Worthy surgeons in UK and europe

[thejack]

Could I please get an up to date shortlist of surgeons worth looking into: preferably in the UK.
I am also prepared to venture into Europe if needs be, as a couple of years ago I understand the UK hair transplant industry was fairly bleak...has the situation changed much? Many thanks

[Toffeeman147]

Hiya Jack, I saw your post and was thinking the same so little disappointed no one has replied to you ((

[JoeTillman]

In the UK I'm a fan of Dr. Ball. He's with Ziering Medical. In Europe (Brussels) I'm a huge fan of Dr. Lupanzula. For proper disclosure, Dr. Lupanzula and I do have a professional relationship but I don't work with doctors I don't believe in. I've been to his clinic and I've seen his results in person and I strongly feel he's one of the best in the world. This applies to not only his results but his clinic and standards overall, as well as his aftercare.

Aside from that there are multiple IAHRS doctors in Europe that are worth consideration.

[Paget]

Hi Joe
Hope all is well,
Please can you give me an honest opinion of Dr Bisanga's Clinic in Brussels. I realise you represent other Doctors but know you have new HT patients in your best interest with honest evaluations and of course from your vast experience in this field. Thank you I welcome your reply.

[Toffeeman147]

Cheers Joe, thanks for the info. Would you also recommend Dr Ferduni and Dr Biswanga in Belgium?....I had a strip with Dr Fargo many years ago and was left disappointed.

[JoeTillman]

All of the doctors in Brussels that are IAHRS members appear to be very good at what they do, but aside from Dr. Lupanzula, I cannot recommend them for surgery, but only for consideration.

Why? It is because I have never been to their respective clinics nor have I watched them in action. I don't know their protocols and I don't know their follow up routines. What I do "hear" is hearsay that I've not verified for myself. For instance, I've "heard" that some of these doctors do not perform all of the extractions themselves (in FUE) and they have technicians do it for them, in part or in whole. I don't know this for fact, it is just what I've heard. Is there anything wrong with this? Absolutely not, but only as long as you the patient are fully aware of this up front. Do you know who the tech is that will be doing the extractions? Do you know their experience; their name? Their qualifications? These are questions you should be asking the doctor directly and some of these questions are included in my Doctor Interview Form available on my website. They are questions that should be asked before any commitments are made.

With regards to Dr. Lupanzula, I'd lay down to have surgery with him any day of the week. Part of this is because he does all the extractions himself, which is a personal choice for me, but also because I just think his work is stellar. He gets a density in one pass that only a few individuals can match and his naturalness is in the top 1%. Some of the repair work I've seen him perform has me beyond impressed. On the back end, I spent three full days in his clinic so I know his surgical protocols for safety as well as efficiency. I've gotten to know his staff and even his family and I happen to think they are really good people so I know they all care about what they do.

I've met Dr. Bisanga. He approached me at the conference in Chicago last year and I met Dr. Feriduni in Istanbul at the FUE workshop hosted by Dr. Erdogan, also last year. Both are men I could have a beer with but it doesn't mean I'd have surgery with them. I do encourage anyone considering Brussels to speak with them or their representatives which is more than I can say for a lot of clinics.

I hope this helps.

[Paget]

Thanks for your reply Joe,
Appreciate your comments as you can only comment on what you have seen in person. I am just looking at all the reviews on the forums and the Belgium Doctors are amongst the top. If the doctor performs most of the work with help from technicians this would have to be ok I am sure. Doctors cant carry out a full HT without the help of the technicians. So would i be right in saying that the Doctor who is held in good esteem would only employ technicians who he could trust? Would i be right in saying that the only qualification a technician may have is the years of experience of working with a top doctor. Is there another qualification they may have. I hope I m not rambling here Joe just looking for the right doctor as I only have the one chance with this HT due to donor area. Thanks again I welcome any other advice or comments you have.

[Toffeeman147]

Cheers Joe, top advice thanks. Does Dr. Lupanzula specialize more towards FUE rather than FUT? or is he equally experienced in both? Thanks

[JoeTillman]

Thanks for your reply Joe,
Appreciate your comments as you can only comment on what you have seen in person. I am just looking at all the reviews on the forums and the Belgium Doctors are amongst the top. If the doctor performs most of the work with help from technicians this would have to be ok I am sure. Doctors cant carry out a full HT without the help of the technicians. So would i be right in saying that the Doctor who is held in good esteem would only employ technicians who he could trust? Would i be right in saying that the only qualification a technician may have is the years of experience of working with a top doctor. Is there another qualification they may have. I hope I m not rambling here Joe just looking for the right doctor as I only have the one chance with this HT due to donor area. Thanks again I welcome any other advice or comments you have.

I think that it is a comfort level issue. It is for me, anyway. Removal of follicular units from the donor area is more of a surgery to me than making the incisions. It is more difficult and it is more important. The graft survival depends on it as well does the aesthetic of the donor zone once it is all healed.

I'll be clear on this issue. There is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing a doctor that uses technicians if a few points have been made known to the patient:

1. Who is or who are the technicians that will be performing the procedure?

2. How long have they been performing such procedures?

3. Which results documented did the technicians work on?

If a patient knows this information, which is no less important to know than it would be the doctor you are considering, then the patient is informed and will not experience any surprises. These are just the basics, in my opinion, and patients have the right to get even more in depth with their questions.

So again, it comes down to your own comfort level. If you agree to have technicians perform surgery on you, will you have the most experienced technicians working on you or will you get some trainees? What compromises will you accept when it comes to your surgery?

In the end, it is obviously a team effort to have the doctor and his assistants all working on you but I would encourage anyone that is going to have such a surgery to ask to meet the team during the consultation and to learn more about who you are putting in charge of your future.

Again, I'm not anti-technician, but I am anti-anonymity.

[JoeTillman]

Cheers Joe, top advice thanks. Does Dr. Lupanzula specialize more towards FUE rather than FUT? or is he equally experienced in both? Thanks

Toffeeman147,

I know Dr. Lupanzula used to perform a lot of FUSS but his practice primarily is FUE now, with the breakdown being roughly 99% FUE and 1% FUSS. Very few people that go to Belgium are asking for FUSS

[Toffeeman147]

Thanks Joe, when you said you experienced the results and work of Dr Lupanzula does that basically mean only his FUE procedures or have you seen his FUT work too? cheers pal.

[Janna]

In the UK I'm a fan of Dr. Ball.

I'm a fan of Dr. Ball in UK as well. I've worked with him several times when he was with Ziering Medical in UK but I'm working with him to start up his own clinic. Dr Ball strives for quality results like Shapiro Medical does.

As for the Belgium docs, Dr Bisanga has a great reputation as do Drs DeVroye and Feriduni. I've visited their clinics and know they have great patient care too. I haven't visited Dr Lupanzula but I know he a very caring physician and I've seen plenty of his great results. Also,
It's worth a check back on the Farjo's, they're producing great results and would want to work with their unhappy patients.

[JoeTillman]

Thanks Joe, when you said you experienced the results and work of Dr Lupanzula does that basically mean only his FUE procedures or have you seen his FUT work too? cheers pal.

Toffeeman147,

Yes, I have only seen his FUE results in person and watched him perform FUE over a three day period. His FUSS work is too rare to schedule for my visit back in August and at this point it is such a rare thing for him to do that I don't think it is worth mentioning.

[Toffeeman147]

Thanks for the advice Janna, much appreciated ....Not really confident with Dr Farjo again after my previous experience but curious to know how you know they would like to work with their unhappy patients. Have you been in contact with them about this? cheers

[Paget]

Thanks Joe
So i ask the doctor who will be extracting with him? If he states it will be a technician, What question do i then ask? Maybe ... How many procedures have they done? What is their experience ? I will not know anything about the technician so any answer they give I will not know if truthful so can only go on the trust of the doctor. Joe there cant be many doctors who do all extractions or am I wrong here? Fatigue must play a big part especially on 1500 grafts per day. If a technician has been working with that doctor for many procedures and the doctor employs them then this must be good practice. Di I go with the doctors word? Appreciate your reply.