First of all I’d like to introduce myself. 31 year old male living in London who has over the years thought about hair transplant and took the plunge last week.
I have been visiting this forum for sometime now, but a bit of a lurker soaking up the vast information here.
I think its only fair to contribute back with my experience.
Research and Questions
So, after months of research, I decided to book an appointment with Dr Resul Yaman in Istanbul, Turkey.
I contacted the clinic and was put in touch with Mohammed, a really friendly guy who answered the hundreds of questions I had – mainly around:
Cost
Amount of grafts I would need
Recovery time
What is included
Post op precautions
Once I was satisfied with everything, I went head with the booking.
Booking
In August, I booked my flights for the 18th December returning on the 21st December – with the aim to use my xmas holidays to recover. I informed Mohammed of the dates and he booked the Hotel for me – Divan Suites situated 15 mins from the airport and 10 mins from the clinic.
Arrival
A few days before, Mohammed contacted me to confirm my arrival and informed me someone will be waiting at the arrivals for me – no need to get a taxi which was great.
When I arrived, I was picked up and went straight to the clinic. During this time I discussed the following with Dr Yaman:
Assessed donor area
Discussed my expectations and number of grafts that would be required
Outline of the hairline (estimate)
Blood test
PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) injection to the expected transplant area
Once this was done and I was happy, I was dropped off at the hotel.
I was told to rest and relax for the evening in preparation for a long day of operation.
Knowing I would not have time to get to see Istanbul after the operation, I jumped into a taxi and got some great food in Aksaray area at a place called Hatay Sofrasi (Ana Sayfa) – really recommend this place.
Operation Day
The morning arrived and I was a little nervous, opted not to workout and have a light breakfast at the hotel and drank plenty of water.
I was picked up at 10.30am and we went straight to the hospital.
Upon arrival, Mohammed explained exactly what the process would be for the day and put me at ease. After getting changed and taking some before pictures, Dr Yaman started with cleaning the head and injecting the local anaesthetic – this was the most painful part of the day. Once this was applied I couldn’t feel a thing.
The operation was done in 3 rounds. Each round consisting of extracting 1000 grafts and then implanting them.
First 1000 were implanted in the frontal hairline
Second 1000 were implanted in the top of the head
This was followed by a quick rest room and food break
Last 1000 were implanted in the crown and surrounding areas
Mohammed joined me regularly throughout the operation to check I was ok and translate some information.
The workers helping Dr Yaman were really friendly, talkative and kept me at ease throughout the operation.
After the final grafts were implanted, I was cleaned up and the donor area was bandaged up.
I was given some medicine to take – mainly painkillers if required and told to rest at the hotel the next day.
As the anaesthetic was still circulated in my head, I was told not to do anything strenuous and advised to stay at the hotel in the event I get dizzy etc.
Post-Op
Day after the operation (Sunday), I decided not to go out and about and stayed at the hotel. Thankfully I had my iPad and good wifi meant I could stream a load of movies all day and take walks outside when I got fed up.
The day passed really quickly and I used this time to do some work which I would have had to when I came home so all in all a productive day.
Final Day
Monday morning I was picked up at 10.30am and taken to the hospital. The dressing on the donor area was taken off and a foam lotion applied to my head.
After waiting for 30 mins, the foam lotion was washed off and my head was washed using a special shampoo.
I was given 2 bottles of the Foam Lotion and Shampoo each and told to apply the foam for 30 mins in the morning and wash off followed by washing my head gently using the shampoo for the next 10 days.
I was also given the following:
Antibiotic pills
Anti-inflammatory medication
Stomach control meds
Topical Antibiotic to apply to the donor areas
Along with a sheet explaining how to take the meds over the next 5 days
These were all included in the price
Dr Yaman also suggested some pills, shampoo and lotion to use for the next 6 months which would help in the recovery and also aid in re-growth. I did a quick google of the products and there was some positive material on the main ingredients so I decided to buy these – it was only an additional 300 USD and in comparison to what I paid for the operation I thought lets be thorough and do what the doc suggests.
Once everything was done, a final farewell to the staff and Dr Yaman and I was dropped off to the airport for my return journey.
I was a little embarrassed going into the airport with the visible donor area and scars etc but I wasn’t the only one about that had the opp done. I saw at least 4 guys with hats trying to hide their opp so that made me feel a little more at ease.
Care at home
I’ve been following the regime advised by the doc and now at day 5. Surprisingly the recovery is going well and the small scars have started to fall out naturally which is good.
I’ve tried to include some good pictures and hopefully keep this post updated over the coming months so everyone can see the progress.
Overall I am very very happy with the operation and how it went. The hairline hopefully will be more prominent one the next few months.
Aftercare is going great 1 week in. Scabs have all gone, just redness in the donor area with it reducing as the days pass.
Keep a look out for further updates with progress pictures.
Many Thanks for this post as it was very informative and also put my mind at rest. I'm going ahead with the procedure in few days time. I'm looking forward to the prospect of a new hairline in few months but at the same time a little bit nervous.
My experience with Dr Resul Yaman - Istanbul, Turkey
in Hair Transplant Reviews
Posted
Many Thanks for this post as it was very informative and also put my mind at rest. I'm going ahead with the procedure in few days time. I'm looking forward to the prospect of a new hairline in few months but at the same time a little bit nervous.