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kalvin

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Posts posted by kalvin

    Dr Koray Erdogan, Asmed Clinic – 3400 grafts – FUE -Dec 2015

    in Hair Transplant Reviews

    Posted

    Hi Everyone,

     

    On 8 December 2015 I had 3400 FUE at Asmed Clinic in Istanbul, Turkey. Here’s my review.

     

    About me

     

    I’m from Australia and 43 years old.

     

    My temples and hairline began to recede in my twenties. I was self-conscious, and downright frightened of how it would progress.

     

    By the age of 26 (back in 1998) I had my first prescription for Propecia (Finasteride). I’ve had zero side effects and have stuck with Finasteride for the past 17 years. My hair loss slowed remarkably, but did not completely halt.

     

    My donor hair is fine (40 microns, it turns out), however is reasonably dense all over.

     

    My research

     

    I was looking for a doctor with proven results in densely packed hairline restoration. Had I been approaching my first HT earlier in life, a conservative approach might have factored more into my decision. But I’m in my forties, have 17 years of prevention under my belt, and I’ve managed to hold it at NW2. I wanted a FUE doc who had the best chance of constructing a believable restored hairline.

     

    I scoured this forum before moving to a shortlist for online consultations. Before locking in Asmed, I private messages 10 past patients. I mostly reached out to forum members who has posted their original results then gone quiet, and to my surprise I heard back from all but one. Of the 9 that responded, eight were pleased with their final results, and one was openly disappointed. Despite the single negative response I remained comfortable, paid a deposit, planned a holiday around the procedure and booked flights.

     

     

    My consultation

     

    Nothing out of the ordinary. Photos, blood work, met Erdogan, he measured caliber of hairline and density, discussed expectations, drew a great hairline that was easily agreed, final number of grafts locked in, and head shaved (gulp!).

     

    Having my hair caliber confirmed as 40 microns was a bummer, but hardly a surprise.

     

    I made the final decision to proceed with the surgery the following day, and paid Euros cash. Note: Asmed requires cash payment to avoid paying a 20% tax. This means that to proceed at the 2.5 Euros per graft quoted you need to acquire a massive amount of foreign currency before you leave home, and then travel with it. This is a major hassle/worry, and I was relieved to finally hand it over.

     

    Surgery day

     

    Again, nothing out of the ordinary.

     

    Erdogan’s first assistant Dilek was assigned to my surgery. I’d seen her name numerous times on the forums, and was comforted knowing she had many years of experience. There was also another tech involved, however Dilek spent the most time worklng on me. I estimate she performed 80% of the extractions, and over half of the implantations.

     

    There were 3 surgeries happening at Asmed the same day as me, and 4 the following day. Anyone considering Asmed should go in with the understanding Erdogan’s involvement will be limited to the hairline design and incisions. I knew this going in, and was fine with it, however it could be a surprise to others.

     

    One thing I do distinctly recall was the impact of the medications. The anesthesiologist offered me a Xanax in the morning to calm my nerves, then a Tramadol at lunch for the pain. Well, what a combination. After lunch I was drifting in and out of vivid dream scenarios and calmly waking up in the middle of my HT. That happened on repeat for hours. I spoke to other patients and none of them had the same trance-like experience – so it must have just been the medication’s impact on me. I was in surgery until almost 8pm and was too swept away in the various dreams to be bored…so I was more than okay with it.

     

    I had the optional PRP, and I really hope it does something hurry along his dreadful redness.

     

    My stats

     

    • Total grafts – 3404 (3200 was originally planned, and was only charged for this)

    - 420 singles

    - 1790 doubles

    - 1134 triples

    - 60 quadruples

    • Average hair per graft – 2.24 (7643 hairs)

    • Caliber: 40 microns

    • Donor capacity: 8500

     

    My tips

     

    Try to connect with other patients.

     

    Do your best to find out if any other forum members will be at the same doctor/clinic the same week as you. Before leaving, I connected with another Australian who had surgery booked the day before mine, and he had connected with another forum member booked for surgery the same day as me. By the end of it there were a few us catching up at the Radisson, and we’re now connected on Facebook swapping recovery stories. Hair transplants are a major life experience, and connecting with real people who have chosen the same path, going through the exact same thing, at the same time, has been an unexpected surprise and comfort.

     

    Don’t rush back home

    I went over with partner by my side, and we travelled for 2 weeks following the op. It was great to be able to walk around overseas not caring what strangers thought of my bald, massacred, head. I’m back home now, and to keep the procedure quiet I’m having have to carefully manage any social appearances…I wish we had stayed away longer.

     

    Results

     

    It’s way too early to tell. I’ll take pics every month to track my own progress, and will be happy to share them. Fingers crossed, I’ll have good news to report in around 6 months. Either way, I'll return the favour and report back honestly with success or regrets.

     

    Ersko72

     

     

    It seems your had a job! Coongratulation. I wanna hair transplant too. But there are too much questions on my mind. :/

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