Senior Member HT-FUE Posted October 25, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted October 25, 2015 Hi everyone, finally I bit the bullet and decided to get a hair transplant to fix my hairline. Ive been looking on this forum for many years like most of you, researching and trying to find a good doctor. finally I decided to go with Dr. Koray Erdogan in istanbul. About Me So for years I've always worn hats wherever I go, never wanted to go out and do things, wouldn't go on holidays, just everyday things my baldness stopped me doing and made me feel so uncomfortable so I looked into hair transplants and was really drawn to them. I am currently 26 years old but despite my age i felt this needed fixing now as i was seriously unhappy. My hair is fine everywhere apart from the front, Ive always had loads of hair and really thick hair. Arriving in Istanbul I arrived in istanbul on the 22nd October, I was greeted by the driver as soon as I walked through the airport with a sign with "ASMED" and then my name underneath. Because it was early morning i was taken to the hotel and not the clinic, the hotel from the airport is about 40 mins drive. I was informed that i would be getting picked up for my consultation at 2pm. First Visit To The Clinic The Driver picked me up exactly at 2pm and drove me to the clinic which is about 5 mins drive from the hotel. First impressions of the clinic was "WOW" that place is just amazing throughout the whole building. The first thing before walking into the clinic is putting your foot into this little machine which plastic wraps your shoe so no dirt is brought into the clinic. The clinic is super modern and hygiene is at a high standard. Consultation So the first step when arriving was getting photos taken, they took photos of my hair, then of my hair wet. Then I had a little 15 min wait in the lobby while Dr koray was looking at my photos upstairs then we went up to see him. He asked me a few questions about my hair loss, if i take medication, allergic reactions etc etc.. basic questions. When I told him I have taken proscar for 11 months with no side effects he gave me 14 months supply as a present which was very nice of him as I pay ?220 for 14 months of proscar. He then had a closer look at my scalp with a magnify glass and did some calculations then cut a small bunch of hairs from the side of my head and measured the thickness then did the same with a little bunch from the back. He told me as an estimate: My Donor Capacity: 9360 My Hair Thickness: 60 microns Hair per Graft: 2.2 Grafts Needed: 3000 I was told the average donor capacity in men is around 7000-7400, also the average thickness in men is 50 microns. For a good hairline that looks natural and for the temple points to be done it would be 3000 grafts which I was told 3000 over email so this was fine. He then proceeded to draw a hair line on my scalp and asked me if it was ok. I asked for it lowering about 0.5mm from where he had drawn it and he agreed to do this since he said my hair was thick and i had alot. After this i went back downstairs had my blood pressure taken, blood tested and heart rate monitured. I then got my head shaved, washed and then taken back into the photo room to finalise the hairline which he used a laser to do and take photos of my head again. Once this was done I was told i needed to watch the line on my head and to avoid getting it wet if i shower as he needs that hairline for the surgery the following day,i was given a hat i could wear and a info booklet with everything i need to know pre surgery and post surgery. i was then taken upstairs to pay for everything and then taken to the hotel and informed i would be picked up at 7.20am so to be up for the and have eaten breakfast at the hotel. The Hotel The hotel was amazing, really lives upto the 5 star rating it has. you get the hotel at discounted price for been a asmed patient, there is people there that have had transplants so you dont feel uncomfortable walking around with your new head of hair and red scalp as the staff see it day in day out and there is people walking around that have had it done too. The food at the hotel was great and the room had everything you need. Special pillows were put on your bed to accommodate for your surgery as youve to sleep with a neck pillow for the first 3 days. Breakfast is free at the hotel and is just a big breakfast buffet so get as much as you like between 6.30am - 10.30am everything from cereal, hot food, fruit, juices, tea, coffee and so much more. The wifi in the hotel was also great in the lobby and your rooms. Surgery Day I went down at 6.30am for the breakfast and had 40 mins to eat before i was picked up. The driver again arrived bang on time at 7.20am. Me and 2 other guys were taken to the clinic. I will make it aware to those who do not know but upto 3 surgerys can be taking place on the same day but there is plenty of staff to accommodate for this, also the techs do the extraction and implantation process, only dr koray does the incisions. I knew about this before I went to the clinic but his techs are great at what they do so it didnt put me off. So when arriving at the clinic again i plastic wrapped my shoes and made my way down stairs. I was taken to a room to get changed into hospital clothes and shoes then put my stuff in my locker. Then i was taken for my head shaving again and washed. After this i proceeded to a room where i could pick some juice and cakes and also some movies for the surgery, there is a big shelf full of different movies. Taken to my surgery room i sat on the surgery chair and was given a blanket as the temp would be really low as it helps the grafts to survive.My blood pressure was taken again and the techs got started and I was given the anaesthesia to numb my donor area and the extraction process started, my translator put on my film i chose and told me if i feel any pain to say and they will sort it, also if i have any questions just ask, the translator was constntly checking to make sure i was ok and comfortable. I asked how many grafts could be extracted in an hour and also what size the punch was. I was told around 700-800 an hour can be extracted and the punch was 0.7mm The extraction process took around 4 hours, I then went to the toilet (you can go through the surgery just ask, i just didnt need it until finished luckily) when going to the toilet you have to change into another pair of shoes, then when you come out you change back into your surgery shoes(these shoes are just like slip on slippers so no effort to get on which is great) i was then told i had 30 mins for my lunch. A woman brought me out soup, chips rice and chicken, a drink of juice, salad and dessert. I was left on my dinner for an hour and a half which is one of my negative things to say about my experience but when i asked about this and it affecting my grafts, they told me they store the grafts in a special solution and theyre cold so been out of the body for an hour and half still wont affect them. I then went back into the surgery room and my recipient area was injected with anaesthesia and checks were made to make sure it was numb. I opted for PRP treatment, this is optional but I figured Id get it to try reduce redness and heal faster. This was then injected into the recipient area and applied to the donor area in a cream formula not injected. Dr Koray then arrived and started the incisions process this took around 40 mins. He made sure i was fine and left and the techs got stated on implantation, with 1 tech sat either side of my head, one doing the left and one doing the right. This process took just over 3 hours. dr koray was coming in and out during the surgery to check on things and has cameras in the surgery room so he can over see the surgerys while in his office. Dr koray told me my hair per graft is alot better than the estimated 2.2 and I have tons of 3 hair grafts which was great news. A bandage was put on my donor area, I was taken to change back into my clothes and put my hospital clothes in the bin, I was given my saline solution, a pain killer, shampoo, lotion and a neck pillow and was instructed how to use these. They also gave me a form to show at the airport to hopefully allow the airport let me through customs with the shampoos and lotions as i only had hand luggage and 100ml is the max i can carry. also it had a 4 page booklet with charts and break downs of my grafts. I was told i would be picked up in the morning at 9.20am for my first hair wash, then taken back to the hotel. First Hair Wash Day 9.20am the driver arrived on the dot again and took me to the clinic, where the nurses showed me how to use my lotion and shampoo and for how long i need to use stuff and answered questions on when i can use other things(which is also in the booklet you recieve) I was then given a time of when I'd be picked up later that afternoon as I was flying back home at 8.30pm you can stay longer if you like i just wanted to get it done and get home, i think you get the discounted rooms for 7 days then you pay normal price. Overall Experience My experience as a whole was great, I met some fantastic people there, was made to feel so welcome and comfortable by the staff, my every need was seen to, and Im so happy with the hairline and the work that has been done hopefully i have great results but now i can only sit and wait. Tips If you are considering going with Asmed clinic my tips would be: -Bring someone along for company as this helped me massively -Bring tops that you can button up and not ones your pull over your head -i was told euros is fine to pay with for food etc but this became problematic so i recommend just using turkish learer for spending money, my surgery i paid for in pounds but all this can be found out over email before arriving. My Final Details Of The Surgery Total Grafts: 3003 Total Hair: 7560 Hair per Graft: 2.52 Caliber: 60 microns Hairs breakdown: 1's - 340 2's - 1049 3's - 1355 4's - 240 5's - 17 6's - 2 Thanks for reading this post, I will be updating this until the end if youve any questions on something feel free to ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HT-FUE Posted October 25, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted October 25, 2015 Photos: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member ersko72 Posted October 25, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted October 25, 2015 Looks great HT-FUE, congrats on getting to the other side of surgery day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HT-FUE Posted October 25, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted October 25, 2015 Thanks buddy, hope this helps answer most questions you have for when you have your surgery in December and puts things into perspective.. If you've anyway questions still just ask me and I'll answer them if I can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member TakingThePlunge Posted October 26, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted October 26, 2015 Awesome write up! Thanks for taking the time to share you experience. Hope you'll continue to update us on your progress. Grow well! David - Former Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant I am not a medical professional. All opinions are my own and my advice should not constitute as medical advice. View my Hair Loss Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HT-FUE Posted October 26, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted October 26, 2015 Thank you David, I will be keeping this forum updated. now comes the waiting game Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Raman Posted October 27, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted October 27, 2015 Cant wait to see your results HT. Just got back to Australia today and was told i may be able to get surgery with Dr Erdogan late November so I will be a month behind you. This forum still will not allow me to add you or erkso as friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HT-FUE Posted October 27, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted October 27, 2015 Whatsapp me Raman so I have your num, and oh that's great news I hope you can get in for then and yeah don't worry about adding me on this got my email and number so it's sound hope you're okay pal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HT-FUE Posted October 27, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted October 27, 2015 When I was in the operating room, half way through extraction dr koray came in to check on everything and told me I have loads of 3's and therefore my hair per graft will be higher than estimated. When the op is over you are given a little folder with all the break downs and numbers of the different parts of the head, pie charts etc. When I looked at my hair count and saw only 340 1's were extracted but loads of 2's and 3's I was a little worried as more 1's means a more natural looking hairline but after looking at the pics attached which are on a USB given to you by the clinic I can see why so few 1's were extracted.. there simply is not many.. is this normal? most are just 2's and 3's in the areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member ersko72 Posted October 27, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted October 27, 2015 Hmm, that does seem rare to have almost no singles. They would have saved the singles extracted for the hairline - so maybe you'll get extra lucky and have all the multi grafts giving super density behind the hairline. A nice problem to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HT-FUE Posted October 27, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted October 27, 2015 I know I've always had loads of hair and always had thick hair, when I've had it cut hair dressers have struggled and told me I've loads of hair but having very few singles does seem odd? But as you say if it makes it super dense then it's a nice problem to have, there was a lot of 3's and 4's so hopefully it should be really dense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HT-FUE Posted October 30, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted October 30, 2015 Everything seems fine at the moment at the 7 day mark, the scabs on the donor area are almost gone. It has started to itch a little bit as the scabs are coming off but not too bad. The scabs on the recipient area have fallen off alot easier on the right hand side whereas the left has still quite alot of scabs on, but by the day 10 mark I can concentrate on removing the scabs with the finger tips so this isnt an issue im worried about at the moment. All in all everything seems to be going smoothly at the moment and im really happy I will update again at the 2 week mark where all the scabs should be removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Raman Posted October 30, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted October 30, 2015 Healing up well! Donor area looks great. Temple points seem to blend in well too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member ersko72 Posted October 30, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted October 30, 2015 Hey HT-FUE, Your sides/temple points look great. Did you ask specifically for them, or did he suggest them when drawing the hairline? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HT-FUE Posted October 30, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted October 30, 2015 To be fair erkso I left him to do what he does best, he asked what I was looking for and my answer was simply "I just want a decent hairline so I don't have to wear a hat anymore" and he said he's going to draw something on me and see what I think, the first one was pretty high and I asked for it lowering a tad which he said he could do and it was lowered around half a centimetre. He did mention something about temples but I didn't really understand him but liked the hairline so went with it haha thanks for the positive comment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member wibbles180 Posted November 1, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted November 1, 2015 Look forward to this result ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HT-FUE Posted November 6, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted November 6, 2015 Hi everyone, So I'm at the 2 week mark and everything is going well. at day 11 and 12 I used my fingertips to remove what little scabs there was left. the redness is still there but looks like its fading day by day. Also with my native hair growing longer and darker its covering the scalp more which is making the redness less defined so this is good. I started to take MSM tablets again on day 12 so hopefully that can speed up the growth of hair and strengthen the hair. Im really happy with it so far and Im dreading the ugly duckling phase but its all part of the process I guess and it should be over before i know it, theres nothing much to report apart from all the scabs have gone, I'm taking proscar 1.25mg daily, MSM tablets, and I'm going to keep using the mild shampoo the clinic gave me until the bottle is empty until I start to use my nioxin shampoo and conditioner again. If you have any questions about anything feel free to ask me on here or PM me, thanks for reading and i'll update next at the 1 month mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member ersko72 Posted November 6, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted November 6, 2015 Looks promising HT-FUE. You look great, dense and not noticeably red at all. I'll be keeping an eye on your progress as you shed and keen to find out how much more pinkness is exposed without the hair to cover it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HT-FUE Posted November 16, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted November 16, 2015 Hi guys, just a quick update, no photos. So over the past week and abit ive noticed the odd one or two hairs falling out when washing, but now im at the 3 week 3 days mark and today and yesterdays washings had tons of hairs falling out while washing so its looks like im taking that path down to the ugly duckling stage. my right side seems to be falling out alot more than my left but ive read loads about this happening to people and it been normal so im not worried, im not posting photos as my 4 week update is in 4 days so ill update with photos then and alot more hair will have fallen by then. thanks for reading Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member ersko72 Posted November 16, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted November 16, 2015 3.5 sounds right on track for the shed to kick in..by what I've read you'll probably loose nearly all of your grafts in the next few days, then the wait is on. I'll keep an eye out for your 4 week update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HT-FUE Posted November 16, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted November 16, 2015 Hey erkso, yes at the rate im losing them i think i will lose all of them by my 4 week mark, just figured its pointless uploading pics today as i know by 4 days ill of lost most of the hairs you see today haha. im gutted they have to leave so soon haha i was just getting used to seeing a hairline in the mirror, hopefully they wont take too long to sprout back out again haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Dm6 Posted November 18, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted November 18, 2015 great hairline and temple points!! Looking forward to the results! I am booked into see dr Koray on the 7th of dec. this thread excited me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HT-FUE Posted November 18, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted November 18, 2015 hey dm6, yes ive had alot of compliments on the temple points and been asked alot how a came by getting koray to do these did i ask or what?? but the truth is i just let him do his thing and i liked the hairline he drew and that was it haha. im glad you like the thread haha, i will keep it updated, goodluck with dr koray hopefully you hear what you want and can then book in yourself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HT-FUE Posted November 20, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted November 20, 2015 Hi guys, So times flying its week 4 already, I can say the shed phase is nearly over now and everything is almost gone, the right side has fallen out alot more than the left but the left has still shed too, as you can see on the photos. these photos have been taken after a shower so my hair is wet, i will try get some dry pictures up at some point as uploading dry last time and then wet this time you dont get the full image of how it looks but i wanted to do an update so just did it with wet hair. All photos will be taken with flash again so you get a true understanding of how it looks. s i go along i might upload the odd photo with no flash to show the illusion it does create but i need to get out of the ugly duckling phase and start some growth before that. So yeah nothing to update apart from the shed has happened, im in the ugly duckling phase and redness is getting less and less each day. I will update soon with dry pics whether its today or in a few days i will see, i will also update some photos of what my hair was like before my HT as i was made aware id forgotten to post this, so that will be up soon and then other than that i wont be updating until month 2 so see you then, thanks for reading Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Raman Posted November 21, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted November 21, 2015 Donor area looks like its completely healed? Cant wait to see your results HT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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