R2D3

Hello Everyone, I just want to give a quick rundown on Dr. Kul in Istanbul and can provide a few pictures. I had my hair transplant done on Friday (right side) and Saturday (left side), and it is now Tuesday morning, so a full 3 days since last hair was transplanted. So far, I can say I am very satisfied with Dr. Kul and his assistant, Layla. They are both very genuine and professional. The doctor takes all the grafts himself, and also puts all graphs in himself. I chose Dr. Kul because I found his price to be very fair, his approach conservative, and he does excellent temple work. When I first contacted him, he suggested that I come and do my front with approx. 2800 graphs and then one year later we can look at healing in the donor area and do 2,000 on the crown. Again, ultimately, it was this conservative approach (and the quality of his work) that attracted me to him. The fact that I must visit twice drives up my costs and makes it comparable to prices of some other doctors that suggested they could do it all in one go, so price was definitely not the deciding factor. Day 1: Arrived at airport and went direct to clinic due to delayed plane. Consulted with doctor at 9 am and was in surgical room at about 10 a.m Extraction of hairs took about 2 hours and insertion took a further 2 hours +/- Day 2: Very much the same as Day 1 but on the left side Day 3: Recuperated in hotel Day 4: Went in at 9 a.m and Layla washed scalp Day 5: Repeat of Day 4. Some main points: (a) The doctor wanted to go a bit more conservative on the hairline and temple area, and I wanted a little more aggressive. In the end, we compromised and went almost exactly in the middle and I am happy with the result. [This doctor is very good with the temple area, IMHO, and not making the most of his skills in this area didn't make sense to me]. (b) I had mostly 1-2 hairs in my graphs. I just don't have great donor density, so this will perhaps impact the result, but it is out of the control of both the doctor and myself; we will just have to wait and see... One other point is that I was recommended to stay at Elite World Business hotel and I 100% endorse the recommendation. It is of a good quality and is walking distance to the clinic...and you will probably enjoy the walk. It is greater than 5 and less than 10 minutes away via one overpass, through a park, and up another overpass. Very easy and convenient. I welcome any comments and can answer any questions.

Hi Dakmary, Thanks so much and apologies for the delay; heavy work schedule. Honestly, those pics don't look so bad. If my head could be more or less "clean" 9-10 days later, I would be fine to go to work. I have looked at quite a few examples of Dr. Kul's work and like what I see. In my emails with him, I also got the idea that he is a very straightforward and professional guy. He recommended two sessions for me, one year apart, and guaranteed that the rate for the second would remain the same as the first. [i would worry about a price rise in the year it would take from first to second session as I think this doctor could eventually up prices if he becomes more popular]. I like his hairlines, his temple work, and that fact that he considers himself a plastic surgeon who does hair transplants, rather than strictly a hair transplant doctor. I can understand why that idea might not appeal to some, but it does to me... In any case, please keep is updated. Also, would you mind if I PM'd you with any questions?

Dear Dakmary, I am currently considering Dr. Kul. I heard that his transplant technique can result in less swelling. Could you have returned to work 7-10 days later and not looked like you just had a hair transplant? I have a week off of work and am considering a HT my first day off and returning to work 9 or 10 days later. I am especially interested in your pictures and results as my balding is similar to yours...

I'm following your posts, OP, and I appreciate them. Dr. Demirsoy is currently on my radar, along with Dr. Hakan and Civas.

tk, it looks great. The density is very nice, and the hairline looks very natural to my eyes. I have been given an estimate of 3200-3000 grafts by Dr. Civas as well. Your results make me lean more strongly towards using this doctor. Please keep posting pics...

Hi Everyone. I am a NW5 according to feedback from several HT doctors, and I will almost certainly get a HT this upcoming summer of 2015. I am most seriously considering an HT in Turkey, and currently really like the work and value for money of doctors Ali Karadeniz, Demisroy, and Hakan Doganay. They all estimated between 3-4,000 grafts, have all been very responsive and professional, and their prices are all ballpark for what I can afford. Namely: Dr. Ali Karadeniz = $ 4400-5000 USD Dr. Demisroy = $ 5500-5800 USD Dr. Doganay = $7600 (using 3000 grafts to calculate) If anyone can offer anything, I would really appreciate it. The purpose of this post is to solicit opinions and advice, and also to start to document my journey in its early stages, with the hope of later posting a trip report at time of surgery and the before and after pics.

Hi Campbell, Best of luck with everything and please be sure to update. I am considering this Dr. as well...

It's very tricky business. I have actually (online) consulted with Dr. Hakan, Dr. Koray, Dr. Demirsoy, Dr. Karadeniz, also of Turkey, and Dr. Bhatti of India. I literally have to make a spread sheet to make sense of things and make further consideration. Then I have to go through before and after photos and think further. :confused:

Thanks for your input. The difference in price is quite steep, however, so that is of course a consideration. I do like Dr. Koray's work and would probably go with it if I had that kind of money. I'll take not of this, thanks. I am learning a lot right now. My hairloss was pretty sudden, so I have to get up to speed quite quickly. And as a general update, Dr. Erkan Demirsoy, also from Turkey, is now seriously on my radar. I have read many good reports, seen good results, and his prices and work ethic both seem very good.

^ Can you please share who you think the way better options are? I have narrowed down to Dr. Hakan and Dr. Koray. Dr. Koray proposed 5,000 grafts done in 2 sittings of 2500 each day. Dr. Hakan proposed 3,000 grafts done in one sitting. The overall price for Dr. Hakan is of course much better, but I have been more impressed with Dr. Koray's hairlines (as others have mentioned). I'd appreciate any input, and would love any updates from the OP.