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1talian

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Everything posted by 1talian

  1. Hi All. apologies for the delay in providing an update. After my initial round post 1.5, please take a look at the picture. . I needed a second round to cover the mid/crown area. I visited HLC last week for the second procedure where they have implanted 3750 further grafts from beard and back of head. It looks like I may go for a SMP at some stage down the line. Also you will find below pictures of me 1 week post transplant after the 2nd round. All seems ok however I am a little worried about the black blood clot as you will be able to see from the image. The clinic stated it is nothing to worry about and should wash out after my 10 day wash. what do you guys think?
  2. Thanks for all the feedback. Here are some pics 4 weeks post op with very slight shedding and now I am 6 weeks post op and I have not had the shedding which many people experience...is that normal?
  3. @Melvin-Moderator I am definitely planning to do the back. I have come this far, I might as well go the full hog. Finasteride is my only conundrum for now. Shall I, shall I not.arghhhhhhh
  4. After months and months of research, contemplating between clinics, countries and surgeons I decided to take the plunge and go for the HLC Clinic in Ankara. A bit of background about me: I am 40 years old, Norwood 6 and not taking any medication. I decided to go for HLC due to many of the positive reviews, the fact that the doctor carries out the full surgery and the fact that HLC are experts with beards. Due to being so far down the Norwood 6 I would need a combination of head and beard for ample coverage. HLC provide accommodation with the costing, a shared apartment, however as I was travelling with my brother we decided to stay in the hotel. The hotel is called Hotel Samm, it is literally across the road from the clinic. There is only one direct flight to Ankara from London, only on Thursday's, however this was not suitable for my surgery dates. I therefore travelled indirect via Istanbul, if you can go direct, I would strongly recommend this. If you are travelling indirect, please note if you have any checked in baggage from London, it arrives in a seperate section at Ankara airport. We were not aware of this and wasted 45 minutes at the baggage conveyor belts waiting for our bags. On arrival our driver was waiting for us and took us to the hotel. Around 30 minutes from the airport. Day 1: I arrived at the clinic at 0800 am and was greeted by our patient coordinator. We had breakfast and I met three other patients who were at different stages of their surgery. At round 930 I was taken in for a shave and then my hairline consultation began. This included three doctors including Dr Oztan and a couple of nurses. Dr Oztan would ask about your requirement and draw a hairline. Unfortunately the hairline consultant did not arrive at the clinic at this stage and we therefore began this process without her. Dr Oztan is very patient and is happy to make changes as per your request. I am glad my brother was there as it is beneficial to have a second opinion plus I had my wife on a video call. On the consultation, Dr Oztan was pleased with my donor area and suggested extracting 4000 grafts from the back of the head and 700 from my beard. I would need a second session in around 6 months to cover the back (crown area). I was happy with this as I preferred a mega session and I was pleased my donor can harvest more down the line. Next a doctor is allocated and he starts working with his team of nurses and technicians. Dr Cengiz performed the surgery on myself and I have to say he was excellent. He kept me posted with what was going on and was very attentive with his work. Also at this stage I would like to say the technicians and nurses are amazing, their English is not the best but they are well organised, on the ball and the operation runs like clockwork. Initially 1000 grafts were extracted from the back of the head. And at this stage I was asked to lie on my tummy while these were extracted. We then had a break and the next stage was to implant the grafts. As echoed by many patients the injections are the worst part and I must have had 7-8 injections across the implanted area of my head. It is a sharp pain but something which is expected. At this stage you can lie on your back while the team are working away and you can watch some television while the artists are at work. Once this was over, we had a lunch break provided at the clinic and the next round of extractions and implantation's took place. We finished at around 630pm and a bandage is applied to the area. Day 2 I arrived at the clinic at 0800 and the day was similar to day one with 2000 grafts being extracted and implanted. Day 3 I arrived at the clinic at 0800 and the beard extraction of 700 grafts started at 0900. Once again the process is the same with the needles being the biggest pain point. Once this has been completed your patient coordinator will go through the post op care and you can carry out any final payments. Day 4 Arrived for the bandages to be removed. Medication: Antibiotics two tablets a day until course is finished 1 coraspin every morning Take pain meds when needed You will also be provided with the saline solution for the recipient area and cream for the donor Overall the experience was fantastic, however the biggest negative is the after care which comes with such a heavy surgery. As a patient who has travelled far, paid a significant amount of money, I would expect a quick discharge run through, where the doctor would run through what was carried out, how well the surgery went, grafts which have been extracted, next plan of action, medication etc. I didn’t receive any of this, not even a summary report. Once the doctor completes the surgery, he says goodbye and moves on. If they would nail this part of the process and provide a more of a personal touch with the patient then I would not hesitate to give them a 10/10. This was the same feeling felt by some of the other patients who were there for the surgery. I did however request a quick chat with the doctor as I had an extra day in Ankara to answer a few questions I had.. He obliged and it was good to get that piece of mind rather than leave with unanswered questions. I hope this gives you some insight into my experience with HLC and I will update you with further photos and developments. With regards to Finasteride, the Dr stated that my sides are thinning and he advised that I start finasteride. I am a Norwood 6 and never contemplated going down this route as there is not much hair to save and is it really worth me going down this route at such a late stage with the hope I don’t experience any side effects? I would happily try a topical version, however this has not yet been approved and not readily available. Would be great to get your thoughts on this.
  5. I was considering FUT, however all the clinics I visited suggested FUE including the top ones in the UK. I have seen some great results from HLC from patients with a similar hair loss to mine and I am hoping (and praying) that I will get decent results from HLC.
  6. Thanks for the info. I have reached out to many surgeons/clinics and narrowed it down to HLC and BF. Eugenix suggested the same as HLC in terms of number of grafts however India is still in lockdown and it will be many months before this changes. Dr Maras also sugested 3000 grafts however they do not do a beard transplant. If I will need a beard graft, it would make sense to stick with HLC for the entire procedure over two HT's. They are the experts in this area and it would make sense to go with them. Further to this I have seen some great results recently and they have also been recommended highly by you guys. They have had a cancellation in a couple of weeks and offered me a discounted rate. I have also attached a couple of photos for your reference and your expert opinion.
  7. Hi all. A quick update, after your recommendations. I reached out to both HLC and Dr Ferreira. HLC recommended 3000 grafts and a further 1000-1500 from my beard in the 1st surgery. After 12 months a second surgery for the crown area. Dr Ferreira suggested 2800 grafts in the first session, wait 5 months and then a further 2800 grafts. He will check the progress and then he can look at the beard as a third surgery to fill any gaps / provide more density. I wasn’t actually aware Dr Ferreira performed a beard transplant however now I am confused as to which one to go with. They both seem to be extremely professional. any thoughts?
  8. @Curious25 Thanks for the information. To be honest I have not looked into FUT and I was very nearly sold to Asmed's evaluation of 5000 grafts in one session. A more done and dusted in one approach, however some of the reviews has put me off. I did reach out to Eugenix and they stated I have a max of 3000 grafts in my donor area which is similar to Dr Ferreira's prognosis. If they had suggested more grafts then I would have definitely considered them in a one off mega session surgery. In all honesty I would prefer a one off mega session however it is only Asmed which has offered me this. Even though I have seen some great results of their Norwood 5/6 patients, I am hesitant after reading some of the negative reviews. Thanks for the information on finasteride. It has put me at ease with my decision on not taking the medication.
  9. I have reached out to Dr Bruno Ferreira and he has suggested breaking it down into two transplants. The initial one would be for 2800 grafts and the second transplant would be dependent on the the state of my donor area. He also stated that I am on the Norwood 6 scale and suggested a low dose of Finasteride, however he did state that due to my advanced hair loss this may not be of any benefit. Based on this prognosis I am very hesitant in taking the medication as my hair loss is extremely advanced and I feel it is not worth taking the risk in starting this if it will not help. What are your thoughts on this?
  10. Thank you all for the updates, it really is food for thought; Asmed and Dr Doganay are definitely off my list now. I will be taking a look at both Dr Bruno Ferreira and Dr Villa. Thanks again for all your feedback and I will keep you posted.
  11. This is my first post so please excuse any errors. I am a 40 year old male in the UK with Norwood 5 hair loss. I have been weighing up options for a HT and want to ensure I am making the right choice and within my budget. I have been doing some research on surgeons in Turkey and I have narrowed it down to two- Dr Koray Erdogan and Dr Doganay. Dr Erdogan has advised between 5000-5000 grafts at a cost of around 12500 euros and Dr Doganay has advised 4000 grafts with a costing of 7000 euros. However with every positive review I read, I then read two negative reviews and I am totally confused. After visiting some of the top clinics in the UK, it is just out of my budget, however I did receive a quote from the Westminster medical which seems reasonable. They advise 3150 grafts for £7000 and having the surgery in the UK gives me a bit of peace of mind, however I cant find much on this clinic or their surgeons online. Does anyone have experience with the Westminster Medical Group? Based on the two surgeons in Turkey, what are your thoughts? Any help at this stage will be appreciated. Thanks, Alex
  12. I have been doing some research and also considering Dr. Mehmet. He has advised 5000 grafts however after doing some research I am worried about how experts have said anything over 3000 in one sitting is not acceptable and that the donor area will look patchy. what are your experiences of this?
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