barrygray222

I have been a member of the forum for some years but admit I have not been an active member. I have had two Fue transplants. One in India with Dr Bhatti about 9 years ago and one in Turkey last week. I had a very positive experience in Turkey but I am not responding to promote the specific hospital I used for many reasons including the fact that I'm not sure what the rules are in this forum about recommendations and I am sure there will be many other clinics in Turkey worthy of consideration. What I do know is when I was waiting to get on the plane back to Edinburgh there was about 12 other male passengers who had also had transplant surgery done in Turkey. In fact, I was amazed at how many men were walking about Istanbul after having had transplants. Anyway, I got chatting at the airport to a couple of the other men and unfortunately their stories were full of pain and regret. I cannot remember the names of the clinics involved but one of them told me that there was another patient in his clinic at the same time who got 7000 fue grafts done in one day. That immediately got my alarm bells ringing. I might be wrong, and perhaps transplant techniques have changed, but based on what I have previously known, I believe 7000 Fue grafts in one sitting in way beyond the norm? Some of the clinics in Turkey (and I am sure in other parts of the world) do that "carrot on a stick" thing. The point I am making is if any clinic seems unscrupulous or has manipulative sales promotions (who wants to take a chance on a discounted hair transplant or a clinic who will haggle down the price) then I would avoid them. The first thing I was looking for was a clinic that responded to my inquiry in a professional and dignified manner. I also wanted all my questions answered thoroughly, while at the same time I was wary of the slightest hint of manipulative sales techniques coming my way. I decided in advance that the onus was on the clinic or hospital to make me feel a degree of confidence in all aspects of the procedure they were offering before I was willing to book. Then I took it from there, while fully adopting the "if in doubt leave it out" philosophy. I used my instincts and I took my time, but I fully understand how difficult it is to place trust in clinic that is, in geographical terms, thousands of miles away. I hope you find the clinic in Turkey that is right for you.

I have just had my second transplant, which so far has been plain sailing. I'm very pleased and think if I take good care of it I should have a full head of hair come the spring or summer. I had 3000 Fue grafts done and one PRP treatment. After my first transplant (3500 Fue Grafts) 8 years ago I was on finasteride but unfortunately I fell into the minority of men who had unacceptable side-effects on finasteride. I also took a skin reaction to minoxidil. Therefore, I had no choice but to give up on medication. However, back then, I did not know how to take care of my hair properly. Consequently, my hair kept receding and there is a patch of skin a few inches behind my hairline that the grafts did not take to. I found out last week that the skin in that patch is very thick (calcification) and blood supply would have been weak. I turned to Toppik and Dermmatch to thicken my hair but as the years have gone by I had been piling on more and more concealer to get the effect of a full head of hair, and in doing so, created another set of problems: Scalp irritation and dandruff. Now I have had a 2nd transplant and I hope I won't need concealers in the future but because of my past issues with pharmaceuticals, I have no choice but to go down the natural route. I have scoured the internet while I have been convalescing at home and have found plenty resources on diet and nutrition (what to eat and what not to eat). I have also sourced head massage videos, including a few for breaking up the calcification in thickened skin, and have read up on the benefits of scalp maintenance and plan to use masks made of coconut oil with rosemary oil a few times a week, to nourish my scalp. I have also bought Mossi of London's products, specifically designed for post transplant care. I really am determined to get the best results I can. Hence my reason for this post. Have I covered all the bases or is there any additional advise anyone can give me? Anything that is known to promote follicle growth? Anything I should avoid? Any advice would be appreciated.