My second hair transplant surgery. Where to go? Which doctor to choose?

[TheMirrorOfDreams]

My name is Noah, 21 years of age, from Norway.

Last year, December 4th. 2013, I had my very first transplant of 2000 grafts/3500 hairs. It was not a very successful one, alas. But, not a complete fail either. It's just very thin, and the angles of the implanted hair is not exactly good, but I think if I let it grow out, it will look much better.

 

This time around I must choose the right surgeon/clinic to go to. I live in Europe, Norway, so the closer the better. But I am of course willing to travel longer distances.

I have included a photo of a list of recommended hair transplant surgeons in Europe, taken from "hair restoration network".

 

First one I contacted was Dr. Hakan Doganay. I asked about my age, and they said it was no problem. Which actually concerns me a bit. Should I be? This is what they responded with in their e-mail to me:

 

 

E-MAIL 1:

 

"Dear Noah,Thanks for interesting in having FUE surgery with Dr Hakan Doganay.

 

Could you send us some pictures for evaluation?

 

Our price is 2 euros per hair graft and 2.5 euros per beard graft and manual graft.

The utilities, like hospital, food, transportation in Antalya and medicines necessary after the operation will be paid by us.

We will pick you up from the airport and take to the hospital, where you will stay during the surgery.

If you use credit card for the payment, we will charge extra %8 for the tax but if you bring cash there will be no tax charge."

 

E-MAIL 2:

 

"Hey Noah,

Thanks for the pictures based on them you will need 2500 grafts but please be awarethat this is an estimate and the exact number will be determined when we see you in person.

We only do FUE.

Please feel free to ask any question.

All the best,"

 

E-MAIL 3:

 

"Hey Noah,

We can arrange 24 or 30 Dec. You will be staying at the hospital. No, your age wont be problem but we highly recommend to use Rogain daily base to protect the existing hairs. Extraction will be done by nurses and implantation will be done by Dr Hakan and his technician. Dr Hakan especially implants the front line.

All the best,"

 

 

I know he is recommended and all, but still... is he any good? Everyone claims to be the best, right?

 

 

 

The second surgeon/clinic I contacted, was Dr. Kyriakos Maras. They said they will come back to me, after having a word with their head-surgeon.

 

I also contacted Dr. Rahal. They seem very professional to me. And respond very amicably and professional.

 

 

 

What do you think? Would you recommend me another surgeon/clinic/hospital, or?

I sorta screwed up my first transplant, I don't want to go through that again, never again.

So this time I must make sure to choose the very best.

 

Thank you very much!

Edited November 4, 2014 by TheMirrorOfDreams

[hairthere]

Welcome back. At this point you've already broken the HT seal, so I think it's fine to have another surgery to improve the last botch job. My only caveat is that you don't get anymore aggressive with hairline placement. You've started the consultation process with three excellent surgeons. I would consult a few more and then whittle it down to your favorite 2-3 docs. At that point you can make a list of pros and cons and take factors like travel, price, etc into consideration. Keep us updated....

[MusoInOz]

Hey there mirror!

 

20 was quite a young age to start the HT journey but alas, you're here now. Since this is a follow up procedure to enhance what has already been placed I would too follow hairthers advice carefully and reach out to as many clinics as possible in order to find what suits your needs best. I must surely sound like a broken record by now but location and price shouldn't really be the priority.

 

Mike.

[BUSA]

doganay or erdogan wud be my choice or demsroy if u don't need BHT.

[mikeey]

Busa is Spot On , but I wud also consider Bisanga I just Love his work .

[TheMirrorOfDreams]

 

Welcome back. At this point you've already broken the HT seal, so I think it's fine to have another surgery to improve the last botch job. My only caveat is that you don't get anymore aggressive with hairline placement. You've started the consultation process with three excellent surgeons. I would consult a few more and then whittle it down to your favorite 2-3 docs. At that point you can make a list of pros and cons and take factors like travel, price, etc into consideration. Keep us updated....

Thanks! I will not get any more aggressive, believe you me. I might even move it back a bit, if possible. I have gone and contacted all the recommended doctors in Europe, and one in Canada as well. I'll keep you updated, and post photos of my progress once it's done.

[TheMirrorOfDreams]

Hey there mirror!

 

20 was quite a young age to start the HT journey but alas, you're here now. Since this is a follow up procedure to enhance what has already been placed I would too follow hairthers advice carefully and reach out to as many clinics as possible in order to find what suits your needs best. I must surely sound like a broken record by now but location and price shouldn't really be the priority.

 

Mike.

Thanks! I appreciate the feedback.

[TheMirrorOfDreams]

 

doganay or erdogan wud be my choice or demsroy if u don't need BHT.

I think I might just go for Doganay. Not entirely sure. I'll just have to wait for all the doctors responses.

[TheMirrorOfDreams]

 

Busa is Spot On , but I wud also consider Bisanga I just Love his work .

I have contacted him, but no response yet.

[TheMirrorOfDreams]

If I go to Dr. Hakan Doganay, can I rest assure the outcome will be top-notch? He charges less than many of the other places I've come across. I won't ever regret choosing him?

[Xkos48]

all i can tell you is if you go with dr.hakan,have it done at OFM hospital and not aspendos.all 3 drs are good.

[TheMirrorOfDreams]

 

all i can tell you is if you go with dr.hakan,have it done at OFM hospital and not aspendos.all 3 drs are good.

I'll make sure to request that, my thanks! But why?

[Xkos48]

aspendos is a little way out of the city,and the time the grafts stay out might be a little bit longer.and at aspendos they extract in a different room and place in a different room.i believe that at OFM they do everything immediately in the same room,and that gives a better result

[Spanker]

I think he has a nice program he is running. I order Koray (sp?) as I think he did better (softer) hairline work. Also, if you are considering hairline repair, like doing some fue to back your hairline up, I would consider Bisanga or another super top notch doc that has a track record of repair work.

[TheMirrorOfDreams]

 

I think he has a nice program he is running. I order Koray (sp?) as I think he did better (softer) hairline work. Also, if you are considering hairline repair, like doing some fue to back your hairline up, I would consider Bisanga or another super top notch doc that has a track record of repair work.

Bisanga's prices are way too expensive for me, unfortunately. Besides, they haven't even replied to my 3 day old e-mail.

[TheMirrorOfDreams]

 

aspendos is a little way out of the city,and the time the grafts stay out might be a little bit longer.and at aspendos they extract in a different room and place in a different room.i believe that at OFM they do everything immediately in the same room,and that gives a better result

I see. Thanks!

[TheMirrorOfDreams]

I have decided on Dr. Hakan Doganay, Turkey. I think I will need approximately 3000 grafts all in all. Chances are I will leave for Turkey on the 17th. of November, and return to my country on the 20th. of November. I will keep you updated, and post pre-op and post-op photos, every week/month I will update.

[Xkos48]

I have decided on Dr. Hakan Doganay, Turkey. I think I will need approximately 3000 grafts all in all. Chances are I will leave for Turkey on the 17th. of November, and return to my country on the 20th. of November. I will keep you updated, and post pre-op and post-op photos, every week/month I will update.

 

Good luck,dude.they will be done in 2 sessions?

[TheMirrorOfDreams]

 

Good luck,dude.they will be done in 2 sessions?

Not quite sure actually. They, based on my pictures, recommended me a total of 2500 grafts to be placed. Maybe 2500, maybe 3000, but no more than 3000. I would think two sessions, yes.

[Xkos48]

Yes,this should be done in 2 sessions.

[TheMirrorOfDreams]

I also went ahead and contacted Dr. Kyriakos Maras HDC Medical Trichology Centre

Their prices are much steeper, but their replies are much more comforting. Both doctors are excellent, world-class, right? This is what they had to say:

 

Dear Noah

 

 

 

"Thank you for your enquiry , information and photos. I discussed your case with our lead surgeon Dr Maras. As I told you we need to be careful on planning a further procedure in order to put too much strain on your donor area. At your age it is almost impossible to predict how your hair loss will develop over the coming years and what may your needs be I having further treatments. So it is a good move that you are taking propecia, I hope this will help retain your existing hair long-term.

 

 

 

In our opinion we can build on the existing shape of the hairline shape by adding some single hair grafts where needed to feather it out. There is not much to gain if we change the shape as can only be done by removing grafts. It is a possibility that after dong this the hairline could end up looking quite irregular as the removal of some grafts could damage some others and you will end up needing another touch up to sort it out. Please note that this is a possibility.

 

 

 

Another reason in not changing the hairline by graft removal is the possibility of scaring in an area that is quite visible. This is the same reason that the grafts that were wrongly planted by the mad doctor above the temporal peaks should not be removed by FUE extraction, but it would be safer to resort to laser hair removal. The grafts seem to have taken well as are quite dark so 3-4 sessions of laser treatment should be sufficient if not to remove completely, to weaken the hair enough that is not visible anymore.

 

 

 

We can try and use neck hair as requested for some parts of the hairline but this depends on how easy their extraction is. It is not our usual practice to use neck hair as it is outside the safe zone that we harvest grafts from.

 

 

 

We would like to suggest that to correct the hairline and add density to the front top we would not like to exceed 1500 grafts, less if possible. This is a safe estimate for the area indicated in attached photo enclosed in red. The area marked in green is a potential area that appears thin but may not need immediate attention so we can economize on using up more grafts at this stage. If there is sufficient density for thickening the frontal area marked in red there may be no need for the time being in putting more density at the back as well as a dense front wil conceal any difference in density at the back. This cannot be confirmed before an actual examination of the area in person.

 

 

 

The costs wil depend on final number or graft and will be based on following rates:

 

 

 

€3.50 per FUE graft

 

€4.00 micrograft removal/p item

 

 

 

As I said we don’t recommend the removal of grafts in the specific area so if we discard this option to get you a cost the projected surgery fee wil be €5,250.

 

 

 

The surgery takes place over 8 hours and we are likely to need one day to complete the procedure, but this is subject to the surgeon’s advise and may like to plan some extra time. Of course this wil depend on your final decision. Local anaesthesia is used throughout and while the procedure is carried out, you can watch television or listen to music. Regular comfort breaks are scheduled throughout the day, including a mid morning snack and lunch.

 

 

 

The recovery period on average is between 7-10 days. The post-operative period for FUE is significantly quicker as there is no stitching. You can carry on with your normal activities after the procedure, with some limitations regarding physical activity for the first month. Comprehensive post-operative instructions will be given to you after surgery, and can also be found on our website.

 

 

 

As far as I am aware there are weekly scheduled flights from Norway (Oslo & Bergen) to Cyprus. Accommodation is available in our guest apartment, situated directly opposite the clinic, and provided at no extra cost. Wi-Fi access is available at the accommodation and at the surgery room so you can stay connected at all times. The city centre is only 10 minutes away and the surrounding area has an array of food outlets, restaurants and supermarkets.

 

 

 

We recommend that you stay with us at the clinic in Nicosia for a minimum of 4 nights depending on length of your procedure, so you should fly in the day before and leave two or three days after, but we can provide accommodating up to 7 nights, sometimes longer if required depending on the needs of the guest accommodation at the clinic. We provide comprehensive written instructions on aftercare and the products you will need for the immediate post op after care, free of charge.

 

 

 

As far as availability is concerned, we have limited availability until the end of the year, mainly in December.

 

 

 

I hope to have provided you with some useful information regarding the options for your procedure, the way our clinic works and have answered some of your questions. Please do not hesitate to ask as many questions as you want and any advise I can give as I have been working at the clinic for 7 years now and have encountered hundreds of clients with different needs and objectives. It may be useful to have a virtual discussion on Skype about our recommendations and answer any questions you may have. The surgery rooms of the clinic will be closed between 24 December 2014-7 January 2015 for refurbishment works.

 

 

 

I look forward to your reply.

 

 

 

Kind regards

 

George

 

 

 

George Georgiou

 

International Patient Coordinator

 

 

 

HDC Hair Transplant Clinic"

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you think? Dr. Hakan Doganay recommended me a total of 2500 grafts, but needed to see me in person first, in order to ascertain the amount needed. HDC-clinic recommended me a total of 1500 grafts. A more conservative approach, I guess. But what I want is fullness. No matter which of the two I choose, I am in good hands, right? I just don't know who to go for... Both are top-notch, right? But why such different answers. Thanks a lot!

[Xkos48]

you're in good hands with both.

[TheMirrorOfDreams]

you're in good hands with both.

Thanks, good to know. You're a great help, I appreciate it!

[TheMirrorOfDreams]

This is my current situation...

[TheMirrorOfDreams]

This is basically my goal, though VERY roughly...

On the front view photo, I would like to extract the implanted hairs below the red line and implant them in my hairline above the red line. I want to fill in the temples and sideburns, possibly by utilizing body hair. I also want to remove the grafts (not sure if you can see them in the photos) on the sides outside of my hairline.