2700 Grafts FUE - Tue 11th October 2016 - Dr Koray Erdogan ASMED Istanbul

[mosd]

Do you know how many grafts went into the temples?

[Zim]

Hi Zim, yes I did. Had to dig back into some old emails/threads to gte this infor but .. back in 2013 I saw Dr Shahmalak from Manchester in the UK and he suggested 1400 grafts, then I met with Dr Ed Ball at Ziering Medical and he suggested 1300-1400 (but also noted that I would possibly need a 2nd HT to get the density). The cost of both quotes were circa 7000-8000 UK British Pounds.

 

Then in Oct 2014 I found this forum and read about Dr Erdogan, Dr Doganay and Dr Demirsoy so emailed all three for quotes. Dr Doğanay's people suggested 2000 grafts but I quickly ruled him out as they said he wouldn't lower my hair line due to my age. Dr. Demirsoy rep suggested 2500-3000 but I was underwhelmed with the before/after pics provided. Finally, Dr Erdogan's team came back with suggestion of 3400-3600. At that stage I felt Dr Erdogan was the way to go but I'll be honest and say I was concenred that he was suggesting many more grafts than others, and that combined with being the most expensive of the three meant it was suddenly more expensive than I had anticipated. So once again I put the idea of a HT on ice.

 

Then in July 2015 I got an email out of the blue (via another HT forum) saying that ProHairBelgium were going to be in London doing consults. So I went along and they were very nice but I don't think they ever officially emailed me the quote so I can't recall how many grafts they sugested, I think it was circa 2500-3000.

 

Finally, in spring 2016 I saw Dr Erdogan was coming to London in May so I requested a consulant and once again I had to submit my pictures etc and they suggested 3200 grafts this time. In May, I finally met Dr Erdogan and after examining me in person he suggested I only needed 2700 and thats essentially what I had done (think I had 2709).

 

Phew, hope that helps! :cool:

 

Thank you for the detailed response!

 

Very interesting that ASMED originally quoted you 3400-3600, then 3200, then Erdogan in person gave you 2700. Quite a discrepancy! I think Erdogan does excellent hairline work and he is my first choice, but I'm quite concerned he uses a much larger number of grafts compared to other clinics. I have very similar loss to you and would love to go to Erdogan and insist we use around 2500 grafts to achieve whatever result they can. I'm not sure if the patient can decide on their graft count though.

 

Anyway, happy growing. I will be following this closely as its very similar to my situation!

[JustJax]

Thank you for the detailed response!

 

Very interesting that ASMED originally quoted you 3400-3600, then 3200, then Erdogan in person gave you 2700. Quite a discrepancy! I think Erdogan does excellent hairline work and he is my first choice, but I'm quite concerned he uses a much larger number of grafts compared to other clinics. I have very similar loss to you and would love to go to Erdogan and insist we use around 2500 grafts to achieve whatever result they can. I'm not sure if the patient can decide on their graft count though.

 

Anyway, happy growing. I will be following this closely as its very similar to my situation!

Zim, where are you based? I know last year over the summer Dr Erdogan and some of the team visted some of the major cities of Europe to offer local consultations. When I chatted to him before my surgery, he suggested they were definately coming to London again in 2017 and I suspect they'll do other cities again too. Would hightly recommend trying to see him in person. As for the large descrepency between online quote and in person, i'm not sure, it could have been the pictures I sent made my hair loss look worst than it was. I can imagine that its quite hard to tell sometimes based just on pictures.

 

Day 25 - 4th November 2016

 

Can't believe it'll be 4 weeks on Tuesday. Last few weeks have really flown by. Shedding is definitely becoming more apparent by the day As you can see from today's picture below, hair in the front is getting patchier and its quite obvious in the area I've circled. One of the temples also seems to be shedding a little more than the other too. Its a bit frustrating but I tell myself it was always going to happen. On a related note, anyone wondering how its going at the office. I still get the ocassional comment about having cut my hair so short, but no one has quesitoned or challeneged me on it or why its a little red or drilled deeper for info .. and the knock on effect of that is I'm fairly care free walking around the office. Usually its only when I see myself in the lift mirror and I ponder how much its shedding.

 

BTW, not not sure if it was my eyes playing tricks but it definitely felt like my redneess was less red first thing this morning. Probably doesn't look it in the pics though.

[JustJax]

Do you know how many grafts went into the temples?

Hi Mosd, sorry I don't know how much they specifically did into the temples but the density looked great (not so much now the shedding is accelerating) all I know is it was 2700 overall.

[hamburger]

How long did your swellings last?

I'm at day 2 now and looking like Alvin from the Chipmunks. All the fluid went down on the side of my cheeks :eek:

[Dolph1969]

How long did your swellings last?

I'm at day 2 now and looking like Alvin from the Chipmunks. All the fluid went down on the side of my cheeks :eek:

 

LOL. Nearly spat my sauvignon blanc over the laptop after reading that.:D

[JustJax]

How long did your swellings last?

I'm at day 2 now and looking like Alvin from the Chipmunks. All the fluid went down on the side of my cheeks :eek:

LOL, mine proper kicked in on the day I flew back which was day 4 (3rd day post op) and I think the swelling lasted until around the Monday or Tues, so around 6-7 days. Does look a bit freaky doesn't it.

[JustJax]

Day 27 - Sunday 7th November

 

Some last two days have been a bit traumatic on my self confidence. I noticed toward the middle of the week that my recipient area was definitely thinning out, but in the last 2-3 days it's really fallen. Counted around 50-60 hairs in the sink after yesterday's wash and same again and now the loss it's very obvious.

 

As you can see in the pictures below, the front and temples are now really patchy and quite bare in some parts and from front on, I'm clearly starting to look how I probably would have looked with this hair cut pre surgery. Funnily enough the redness and the faint bit of hair in the hairline is helping some way to disguise the complete extent of my hair loss .. but not much. Anyway, I was going to wait until next weekend to get my first hair cut but now that the shed is so bad, the growth on the sides (IMHO) emphasises the extent of the shed area so going to go to the hair dresser today to get back and sides cut (with scissors) to create a bit more shape.

 

I did of course know this shed was coming but I guess I wasn't expecting it to shed so much in the space of a few days. Kinda dreading the office tomorrow. Only upside is they have seen me with very short hair for two weeks so it won't be too shocking but I'm sure some will be wondering why I'm suddenly looking balder at the front.

 

While I didn't overly bother wearing a hat post surgery (except in the Sun) I think I'll definitely be wearing it when I can for can for the next month or two while I wait for the top to grow back to the pre-surgery length when it was long enough to help cover the recipient area. Just a shame I can't wear a cap/hat at the office.

[KingD2]

Hey JustJax loving the thread and hope the hairs start popping back up in the recipiant area. Just wondering if you had any new photos of the donor area as I'm interested in seeing how this is recovering/looking also post surgery. Cheers :-)

[JustJax]

Hey JustJax loving the thread and hope the hairs start popping back up in the recipiant area. Just wondering if you had any new photos of the donor area as I'm interested in seeing how this is recovering/looking also post surgery. Cheers :-)

Thanks KingD2, glad your finding it helpful. I didn't take any proper pictures today and the lighting at home isn't great at this time of night, so here are some pics from yesterday just after I had my first haircut (only cut the back and the sides, didn't go near recipient area). As you can see, it does look a little patchy in the last picture (right side) but I think thats because I had them cut it a little too short on the donor area. Even though I think its a little patchy looking, most people say it looks fine. Should also add that my hair tends to swirl in odd directions at times (including my crown) so that crates slightly odd patterns. I also think the regrowth at the donor sites is a little slower, at least from what I can see. Anyway. I will try and take some better pictures of the back tomorrow.

[JustJax]

Day 29 - Tuesday 8th November

 

So today is 4 weeks to the day that I had my surgery. It's quite strange how my mindset has changed. Prior to the surgery I would have been so self conscious at that thought of my hair being this short and showing my receding hairline but now I'm essentially in that position as the transplaned hair has shed (at least 80% I'd day). Today my receptionist (who knows) quietly commented that I've shed. Anyway, I'm just going to have to suck it up and get on with it.

 

Couple of other things I've noticed, I think the numbness is slowly improving. It's still numb in the recipient area but less so (at least I think) and the heaviness of almost something sitting on my head seems to be diminishing too. Going back a few weeks back I was also complaining about donor and recipient area pain. Can't think of the last time I felt something in the donor area. It's still a little sensitive but no pain. Still get the odd little twinge in the front recipient area but it's quite intermittent. Have noticed my lower temples are quite sensitive though.

 

Lastly, I'm back working out properly at the gym this week. I was a little worried that I might feel 'pressure' in my head, but it's been okay so far, although I have been going fairly light on the weights just to play it safe. Go my first spinning class (since surgery) booked in for Saturday. :cool:

 

These pictures are from this afternoon, the are inside but by the window so combo of indoor and natural light. I was sure to get some donor area pics for KingD2.

[JustJax]

Day 31 - Thu 10th November

 

Well not much to share except I have now pretty much shed all my hair .. think I have about 5% left maybe? It is quite nerve racking to see it all fall so quickly. Can't help but worry that it won't come back and that something I did in the early stages might have costs me some grafts.

 

Anyway, these are pictures from today, again taken by the window in my office so mix of indoor and natural light. If you open them up and view them full size, you can see that the hair is now pretty much gone.

[DEB1982]

I think everyone worries that they won't come back but they will. Just a phase we all have to go through. You have a few weeks to go before they show back up again so keep yourself busy and try not to worry. I personally think exercise and trying to live a healthy live will only help speed up their return.

[Reyes1]

Day 31 - Thu 10th November

 

Well not much to share except I have now pretty much shed all my hair .. think I have about 5% left maybe? It is quite nerve racking to see it all fall so quickly. Can't help but worry that it won't come back and that something I did in the early stages might have costs me some grafts.

 

Anyway, these are pictures from today, again taken by the window in my office so mix of indoor and natural light. If you open them up and view them full size, you can see that the hair is now pretty much gone.

 

It's crazy how you went from having about 20% left on recipient area, and now less than 5% within a couple days. I am at day 30 myself, and I am sure I'll be right there with ya in the next couple days. Once it all falls off, I'll be wearing a hat as often as I can though.

[Ernie]

JustJax,

 

Forgive me if it's written somewhere in this thread -- so much to read!... but what was your hair caliber? 40 microns, 55, 60, or?....

[JustJax]

It's crazy how you went from having about 20% left on recipient area, and now less than 5% within a couple days. I am at day 30 myself, and I am sure I'll be right there with ya in the next couple days. Once it all falls off, I'll be wearing a hat as often as I can though.

I know, it definitely a little unsettling, especially when I look back at the pictures that weren't taken that far apart. I have also started wearing my hat more. ASMED guidelines suggest to avoid sun on the area for 30 days so I am just passed that and could stop, but I'm at that slightly embarrassing stage at the moment so I can see myself wearing outside (can’t wear it in the office) for the several weeks. I’m hopeful that my regular hair will be back to normal-ish length by end of Dec so I will be less conscious about it too.

 

JustJax,

 

Forgive me if it's written somewhere in this thread -- so much to read!... but what was your hair caliber? 40 microns, 55, 60, or?....

 

I do mention it a litte on page 2, but I don’t have the info to hand, but they checked it across different areas of the scalps and some were 50, 55 and 60 microns. I'd have to dig out the paper work, think the 50 microns were on the side though.

[JustJax]

Day 33 - Saturday 12th November

 

Just realised yesterday was my one month, to the date anniversary. In some ways it feels like it was just the other day, but my lovely new hairline is also a distant memory these days.

 

Although I miss the new hair, the near full shed is a good thing. If around 15-20% had stayed it would no doubt have been very patchy and would probably be harder to cover. I think once the redness goes it'll look fine, although if the few remaining hairs stick around, I might have to snip them with the scissors as they are a bit random. The other upside is (looking for silver linings ) is that the full shed means I can now see the extent that my hairline was shedding. Even though I'd been tempted to have a no 2 all over a few times over the years, I was too scared too do it so my hair hasn't been this short since my teens and when it was cut for the surgery it was straight down to the bone (so I looked bald) so didn't get to see how it would have looked at this length had I not bothered with surgery. It's not pretty, but at least now I get to see how much Dr Erdogan filled in and how much my hairline was lowered/restored.

Anyway, here are 3 pictures from today. If you open them fully you'll see there is very little left. Do see some black dots, not sure if they are hairs that are sprouting still or hairs that never grew at all and are just kinda sitting there. P.s I'm frowning in 3rd pics, need some Botox

[KingD2]

donor area pics look great JustJax, it's good to see the area closely trimmed to see how noticeable the missing hair can be and I am pleasantly surprised to see its looks pretty good. I thought the donor area might restrict the types of haircuts that could be done (eg. Short at the back and sides) but it looks as though it may be still possible given the pics you have posted of your procedure.

 

Thanks for the update mate, my procedure date is closing in and I'm starting to question my decision to do this but your photos help ease some of the concerns I have!

[Dolph1969]

Day 33 - Saturday 12th November

 

Just realised yesterday was my one month, to the date anniversary. In some ways it feels like it was just the other day, but my lovely new hairline is also a distant memory these days.

 

Although I miss the new hair, the near full shed is a good thing. If around 15-20% had stayed it would no doubt have been very patchy and would probably be harder to cover. I think once the redness goes it'll look fine, although if the few remaining hairs stick around, I might have to snip them with the scissors as they are a bit random. The other upside is (looking for silver linings ) is that the full shed means I can now see the extent that my hairline was shedding. Even though I'd been tempted to have a no 2 all over a few times over the years, I was too scared too do it so my hair hasn't been this short since my teens and when it was cut for the surgery it was straight down to the bone (so I looked bald) so didn't get to see how it would have looked at this length had I not bothered with surgery. It's not pretty, but at least now I get to see how much Dr Erdogan filled in and how much my hairline was lowered/restored.

Anyway, here are 3 pictures from today. If you open them fully you'll see there is very little left. Do see some black dots, not sure if they are hairs that are sprouting still or hairs that never grew at all and are just kinda sitting there. P.s I'm frowning in 3rd pics, need some Botox

 

Mate, don't do the botox. A friend of mine, who is 46 had it done. It just doesn't look right at that age, with a perfectly smooth forehead. We need some weathering....

 

There's a fine line between mild cosmetic improvement and looking like David Guest..:eek::eek:

[JustJax]

Mate, don't do the botox. A friend of mine, who is 46 had it done. It just doesn't look right at that age, with a perfectly smooth forehead. We need some weathering....

 

There's a fine line between mild cosmetic improvement and looking like David Guest..:eek::eek:

Lol, I was only joking about the Botox, although I did have it done several years ago and it looked good, but also gave myself a headache the whole first week as I was always trying to frown and it also felt like my forehead was heavy.

[JustJax]

donor area pics look great JustJax, it's good to see the area closely trimmed to see how noticeable the missing hair can be and I am pleasantly surprised to see its looks pretty good. I thought the donor area might restrict the types of haircuts that could be done (eg. Short at the back and sides) but it looks as though it may be still possible given the pics you have posted of your procedure.

 

Thanks for the update mate, my procedure date is closing in and I'm starting to question my decision to do this but your photos help ease some of the concerns I have!

No worries, glad my posts are helpful. When is your surgery? In terms of short back and sides, as long as the surgeon/technicians does the extractions well (doesn't over harvest) then I think most people (people with very fine hair might be a different story) could probably get a grade 2 with clippers and not be concerned. I had 1.5 grade on back and it's a little visible, but I think that's partly down to the donor areas being a little slower regrowing too.

[KingD2]

I'm heading there in December so under 5 weekend away!

I might request they harvest with this in mind so I don't end up having patches when the hair is cut shorter. Keep us up to date with your progress

[JustJax]

I'm heading there in December so under 5 weekend away!

I might request they harvest with this in mind so I don't end up having patches when the hair is cut shorter. Keep us up to date with your progress

Okay, of course no clinic would intentionally over harvest the area, I think thats more likely to happen in clinics with techs that aren't well trained. Where are you going for your HT?

[DEB1982]

I'm heading there in December so under 5 weekend away!

I might request they harvest with this in mind so I don't end up having patches when the hair is cut shorter. Keep us up to date with your progress

 

We are there at the same time aren't we KingD2? My procedure is over the 13th & 14th.

 

I'm also concerned about this as I wear my hair really short on the back and sides. Also for some reason have been over worrying about shock loss and hair not returning. I think we have to take comfort from Dr Erdogan's previous work and not seen any cases where people have complained about bad scarring or shock loss.

 

Can't believe it's been over a month for you already JustJax. That has flown by. Here's to hoping the next two go quickly for you as well.

[JustJax]

I'm also concerned about this as I wear my hair really short on the back and sides. Also for some reason have been over worrying about shock loss and hair not returning. I think we have to take comfort from Dr Erdogan's previous work and not seen any cases where people have complained about bad scarring or shock loss.

 

Can't believe it's been over a month for you already JustJax. That has flown by. Here's to hoping the next two go quickly for you as well.

I know, its flown by. Sure I wish I could just hibinate for the next 3-4 months and wake up with a lovely head of hair. but I've excepted it looks a bit odd and I'm not that bothered.

 

As for shock look, I'm come to the conclusion that HT's are unpredictable beasts and people react quite differently to the procedure. Some people shed within a week, other keep a good head of hair for several weeks, some have prominet redness for months, others not so much. While of course over harvesting would leave a bad result, I think the whole shock loss is also down to how indviduals bodies react, you either get it or you don't. I'm not sure there is much control over it.