria above is just based on what I've learned in forums and what I would want to be able to talk to my surgeon about at length.

Thanks, guys. A few months ago I would have balked at the idea of a hair transplant, but it's been a bit easier to accept my fate (and the impending hole in my wallet) by reading the forum and seeing it's not all that uncommon to get a transplant.

 

[arfy]

Only a tiny percentage of guys get hair transplants. Hair transplants are still relatively uncommon. Since you are admittedly just beginning to learn, I urge you to be extra skeptical about the doctors, and what they seem to promise. There are sharks in these waters. Sometimes the doctors who seem to have the best credentials can be some of the worst offenders. Be careful, don't rush into anything. Try to meet patients in person, and look at their hair closely (and not guys who work for the clinic - they were hired because they got good results).

Dr. Welter - http://nehair.com/
His photos aren't impressive - there's not very many transplant results (and they don't say how many grafts or how many surgeries). Some of the results look like the "after" hair could just be longer, or styled differently. I also don't like his website. Lets see - he offers "stem cell treatments" which I guarantee don't work. If you played a drinking game and took a drink every time his Stem Cell page used weasel words like "might" "could" "possibly" "seem to" "appear to" "predict" or "potentially" you would die. He has his own marketing spin on FUE (MicroFUE) which is another bad sign (he's into marketing and sales more than medicine). He's affiliated with DHI clinics, which haven't had a good reputation in the past (maybe they are better now). He claims he is a pioneer and internationally recognized - I've never heard of him (but I don't know everybody - but even so, who is recognizing him?) You're the first person I've seen mention his name. His website creeps me out - he talks about "full head of hair" (basically, it's physically impossible) and "painless" surgery (as painless as dental surgery, I'd say). He sells "laser hair therapy". He talks about how "luxurious" the clinic is. Where did you find him, and on what basis would he considered the best?

Dr. Boden - http://hairtransplantct.com/
Dr Boden's website looks a lot better - less focused on sales, more information and more educational, more patient results with graft counts. I don't get the same creepy feeling from Dr Boden that I got from Dr Welter. However, I don't see anything about Dr Boden that suggests he is one of the best doctors. He might do a good job for you, and you might be satisfied. That's not the premise of your thread though. You said you're looking for the best doctors, and are willing to pay any price and travel any distance. I wonder what criteria makes you think it might be Dr Boden?

Dr Shapiro (Dr Ron Shapiro) is considered one of the best doctors for strip excision. (I am only offering opinions about Ron Shapiro, not Paul Shapiro). I am not aware of him doing FUE, maybe he does it now. For strip surgery, Dr Shapiro has a reputation for integrity and good hairlines. None of the doctors are perfect (ask them for a written guarantee of satisfaction, and see what they say) but Dr Ron Shapiro would be a good choice for strip surgery (FUT). If he does perform FUE, he is relatively new to it. I didn't look at his website, but I hope that Dr Shapiro is not offering laser therapy, PRP, "stem cell therapy" or any other "cutting edge" but unproven treatments.

There are a lot of scams in the hair loss world, and sometimes the scammers have medical degrees.

 

[Dolph]

Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply. You offer great advice.

You said you're looking for the best doctors, and are willing to pay any price and travel any distance. I wonder what criteria makes you think it might be Dr Boden?

I found out about Dr. Boden from the folliclethought.com blog and essentially liked him for the reasons you stated -- he doesn't seem to be making a hard sale on anything. I also have some family in that area of CT so it would be a nice bonus to visit, but again, I'm willing to travel anywhere. I'm not attached to any of the doctors I mentioned -- just trying to create a short-list.

My mistake about Shapiro -- for some reason I thought he was known for FUE, not FUT.

If Hasson & Wong/Shapiro are generally accepted as being top-tier, respected FUT surgeons, who are their equivalents in the world of FUE? Who has the reputation? That's one thing I haven't been able to find on the forums. I see H&W and Shapiro come up a lot, always with a caveat that they are more experienced with FUT.

 

[arfy]

I looked at folliclethought.com, and I can already see he has no business giving advice. He says he's afraid of Propecia, and recommends herbal remedies instead, which (if they block DHT like Propecia does) will have all the same potential side effects as Propecia. He's just a guy with a blog. He's not an expert on anything. He has no business giving advice. Everybody posting on this forum could have their own blog (in fact I do/did). You are better off collecting a lot of different opinions, and weighing them out. Be aware that there are guys who post online, who don't reveal that they work for a doctor. There are also guys who recommend a specific doctor, in order to get price breaks on surgery. This can be a very corrupt business, and it can be hard to get accurate information.

None of the doctors are perfect. None of the doctors bat 1000, and none bat zero. What you're trying to do is maximize your odds for success, by doing everything right whenever possible. I would figure on spending a few months doing basic research, reading up on hair transplant and collecting opinions, then meeting with doctors in person just for informational purposes. (Do not decide on getting a surgery until you've met several recommended doctors). Then weigh everything out and see who makes sense.

You should consider posting your pics here, because you can get more specific advice that way. Not every guy makes a good candidate for surgery (there are specific characteristics which are good, and specific characteristics which are bad). The better candidates will have superior results. Bad candidates will usually not have great results. One problem is that many doctors won't tell you that, because they only care about getting your money.

 

[crowngarden]

arfy, you seem to have done lots of research and have some knowledge from people in the industry. What are you're thoughts on these doctors?

Feller http://www.fellermedical.com
Umar https://www.dermhairclinic.com
Diep http://www.mhtaclinic.com

I met with Feller a few years back and was impressed with him. I think he understands patients a little better than most doctors considering he is a hair transplant patient himself.
As far as the most impressive FUE results that I've seen documented, I would have to say Dr. Lorenzo in Spain based on his YouTube videos https://www.youtube.com/user/shubbapahte

 

[pbrand]

Great info!

 

[Rizwan Younis]

I have a suggestion related to this forum but those doctors are in the UAE.

 

[Charlie Brown]

I too have been doing research for which are the best FUE surgeons in the USA. Seems like every time I search this question, I hear a different set of names. I did read that Feller is not too fond of FUE anymore. He still does it but considers it inferior to FUT and he won't do it unless you are not a candidate for FUT. I also read that Hasson and Wong were taught by Lorenzo which is highly regarded. I always thought FUE was the way to go but some things are starting to worry me about FUE. Mainly that the donor area appears to look horrible in some people after an FUE procedure. I don't mean right after. I mean months after. It looks thin and you can see scalp. But it's simple math. If you want hair in one area, it's gotta come from another area.

 

[arfy]

arfy, you seem to have done lots of research and have some knowledge from people in the industry. What are you're thoughts on these doctors?

Feller http://www.fellermedical.com
Umar https://www.dermhairclinic.com
Diep http://www.mhtaclinic.com

I met with Feller a few years back and was impressed with him. I think he understands patients a little better than most doctors considering he is a hair transplant patient himself.
As far as the most impressive FUE results that I've seen documented, I would have to say Dr. Lorenzo in Spain based on his YouTube videos https://www.youtube.com/user/shubbapahte

I have no experience with any of those doctors. You'd be better off getting opinions from people who have experience with them. Occasionally, it's easy to look at a doctor's website and conclude they have problems. In this case, you need to dig a little deeper.

 

[eugenix]

If you're searching for FUE hair transplant doctor in India then you can meet Dr. Pradeep Sethi who is highly experienced hair doctor in Delhi and perform hair transplant through all the hair transplant techniques like FUE, FUE and the new invented technique DHT (Direct Hair Transplantation). You can explore his website (eugenix.in) here.