Booked 3500 grafts FUE with Dr.Maral Turkey March 14 2014

[thunder1409]

Hello Guys, I've been reading this forum for sometime now and decided to go for Hair transplant with Dr.Maral in Istanbul, Turkey.

I've booked FUE with Dr.Maral Turkey 3500 grafts on March 14-15 2014

Will be travelling from Ukraine to Turkey for this procedure.

 

I'm a doctor myself so I will post my experience and thorough review after the procedure.

 

Pre-op consultation:

I spoke with Dr.Maral over the phone, he was friendly, I asked him about the differing opinions about his work on the forum and he said that the results also depend on the person's donor area, age and certain other factors, it not just about the surgeon.

 

Since I had a good donor area and my age (31 years) was good for HT, he said I could expect reasonable results.

 

It sounded fair to me, so I went ahead and booked the HT.

 

Will keep you guys posted with the updates and pics.

 

Regards

[Britanium]

Good luck for your surgery - I had mine done on the 14th Feb from the Maral Kilink. All good so far.

Be interested in your views being a Doctor yourself.

[TakingThePlunge]

thunder,

 

Good luck on your upcoming surgery! I'll be looking forward to your updates.

[thunder1409]

Hello Guys,

 

Its been 25 days since the procedure.

I have taken many pictures of the journey so far.

 

The clinic:

Maral clinic is located in a good area in istanbul, there are several food outlets, restaurants and bakeries closeby. Its a two storey clinic. Level 1 has the receptionist area, small seating lounge and washrooms and a small examination room. The area had modern interiors and paintings.

 

Level 2 has 2-3 operation rooms and Dr.Maral's chamber where he meets you for the pre-op discussion.

 

I was picked up by their driver and driven to their clinic, the receptionist was very friendly and talkative. I paid in cash and we proceeded to meet Dr.Maral.

 

We had a discussion and I insisted that I have a low hairline with thick density and I wasnt really bothered about the crown area.

 

My procedure was performed by Yesim.

 

The procedure was 6-8 hours long. It get a little boring, so I suggest you have some plans to beat boredom... For me I was imagining what I'd like to do in the coming month and contemplating several different ideas. Just find a way to keep your mind occupied and the time will pass very fast.

 

The first few injections were painful but the subsequent ones were OK, because the anesthetic spreads fast. The procedure began with extraction, it was completed in 2-3 hours. Then she made micro-cuts (incisions) on my forehead, this took about 2 hours and then there was the implantation for another 2-2.5 hours.

 

There were 2 breaks in between. After the procedure, the driver will drop you off at the hotel. The hotel was good and the food prices were reasonable.

 

I had some trouble sleeping for the first 3 days because I had to avoid touching the donor and implant areas, teh inflatable neck support they gave was useful. (similar to the neck pillow on airplanes).

 

The next day you have a wash and you're given a cap. You can peel off the bandages on day 2. You're given a natural shampoo & softener.

 

You're given medication for 3 days.

The swelling in the head starts after 2 days.

It is noticeable on the forehead, like a water accumulation. Its not hideous, but its Ok since you're wearing a hat. The swelling moves downwards and by day 4 you have the eyelids swollen,

 

I stayed there for 3 days, the driver dropped me back at the airport.

I had to fly but the I didnt face any trouble at the immigration because of the facial swelling or face identification, they let me go.

 

The swelling goes away after 7 days, so dont worry too much.

I noticed on some website, they said that you can return to work the next day, this has to be a joke! If you can go to work with a covered hat and swollen face, then its OK.

 

Look, the micro cuts made on your forehead form healing plaques and they're visible. You cannot peel them away, it takes a good 15 days for these crusts to be shed and to have a clean forehead.

 

Overall I'm happy with the procedure.

The procedure including hotel took Euro 1800. A very good price.

I'm happy with the procedure and work so far.

 

Will certainly recommend Dr.Maral at this point of time, please remember the results you encounter will also depend on your donor area and the extent of baldness, as your baldness gets worse, the donor area also thins (or so I'm told). So keep those factors in mind and expect reasonable results.

Feel free to comment or ask questions.

Will keep you guys posted on the progress, cheers.

 

BTW I travelled around Turkey before the procedure for 8 days - I took the route Istanbul (2 days) - Antalya (2 days) - Pamukkale (1 day) - Ephesus (1 day) - Back to Istanbul for my procedure & stay (3 days). For two people I spent around $1800-2000 for the tour (all inclusive). Will share details if anyone is interested.

Edited April 8, 2014 by thunder1409

[fredifredo]

Welcome to you, thunder. Great sum up and pictures... thank you. I have to say you have the best hairline I've ever seen by Dr Maral until then.... perfectly done and rounded up, low enough on the frontside...the result should be great. And it seems like your skin heals very quicly : can't really see pink mark anymore. Lucky you ! I hope your crown area is filled enough to have a nice effect there too. I look forward to see your evolution and wish you the best.

Edited April 8, 2014 by fredifredo

[thunder1409]

Thanks fredi, I liked the hairline immediately after it was completed. Most HT doctors have a habit of drawing a higher hairline saying that it would look natural... I think the whole part of getting a HT and going through all the effort is to have a noticeable difference in hairline and age... I clearly told them that I dont care even if they dont touch the crown area,the front area should be low and thick. They agreed and about 20% of my grafts went to the crown area and the rest went to the forehead.

 

Will post pictures as the hairline evolves.

 

Cheers!