Mane_man2019

12 hours ago, MachoVato said:

Couple questions... did your hair go through the rough texture phase? And did you send this HLC for feedback on the thinner side? 

Yes the hair definitely went through that phase and is still going through it. I've had rough curly hair my whole life so it was easier to hide it. Nothing a little pomade can't fix though. No I never went back to HLC on the thin spots. I would definitely go back (especially if I thin more down the road) but thin spots aren't noticeable enough when I do my hair for me to be overly concerned with. 

2 hours ago, SearchingMan said:

any update on this?

Hello! My final update is above. Thanks!

47 minutes ago, T95good said:

Glad to see this final update, I am scheduled to go to HLC in two weeks in part due to your videos. Lmk if you have any advice for someone going there!

Best of luck. You're in good hands. Definitely recommend connecting with others you meet there and to stay in touch. It helps bouncing progress and questions off others who are dealing with things at the exact same time as you. Also, they were very open to photos and questions so don't be afraid to ask anything or to get some shots of the procedure. Also, they are more than happy to give you more local anesthesia so don't be afraid to ask for more if you need it. Happy growing!

Final Update - overall VERY happy with the results and wish I wasn't so scared to do it in the first place. Truly life changing. It's not 100% full in all areas but it exceeded my expectations and I would definitely do it again. I have full coverage and no one can tell I've had anything done. Best of luck to those who decide to get one done and make sure you do your research. 
 

All the best,
ManeMan
 

Hey there! Thanks for the kind note and for checking out my journey. Just wanted to give an honest perspective for HLC as I don't see a lot of reviews on here. Thanks again!

Hello! Not sure how many people are still following but wanted to provide an update for those who read the thread. Im at my 7 month update and have posted a new video for those who want to see. Happy growing everyone!

Hi All,

Apologies for the delay. Here is my 4 1/2 week update. Very slow change but I feel that things are getting thicker.... Appreciate your thoughts??? Also, seeing this playback when its wet, it definitely looks thin but when I am in not such harsh lights its much more favorable. 

20 hours ago, duchaine said:

Mane...where are you?!?!!?

Sorry for the delay in posting! I am going through a move from Chicago to NYC so life has been hectic! Posting an update now and I will be sure to post another one next week.

On 2/6/2020 at 11:56 AM, bigtyivier2k2 said:

Seems like HLC Ankara is the best in Turkey currently?

Possibly - That was my humble opinion when I did my research and trying to be completely transparent about them for everyone.

Week 14 & 15 - Wanted to show different lighting with still frames.

On 1/15/2020 at 2:53 AM, CosmoKramer said:

Progress still looks on track.

When do you plan on dying your hair again (will you do recipient area hair as well?)?

What dye do you use?....I tried the Just for men shampoo dye last year but didn’t help much and I don’t want to use stronger hair dyes dye to the crazy harsh chemicals in them.

Hey there! I am doing it through the Just For Men shampoo as well. If you use it daily it will work but your hands will be dyed. I don't know if I would use anything else at this point. I'll post if I do.

Week 13 Update - Starting to see some additional thickness. Hoping this is on track for being at week 13?

3 hours ago, duchaine said:

is it just a matter of lighting, or did your hair turn grey (from black) after HT?

Hi Duchaine! Haha this made me laugh as it's a very good observation. I dyed my hair before and took a break after the hair transplant. You'll likely notice in future videos my hair will be back to its dark color. 

Week 12 update and 3rd haircut! 

Week 11 Update: It might be me but I think Im starting to see some of those fuzzy hairs thicken up a bit. That coupled with my hair getting longer is making "my patch" seem less noticeable. It's still visible but hopefully in a few months will be covered! Happy to answer any questions!

New Update on Week 10 and my second haircut (still not electric clippers on the top). I went much shorter this time  on the sides (1 1/2 grade):

1 hour ago, yesplease said:

What’s your age? 

Hi Yesplease - I am 33 years old.

1 hour ago, LonelyGraft said:

Are you on any treatments to prevent further loss?

Hi LonelyGraft - Prior to the procedure I was using Rogain foam 2x a day and 1mg of Finasteride. After the procedure I am just taking Finasteride.

12 hours ago, CosmoKramer said:

Hey man

Nice write-up and videos, it’s rare to see patient posted procedure & progress from this clinic as ive only see their occasional before n after videos on YT, but work on you looks good and clean though. 👍🏻

Good luck with your progress, looking forward to your updates.

Hey CosmoKramer - Appreciate the note. I agree. I wish there was more here from HLC for people to see. A while back I thought there was more on here but I can't seem to find any of the reviews. It's a big reason why I decided to document and share my journey. Hope it helps!

15 hours ago, LonelyGraft said:

I think hlc does some wonderful work.

 

did they say there are any rules such as avoiding trimming your recipient with electric clippers?

Agreed! I've seen some really impressive work come out of the clinic (Hopefully I'll be another one to add to the list). ha!

Yes, in the post op care package they say they really don't want you to use clippers on the recipient area for the first 3 months. They say it's OK for manual scissors but your hair doesn't really grow fast enough for manual scissors to be worth it within 3 months anyway. 

I have seen people cut their recipient hairs within this time frame, but I think the hairs are still vulnerable from being pulled out by the clipper. I even had a minor mishap at the 1 month mark with hairs being pulled by my watch. At that moment I decided I am definitely waiting the 3 months.

Hey there - Sure do! The youtube video shows what it looks like now. It was definitely a little thin at the start (which had me worried) but after the first month, it was not that noticeable. I think a lot had to do with shock loss as well. I basically can't go shorter than a 1 1/2 grade at this point. 

I have been a long time follower and silent observer on this site for a VERY long time. I am posting my review in order to pay back the many times I relied on this site for information.

After years and years of research and deciding if this was something I wanted to do, I FINALLY pulled the trigger in April to make an appointment with HLC Ankara. I researched many clinics and doctors in Turkey and settled on HLC after seeing consistent results and positive reviews from the clinic. The whole process of making an appointment feels extremely informal but I was prepared for this after reading some other detailed reviews. Everything I did was through email (I live in Chicago) and electronically sending a deposit just feels like Im about to be scammed. I was happy to find out that when I landed in Ankara in September it wasn't a scam and I was greeted at the airport with the ride to the clinic.

They do provide communal lodging which is a 4 bedroom apartment unit across the street from the clinic. You get your own room with 2 shared bathrooms. You will see other patients at different stages of the procedures in the apartment as well. I was weary of this at first because no one mentioned this, but I came to rather enjoy it. You end up spending a lot of time with your flat mates and bond over the experience. You also get to ask a million questions to those who just had their procedure which calms your nerves. The clinic did provide breakfast, lunch and dinner with additional snacks in the apartment unit.

The second day you get up early so you can eat and begin the long day. They do blood work and run all the tests first. Then all of the doctors, technicians and staff call you in to assess your hair and take some photos. Dr. Ozgur leads the discussion and planning amongst the doctors. They then shave your head and draw the plan of what you all agreed upon for the new hairline. This is the stage when they determine the final number of grafts, the density and the total cost of the procedure. At no time did I feel pressured to do more or less grafts and totally made me feel like I was in control of the decision.

One of the main reasons I chose HLC was the fact that the procedure is done by actual doctors versus the technicians. I also like the fact that its a manually punch. In my case, I had one doctor that was in charge of the extractions with another in charge of the implantations (same doctors both days). They used a .8mm punch. The first day was 12 hours and was VERY long. The extractions seemed to go quick but the implantations was a test of the mind. Very little pain throughout the entire process except for when they numb you. DONT BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR MORE ANESTHESIA if you start to feel something. They are more than happy to give you more and the last thing they want is for you to be in pain. Everyone is BEYOND nice and is extremely helpful at the clinic.

So Day 1 they broke into 2 sessions with a total of 2,141 grafts. Day 2 was much shorter (about 4 hours) where they extracted the remaining 1,064 grafts.

Singles: 277

Doubles: 1,257

Multiples: 1,671

They wrap your head after the procedure and make you stay one more night so they can make sure no grafts have come loose after your first nights sleep. After your final check up and post op instructions they send you on your way. 

I am now about 3 months post op and have documented everything and have been making regular updates to my instagram page and my Youtube channel for those who want to see my detailed recoverable process:

Instagram Handle: Mane_Man2019

YOUTUBE CHANNEL (most recent update): 

I hope this review is helpful and I will try to update from time to time. Here are some additional photos of me before, during and within the first week of the actual procedure.