Albion71

Funnily enough, my final choice was between Transmed and another Belgian clinic. In the end, it was down to price and scheduling, so I went to Istanbul. I know those things shouldn't influence your decision but we don't all have deep pockets... However, that's not to say I didn't feel comfortable about Transmed's reputation, customer care, etc - they were 100% professional in all their dealings with me. You will get pretty much all the information you need to make your final decision on this site - and plenty of help too if you have any questions.

Latest update from my Transmed HT blog folks.

I'm at 7.5 months. I think I'm behind where I should be - compared to what the average recovery is - but when I look at photos from past months, I still seem to be thickening slightly each month. It is a long slow process.

Slight delay with the monthly updates as I've been on holiday for three weeks. It's been good to get away and not dwell on whether my HT is making progress! Now I'm back - well... I don't know, am I making the progress I should be? My hair seems a little thicker compared to previous months, but it's not really much different from pre-op. The crown seems, if anything, thinner now - not sure if it's the light shining on it from a different angle. The density at the front is what's most disappointing though - as demonstrated by the close-up posted below - that's where most of the grafts went and where I hoped to see most difference. I spoke to Transmed at the six month point. They didn't seem too concerned, and said they would review at the 10 month mark. I know it's still too early to draw conclusions - but it's hard to imagine a dramatic change in the pace of regrowth over the next 2.5 months. Front Front Left Front Right Front Close Top Right

Hi all, thought I'd share with you Transmed's response to my email expressing concern about slow regrowth: << I spoke with Mr. Taner and the Dr.'s about your case and they have indicated that normally 80% of the growth is the slowest. Meaning that you really need to be patient until month 8-10. If at that point there is still no growth then we will be able to evaluate accordingly. I appreciate you are anxious but just hang in there a bit more >>

Best wishes in your recovery Mas1.

Hi all - sorry about the delay in replying but I've just moved house and they couldn't connect my internet for three weeks. First things first - here is my six month blog update. Secondly, thanks for your comments. Difuser - I've sent emails to Didem @ Transmed with my blog updates. She's been helpful in responding about stuff like the pimples and now to treat them. When I've asked about the slow regrowth progress (as I perceive it), the message has been 'patience'. I'll drop her another line now and see what she says. The moderators on here have been very helpful at calming my worries, and there are certainly plenty of examples out there of HT patients with very strong regrowth right up to and after a year post op. Keep me posted with your progress. Mas1 - all the research I did (and I did a huge amount) pointed to Transmed being an excellent HT clinic and I see no reason yet to doubt that. But I would say that 1500 grafts is not many, depending on what are you are trying to cover.

A quick update with new photos at the half-year point. I continue to make slow progress. I'm not as far advanced as I'd like to be, but some of my worries have been calmed by helpful comments from FutureHTDoc, who pointed out that only 30% maturation is usual at about five months. There are enough examples of other HT patients who have had strong maturation after six months to keep me reasonably optimistic. I've moved house, so the lighting in the photos means the appearance of my hair may look a bit different to previously. Front Front Left Front Right Top Vertex

Thanks guys, for your comments. I'm disappointed not to be further forward, that's for sure, but I've not given up hope yet. I'll drop Transmed a line and ask if they think I should have expected more growth at this stage.

Hi all. Latest blog update here. Progress, but not much. Let's hope it's a case of 'slow and steady wins the race'.

Another month passes on the roller coaster of emotions that is my post-HT recovery. First, my positive thoughts. Broadly, I think I've made steady if unspectacular progress since early September, particularly on the right temple. My hair looks more normal from the front now, though it is still thin. And I can see a few shorter hairs that will thicken things up further when they get longer. But I've had plenty of negative thoughts too. I was hoping to be further ahead at the five month mark, but my hair still looks thinner than pre op. The left temple is very sparse, as is the front. Does this mean the transplanted hairs have not taken very well in these areas? The hair in the recipient area is much thicker further back, leaving me to wonder how much of this is native hair which has regrown after shock loss - rather than transplanted hair. The pimples have largely stopped appearing. This is good from an aesthetic viewpoint, but part of me worries that this means the regrowth phase is now over. I still realise it's early days, and hoping that I have plenty of progress ahead of me still. But as I say, emotionally it leaves me feeling a bit up and down. Front Front left (hair brushed back) Front right (hair brushed back) Top Vertex

Hi Mahmood, I've only just discovered this thread, otherwise I'd have contributed earlier - I had an FUT with Dr Kulahci on 3 June (see my blog). I'm sorry it hasn't worked out for you as planned, but at least Transmed's post-op care has been good. That said, I'm surprised the surgeon thinks all the transplanted hair has grown through as expected, because your hair looks very thin - regardless of whether native hair has been lost. What's the plan from here? Have they offered you a further operation? Would it be reasonable to expect a discount? As for my experience - everything about Transmed pre, post and during surgery was highly professional. I did my research thoroughly and don't regret my decision to go with them. I'm currently a little bit behind where I was hoping to be in progress, but there is still a long way to go. Best wishes.

I did wonder that - as he seems one of the most exceptional surgeons not listed here. I had a consultation with him and he seemed very good, and all my research indicated as such too. In the end, it was price and scheduling that made me go elsewhere.

Thanks for the encouragement TakingThePlunge. Yours is an interesting story. Quite impressed that you seem to have had improvement from HT1 after the 12-month mark. Patience is the lesson I guess. The results from your second HT look great.

Latest update here folks. Slow progress.

There has been more progress in the past month. By this point, I was hoping my hair would look pretty much as it did pre-op. It doesn't yet. But I feel confident enough going out without a cap and knowing friends won't do a double take when they see me. There have been quite a lot of new hairs come through in the past few weeks. A small minority are thick and wiry, so these are certainly transplants. The rest are very fine. I can't decide yet if these are transplanted hairs coming through, or hairs that fell out during the shock loss phase which are growing back. I'm hoping it's the former, but don't want to get too excited yet. There are still plenty of pimples despite my religious application of Bactroban and equally religious avoidance of touching the recipient area. Fortunately, the hair is long enough now for them not to be too noticeable. A lot of the feeling has now come back to both the donor and recipient areas. The scar I barely think about now (which is why I haven't posted a photo); the barber had a job to spot it last time I went for a haircut, despite having it fairly short at the back. Overall, my morale is up. The post-op recovery has been pretty similar to what was predicted, and I'm relieved to be through that long phase when I had to wear a hat whenever I left the house to avoid strange looks. But there's still a long way to go. Front Front Left Front Right Top Vertex

Hi Friscoman, Transmed carried out the surgery - too early to tell if I'm happy, but the scar healing so well is a good sign...

I'm not sure what the timeline is. All the transplants are supposed to fall out within the first couple of weeks, though judging by other comments on here, I guess that doesn't always happen. I'm at three months now, so I'm hoping new hairs will push through soon and those transplants will drop out. I wouldn't advise plucking them with tweezers though...

Hi - apologies for reviving this thread, but I'm interested to know what happened with you guys who had 'stragglers' among your transplants. I'm at just over three months, and I've got quite a few of these transplanted hairs that have been there since day one, not growing, not shedding. When I say quite a few, I reckon about 15-20 in the front hairline, and then probably a few more further back. All my other transplants shed as projected in the first couple of weeks. For everyone who had the same issue - did those stragglers eventually fall out? Did you get new hairs coming through?

That's the one.

Has anyone used Zix as a topical on the recipient area? Zix, for anyone who doesn't know, is made up of various ingredients designed to stop hairloss. A few people claim success with it, and as I've had no luck with other topicals, I am planning to give it a go. But I want to be sure it won't harm my transplanted hairs (I'm currently three months post HT). My surgeon (Transmed) says there should be no problem with the ingredients. But they (understandably) say they've not tested Zix in a lab. Anyone got any experience of using Zix post HT? Or get any opinions on it? PS. My hairloss prevention regime is currently 1.25mg finasteride daily plus Nizoral shampoo 3-4 times a week. Minoxidil didn't work for me.

Hi all, my latest blog update is here. Hope people are finding it useful. Still not really seeing any regrowth, though trying to be patient as I realise it's only from round about now (I'm at three months post op) that I can expect to see any. Still getting a lot of pimples despite using Bactroban twice daily - any ideas what I can do to prevent them? Can excessive pimples damage the new hairs?

I'm at the three month point now, and I'm hoping I'll start to see some regrowth happening soon, based on other people's experiences. As you do, I still scan my scalp each day for any new developments. Here's a summary of what I'm seeing, and what I'm thinking: 1. Plenty of spots still, caused presumably by new hairs. But if that's the case, why are the new hairs not subsequently pushing through and growing out? Also, a few of the spots have left little scars which are taking a while to fade. Can that cause problems for the implanted hairs? (I'm not popping the spots unless they become really noticeable, and then only with a sterilised needle.) 2. I'm applying plenty of Bactroban cream to the scalp, but it doesn't really stop the spots. Early on I applied it fairly gently, now I'm a bit more vigorous. Is there something I'm doing wrong? 3. There are a few fine hairs coming through in the recipient area, but I'm not sure if these are hairs lost from shock loss coming back, or new hairs from the transplants? 4. Quite a few transplants, particularly on the left temple, have still not fallen out. Does that mean those transplanted hairs haven't bedded in successfully? 5. The scar is now completely covered, even with my hair cut pretty short. The barber had a job to find it the other day. I appreciate from reading other blogs that recovery from an HT is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, till you start to see decent results. I'm not there yet. I think that in about another month, my hair will look fairly similar to the way it did pre op, even if there's not much regrowth from the implants by then. (I think Falceros advises avoiding social engagements other than with close friends and family for four months, and that will be pretty much the way it's going to be for me.) Here are the latest photos. Front Front Left Top Vertex Back

Hi Batel, Glad you're progressing ok. The post-procedure pics look fine to me. I'm getting a load of zits where (hopefully) the new hairs are coming through. Hope you avoid that. Good luck.

Another update to my blog folks - two months now since surgery. Lots of zits but not much regrowth. All feedback welcome.