MachoVato

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It does kind of seem that you are injecting a negative spin into your procedure. The numbers are the numbers, you apparently have a lot of singles. And it makes sense considering the punch size used. No reason to doubt the graft count, it all looks on track, and shouldn't expect to be given the transection rate (I've never seen anyone be given this). No need to create doubt the work performed. You went to a legit clinic and everything looks as it should. Relax.

1 hour ago, Fernand said:

Good to know! Personally, I've heard that with Dr. Pekiner happened that he declined or aborted a transplant on the spot, but these are just things I've heard, not from my experience. This also made me lean towards HLC.

Just one thing about HLC. Since there are multiple doctors and you don't know who will handle you, is there something who is reputably better than the others? Also, do the doctors and the hair transplant coordinator speak good English?

I don't think there's anyone better than the other. But I think a couple are called in for beard/body transplants. And when I was there, another patient was having a repair done and he got a specific doctor for that. So there might be some specialization.

There's a translator there but all the doctors speak English. You can watch their videos on their YouTube, there are some with interviews with the doctors. 

21 minutes ago, 5BetaReductase said:

Great progress. Any reason why you’re not going with HLC again? Did bisanga say it’s ok to get another transplant before 1 year?

I'm very pleased with my results. It's just my opinion, but HLC seems to be graft aggressive (not a bad thing), they really like dense packing, yet still good at hairline naturalness. But I've been real impressed with Bisanga's donor management and refinement in the hairline. I want to slightly close my temple points and for that I want a softer touch.

Besides, HLC's first opening is in October. Bisanga had an opening in 5 weeks. I did reach out to De Freitas, but I haven't back from them yet and I think they have a long waiting list.

9 months out shouldn't be a problem. The work won't be in the previous recipient area. The crown and temples are untouched.

Month 8 Update

A few quick pics. It doesn't feel much different than last month. The hair might feel a little more natural (less course). This might be my last update because next month I'll be getting my second transplant to cover my crown and some hairline refinement, especially my temple points. Approximately 1,500 grafts. I'm booked with Dr. Bisanga in Belgium and I'm super excited!

1 hour ago, Fernand said:

Hi, I was referring to the "better HLC over Pekiner" topic.

It's worth mentioning that Dr. Pekiner was formerly a doctor at HLC. There are about 5 doctors at HLC. Usually, more than one will work on you. 

It's already a perfect outcome at 9 months! Congrats!

9 minutes ago, SD1984 said:

I was told by another HT doc that my beard is 10/10 and they could harvest a LOT from it if need be. I still don't really understand how beard grafts work though. So guys end up showing off 1,000 FUE scars under their chin whenever they shave forever? No thanks.

You should do more research on beard transplants.

5 hours ago, rgm82 said:

"surgery package fee"

That's a fee for driver service to/from airport, staying in their apartment across the street from clinic (small 4 room unit, shared with other patients), and dinner delivered to the apartment by a local restaurant. 

There's nothing wrong with the better Turkish clinics (I went to HLC). The hundred others I'd stay away from. I think the issue is that you can get Arocha for about the same cost as you could get from HLC/Pekiner including airfare. You could save money with Bicer at 1.5 Euro for motorized FUE, but maybe only $1-2k.

Some feedback on the HLC quote... it'll change once you're in the chair and go through the hairline drawing process. They are big on "dense packing" at 50 grafts/cm2. Usually it's just the front 1cm across the hairline, but it sounds like they are quoting 50 for the whole area. And they are likely to add density behind that front tuft. Again, you would have a lot of input into the design and density, which determines the graft count.

Personally, I live in Houston so Arocha is local to me. But I still went to Turkey. 4200 grafts would have cost me over $21k in Houston. But I spent about $15k in Turkey, flew business class, and stayed an extra week for some sight seeing. I'm a little adventurous... I'm planning my second transplant, roughly 1000-1500 grafts, and I'm flying to Belgium for that for a lot more $/graft.

We've come a LOOOONG way since the 70's!

I agree that the hairline could use a little more density. And yes, the crown is always last to fill in.

The next 3-4 months should see more growth! Thanks for sharing.

36 minutes ago, Raphael84 said:

I would recommend to consult with your advisor on any specifics and they will be able to guide you to the best of their ability and provide links to most recent government sources etc. 
It can be somewhat challenging as there is uncertainty and so the patient must always be comfortable with their decision to travel.

Yes, I understand that traveling restrictions are changing by the week. It's crazy!

I'm close to locking in the date for my second transplant with Dr. Bisanga. I'm looking forward to it! 😎

Hello all,

I'm looking to schedule a trip to Brussels, coming from the US. I believe travel to Turkey is fine, but any word on Belgium travel restrictions? Anyone travel there recently?

Thanks!

Big improvement over your last pics! Hairline looks great. Your before/after difference is already impressive and will get much better over the next few months.

I'm only at 7.5 months. So far, my right side is more dense than my left but it's catching up.

@T95good How's the progress?

This is the only styling paste I'll ever use. Great hold without shine. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CWJ1YW

On the other hand, Dr. Vories charges $5/graft, so that's a possibility.

https://carolinahairsurgery.com/hair-transplant-costs/

3 hours ago, rgm82 said:

Huh, 3 Euros per graft doesn't really seem at all worth it when factoring in the dollar to euro conversion rate plus the travel expenses of getting there, seems like I'm hardly saving any money at all...wonder why folks seem so hot on Turkey as a such a big money saver for hair transplants

 

Who in the US is offering $5/graft for FUE? The best, arguably Konior, charges like $13/graft for FUE. You might get a top doc for $6-8 for FUT.

I'd prefer any of the above docs at €3/graft doctor than a US doc at $5. That's what I did. I went to Turkey and paid $12,500 for 4,200 grafts @ €2.5/graft at HLC Ankara. Considering that a US clinic would have been at least twice that much, I flew business class and stayed a week in a 5* hotel... and still saved money. And got a mini vacation out of it.

Of those low-cost options, I would only consider Demirsoy and FueCapilar.

2 hours ago, rgm82 said:

I didn't know that Spain and Portugal were also options, is it also much cheaper to go there as it is in Turkey? I would prefer this option as Iberia would be easier for me to get to...I don't want to skimp on quality for cost of course, but it's very expensive to get this done in the US and Turkey was recommended as a place to potentially get quality work for cheap.

Mine would be relatively small job, only about 1000 grafts is what was prescribed but that will cost me no  less than $5000 stateside...any rough estimates on much i could expect to pay in Turkey vs. Spain/Portugal?

In Turkey, HLC is 2.7 Euro/graft. Dr. Pekiner is around 2.25/graft. Dr. Bicer is 3/graft. I think Dr. Keser is 3.5/graft. These are the most expensive clinics in Turkey

Elsewhere, I'll offer my personal favorites. In Spain, there's Dr. Lorenzo and Dr. De Freitas. Dr. Cuoto has some brilliant use cases, but he's not accepting new patients. In Portugal, there's Dr. Bruno Ferreira and Dr. Bruno Pinto. And you should consider Dr. Bisanga in Brussels.

Prices will be from 3-5 Euro/graft. All top shelf surgeons.

It doesn't really matter. Cuoto isn't accepting new reservations. He's booked until 2023, or something like that. 

1 hour ago, follically challenged said:

Could you list some of the surgeons you're talking about which can get a great results in one pass...? Cheers

I would prefer they take it to a new thread. Instead of hijacking this use case. 

11 hours ago, BjornBorg said:

Thank you Ignacio! Best wishes to the doctor, the nurses and the administrative team. I couldn't be happier.    

Is there much of a language barrier there? Or do you speak Spanish?

Are you on finasteride or minoxidil?

That would be the absolute first step.

I think you need to approach this another way.

Repair cases require a more experienced hand. Don't go to a technician-led clinic, like Cinik. They will not have the skill to extract beard or chest hair, and place them in scarred recipient area. And your donor area on your head is very depleted. Cinik won't know how to handle that. You won't be able to over your crown with just beard/chest hair. 

How about contacting Dr. Bicer. She has over 20 years experience, including chest and beard. And she can do FUT, which you should really consider.