Hello hello dear HRN family,
My surgery is scheduled for beginning of March with Dr. Christina Vryonidou of HDC clinic and I wanted to post my experience here. I will be sharing my story, the clinic selection process, and more info as things happen.
Background
I'm 35 now and as you can see in the photos, I've been facing hair loss for a few years now. It started in my mid-20s, but I could see the difference more intensely in my 30s. When it comes to treatment, I started using Regaine 7 years back for a few months. I did see results, but experienced mild symptoms of Minoxidil and stopped. Didn't use anything for many years and fast forward a couple of years back, I started using a product from Ordinary, the hairloss serum, which was recommended by a friend. Naturally, I wasn't expecting anything fancy, but the hairloss was reduced a bit. Even though I was joking around with friends that it's fine, I'll lose all my hair and then the plan is to go to Turkey - problem solved. At some point last year, it started bothering me that haircut options became very limited and felt like it was adding years to my age, but tried not to let it affect my confidence too much.
In the back scenes, I started doing some research online of what was the HT process, different options, results and of course I ran into this forum, for which I'm really grateful! I learned a lot from hearing about people's journeys, reviews of clinics and surgeons, so I finally made up my mind. I'm having a Hair transplant!
Clinic Selection
I like organisation. It's annoying really. Just ask my wife. This meant that there were excel files, and lists, and scores, and different factors to consider, bla bla bla, to find the right clinic which met my criteria. Things I considered were the following: Clinic results, Surgeon reviews, Consultation, post-op support, budget (I know.. Everyone has a budget, however I said from the start that if I don't like the clinic, I won't compromise), and a few other factors.
This forum helped me direct my focus on some renowned clinics and surgeons, like Pekiner, Bessam Farjo, Keser, Juan Couto, Fuegenix, HLC, Hermest, Serkan Aygin Clinic, Demirsoy, etc, but also to avoid hair mills.
My top 4 were all in approved list of surgeons here. They were the following in ascending preference:
Bicer. Heard great things about her. There were a few bad results over the recent years, but then again most clinics do have some. The main reason I didn't go with Bicer, is that I spoke with her assistant and, even though she was very helpful, she didn't give me confidence in some questions. I also spoke with Bicer, but it felt very rushed, which put me off.
FueCapilar. I was considering Turan at the time, who had great reviews. What I found odd, is that Turan had a fixed cost. It was 4K Euro for up to 3.5K grafts and 4.5K for more than 3.5K. If you're an English speaker, I believe there is a translator. Onur, the consultant, was fine but could have been more responsive and a bit more helpful in some responses. I've also read great things about Gur, so both doctors seemed a good option.
Eugenix. I've spoken with many clinics over the last few months. Eugenix had hands down the best consultation! They really care about patients - even potential customers - which was a massive plus for them. I was going for the Exclusive package which included senior doctors performing the operation. Eugenix is highly regarded from many members in this forum and I can see why. I was between this and my first option.
HDC. The clinic I decided to go with was HDC in Cyprus and chose Dr. Christina to perform the operation (she's in the list of approved surgeons). The results I saw from her looked great and they felt very natural. The consultant I spoke with, George Georgiou, was very helpful, the consultation felt very personal and it seems they really care for their patients and their results. I had many questions and George answered comprehensively every question and didn't give me the impression HDC were too focused on making the highest profit. I read a few other Greek forums, which also thought highly of them. The reason I choose them was because of the good reviews I read about Christina, results I saw which looked natural, and that they made me feel I'm in good hands.
If anyone has any questions on the above, feel free to DM me, happy to help. I have a long list of questions I asked consultants, which I gathered online.
Initial Clinic Assessment
Interesting experience this one. The grafts I got from clinics ranged from 2,600 to 3800. Quite a big range, but the average was around 3,500. Most clinics agreed that I'm a good NW 3v, with good potential for a higher NW in the coming years. Keen to hear what you think from the photos.
All clinics agreed that my donor area looks very healthy and I would be a good candidate for a HT. Of course the exact number will be reviewed in-person, but they said that the maximum amount that can be transplanted is ~4K to avoid damaging the donor area.
Interestingly, one clinic also rejected me. Dr Pekiner said I'm a NW 4 and on my way to NW 5-6. He was concerned about not using Finasteride or Minoxidil and suggested we should wait at least 6 months, before we reassess my case. Totally respect their call; in fact it made me think highly of their ethics that they won't just take anyone, and that they really care about having good results.
HDC details
They use a motorised punch, which is around 0.9 mm (depends). Not ideal, but in certain cases they also do manual if needed.
Graft extraction is across donor area to minimise visible spotting.
Density is around 60-70 in the hairline and about 45-50 elsewhere. Of course it depends on the patient.
Some splitting of hairs happens, but only if needed.
They use Lens Loupes to clean and separate hairs
Recipient incisions happen with small blades
The team is very experienced and have been working together for many years
They do this saw-like hairline, which even though makes results seem natural, I've seen some results in which it's been quite intense. Will highlight it during the op. day.
Photos
I've attached photos from before my haircut and after. I noticed that my phone highlights my grey hair more in sunlight, which sometimes makes it seem i'm a bit balder, but hopefully in a few months this won't be a problem :)
This brings us to today! I decided to go for a buzz cut to prepare psychologically, paid my deposit and I'm ready to go!
Haven't seen many results of Dr. Christina in HRN so I 'll share more details soon to inform you guys.