Yaz89

Not a single reply....anyone?

I have a question to ask. I am now nearly 9 weeks post op. Well the area where the grafts were inserted feels very numb and hard when touched. There isn't any pain but more like a sensation feeling. Feels very warm at times and swollen. Is this some sort of acne? Are the hairs trying to push through?

Thank you for updating this post! You look pretty good. You cannot forget you have a long way to go. I'm sure you'll look great after a few months! Good growth!

Hey Denny my friend! Yep, indeed a long way to go yet. I know growth usually kicks in after month 3. Its going to be a good new year!

As promised month 2, 8 weeks post-op update. Time flies! I have been really busy the past 3 weeks. Been preparing for my cochlear implant surgery which was done on the 25th. Just recovering from that which has been a roller coaster. You can see the stiches on my right side, near the ear where they had to shave the hair off.

Hair wise, not much has changed other than I have experienced no shock-loss at all. I am looking like the way I was before my procedure. Nearly all pre-op hair have grown back. There is a little redness in the transplanted areas and I can see thousands of small dots and whitey wisps which I believe are miniature new hairs. Donor has healed well, no itching or tightness. I also have been on finasteride for the two months now. No reports of side-effects and my younger brother thinks my crown area is looking much darker and thicker. I really hope growth starts soon. My last haircut was 5 weeks ago and I have promised my self I will hold my self back and not have a haircut till March! Usually before my hair loss began, I used to visit the barber every 3 weeks! Three month update on the 31st December!

There you EK, Denny is the man! He be glad to help you.

Great to hear. EK, I have answered your first post which you posted today at 11.11am. I have answered it but its not showing yet. Just have to wait for the moderators to approve it. It answers your questions about hotel costs and the tax added if paying using credit cards. Anything else, fire away the question. Also Denny is a great help too. Denny really looked after me and I am still in regular contact with him

Hey Yaz89

 

First of all thx for sharing your experience. Very insightfull and interest read.

However I have some question I need answered if u dont mind and others can participate the conversation.

 

Writing an email with pics of your hair is sufficient enough to be considered to get an appointment? How long before do they reply?

 

No EK, Dr Koray needs to examine your scalp, hair type, density of donor hair. I was quoted 2400 grafts through the photographs I send via email but after Dr Koray examined me, we found I needed more. As I have slight thinning in the crown area. Dr Koray advised me to start proscar (finasteride) to help keep the crown and possibly to grow more hair from the crown area. I have been on fin for the past 8 weeks now and I hoping it will help to stop the need of having another transplant in the future.

 

50 - 100 EURO for one night stay at the clinic?

 

The hotel where I stayed is only 10 minutes away from the clinic. The cost is 65 euro single bed or 85 euro double bed which includes breakfast. I advise you bring Turkish Lira currency with you. I paid euros for the hair transplant and euros again for the hotel. Other services such as taxis, take-aways, local shops and restaurants only accept Turkish Lira. I made the mistake of exchanging a small amount of Pounds to Turkish Lira and I suffered!

 

What I've read they add additional 18-20% tax on credit cards. Paying cash is much cheaper but how am I able to carry all that cash with me to the clinic? I dont feel very secured about that or is there a bank nearby where the staff can escort the patient to/from the bank?

I think I answered that already. Dr Koray has no control over the tax on credit cards as it is Turkish regulations.

I will try my best to answer:

1. I had 2400 grafts which was a one day surgery. As Dr Koray only extracts and implants 2400 grafts in a day. If you require more than 2400 grafts for example lets say you need 3500 grafts. Then 3500 grafts will take 2 days.

I personally feel you should give your self 7-10 days for the donor area to heal. You will have swelling which will begin from the transplanted site and it may proceed to the forehead, eyes and the nose. The swelling affected me but went away within 7 days. The donor area heals quite fast as well.

2. Payment wise EK....I booked my operation in May and sent a deposit to secure the date (Booking was done in May to secure my operation for October), I paid the remaining cost in cash (Euros). If your flying from a EU country like I did, then it shouldn't be a problem carrying such a large amount of cash. I did; I had nearly 7000 Euros and 800 British pounds with me. Turkey is a really safe country. I wasn't asked to declare money either in England nor in Turkey. You will be quite safe.

3. Your surgery days: Well when I had mine done, there were 2 another patients having their procedures done. I was told they usually conduct 2 surgeries a day. EK, the top doctors in the world (I rate Dr Koray in the top ten) usually always be fully booked. So I am not sure if the dates you would like would be available. Ask Denny, he would be able to help.

I know your having a bit of a struggle trying to contact Asmed. They moved into their new clinic I think three months ago. My operation was conducted in the new clinic. Their website is down as they are creating a better one.

Meanwhile if you require any help, do contact me. I be more than happy to help. Check my other thread which I am regularly updating my progress:

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/172963-my-journey-hair-transplant-dr-koray-erdogan-2400-grafts-prp-08-10-2013-a.html

Not a problem, I think you need a certain amount of posts before private messaging is enabled. Anyway can I help you?

Thanks Denny, I will update my 2 month progress on the 3/12!

I have created a new thread in the patient result section. As this was section is primarily focused on surgeons reviews. I will update my coming months in my thread patient restoration section

wow! great result at week 4 which will be your final result but much thicker

 

this will be a total transformation!

Thanks Rev! Yep I cannot wait for the final result. The week 4 pic shows some small shedding where the head pink. Here is a week 3 pic where the grafts were growing and I had no shedding at that time. The shedding began in the middle of week 4.

Thanks Scooter! I am hoping to have some growth after christmas. I hate this ugly duckling period. Good thing is I am looking like how i was before my transplant.

Hi Mack, yes Dr Koray only does manual-punch using his one-step approach to extract grafts to minimise low transection rate. This is because the punching and graft removal process occurs at the same time resulting in less scarring . He has mastered this approach and is a really kind doctor.

Grouping of grafts:

Single: 489

Double: 1159

Triple: 700

Multiple: 54

Total number of grafts: 2402

Average hair per grafts: 2.13

Plus PRP

That's all for now. Today I am on week 6 and 1 day! Will update on week 8 (month 2) progress.

Professional photographs taken by Dr Koray showing before, after and hair line design. Dr Koray has closely matched my hair line the way it was before my hair loss. Many would point out the slight thinning at the crown. Dr Koray also mentioned it; he has a fine eye for detail and planned ahead with the future in mind thus why I am taking fin.

At the end of week 4, I started to lose the transplanted hairs. I began to panic and bombard Denny who is Dr Koray's rep on here with emails. He ensured me that all is normal and it is part of the healing process. He stated it was actually good news as the grafts are safe and secure by now; I figured out this was the 'ugly duckling phrase'. Pics at week 4:

By week 4, I had a haircut to clean the sides and the back of the head. The transplanted hairs were also growing and majority of scabs have gone

From week 1 to week 4, I hardly had any shedding. The pinkness in the transplanted area had gone by week 2. Swelling had sustained by the beginning of week 1. I was amazed to be healing that quickly. I did have the slight itchy feeling in the donor area at week 3 which resolved it self. Photographs at day 8:

As soon I reached home, I started on proscar (fin) as instructed by Dr Koray. I intend to stick to it for life. So far I have been on fin for the past six weeks and no side-effects at all. I also started to apply Bepanthol cream for 10 minutes and then washing the grafts slowly by using a finger with lukewarm water. My mum helped me to this for three weeks! Bless her, tending to an 25 year old man at her age lol. The cream and special shampoo were provided by the clinic. At day 3:

(When I left for Turkey)

Here goes...Finally the time came to fly to Turkey in the early hours of Monday morning. My flight left Luton at 6.30am and I reached Turkey Istanbul at 12.25pm. A driver from the clinic was waiting for me. It took about 25 minutes to arrive to the clinic. All the staff and Dr Koray warmly approached me with kind smiles and handshakes. After introducing myself and vice-versa, Dr Koray asked if he could see my hair which of course I was happy to! I was offered lunch in the canteen which I enjoyed...perfect Turkish cuisine. There was an Spanish patient there who was leaving that day and we had an long chat, he seemed really tired. After having lunch an staff member took my pre-op photographs and then Dr Koray took me to his office for consultation.

We spoke about my hair loss and what I expect to achieve. He noted my donor area was quite thick which should lead to an overall good result. He mentioned proscar and how it would help with future loss and protect the crown area. I stated I was afraid of the side-effects and was told side-effects are quite rare (such as having man-boobs!). He draw an hairline which I liked right away and Dr Koray said he will draw a better one before the operation. I sorted all the finances at the end with Dr Koray's staff. I was then dropped off to the hotel where the driver sorted my booking. I had an extremely long shower as I had been awake for more than 60 hours and called it a night as I had to be awake at 7am the next day.

I awoke at 7am, had an quick shower and then had an light breakfast at the hotels restaurant. The driver arrived at 8am and we proceeded to the clinic which was only 5 mins away from the hotel.

8.30am I had two English translators who were with me all the time through my surgery as I am hard of hearing Dr Koray wanted me to be comfortable thus two people were directed to be with me. All the staff at the clinic speak perfect English apart from one person who I think was an driver.

With my two translators we headed to the prep room where my hair was shaven and washed. Dr Koray draw an perfect hairline and then took photographs. I then was let to have an final check up with blood tests.

9am I had changed into a surgical gown and was let to the operating room. I must have had various shots to numb the back of the head which hurt! After a while the area had numbed down. My translators had chosen English DVDs for me and they covered me up with an blanket to stay warm...I felt like a prince! I was always asked if I needed a drink or if I had felt pain. It took about 3 hours to extract 2400 grafts and during that time I had watched two dvds which were Rocky and The Taking of Pelham 123.

I had an short break with lunch and then went back to the operating room were Dr Koray made the incisions. This took about 90 minutes. Again I felt no pain and had an small break.

Now the worst part, planting of the grafts...this took such an long time. During this stage I felt cold, tired, my back felt it was about to snap even despite placing soft padding and blankets under my legs, on my back and under my back. I also felt sleepy. Near the end I kept feeling short bursts of pain....I think the anaesthetic shots were wearing off. Finally I was off the table and the nurses bandaged my head. I stayed in sitting position for a few mins. I was quite unsteady on my feet and was helped to stand. The nurses were all smiling and Dr Koray came in to see how I was. All during the operation Dr Koray kept walking in to check everything which shows how much he cares about his patients.

I noticed the time was 5.40pm and had so much pain; my head was throbbing. I was led to the prep room where Dr Koray spoke of the operation. He stated the grafts were of good size, strong and the hairline looked good. A nurse placed this thing which looked an comb with lasers over my head; I think it counted the destiny of the grafts which I do not know. I didn't ask Dr Koray of the grouping of the grafts, I will email soon to ask. I was handed an blue pill to help ease the pain. Everyone bid me goodbye and driver dropped me to the hotel. I stayed in my room for a few hours and then headed downstairs for dinner. I hit the bed around 10.30pm. I slept like an dog apart from waking up at 6am as my throat was really dry.

Once awake at 6am, I watched tv for a bit, cleaned my room and packed my bag. I checked-out from the hotel at 7.30am, had breakfast and driver came to pick me at 8am. Back at the clinic everyone came over to say hello and asked how I felt. Dr Koray gave me an big hug! He let me to an staff member who had all my medicine etc shampoo, cream and an four month course of proscar. The nurses proceeded to cut my bandage, helped me change my shirt and washed my hair. They then showed me how to wash my grafts and how to look after them. All was done and I walked around the clinic bidding everyone farewell. Dr Koray shaked my hand and I thanked him for everything. I was getting emotional a bit as I will really miss them. They really looked after me with love, kindness and great care. Due to my bad hearing no one left an stone to help me. I sat in the car and waved everyone goodbye. My flight was at 12.55pm

I reached Luton at 3pm. As soon I came off the flight I felt cold and tired. My friends picked me from the airport and I reached home in the evening. My mother cried and hugged me, after seeing my state she cried even more...you know how mothers cant see their children in pain. She had cooked an delicious meal for me which I had.

So far (today) I am feeling well, slightly weak as I think I lost a lot blood and my forehead has swelled. I also applied cream and washed my hair twice as instructed by Dr Koray.

Of course I did sight-see in Istanbul but that is irrelevant to hair restoration.

Here are some images. The left one was taken right after the surgery and the second one was taken today a few hours ago, you see how much my forehead has swelled.

MY surgery was done at the new clinic. It was quite impressive...four floors which were if I can recall rightly:

Ground floor contained the waiting lounge, admin staff offices, entrance to the clinic.

First floor: Dr Koray's office

Basement level 1: Camera room, prep room, canteen, toilets, courtyard

Basement level 2: Patient rooms with bed, tv, lockers, shower and toilets. Two surgery rooms?

I received 2400 grafts and PRP treatment which was free, a truly kind gesture by Dr. Koray.

If anyone is trying to contact Dr Koray, please have patience for an reply as he is training several new members of staff which include admin staff who handle calls and emails. I must have seen more than 15 members of his team and they conduct at least one or two surgerys a day. He runs a very tight operation.

Right after transplant:

Hi everyone,

I had already reviewed Dr Koray Erdogan in the surgeon review section and I thought it was best to start another thread showing my progress. I am so far 6 weeks post op. My journey so far:

(Copied from my first thread for those who are not familiar with my background)

At the age of 21 an close family member passed away (my Uncle). I loved this person to bits and my heart couldn't take it. I was diagnosed with severe depression. I had the depression for an year and this resulted in mood swings, sleepless nights (with nightmares), breakdowns and hair loss. During this period I postponed my entry to university as I was in no state to study. I noticed my hair started to thin around the temples badly. My family told me not to worry as I was ill and hopefully the hair should grow back. A year on once the illness had gone and my health improved but there was no sign of the hair growing back. I visited my GP who conducted blood tests and so on. Everything was normal. Please be aware, I have no hair loss for the past 3 years but DID have hair loss when I had depression which resulted in both temples now being bald.

I have tried no hair loss regime such as regaine or finasteride as I do not believe pills/chemicals are worth the risk long-term. (I am currently taking finasteride which I started after my transplant).

For the past year I have been researching hair transplant clinics aboard. There was no way I could afford an procedure here in the UK and secondary I do not trust the private medical sector here.

I contacted many hair transplants aboard but Dr Koray Erdogan stood out from the rest. I emailed ASMED in May and they swiftly replied. Judging from the photographs which I send, Dr Erdogan stated I would need 2400 grafts. I booked my hair transplant for October by sending a deposit to book the date. Currently my airline ticket, hotel and visa have been booked. And the operation date is 5 weeks away! I will carry on updating this thread with photographs and information. So far, ASMED have replied back to every single email with detailed responses and I can say they are really an professional team. I cannot wait to meet Dr Erdogan himself. As I am south-Asian (British-born) lets see how Dr Erdogan handles my case as I have read online he is popular with patients from Turkey and Europe.

To those who would say that I am too young (24 years od age) for an hair transplant please understand my hair loss was due to my medical problem. My father is 60 and he started to go bald at the age of 45; due to his illness. My younger brother is 22 and has an head thick of hair which resembles an hedgehog lol. My secondary reason for an hair transplant is that I am due for cochlear implant surgery in November as I am severe deaf. I need hair to cover the outer audio processor. Currently as I have no hair in the temples, it looks really odd when I let my hair grow; this results in hair growing from the sides, top of the head and back of the head. I look really odd and my hair loss has really changed my appearance.

How I looked before:

Yes! He said to wait 3 weeks after the implanted area is clean. Just want to see also other advices.

 

Thanks again mate!

Not a problem! Let me know if you require help. Were only a few weeks apart from our transplants. Eager to see how we get on!

Thanks mate!

So the implanted hairs should be cut after 1 month.

I was instructed by my doctor (dr koray) not to touch, cut or fiddle around the transplanted hair. He stated its best to let the area heal. No point in cutting the transplanted hairs as some or all will shed. Be patience mate. Your doctor must have given you post-op instructions?