Bad Experience with Dr. Couto and FUExpert

[follically challenged]

Seems very shady, disappointing to hear such things about this surgeon. 

From what Ive researched on the HT industry, it always seems to be the case that as soon as a surgeon achieves god like status it is very difficult to maintain those standards. I suppose this is due to a number of reasons - they start to expand and get greedy, being the main ones.

As a result, the attention to detail is no longer the key focus. Gone are the detailed chats. Gone are the meticulous follow-ups to put the customer at ease - the bigger focus now is to get more asses in chairs and make more of that money!

[RobertoDeNiro]

Hi Zizou,

How have these first few weeks been? Have your grafts started to fall out yet? And how is your donor area looking? 

Regarding your experience at FUExpert, we all know that when it comes to medical procedures, expectations and results can vary, and sometimes misunderstandings can complicate things. Sorry to hear you did not have the experience you had in mind. Could there have been any miscommunication? Is your native language English, or did you communicate in Spanish with Dr. Couto and his team?

As a FUExpert patient I have to say that it is important to highlight that Dr. Couto has been operating on two patients per day for years, something that has been discussed in multiple hair transplant forums, both Spanish and international. Moreover, Dr. Couto has a team of other doctors and assistants with exceptional training, who have been working with him for a long time. Dr. Couto would never allow someone unqualified to perform important tasks such as implanting or extracting grafts.

It has also been known for some time that Dr. Couto has an assistant doctor who has been working with him for several years performing implantations. In fact, in my case, I posted about this and shared an image clearly showing the part implanted by the assistant doctor.



I share my Thread with all the info and my experience here: 

As for one of the nurses who might be in training, I think this is normal in any business or clinic, as constant training is essential for the operation and continuous improvement of any team. One day both Dr. Couto, Dr. Zarev, Dr. Wong, and Dr. Konior were doctors in training. Sometimes we forget this.

I encourage you to contact the clinic again to express your concerns and questions. It will be the best way to clarify any misunderstandings. I am sure they will offer you the best solution and response to your concerns.

Finally, I want to tell you that the photos you have shared show excellent design, and with the quality of your hair, I am convinced that the final result will be phenomenal!

[baldingbosnian]

23 hours ago, davidn said:

That whole industry is such a Joke. 

Completely agree with you, I think it’s a giant crap shoot. I was in the same situation as OP with Dr. Turan, who ended up doing my temples and then left operating room to never come back (rushed my right side) and then in his place someone (presumably another physician) did my crown. 
 
If you paid for that surgeon to do your work then that surgeon should only be doing the work, unless otherwise specified BEFORE the surgery, before even being scheduled. 

In the end we’re all dollar signs to them. 
Best we can do is hold them accountable and make threads about our experience so that other users may not suffer the same fate.

 

[davidn]

11 minutes ago, baldingbosnian said:

Completely agree with you, I think it’s a giant crap shoot. I was in the same situation as OP with Dr. Turan, who ended up doing my temples and then left operating room to never come back (rushed my right side) and then in his place someone (presumably another physician) did my crown. 
 
If you paid for that surgeon to do your work then that surgeon should only be doing the work, unless otherwise specified BEFORE the surgery, before even being scheduled. 

In the end we’re all dollar signs to them. 
Best we can do is hold them accountable and make threads about our experience so that other users may not suffer the same fate.

 

At the end of the day man you need to show empathy too. While you saved up for years for a life-changing surgery on your head and flew to Turkey, he probably wanted a coffee break, so both sides are understandable!

Edited June 3 by davidn

[Diff-thinner]

In regards to the graft situation, I do think some comments are unfair, as with my experience with Dr Couto, he was actively and consistently talking down the number of grafts I needed both for the fact that my family history would likely mean I needed more interventions and second because he didnt want me wasting money getting a similar result with more grafts. 

I actually found him to be very ethical in this regard. If im to guess why he quoted you more, when usually in alot of cases he quotes less, I would say he wants to give a first time result that would match the thickness of your existing hair, and at the same time, your potential future loss, is not as severe as others. In my experience with them, I did not find them actively looking for the opportunities to create more grafts unnecessarily. 

 

I do think your result is going to be a bloody awesome one though   

 

 

[Zizou88]

Clarifying a couple of things from the comments:

• Regarding the splitting of grafts 4 to 2, it was just an example. I am uncertain of the exact process or how the splitting took place. Ideally, I would receive a detailed splitting report to gain a better understanding of the procedure.
• As initially mentioned in the post, my concern does not pertain to the results, but rather to the lack of transparency and process. This includes:
  - As of today I still don't know the total number of grafts extracted.
  - The feeling that I am being charged for more than what was actually performed. The initial estimate included work on the temples and crown that it wasn't needed/done. 
  - Me picking the doctor in a large part because he mentioned he was doing all the implants but that not being the case.
• The entire process was communicated in Spanish, so there was no language barrier.
• It is possible that Dr. Couto's process changed upon moving to his new clinic (recently). When responding to my complain regarding the process on the first day, he mentioned that by attending to only one patient a day he wouldn't have this new clinic. I heard that his old clinic was significantly smaller in comparison to the new one.
• He mentioned that Dr. Torres who did the implantation behind the hairline has been working with him for over 4 years and starting as an assistant.

Separately regarding how these weeks have been, everything seems to be healing well. Just one little red dot remaining on the donor. On the recipient area still some numbness (but seems to be getting better). For the implants itself, I don't think I started shedding yet, the hairline seems to be full, behind the hairline there is some spaces and small tinny gaps in certain areas but I imagine is on purpose not to be as full as the hairline. 

Edited June 3 by Zizou88

[GeneralNorwood]

3 hours ago, Zizou88 said:

 

• Regarding the splitting of grafts 4 to 2, it was just an example. I am uncertain of the exact process or how the splitting took place. Ideally, I would receive a detailed splitting report to gain a better understanding of the procedure.

That's important, because splitting doubles into singles and charging for the splits is pretty common and makes sense and spltting 4 to 2 sounds weird. 

3 hours ago, Zizou88 said:

 

• He mentioned that Dr. Torres who did the implantation behind the hairline has been working with him for over 4 years and starting as an assistant.

I searched "Torres" on the forum and he was mentioned in few posts. So in the end, maybe he will get recognition becacuse of you when you achieve great result. 

Everybody on this forum is like "Why dr. Zarev is not training new doctors"? So it's good that another legend like Couto is training new doctors. Maybe in few years Torres will be popular too. 

However clinic should be 100% transparent about process and provide info who will be doing implantation, extraction etc. before procedure, so patient can decide if he wants procedure under this terms. 

 

Ok i see that there were some posts , for example from RobertDeNiro that indicated how this process in Couto's clinic looks nowadays, but to be honest, i missed it. 

 

Do you have info on paper or in messages who was going to do implantation? 

Edited June 3 by GeneralNorwood

[Diff-thinner]

Dude, if you look at my extractions for example, from Dr Esteban, and I've spoken to other patients who were there, his extraction pattern is so awesome, two months after the procedure I could do a zero fade, and literally not one person has commented. 

 

What I'm trying to say is, is that these people are not outside hires, they are not techs, they are doctors created in the image of Dr Couto. Its like a Bisanga Kostis relationship. Moreover, this is a guy producing results that are considered top as many have said at 4.5 euros a graft, not 9 or 10. His business must be viable. He has a new clinic that is basically its own boutique hospital and has increased prices by .5 euros and kept them steady after the new clinic. Yes I understand the communication could be better, but at the end of the day, if any Couto patient states why they went there, its his ability to create a supremely natural result, without destroying donors and ultimately his hairline design. 

The results do speak for themselves, and these results were garnered not by Couto alone, but it was a process that included all these guys. 

 

[RobertoDeNiro]

Once again, I want to offer you my support. Consultation and surgery days are moments with nerves running high as you think about how everything will go.

It seems we have a slight confusion here. In your first post, you mentioned receiving a report with a total of 2503 grafts. However, now you’re saying that you still don’t know the exact number of grafts extracted, and the clinic hasn’t informed you. Could you clarify the situation? Also, have you paid for the operation yet? It’s unusual since the payment is typically made before the procedure starts. And then I suppose the clinic might do the final adjustments. 

It's great that everything was done in Spanish, so the language issue is ruled out. However, small misunderstandings can still happen. Maybe during your online consultation with the clinic, it wasn't explicitly mentioned that Dr. Couto would do one part and an assistant doctor might handle another. I'm not sure if this was documented, but in my experience, when I had my consultation at the clinic, it wasn't discussed either.

Although I haven’t seen the new clinic, which might be more spacious, the previous one was quite cozy. I was treated as a patient, and on the day of my surgery, there was another operation as well. This shows that the clinic has been performing two daily procedures for a long time. It is not something they have started on the new clinic.

Also, it's very important to note that the number of grafts needed varies for each patient. For example, your native hair density seems significantly higher than many of Dr. Couto's patients. To match that native density, you might need more grafts, as was your case. Each case is unique and cannot be directly compared to another.

I look forward to seeing more photos and watching your progress. As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm convinced that the final result will be extraordinary. 

Best regards and looking forward to your updates.

[Melvin- Admin]

1 hour ago, Diff-thinner said:

Dude, if you look at my extractions for example, from Dr Esteban, and I've spoken to other patients who were there, his extraction pattern is so awesome, two months after the procedure I could do a zero fade, and literally not one person has commented. 

 

What I'm trying to say is, is that these people are not outside hires, they are not techs, they are doctors created in the image of Dr Couto. Its like a Bisanga Kostis relationship. Moreover, this is a guy producing results that are considered top as many have said at 4.5 euros a graft, not 9 or 10. His business must be viable. He has a new clinic that is basically its own boutique hospital and has increased prices by .5 euros and kept them steady after the new clinic. Yes I understand the communication could be better, but at the end of the day, if any Couto patient states why they went there, its his ability to create a supremely natural result, without destroying donors and ultimately his hairline design. 

The results do speak for themselves, and these results were garnered not by Couto alone, but it was a process that included all these guys. 

 

This is a great post and very true.

[Zizou88]

I want to emphasize my first sentence: the review is not about the result or about thinking their assistants are outside hires. I am not judging the result, at least not now. However, I was lucky enough to be able to choose whichever doctor I wanted, and for me, one of the most important factors was knowing which part of the process is done by the doctor and which part by his team. If I had known Dr. Couto only does the hairline, I probably would have chosen Konior.

The online consultation was directly with Dr. Couto, and as mentioned above, this point was very important to me before making the decision. Therefore, this was the first question I asked during the consultation.

@RobertoDeNiro, to explain, they sent me a report saying they utilized 2,503 grafts. I sent them an email saying that was impossible, as Esteban confirmed the number of grafts taken the first day (1,100), and even if he didn't confirm the exact number the second day, we agreed it was going to be less. That's when they explained that the 2,503 were the ones implanted after splitting some grafts. So I asked them to send me how many grafts were extracted, and that's the information I still don't have.

Is it normal that after 3 weeks I still don't know how many grafts were extracted? @RobertoDeNiro, you also had a procedure with FUExpert. Do you know how many grafts were extracted and how many grafts were implanted (after splits)? Did you paid for the extracted grafts or the implanted ones?

Edited June 5 by Zizou88

[Zizou88]

@Melvin- Adminyou mentioned on a message I sent you directly that "they charge depending on how the grafts are extracted. Sometimes they divide grafts to have more singles, sometimes they combine them. But how grafts come out initially is how they charge" - does this apply to most doctors?

[Melvin- Admin]

1 hour ago, Zizou88 said:

@Melvin- Adminyou mentioned on a message I sent you directly that "they charge depending on how the grafts are extracted. Sometimes they divide grafts to have more singles, sometimes they combine them. But how grafts come out initially is how they charge" - does this apply to most doctors?

Yes that’s the industry standard. I’ve messaged Dr. Couto, hopefully he chimes in here to address some of these concerns.

[Al - Moderator]

How many grafts did they charge you for? This is confusing. Wouldn't you have to pay for the amount of grafts? Or does he charge per session and not per graft?

 

[Zizou88]

@Al - Moderator I was charged 2,500 grafts. Paid before the procedure. 

I guess the confusing part is that there are 2 kinds of grafts - extracted and implanted. 
So the Dr. might have extracted 1,700 grafts (this is just an example) but after splitting some of these grafts he might have implanted 2,500. 

They (clinic) is saying I was implanted 2,500 grafts. However I don't know how many grafts were extracted.

[RobertoDeNiro]

On 6/3/2024 at 9:28 PM, Diff-thinner said:

Dude, if you look at my extractions for example, from Dr Esteban, and I've spoken to other patients who were there, his extraction pattern is so awesome, two months after the procedure I could do a zero fade, and literally not one person has commented. 

 

What I'm trying to say is, is that these people are not outside hires, they are not techs, they are doctors created in the image of Dr Couto. Its like a Bisanga Kostis relationship. Moreover, this is a guy producing results that are considered top as many have said at 4.5 euros a graft, not 9 or 10. His business must be viable. He has a new clinic that is basically its own boutique hospital and has increased prices by .5 euros and kept them steady after the new clinic. Yes I understand the communication could be better, but at the end of the day, if any Couto patient states why they went there, its his ability to create a supremely natural result, without destroying donors and ultimately his hairline design. 

The results do speak for themselves, and these results were garnered not by Couto alone, but it was a process that included all these guys. 

 

100% agree with this statement. 

[RobertoDeNiro]

Hello Zizou,

I hope you're doing well. I wanted to respond to your concerns based on my experience with Fuexpert.

In my consultation with Dr. Couto, we didn't specifically discuss who would perform which parts of the procedure. My main goal was to get the best possible result, and the question of who would handle the implantation or extraction didn't come up. I also didn't ask, though I could have. In your case, did Dr. Couto assure you during the consultation that he would do the entire process himself?

Regarding the payment, I paid for the number of grafts implanted. I don’t really know if there was a division of the grafts extracted during my procedure. Possibly, I imagine it is done often to better organize the use of the grafts, but I paid for the grafts that were implanted.

On this topic, and logically, I understand that what matters is the work done as a whole. For example, in your case, if they extracted a total of 2000 grafts and some of those grafts are multiples, these could be divided for better strategic implantation. I distinctly remember that Couto was obsessed with finding the perfect placement for the grafts. Thus, from 2100 extracted grafts, 2500 implanted grafts could result. This division and subsequent placement work is clearly understood as additional work and logically I would assume has its cost. Knowing Dr. Couto, this isn't about dividing the grafts to charge more but to ensure the best possible coverage and density in his results. Part of his magic isn’t really magic; it’s an obsession with perfection.

Dr. Couto is known for achieving excellent results with fewer grafts compared to other clinics. This is evident in his cases. What matters most is your final result and the quality of the work done. And really, as you indicated, if the clinic decided to do extra work by dividing the grafts and placing them strategically, it was to achieve an exceptional result, and you will be the main beneficiary. If you analyze it well, for any clinic, it would be much easier to directly say you need 2500 grafts, extract them, place them, and charge for them. Here, once again, we see that the Fuexpert team has gone a step further for the benefit of their patient.

Remember, all of us who chose and went to have surgery with Dr. Couto did so not only because of the results we saw but also because of the excellent treatment that everyone spoke about this doctor.

I encourage you to continue showing updates of your progress. It would be interesting to see photos now that you are three weeks post-surgery since this is when the implanted grafts can be well appreciated before they fall out.

[Al - Moderator]

3 hours ago, Zizou88 said:

@Al - Moderator I was charged 2,500 grafts. Paid before the procedure. 

I guess the confusing part is that there are 2 kinds of grafts - extracted and implanted. 
So the Dr. might have extracted 1,700 grafts (this is just an example) but after splitting some of these grafts he might have implanted 2,500. 

They (clinic) is saying I was implanted 2,500 grafts. However I don't know how many grafts were extracted.

 

Thank you. That made it a lot less confusing to understand.

 

[Zizou88]

@RobertoDeNiro thanks for sharing. Glad you were able to have a good experience with them. Yes, it seems you had a completely different experience than me. Even though I might get an amazing result, because the issues I had during the process and what I feel has been a lack of transparency (in my case) I wouldn't recommend FUExpert. Again, not being able to get a response regarding graph extracted 3 weeks after the procedure doesn't scream excellence in my opinion (among the other issues mentioned in my initial post).

Regarding your question, during the call he mentioned that there was a technician doing the extraction (Esteban) and he was doing all the implantation. As mentioned this is one of the main reasons I choose him. I was happy with someone doing the extraction and him doing all the implants. 

Based on your comment, it seems you don't know how many grafts were extracted from your donor area, you only know the ones that were implanted? Was this discussed that you were going to be charged by the graft implanted? I was under the impression the industry standard is to charge for the grafts extracted. My concerns here, have to also do that when he initially quoted (a year before the procedure) a max of 2,500 grafts this number included temples and crown, which were not done/needed. So it just seems odd that not doing the temples and crown we still reach the number that was initially quoted a year before the procedure.

Additionally, looking at FUExpert results it seems all of the ones that are around 2,500 grafts (same as me) the procedure was significantly bigger (sample) below. The example below is also 2,500 grafts.
I understand density plays a factor and all patients are different but still seems significantly bigger procedures. Not only this one but pretty much all cases FUExpert shows that are over 2,000 grafts. Moreover as mentioned in the original post I also met with some of the best doctors such as Konior and Hasson & Wong and their estimates ranged from 1,300 to 1,600 (not including temples nor crown).

Edited June 5 by Zizou88

[Melvin- Admin]

6 minutes ago, Zizou88 said:

@RobertoDeNiro thanks for sharing. Yes, it seems you had a completely different experience than me. Even though I might get an amazing result, because the issues I had during the process and what I feel has been a lack of transparency (in my case) I wouldn't recommend FUExpert. Again, not being able to get a response regarding graph extracted 3 weeks after the procedure doesn't scream excellence in my opinion (among the other issues mentioned in my initial post).

Regarding your question, during the call he mentioned that there was a technician doing the extraction (Esteban) and he was doing all the implantation. As mentioned this is one of the main reasons I choose him. I was happy with someone doing the extraction and him doing all the implants. 

Based on your comment, it seems you don't know how many grafts were extracted from your donor area, you only know the ones that were implanted? Was this discussed that you were going to be charged by the graft implanted? I was under the impression the industry standard is to charge for the grafts extracted. My concerns here, have to also do that when he initially quoted (a year before the procedure) a max of 2,500 grafts this number included temples and crown, which were not done/needed. So it just seems odd that not doing the temples and crown we still reach the number that was initially quoted a year before the procedure.

Additionally, looking at FUExpert results it seems all of the ones that are around 2,500 grafts (same as me) the procedure was significantly bigger (sample) below. 
I understand density plays a factor and all patients are different but still seems significantly bigger procedures. Not only this one but pretty much all cases FUExpert shows that are over 2,000 grafts. Moreover as mentioned in the original post I also met with some of the best doctors such as Konior and Hasson & Wong and their estimates ranged from 1,300 to 1,600 (not including temples nor crown).

Glad you were able to have a good experience with them. 

Graft amount is dependent on a variety of factors. Head size, hair characteristics i.e., thin, medium or thick hair. The ladder can get away with fewer grafts. Furthermore, the graft amount changes depending on whether the midscalp is reinforced. 

For your case, it doesn’t seem possible to lower the hairline and reinforce the midscalp near the partline with density using 1,300-1,600 grafts. I can see why he addressed this area, it looks weak and would look unnatural if you had a lower thicken hairline. 

I believe you’re implying that he is doing more grafts than is required, but I disagree. He’s not using over 2,000 grafts for every patient. In fact, @Diff-thinner had a small number of grafts. He dm’d me before the procedure and I thought he needed more grafts than what Dr. Couto quoted or did. But he has exceptionally thick hair, so he can get away with using fewer grafts. This shows me that Dr. Couto is not using a cookie cutter plan for all his patients, and is instead tailoring the procedure to their own characteristics and goals. 

 

[Zizou88]

To clarify, I am not implying he is using 2,000 grafts for every patient. I was comparing the patients that have over 2,000 grafts and they seem to be bigger procedures. The picture I shared seemed to be a bigger procedure even though it's the same number of grafts. But I understand the argument every person and case is different.

Also, my hair is very thick confirmed by Dr. Couto and Dr. Torres so it should not be an issue about my hair being thin. 
@Melvin- Admin also, to make sure it's clear Dr. Torres confirmed that after the first day (1,100 graft extracted) the right side (hairline), all the midscalp reinforcement (right and left) and large portion of the hairline on the left was completed. Therefore, the second day the extraction was less. 
 

Edited June 5 by Zizou88

[Zizou88]

Hopefully I can get the number of graft extracted soon so I can make better sense of this.

Edited June 5 by Zizou88

[Melvin- Admin]

I just got off the phone with Dr. Couto. It was a very detailed conversation that lasted for over one hour. First, he explained how he approaches surgery and his method, contributing to his results. He was disheartened that this situation was caused by a misunderstanding between him and the patient. Dr. Couto advised me that his procedures are meticulously planned when the patient is in person. Online evaluations are only evaluations; the actual planning is done in person. He has a team of dedicated doctors and nurses whom he has trained. Dr. Esteban was trained to do the extractions. He does extractions daily. He was only granted the ability to do the extractions once he achieved a level of satisfaction to Dr. Couto's standards. Dr. Couto is responsible for the procedure. However, he cannot do everything himself, and no team member touches the patient until they can carry out the task to Dr. Couto's standard, which takes years of meticulous training.

The Confusion

It looks like some communication fell through the cracks. Dr. Couto told me he would call the patient to explain everything in great detail. He took ownership of the communication misunderstanding. He told me something I hadn't heard before: he prefers working on fine-haired patients because achieving natural results is easy. Many of us (myself included) have always thought that thicker hair is better. But he told me that thicker hair demands more blood, oxygen, and nutrients, similar to how a large male requires more calories than a small female. That's why he doesn't add too many multiples per cm2 because they will compete for blood, oxygen, and nutrients and ultimately die. Sometimes, he needs to split the grafts to ensure they survive and that the frontal third looks natural. He states this is the key to good growth and naturalness in patients with thick hair. 

He explained that he charges per implanted graft, not what is extracted. He charges per implanted graft because he is implanting the grafts, as opposed to the industry standard, which is technicians implanting the grafts. He explains that he only splits or combines grafts when necessary to achieve the best result possible. He acknowledged that it might differ from the industry standard, but his method of performing procedures has been successful in his practice, and it is how he has achieved the results. He never split quad grafts into twos; he only split multiples into singles. He was very clear about that. 

My Thoughts

Although charging per implanted graft isn't the industry standard, I understand why he's charging per implanted graft. When graft splitting was frowned upon, a clinic would harvest a strip of tissue. The technicians would then split grafts to charge the patient more, but this wasn't done to achieve a good result. Furthermore, the technicians back then were doing all of the implantation. The surgeon would only excise the strip, sew it up, and create the sites. The technicians slivered, sorted, and implanted the grafts. It is understandable for a surgeon to charge for their direct labor. I don't think there is anything wrong or unethical in doing that. He carried out a 2,500 graft procedure over two days if anyone knows about overhead cost. You're losing money each day you have your clinic open for the same patient. The fact that he did that for a small case shows that he is meticulous about his work and puts quality above money. 

Usually, I wouldn't write on behalf of a clinic, but Dr. Couto doesn't have a profile on the forum and doesn't have the time to create one. Out of fairness, I felt compelled to provide the details of our conversation. 

[RobertoDeNiro]

Hi again Zizou,

Certainly I had a wonderful experience and I'm sorry to hear that some communication problems between you and the clinic are causing this unpleasant situation. It's understandable that, in moments of nervousness and with the desire for everything to turn out perfectly, unforeseen situations can arise.

On the other hand, I wanted to comment on a statement you made about what happened during your consultation with Dr. Couto. It sounds quite unusual that Dr. Couto told you he would be doing the implantation entirely by himself, as he hasn't done this for several years. And I am saying this with facts. In addition to this forum, I follow the Spanish one, and some time ago the topic was discussed that Couto had been receiving partial assistance with the implantation work for years. I could see Couto doing the 100% by himself in special cases like a repair or a hairline touch-up. This was your first ever hair transplant, right?

We shouldn’t directly compare this case (the image you shared) where 2,500 grafts were implanted with yours, which has the same number of grafts. That is, you are presenting a case of a patient whose hair density, at first glance and without being an expert, seems to be significantly lower than yours. This already shows a significant difference in the complexity of your case due to your high native density and the transplant approach.

Additionally, you keep mentioning the issue of the extracted grafts and whether they should be charged for. Once again, you are overlooking the extra work that has been done to make the procedure absolutely personalized, adapting to the characteristics of your hair and your scalp area. 

@Melvin- Admin describes it perfectly:

"Dr. Couto always tailors each of his interventions to the specific needs of the patient and the goals of the case." It would be great, even mandatory, that all clinics would do personalized work and not standard. 

"Dr Couto carried out a 2,500 graft procedure over two days if anyone knows about overhead cost. You're losing money each day you have your clinic open for the same patient. The fact that he did that for a small case shows that he is meticulous about his work and puts quality above money."

Once again, patient wins and Fuexpert shows that they are all with the patient.

Finally, I think it’s worth mentioning another important benefit that isn’t being given enough attention, which is that your DONOR AREA has undergone fewer extractions relative to the consequent implantations. This means you have an additional advantage, as with fewer grafts extracted, the yield of those grafts in the recipient area will be higher. In other words, even though fewer grafts were taken out, the final result in the recipient area will be superior, and your donor area will be better preserved.

I hope this clarifies your doubts and gives you a more complete perspective on your procedure with Dr Couto and its benefits.

Could you please share photos from these first few weeks? It will be much easier to see the work done.

[Diff-thinner]

I just want to say a few things @Zizou88 if i may, and I don't want it to seem that we are minimising your apprehensions, as they are completely valid, but at the same time I would like to point to a few things that may allay your fears. 

First is a small line @Melvin- Admin included,  that may go unnoticed for some reading this, that Dr Couto spent a whole hour talking to him. In my opinion both as a patient and as a business owner, its very rare that these conversations go on this long when blame is being levelled. To me, it echoes everything that happened in the consultation, he spent an over an hour with me, showed me a hair washing of another patient, showed me pictures on his Mac, and spent a good part talking me down from my 2000 graft obsession. I was basically trying to give him my money, and he was saying no I wont take it and i'll give you the result you desire for less money. 

Its very rare in this day and age to find someone rejecting an extra pay day. 

If you look at my original post, on my thread, it echoes the exact same thing that Melvin said here, Dr Couto hates to use more grafts than he deems necessary. So on that basis, once you do get your graft count, I think half your fears will be allayed.

The reason for me  posting is not to blame, it is rather to explain to you why you should be confident in your choice and that whilst you may be anxious thinking, did I chose wrong, or annoyed that things didn't go as you expected, but that were basically in the same boat on the same journey, and i can tell you we've chosen a good captain for the voyage. 

I Don't know about everyone else but there is an element of loyalty that is evoked from such a person, and that is why I do feel the need to back up someone that I do respect. 

To add to this, he did my PRP and the extra grafts and only a month later did I get the graft count. I had not paid for the extra grafts that we went over on, and he basically didn't even know me, trusting that he would get his money. 

Now, was I itching to know my final graft count yes! Did it arrive late, (a little yes), but on balance, if I get a ten out of ten result, and an email was a little late, I don't care at all in the grand scheme of things.

This forum, is great for perspective, it allows to see the best and the worst of hair transplants. And in that perspective, I would say that your worries are valid, but wont affect the most important thing, which is the final outcome of your result. 


Lastly as @RobertoDeNiro says, if taken from a different perspective you got 2500 implantations, with less grafts taken out to ensure survivability. That is someone who has taken the time to ensure survival.  Specifically rather than harvesting 2000 grafts with a high number of quads implanted, in one intervention, that dont survive, he placed 2500 grafts tailored for you.  

Over the next few weeks there will be ups and downs and apprehensions and if you want to PM me to discuss as someone who is only like 2 months ahead of you, i'm down any time dude .