I am about to go in for hair transplant surgery. I am based in the UK in London, and have had consultations with 3 companies, The Norton clinic,In Wakefield UK, whose surgeon is Mr Theo Vernikos. HDC who would perform the operation in their Cyprus clinic, and DHI who operate from their clinic in Athens.
Has anyone on this forum had dealings with any of these companies, as i would like unbiased advice!I would be very keen to hear from any patients of Mr Vernikos.

Hi Clive
First of all go no where near the Norton clinic as they constantly produce poor results.
DHI in Greece again have a track record of poor results.I should know as i have been to both of them and recieved poor work.
Do a search on here or Google and see what people say about them.
As for HDC there posted results look good but i have never met a patient in person from them and there issn`t much patient feedback on here.
If i were you i would contact HDC for a consult but lots more research and consult with a few doctors.
Here is a link for you to read

http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/746...101093553#7101093553

hi clive, i had 2200 with dhi ireland, im 7 months and 3 weeks post op. so far the HT has been a success and would return to them for a second under certain conditions.. i found their in house communication a shambles.. firstly i went in for 3000 graphs as recommended by the dhi consultant. recieved my injections and medication then doctor said he wouldnt do it as my donor site was not great!.. i was very upset with this, went for another consultation and was told 2500 would be fine.. went in for the op and i recieved 2200 as there was a communication breakdown between office and surgeon..i was also very upset by this..their a bit all over the shop i have to say! would have liked the extra 300 hairs.. they gave me the bones of 300 euro off the bill which i agreed as i was still on the effects of the medication and also tired fromm a long operation and just wanted to go home. i felt a bit ripped off over it and ill be sure to bring it up when i go in for my 10 month evaluation.. any docs have an opinion what i would be entitled to in this case?
clive the reason i choose fue was i like my head shaved and this method leaves no scar

Clive,

Welcome to our discussion forum.

Regarding FUE in general, be sure to do a lot of research. In my opinion, I am reluctant to advise patients to go the FUE route simply because of the seemingly lack of consistency and results available online.

Regarding the clinics you have mentioned, be sure to do some quality research. I am in the process of researching a bit more about HDC but to date, don't know much about them.

Be sure to ask each clinic the benefits, limitations, and potential problems with FUE. Also ask what they have done to overcome the potential problems to ensure you will have a successful hair transplant. Be careful of clinics who discuss only the benefits and ignore the potential problems of FUE.

I'd also like to point out that the "results" posted on here from HDC (that I have seen) are immediately postoperative photos only, which says nothing about the final result.

Best wishes,

Falc

Clive,
Welcome to the forum.
I'm concerned with your statement that you're about to go for a hair transplant.
Please, do not do anything for at least another 6 months and spend that time intensively researching. The fact that you are asking about the norton clinic leads me to believe you haven't done any research as of yet. ( the norton clinic are widely regarded as one of the worlds worst ht clinics)
Keep posting here and ask many, many questions as there are a multitude of wise members who will only be too happy to help.

Thanks for the advice so far guys!!
Am researching at the moment, and after 3 cosultations, 2 of which lasted 10 minutes, with only a cursery look at my hair loss! i am currently drawn to the FUE method without the strip, as i've seen the horrendous scars that can result. One thing that suprises me is the variation in the number of grafts estimated to give me a reasonable coverage, between 1000, which i thought very low, and 3000, which i thought more realistic.
Has anyone had dealings with HDC in Nicosia Cyprus, with a doctor Michael Georgiou??

Hi clive

I'm from the UK and researched for over a year on this site and others , I ended up going over to north america , I found that the most consistently good results where from canada or north america ,I don't know if traveling is a problem for you ,you have'nt said .

I too am concerned , like josh b , as too the ..... I'm about to have hair surgery statement .... please please use the search facility on this site and research as many clinics you can .

You only have one head of hair and ,really ,you can never research enough .

good luck
richie

2100 crown grafts
Dr Feller
nov 2007

Re: scarring....in the hands of a good, let alone elite, doc, a strip scar is NOTHING like the horrorshows you are probably thinking of when you think "strip scar". Likewise, while in capable hands FUE scarring is significently less noticeable than strip, in poor hands the FUE procedure can be just as brutal, imo. Also, FUEing *into* a strip scar is a viable option, though, many -- I would say, most -- do not even feel compelled to go this route after a legit, elite strip procedure.

hi again
just to show what thana means below are two good pics of a healthy scar healing , the first is at 28 days after surgery with a #2 buzz cut and the second is at 3 months , hair 20mm long , can't see it anymore .




hope that helps
richie

Yes i see what you mean about a good scar!!
As a novice to this forum, is there any difference in the results from strip to FUE with regards to the growth /success of the grafts? Obviously agree totally with the need to use what little hair i have got wisely, so my main concern is not location of the surgeon, or cost (within reason) but purely the result i achieve , i.e growth of permanent hair from a high % of grafts.

hey clive

The pics are of my scar ,just for the record .

There is alot of debate about the yeald from FUE , not sure of actual % but generally patients see more yeald from strip surgery .

If you search for FUE results or FUE yeald you'll find out more , some of the guys on here know more about it than I do and will proberbly be better to offer advice

richie

Hi Clive
What amount of hairloss and what pattern do you have.Also are you on any meds to help with your situation.

I started to go thin on the crown and recede on the hairline about 15 years ago, and now am fairly receded on the temples, and have lost the crown. In the last 5 years i have started to thin more , to the point where i am no longer happy to let it continue.My father and maternal grandfather were both completely bald on top at 30, so i have done somewhat better than them at 48.I do not take any patented hair loss meds, but am into vitamins, B,E,C and zinc. and have a healthy lifestyle.

hi clive,as you live in london have you given the farjo clinic any thought?
dr farjo holds consultations at his harley st premises but practices in manchester.
i have had two proceedures with him and his team and am really pleased with the results so far(2nd ht just started growing)
take a look at mine and "fallenstar"s weblog see what you think.
he performs tricho scar closure(as in richies pic)and i for one am ecstatic about mine because i like to wear my hair v short sometimes.
also you should look into meds(fin and minox)to try and stop further loss.
good luck

quote:

from petesman above
i found their in house communication a shambles.. firstly i went in for 3000 graphs as recommended by the dhi consultant. recieved my injections and medication then doctor said he wouldnt do it as my donor site was not great!.. i was very upset with this, went for another consultation and was told 2500 would be fine.. went in for the op and i recieved 2200 as there was a communication breakdown between office and surgeon..i was also very upset by this..their a bit all over the shop i have to say! would have liked the extra 300 hairs

Is it not illegal in Ireland for a consultant to examine your hair and recomend surgery/number of hairs.
I thought only a doctor could do this

Clive,

I did a lot of research and i would say that the best surgeons are in the USA or Canada. I had a HT two weeks ago and very happy i decided to travel across the pond as at the end of the day it's quite a short trip for a whole lot of proven skill...!

Farjo is your UK option but i'm not sure on his mega-session results (it sounds like you may need quite a few grafts).

Best of luck with it all

quote:

Is it not illegal in Ireland for a consultant to examine your hair and recomend surgery/number of hairs.
I thought only a doctor could do this

not sure chucky, id reckon it would be the same here as in the UK.. im going for an evaluation soon so im going to post a topic over the weekend to seek advice

Hi mate
Theres been a lot of stuff flying about lately about what a consultant can actually do on a consult and they aren`t supposed to be able to give medical advice.

Clive, the Norton clinic are without peer in the world horrifying life ruining butcherings, my life has been destroyed by this mob, they use 2 'surgeons' Kevin Hartley, a staff Dr from an A&E ward, he is utterly crap and still does punchgrafts! and Theo Vernikos the fue 'specialist' possibly worse than Hartley, i've seen his attempts at FUE, guy called PatchP posted pics on SHLN i can honestly say it was the most unnatural hairline i've ever seen, poor Patchy had to pay Norton to remove the grafts and was left with a sheet of scar tissue at the back of his head. You only get 1 head dont be stingy, go the best!

Thanks guys for your feed back.As for Norton, I was not impressed at my initial consultation, as i seemed to be speaking to a salesman selling me a product, rather than an expert who i would want replacing my precious few hairs!! your comments have backed up my gut feelings and i will not be going to their clinic. I will however be seeking a consultation with Dr Farjo from Manchester uk, who has had some positive feedback on this forum. Since listening to your comments i am however still somewhat confused over the strip v's FUE procedure! i had initially wanted FUE , mainly to avoid the scar, but i think i feel that the end result of successfull growth is of prime importance, and if strip could guarantee me this, then i would risk it. If anyone has more experience of Dr Farjo's work, i would be very interested to hear from you.