FUE with Dr Erkan Demirsoy - 2500 grafts - 11th February 2014

[ThinJim]

Hi all,

 

I have been a long time lurker on this forum and have been researching a possible hair transplant for 7 or 8 years or so. After much deliberation and various consultations I have booked with Dr Erkan Demirsoy in Istanbul and will be flying out from the UK for surgery on the 11th February.

 

I have been highly impressed with the refined work from Dr Demirsoy on both this forum and another German forum where he is a prominent figure. I have also yet to hear of any negative experiences. With the price being 1 euro per graft I believe Dr Demirsoy offers the best value to performance ratio in the hair transplant market today.

 

When making my decision it was not just about cost (granted that was a factor) I wanted a quality FUE surgeon who had a proven track record. I do know that the Dr is not currently recommended on this forum however I understand also that he would not be able to offer the rates he does should he be. Other doctors I had considered included Doctors Doganay, Feriduni, Rahal and Erdogan.

 

All communication has been made via Dr Demirsoy's agent Clemens Weber. He has so far been very professional and prompt when answering my questions.

 

A bit of background. I began losing my hair when I was in my early 20s (I am now in my 30s). I managed to stabilise my hair loss early on with dutasteride however I always wanted to replace the hair that was lost and never recovered. I would say I am a currently a norwood 2-3 and suffer with frontal thinning. My goal is to have a strong but conservative hair line placed with 2500 grafts. I am some what of a rarity as I have naturally blonde hair which you do not see much of on the forums.

 

I intend to keep the thread updated regularly with my experience and pics. If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask.

Edited January 20, 2014 by ThinJim

[dingdong12]

HI thin jim congrats and good luck on your upcoming procedure

check out my thread to see my experience with dr demirosy

[ThinJim]

Hi Dingdong12,

 

Thanks very much. I have been following your thread closely for some time now. Your results so far in my view are excellent. If the doctor can give me hair likes yours I will be a happy man!

[dingdong12]

the whole trip is well oraganised and i would go as far to say a pleasant one.istanbul is an amazing city to see

[JohnGage]

I agree, Dr. Demirsoy's work looks refined and his results I have seen so far are excellent. Good choice! All the best and good luck to you.

[Rakan]

Hi Thin Jim, Wish you all the best in your upcoming HT. I'm also planning to go for HT in Turkey and I would appreciate if you can give me the contact details for Dr. Demirsoy.

Have a good day

[ThinJim]

Hi Rakan,

 

Your best bet is to contact Clemens Weber who is a member on this forum. Also If you google 'health travels turkey demirsoy' you will find their website.

[Nowsthetime9]

Do they offer financing for patients coming from the US? And how would that work with the exchange rate and credit card companies ? Anybody have any info regarding this?

[ThinJim]

All,

 

I have now arrived in Istanbul for my surgery with Dr Demirsoy tomorrow morning. I am staying at the Asia Princess hotel which is approx a 10 minute walk from the hospital. It is a nice business hotel, clean with modern decor. The drive from the airport (Antaturk) took around 35 mins (with some heavy traffic).

 

Me and my partner ventured out this evening to grab something to eat and there are plenty of restaurants and supermarkets near by. Its quite a busy area and you have to be careful as all of the drivers are in a rush and wait for nobody.

 

I am being picked up by the Doctors assistant Muzaffer at 8am. No nerves yet but I am sure it will hit me when I get there tomorrow. I'll let you all know how it goes.

[mm015]

You describe exactly what I went through on the 2nd Jim! Great hotel, although the permanent mood lighting in my room was slightly annoying lol.

 

Muzzafer is a cool guy. You'll be fine with it all. You've read my experience, so nothing more to add really.

 

What area are you having worked on? Do you have any pre op pics you can post up? And how long are you staying for post op? Where are you flying back to?

 

Cheers

[scooter]

Good luck on ur HT, be sure to keep us updated

[ThinJim]

All,

 

Just a quick update, I will write my full update in the next few days. I have arrived back at the hotel after my surgery. It was a long day, arriving at the hospital 8:15 and not leaving till 7. I feel ok at the moment, my head just feels slightly numb/swollen, no pain though.

 

I ended up getting 2694 grafts. I am very happy so far with Dr Demirsoy and his team, they are all very dedicated and I felt like I was in professional and experienced hands throughout.

 

I specifically asked for a conservative hairline as I did not want an unnatural appearance later in life. I like what I see so far and the design is exactly what I asked for. I am going back for a first wash and follow up tomorrow afternoon and then flying back home the following day.

 

I have attached a few pictures taken in the hotel room. Any thoughts/questions welcome

 

Cheers

Edited February 11, 2014 by ThinJim

[mm015]

Great stuff Jim. Good luck and I hope you manage to get a few hours sleep at least!

 

Your design looks very similar to my frontal design, so it'll be interesting to watch our comparisons.

 

If you are interested, I have put some new comparison photo's up showing pre up to now on my thread here as the most recent post: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/172724-fue-procedure-3750-grafts-jan-02-2014-dr-demirsoy-7.html

 

Cheers mate, keep us updated!

[JohnGage]

ThinJim,

I thought Dr. Demirsoy transplants 4000+ grafts in a day. Any idea why your 2694 grafts took so much time (8:15am to 7pm)? :confused:

[mm015]

There are variables and it's not as simple as saying "1 day = x amount of grafts". Variables include (but not limited to) patient scalp tension, blood flow, how healthy grafts are when removed (everyone is different) availability of donor hair (some have a very strong donor area, some is weaker and thinner) which can all affect the extraction and implantation.

 

I am sure there are more reason but a Dr will probably give you more info!

[ThinJim]

JohnGage,

 

I am unsure as to what the maximum amount of grafts Dr Demirsoy can transplant in one day. As mm015 said there are many variables that can effect how easy an operation is to perform.

 

I think the reason why my surgery may have taken longer was because of how light my natural hair is. The Dr mentioned several times that it made it harder to see the grafts during the extraction phase. Also whilst making the recipient sites it was harder to see where I still had existing hair.

 

The Dr did say that ordinarily it would have been preferable to dye my hair darker before the operation, however I had an area of inflammation above my left ear, possibly due to an allergic reaction and that combined with dry skin meant doing so was not advisable.

 

mm015, I had no problems sleeping last night. Took two pain killers just to be on the safe side and managed to get a good 7 hours in. I have not experienced any pain since the operation other than a little tenderness in both donor and recipient areas. I was expecting to be in much more discomfort than I have been, Its been easy so far!

Edited February 12, 2014 by ThinJim

[Dave160]

Congrats to you ThinJim.

You're on your way now mate. The job looks clean with a nice hairline. I wish you a speedy recovery and a healthy yield.

[ThinJim]

thanks Dave!

 

I am just sitting in a coffee shop at the airport waiting for the flight home. So far I have been asked 3 times to remove my cap. Once when you immediately enter the airport, once at passport control and then straight again afterwards at a second security point.

 

I did say to each one that I had just had surgery performed but that did me no good. One of the young girls at the last check actually sniggered at me!

 

With all of the other transplant patients coming through this airport I would have expected to be given an easier time. I didn't let any of them see that it bothered me, I know I will never see any of them again.

 

I cant say that I didn't get a little annoyed by it all though. It certainly was not the most dignified experience I have had to go through. I was fine whilst in Istanbul walking around without a hat on, for some reason though as soon as I got to the airport and the first one asked me to take my cap off it changed, suddenly I was a bit self concious about it.

 

Just a word of warning I suppose to any potential patients coming this way to be prepared for it. Anyway rant over, I really cant wait to get back home now!

Edited February 13, 2014 by ThinJim

[Dave160]

I know the feeling mate. Although I did not need to remove my hat like you did, I received some vey strange looks on the train. No surprise really, the hat I was wearing made me look like I was on a fishing trip! Happy healing mate. Keep using your saline spray, the first week post op is a nightmare! The need to scratch those itches is so tempting. Get to 10 days and your grafts are secure.

[ClemensWeber]

Hi ThinJim,

 

I am sorry about the airport issue. First time ever a patient told about it!

Anyway you will be home soon, hopefully! Have a safe flight

 

 

Best,

 

Clemens

[ClemensWeber]

ThinJim,

I thought Dr. Demirsoy transplants 4000+ grafts in a day. Any idea why your 2694 grafts took so much time (8:15am to 7pm)? :confused:

 

Hi,

 

The actual surgery time (without consultation, paper work, shaving, ...) was from 10 am to 6:30 pm. Quit a normal time.

For sure it is possible to transplant 4000 graft in a day, but as mm015 stated, it depends on many variables.

 

 

Best,

 

Clemens

[ThinJim]

Hi all,

 

I am still in the process of writing my full experience with Dr Demirsoy, however I thought I would post a few pictures to show how the healing is going. I am currently 5 days post op and so far am very happy with my progress. The two sets of photos are taken 4 days apart. There is hardly any trace in the donor area that anything was done back there, just a few of the scabs still hanging on for their lives.

 

If you look at the donor area you can notice some yellow bruising which has been causing me quite a substantial amount of pain. There was no pain at all until day 4, however since then I have been taking pain killers throughout the day and applying aloe vera gel to make things bearable. It has been hard to sleep at night.

 

Still waiting for the scabs in the recipient area to come off, these should start coming off Tuesday this week. Redness is still obviously present however this is reducing each day.

[ThinJim]

Day 6 update,

 

Donor pain still present (notice the bruising), having to take high strength ibuprofen with codeine pills to make things bearable and get through the day. For 6 days post op though I feel the healing is going very well.

[Hmmmmmm]

ThinJim we are here to support you.

Pain is something that you can bare. I think the results will be amazing. I have appointment with Dr. Demirsoy coming up. Hang in there Pain will pass, hair will grow, is there anything better?

[ThinJim]

Procedure Report 11/02/2014 Dr Erkan Demirsoy. Istanbul, Turkey (2694 grafts)

 

*All communications and arrangements were made with Clemens Weber who is Dr Demirsoy’s agent*

 

I arrived in Istanbul on the afternoon of the 10th. A driver was waiting for me in the arrivals hall to take me to the Asia Princess hotel which is a 10 minute walk from the clinic. He was a friendly guy but spoke very minimal English. The trip took around 35 minutes with some traffic. He did drive like a lunatic but I quickly gathered this is somewhat of a necessity in Istanbul if you want to get anywhere. The cars do not even stop at pedestrian crossings so you almost feel like you are taking your life into your own hands just by crossing the street.

 

The hotel is your standard 4 star business hotel, modern deccor etc. This seems to be the base for hair transplants in the area. At breakfast I saw one guy who had his done the day before and two other guys who were having theirs performed the same day as me with a different surgeon. The staff are used to seeing hair transplant patients so you certainly have no need to feel self-conscious walking around the hotel post op. Breakfast was included and had a decent selection of hot and cold food. Me and my partner also ordered room service on three separate occasions and the food was very nice, a burger and chips will set you back 20 Turkish lira (roughly 8 dollars).

 

My main complaint about the hotel was how unbelievably thin the walls were. We were able to hear the people in the rooms next to us so clear it was like there was no wall there at all. Not great having to listen to a couple go at it for about an hour at 2am when you’ve just had 2500 holes put in your head and you’re trying to get some sleep!

 

Anyway the day of the procedure Muzaffer (really good guy) who is the doctor’s assistant met me at 8am to take me to the hospital. On arrival I was welcomed by Clemens (also a great guy) and Dr Demirsoy. I was given some disclaimer papers to sign and then had my consultation.

 

The consultation was thorough and we discussed everything from hair loss history, medications and what I wanted to achieve amongst other things. I told the doctor that I wanted a conservative hairline, something that would look age appropriate later in life. The doctor did point out that he felt I had very dry skin and was also concerned about an area of inflammation above my left ear where he decided not to take any grafts (see photo below). I did know this was there as it had only just came up 4 weeks prior, however I did not realise how bad it was until my head was shaved. I will definitely be seeing a doctor about this when I am back to normal. Not sure where this has come from though as I have never had anything like this before.

 

The doctor then drew on what he felt was the best hair line for me to which I agreed. Dr Demirsoy came across as a true professional and I could see at this stage why other people had reported such positive experiences. Some photos were taken with the doctors ridiculously high powered camera and I was then taken into the surgery room and had my head shaved. I never realised just how bad my hair loss was until I met the doctors camera combined with the fluorescent lighting in his office.......ouch!

 

The first stage was extracting the grafts with the micro-motor. I believe the doctor does extract with a manual punch if requested but all of the results I have seen from him used the motor and I was confident that he was able to achieve very good results with it. Plus for a manual punch the price was double.

 

Your head is numbed with many anaesthetic injections. For someone who hates needles I didn’t find them too bad, about 5/10 in terms of pain. Some hurt more than others but they kick in fairly quickly. Once you are fully numb you really don’t feel any pain or discomfort at all. It is a funny feeling when the holes are being punched though. Dr Demirsoy extracted all of the grafts himself, no techs like some other clinics I have read about. This part lasted from 10am until 1:30ish when we stopped for lunch.

 

The worst thing by far about this part was lying on my side in the same position for such a long time. The sides of my legs were really hurting me for much of it. I’m sure I could have asked to get up and stretch my legs but I did not want to interrupt the doctor (my own fault really). You are able to use the free wifi during the whole procedure so take your phone or a tablet for some entertainment.

 

We then had lunch which was provided by the clinic. I had a choice of meatballs and rice or a burger and chips. I chose the meatballs and they were really tasty. I had my girlfriend with me and the clinic also provided lunch for her which was much appreciated (something they did not have to do).

 

So after lunch the front of my head was numbed with more anaesthetic and the doctor began making the recipient sites. These injections did hurt slightly more but still not too bad, you can definitely tell when they hit a nerve though! There was a few times during this part where the doctor found a spot that was not completely numb and it did hurt quite a bit. As soon as you say ‘pain’ though more anaesthetic is given. Again it’s a funny feeling when the sites are being made, almost like a crunching, tearing sensation. This took about an hour and a half or so. The doctor did say that because I have light hair it made it more difficult for him to differentiate where I still had existing hair when making the sites. Ordinarily it would have been preferable to die my hair darker but he said that because I had such dry skin it wouldn’t have been a good idea.

 

The final stage was obviously implanting the grafts. This for me was the worst part of the day. The main reason being is that much of the anaesthetic kept wearing off and I needed around another 4 rounds of injections. The doctor ended up giving me a pain killer because it seemed like every 20 minutes I was asking for more injections. Pain and discomfort got up to around 7/10 for me at this point. Two technicians placed the grafts and it took around 2 1/2 to 3 hours to complete. The procedure was finished at around 6:30.

 

I was cleaned up, the doctor took some post op photos and then Muzaffer dropped me back at the hotel. I felt fine after the operation when back in the room. Other than some tightness and a swollen feeling in the head there was really no discomfort at all. I was expecting to be in a lot more pain than I was. I slept fine other than the people next door keeping me awake for an hour. My pillow the next morning was a bit worse for wear (see photo below!) This was a mixture of blood and antiseptic lotion

 

Muzaffer again picked me up the following afternoon to take me back to the hospital for my first wash and follow up check. I was talked through post op instructions and given a 5 day course of anti-biotics, some pain killers, bepanthol lotion and some shampoo. I also took a list of questions I had prepared which the doctor answered. We said our goodbyes and I was dropped back at the hotel. My flight home was not until the following afternoon.

 

I wrote earlier in this thread about my experience at the airport on the way home. To be honest I think I just got unlucky with the girl who sniggered at me. I also think it was more my paranoia kicking in than the bad experience I described. That said I think it is something that people should be aware of as I was fine walking around Istanbul with my transplant on display for all to see, but when I hit the airport it all seemed to change! I became quite self-conscious about it and I guess I didn’t like the fact that I was specifically being asked to remove my hat in front of so many people standing there in a line all looking at me. I also didn’t see why there was a need to make me remove it three times when I had pointed out that I had just had surgery, it felt like they was doing it just to annoy me. Once I was through security though I was fine.

 

Overall I am very happy that I chose to have my transplant performed by Dr Demirsoy. For 1 euro a graft I don’t think you will find many clinics in the world that come anywhere close to giving such value for money. I think Dr Demirsoy proves you do not have to blow your life savings to get a top quality FUE procedure. The whole trip went seamlessly from start to finish. Dr Demirsoy, Clemens, Muzaffer and the techs were all great. When I look in the mirror I really like what I see. I am even getting used to being a skin head now, I dont think it looks that bad!

 

Obviously the result remains to be seen so I will reserve final judgement for now but as I sit here I am very optimistic that in 6 month I will be a happy man.

 

The only improvement suggestion I would have for the clinic if I am being picky is to begin keeping count of how many 1s,2s, and 3 units grafts which are extracted. It is something that as a patient I would have liked to have known. I was told I averaged 2 units per grafts but was not given an exact count of each.

 

Couple of pointers for anyone having a procedure would be to

 

• Make sure you take a headband with you to prevent swelling. Make sure you wear it for at least 3 days post op. I did take one but stopped wearing it once I got home; big mistake!

• If you think you are going to be self-conscious about how you look post op then be mentally prepared for the airport experience. I thought I was until I got there!

• Take a tablet/phone with you on the day for some entertainment

• If possible take someone with you on the trip. I was very glad I had my girlfriend with me to help me out post op.

 

Any questions/comments welcome

 

Cheers all :cool:

 

Cost of procedure

2694 grafts – 2694 euros

Hotel and transfers for 3 nights – 410 euros

Flights – 125 euros

Various expenses whilst in Istanbul (mostly food) – 100 euros

Total – 3329 euros

Edited February 19, 2014 by ThinJim