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5000 grafts FUE - 13th/14th December - Asmed Dr Erdogan


DEB1982

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So after nearly a year of researching my hair transplant journey has now begun and would you believe I'm writing this first post whilst in the midst of having my extractions performed but more on that later.

 

Background

 

I began losing my hair at around 22 years old and it pretty much destroyed my self comfidence. I started on 1mg Finasteride around a year later but had receeded in the temple area and had to adopt a pushed down fringe style to enable me to cover these areas. The vertex had some slight thinning but again I was able to cover this up via styling. Fortunately for me the Propecia seemed to halt and further loss and also made what I had a little thicker. I also used Minoxidil 12.5% for a few years but stopped and found it made no difference. I added a saw palmetto supplement and occasional laser comb usage to my hair maintenance regime and up until the age of 30 all seemed okay with no further noticeable loss. Then I discovered concealers and they took over my life a little bit. I used Nanaogen daily for the past 5 years and have noticed that since then my vertex has thinned a little and some all over diffuse thinning as well. Was this caused by my constant Nanogen usage or just age related hair loss?? I will never know but it is a coincidence and I also used to leave it on for a 48 hour period without washing it off so it can't have been very healthy for my scalp. Fast forward to today and I'm soon to turn 35 and become so fed up with my hair dictating my life. Worrying about windy or rainy weather, constantly thinking people are looking at my hair, spending hours to apply concealer and style. The final catalyst was a friend of mine had a FUE procedure in 2015 and his results were amazing and gave me the push to do it myself. I always wanted to wait to my mid 30's before having a transplant as I was concerned that Propecia wouldn't halt my hair loss as it did.

 

Choosing a Surgeon

 

I joined this forum and began reviewing case after case as well as reading about everyone's results. I was interested in H&W especially as I had seen them doing more and more FUE procedures. I had a consultation with David and agreed to go with them. Dr Wong quoted me 4000 grafts over two days. I paid the deposit and was booked in for January 2017. I then became more involved with the HRN forum and kept coming across Asmed. I really struggled to find a bad case and I contacted a number of previous patients who were very helpful. I had a consultation and just felt much more at ease and their customer service was second to none. With this in mind I decided to cancel H&W and book with Asmed for December 2016. Their quote was 4500 grafts but where as H&W were a little conservative with the vertex, Dr Koray was confident that he could fill it for me.

 

Pre Surgery Care

 

My patient coordinator was Sema and I can't say enough nice things about her. I suffer from slight anxiety so I bombarded her with questions as soon as I had booked and then for the following six months. Whenever I needed he she was there and as I'm sat here having my extractions done she is still sat here with me now. I stopped all supplements two weeks prior to coming to Istanbul apart from Propecia and Biotin and I also stopped drinking any alcohol a week previous to coming as well.

 

I will write up later about my first day and the consultation with Dr Koray and post some photos. All going well so far, extractions aren't painful at all and even th anaesthetic shots were nothing to worry about. Don't want to speak too soon but makes me wonder what I was worrying about at all.

First Transplant: 5000 FUE grafts with Dr Koray Erdogan ASMED, December 2016

 

First Hair Transplant link: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185564-5000-grafts-fue-13th-14th-december-asmed-dr-erdogan.html

 

 

Hair loss regime

 

Propecia 1mg daily

Saw Palmetto 450mg daily

Biotin 1000ug daily

MSM 1500mg daily

Pumpkin Seed Oil 1000mg daily

1% Nizoral shampoo weekly

Lasercomb x 3 weekly

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Can't wait to see pics DEB1982. Congrats

3185 FUT with Dr. Rahal on 2/17/16

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/182611-fut-3185-dr-rahal-day-after-pics.html

 

1204 FUT with Dr. Rahal on 3/27/17

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/186586-round-2-rahal-1204-fut-frontal-third-same-area.html

 

---> total of 4389 grafts to my frontal third via FUT

---> 1mg finasteride daily since 1999:)

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Arriving in Istanbul

 

Monday 12th December. I had been counting down the days for months and then all of a sudden it was here. I was up at 3am as had to be at Heathrow for 4am. I had booked with BA to fly into Ataturk airport and I had booked Business class seats as I knew it would offer me more space for the return journey but also just wanted to make the trip a special one. I was anxious about arriving into Istanbul especially as there has been suicide bombings the weekend previous but upon arriving I was within the Asmed bus within 15 minutes. Flying Business Class allows you to skip the dreaded immigration queue and be fast tracked through. The driver was waiting for me and escorted me to the bus. I spoke to Sema on the drivers phone and she explained the process for the day. I would be taken to the hotel and then collected at 3pm for my health checks and consultation. The journey to the hotel took approximately 45 minutes but I have been told that sometimes that is doubled due to traffic.

 

The Hotel

 

I had decided to stay at the hotel for the duration of my stay. The Radisson Blu Asia hotel is a business hotel and perfectly acceptable for the time I'm here. Following JustJax's recommendation I decided to upgrade my room. The biggest perk of this for me being the free pay per view movies and I have already watched two films. I barely had time to check in to my room before the driver collected me along with two other guys who were on their way for their consultations as well. The clinic is no more than a mile away from the hotel.

 

Health checks and consultation

 

I was greeted at the clinic by Sema and my other coordinator Sara who was equally as lovely. The clinic is state of the art and no expense has been spared. After having your shoes covered in plastic by a machine I was taken off immediately for my hair to be washed as I had concealer still in it. There are so many people working here and everybody is so lovely and made me feel completely at ease. After the hair wash, I had an ECG, blood pressure check and blood test which checked for HIV, Hepatitis B & C and also your blood glucose levels. All was fine apart from my blood pressure being a little high but given the lack of sleep and nerves this was to be expected. I then met with Dr Umut who despite some reviews stating a certain level of coldness was engaging and funny towards me. He talked me through what medications that I would be given and put my mind at rest as well. He also showed me his transplant and we spoke about how he is depicted on here as being cold. He just said he was like an old diesel car and takes a while to warm up. I couldn't say enough nice things about him. So then I sat upstairs and waitied my turn to meet with Dr Koray to plan my hair line. During this time I completed some paperwork with Sema and we chatted about how the next few days would go. Finally I was called to meet Dr Koray and again he instantly made me realise that I had made the right decision coming here. He was funny, complimentary and more importantly I could tell he had a real passion for what he did. He could sense my nerves and he spent a long time telling me not to worry and that he would ensure that I got the result I wanted. He asked me to trust him completely and I did. He then spent five minutes drawing a rough hair line. He noted my face shape, larger forehead and then went to work like Pablo Picasso. He kept reviewing and correcting till he wa finally happy. I was over the moon with the hair line and it was lower than I expected. He then explains that to fill my vertex and get the hairline corrected he would advise 5000 grafts not 4500 which I ageee too. He also said to leave the temples alone as the hair along the side was quite thin and he would also need to implant hairs there so that the density matched. He took my hair measurements which were all very good. I don't have all the figures yet as I'm still mid extraction but hair thickness was 60 microns and density from the donor area was 90 hairs p/cm2. Finally he explained that he would be implanting at 50cm2 in the frontal region and 40cm2 in the vertex. Oh and my total donar supply was 9160 hairs which will leave me 4160 in the bank should I need them in the future. I then went and paid the finance lady the outstanding balance before heading off the dreaded hair shave. This was the part that I had least been looking forward to but it turned out be one of the most liberating experiences that I have been through. I actually looked okay with a buzz cut and all the ladies here agreed. I still knew I wanted to have the transplant but it showed me that the last 10 years of stress has been manifested by my brain not reality. Finally I had the final hair line design with Dr Koray and the team of technicians who would be working on me, led by Mujde who would be making all the extractions and doing the implantation. She was again so lovely and promised to take good care of me. Dr Koray uses a machine to measure the face symmetary to ensure the hair line is prefect and he allows you to have input. After a few adjustments we were all happy. I think I finally left the clinic at around 7pm and it was safe to say that I was shattered when I got back to the hotel. I forgot to mention the photo stage. They take pics with wet hair, dry hair and when they have shaved it. They also give you an Asmed goody bag before you leave with a hat, shampoo and instruction leaflets.

 

I was told that I would be collected at 7am and that I should take the Xanax that Dr Umut gave me with my breakfast. I went back to my room, ordered room service, admirered my new hair line every two minutes and then went straight to bed.

 

I am currently 2300 extractions down so only 200 to go. Then Dr Koray will come and perform all the incisions. Still no pain. Will write a full post for my first day later surgery tomorrow.

First Transplant: 5000 FUE grafts with Dr Koray Erdogan ASMED, December 2016

 

First Hair Transplant link: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185564-5000-grafts-fue-13th-14th-december-asmed-dr-erdogan.html

 

 

Hair loss regime

 

Propecia 1mg daily

Saw Palmetto 450mg daily

Biotin 1000ug daily

MSM 1500mg daily

Pumpkin Seed Oil 1000mg daily

1% Nizoral shampoo weekly

Lasercomb x 3 weekly

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Just updated but post needs to be approved. Can a moderator help? Also how do I upload photos from my IPhone. I have lots to show.

First Transplant: 5000 FUE grafts with Dr Koray Erdogan ASMED, December 2016

 

First Hair Transplant link: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185564-5000-grafts-fue-13th-14th-december-asmed-dr-erdogan.html

 

 

Hair loss regime

 

Propecia 1mg daily

Saw Palmetto 450mg daily

Biotin 1000ug daily

MSM 1500mg daily

Pumpkin Seed Oil 1000mg daily

1% Nizoral shampoo weekly

Lasercomb x 3 weekly

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First few pics from the consultation day. If anyone could help rotate them as I'm limited to my IPhone whilst here. If anybody wants any other pictures just ask. They have taken some of the extractions for me.

IMG_2375.thumb.jpg.a43eb0d29293acd2953701cabf8d2043.jpg

IMG_2379.thumb.jpg.21ab2f9aa5f7530946594d5a521e8fc9.jpg

IMG_2382.thumb.jpg.437edf5267b4c8b39816959720d7e2c7.jpg

IMG_2372.thumb.jpg.96f6105dc48f48e0922545a662711ffb.jpg

First Transplant: 5000 FUE grafts with Dr Koray Erdogan ASMED, December 2016

 

First Hair Transplant link: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185564-5000-grafts-fue-13th-14th-december-asmed-dr-erdogan.html

 

 

Hair loss regime

 

Propecia 1mg daily

Saw Palmetto 450mg daily

Biotin 1000ug daily

MSM 1500mg daily

Pumpkin Seed Oil 1000mg daily

1% Nizoral shampoo weekly

Lasercomb x 3 weekly

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Congrats on choosing an excellent surgeon.

Was the 5,000 grafts in one procedure your choice or did ASMED recommend that?

 

Looking at the fourth pick with your hair not shaved yet I wouldn't instantly think you'd need 5,000 grafts.

Also Propecia didn't work on your crown? Anyway good luck with the remaining surgery!

 

btw what is the proposed hairline density in grafts/cm2 in the front 2cm of the hairline by Dr. Erdogan?

go dense or go home

 

Unbiased advice and opinions based on 25 plus years of researching and actual experience with hair loss, hair restoration via both FUT & FUE, SMP, scalp issues including scalp eczema & seborrheic dermatitis and many others

 

HSRP10's favorite FUT surgeons: *Dr. Konior, *Dr Hasson, Dr. Rahal

HSRP10's favorite FUE surgeons: *Dr. Konior, *Dr. Bisanga, Dr. Erdogan, Dr. Couto

(*indicates actual experience with doctor)

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Looking forward to watching this result develop ! Looks like a very similar loss pattern and hair type to me ... I too think my vertex has opened slightly even whilst on finasteride did dr koray mention the use of dutasteride? He suggested it to me in a consultation I had with him . Out of interest how much input did you have in your hairline design ? What was spoken about with regards to your future loss ? How many grafts do you have left ? When you have the chsbce please let us know as much details as you can and hope all goes well :)

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Congrats on choosing an excellent surgeon.

Was the 5,000 grafts in one procedure your choice or did ASMED recommend that?

 

Looking at the fourth pick with your hair not shaved yet I wouldn't instantly think you'd need 5,000 grafts.

Also Propecia didn't work on your crown? Anyway good luck with the remaining surgery!

 

btw what is the proposed hairline density in grafts/cm2 in the front 2cm of the hairline by Dr. Erdogan?

 

Thanks hsrp10. I was originally quoted 4500 grafts over two days but Dr Koray said that he felt that 5000 would mean that I wouldn't need a follow up procedure for a long time as long as Propecia continue to do it's job!

 

Propecia did work on my crown but then two things happened. I started using Nanogen and I switched to a generic Finasteride. I've recently switched back to Propecia so it could be down to a few reasons.

 

I have written another post that is awaiting moderation but I have had 50cm2 in the hair line but with a 60 micron thickness so should do the job.

 

I've posted some more pictures so you could see where I started from. My hairline has been bought all the way down to the mole you can see so it's a pretty big movement. I can't commend the clinic enough for their methods.

IMG_2425.jpg.081b3fb89e4732f66a3874b104cdb833.jpg

IMG_2424.jpg.94aadaaa17ab924543604ccb86ccccec.jpg

IMG_2423.jpg.21f46ebe227adeed91087ca91a1f1692.jpg

First Transplant: 5000 FUE grafts with Dr Koray Erdogan ASMED, December 2016

 

First Hair Transplant link: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185564-5000-grafts-fue-13th-14th-december-asmed-dr-erdogan.html

 

 

Hair loss regime

 

Propecia 1mg daily

Saw Palmetto 450mg daily

Biotin 1000ug daily

MSM 1500mg daily

Pumpkin Seed Oil 1000mg daily

1% Nizoral shampoo weekly

Lasercomb x 3 weekly

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Looking forward to watching this result develop ! Looks like a very similar loss pattern and hair type to me ... I too think my vertex has opened slightly even whilst on finasteride did dr koray mention the use of dutasteride? He suggested it to me in a consultation I had with him . Out of interest how much input did you have in your hairline design ? What was spoken about with regards to your future loss ? How many grafts do you have left ? When you have the chsbce please let us know as much details as you can and hope all goes well :)

 

Thanks Wibbles. No mention of Dutasteride but I will ask him about it tomorrow when I'm there for Day 2.

 

I was heavily involved in the design. I thought one side was a little to high and sharp so he soften it for me. I even asked all of the technicians in the room what they thought. I made sure to take my time with this part and I'm so glad as I am so happy with the placement of my new hairline.

 

I have written a post that is awaiting moderation which explains this part but my donor capacity was 9160 grafts via FUE which is good from what I understand. So even if I lost all my native hair I have enough in the bank to cover my entire region at a density of 50 grafts p/cm2. The other post is much more detailed. Hopefully will be uploaded soon.

First Transplant: 5000 FUE grafts with Dr Koray Erdogan ASMED, December 2016

 

First Hair Transplant link: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185564-5000-grafts-fue-13th-14th-december-asmed-dr-erdogan.html

 

 

Hair loss regime

 

Propecia 1mg daily

Saw Palmetto 450mg daily

Biotin 1000ug daily

MSM 1500mg daily

Pumpkin Seed Oil 1000mg daily

1% Nizoral shampoo weekly

Lasercomb x 3 weekly

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Almost identical crown loss to me , I often take pictures like your latest of your crown from top down in harsh bathroom lighting! I often wonder if this is how other people see it in real life ?!??

 

Out of interest did dr K say the 1200 grafts in the vertex would allow you to stop using any toppik , I too wear toppik but only when I go out . I'm not sure concealer she would play a part in progressing hairloss but possibly the generic fin . Are yuh staying in the clinic or hotel ?

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Agreed my crown loss didn't look as bad when they showed me at the clinic. Dr Koray initially said 1500 grafts would be required but now he has said 1200 will get me the coverage I need back there. Yes he said that should enable me to not use concealer.

 

I sometimes keep the concealer on for two days in the row so I'm wondering it that could damage the follicle as when it was shaved I could see more stubble.

 

I would recommend shaving before coming. I wish I had now. I looked fine with a shaved head and it was the part I had been dreading. It was very liberating.

First Transplant: 5000 FUE grafts with Dr Koray Erdogan ASMED, December 2016

 

First Hair Transplant link: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185564-5000-grafts-fue-13th-14th-december-asmed-dr-erdogan.html

 

 

Hair loss regime

 

Propecia 1mg daily

Saw Palmetto 450mg daily

Biotin 1000ug daily

MSM 1500mg daily

Pumpkin Seed Oil 1000mg daily

1% Nizoral shampoo weekly

Lasercomb x 3 weekly

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Oh yea and how did you like the shaved head look ? I keep wondering about just shaving my head and seeing what reaction I get ;)

 

Here's a quick picture from right after it being shaved. Looks better than with the hair I had previously.

IMG_2373.thumb.jpg.12f3d8aefa2136609db65648e5cd1988.jpg

First Transplant: 5000 FUE grafts with Dr Koray Erdogan ASMED, December 2016

 

First Hair Transplant link: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185564-5000-grafts-fue-13th-14th-december-asmed-dr-erdogan.html

 

 

Hair loss regime

 

Propecia 1mg daily

Saw Palmetto 450mg daily

Biotin 1000ug daily

MSM 1500mg daily

Pumpkin Seed Oil 1000mg daily

1% Nizoral shampoo weekly

Lasercomb x 3 weekly

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Thanks for the advice re shaving head , I'm very similar to you In a lot of ways so please keep us all updated with your progress as this outcome could definitely be a deciding factor me moving forward ! I have to say you do suit a shaved head :)

 

Im hoping to get to see dr lupanzula in London this January and will msky final decision then ... I think after seeing your latest pic I'll definitely try the head shave first may even add some temp smp to cover the vertex .

 

Best of luck with tomorrow's surgery , do you know if you have had a technician called dilek working on you ? Did doctor koray perform any extractions ?

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Wish a moderator would approve my post so I can upload today's post.

 

 

Don't worry I intend to update as often as I can as this forum helped me out no end. I've been back and forward about booking a transplant for years but now I've dont it I already can tell it will be the best decision I've ever made.

 

Yes I have met Dilek many times. She is a partner at Asmed so doesn't do as many extractions now. She did perform 35 incisions though. I had some left over grafts. No Dr Koray only did all my incisions. My technicians did the rest. The lady I had Mudje was brilliant and I'm glad I had her. She's been trained by Dilek and Dr Koray and been with them for a number of years. They review the stats of each technician including growth rate frequently.

First Transplant: 5000 FUE grafts with Dr Koray Erdogan ASMED, December 2016

 

First Hair Transplant link: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185564-5000-grafts-fue-13th-14th-december-asmed-dr-erdogan.html

 

 

Hair loss regime

 

Propecia 1mg daily

Saw Palmetto 450mg daily

Biotin 1000ug daily

MSM 1500mg daily

Pumpkin Seed Oil 1000mg daily

1% Nizoral shampoo weekly

Lasercomb x 3 weekly

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Yes I've seen that they now monitor using his newly developed app , but this would take you revisiting and shaving down wouldn't it ? Either way nobody can deny this clinic is at the cutting edge of the ht industry , my only personal slight concern was the the hairline I had drawn in was lower than I wanted . Anyway I'll stop hijacking your thread and look forward to seeing your results develop I'm sure you will be another one of asmeds outstanding results :)

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Hi DEB1982, we have been chatting on PM, but also enjoying reading your thread and putting a face to the name with all your pictures! Hope your day 2 goes well and looking forward to seeing your post surgery pictures.

 

BTW, what ups with a moderator to approve? I swear all my posts have always just posted right away?

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Hi DEB1982, we have been chatting on PM, but also enjoying reading your thread and putting a face to the name with all your pictures! Hope your day 2 goes well and looking forward to seeing your post surgery pictures.

 

BTW, what ups with a moderator to approve? I swear all my posts have always just posted right away?

 

Cheers Jax, looking forward to keeping an eye for your documentary as well.

 

I mentioned about the bombings in my previous post and it included the Suici** word so I am presuming that is why it was flagged. If it's not been approved by tomorrow morning then I will try submitting again.

First Transplant: 5000 FUE grafts with Dr Koray Erdogan ASMED, December 2016

 

First Hair Transplant link: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185564-5000-grafts-fue-13th-14th-december-asmed-dr-erdogan.html

 

 

Hair loss regime

 

Propecia 1mg daily

Saw Palmetto 450mg daily

Biotin 1000ug daily

MSM 1500mg daily

Pumpkin Seed Oil 1000mg daily

1% Nizoral shampoo weekly

Lasercomb x 3 weekly

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Hi Deb, glad it's all going well so far, looking forward to watching and hearing your progress. ?

 

Cheers Ritchie! Roll on 5 months till I'm at your stage!

First Transplant: 5000 FUE grafts with Dr Koray Erdogan ASMED, December 2016

 

First Hair Transplant link: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185564-5000-grafts-fue-13th-14th-december-asmed-dr-erdogan.html

 

 

Hair loss regime

 

Propecia 1mg daily

Saw Palmetto 450mg daily

Biotin 1000ug daily

MSM 1500mg daily

Pumpkin Seed Oil 1000mg daily

1% Nizoral shampoo weekly

Lasercomb x 3 weekly

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Previous post now approved. I'm writing my review of day 1 of surgery whilst I'm halfway through the extraction stage on day 2. Will upload later.

First Transplant: 5000 FUE grafts with Dr Koray Erdogan ASMED, December 2016

 

First Hair Transplant link: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185564-5000-grafts-fue-13th-14th-december-asmed-dr-erdogan.html

 

 

Hair loss regime

 

Propecia 1mg daily

Saw Palmetto 450mg daily

Biotin 1000ug daily

MSM 1500mg daily

Pumpkin Seed Oil 1000mg daily

1% Nizoral shampoo weekly

Lasercomb x 3 weekly

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Arriving in Istanbul

 

Monday 12th December. I had been counting down the days for months and then all of a sudden it was here. I was up at 3am as had to be at Heathrow for 4am. I had booked with BA to fly into Ataturk airport and I had booked Business class seats as I knew it would offer me more space for the return journey but also just wanted to make the trip a special one. I was anxious about arriving into Istanbul especially as there has been suicide bombings the weekend previous but upon arriving I was within the Asmed bus within 15 minutes. Flying Business Class allows you to skip the dreaded immigration queue and be fast tracked through. The driver was waiting for me and escorted me to the bus. I spoke to Sema on the drivers phone and she explained the process for the day. I would be taken to the hotel and then collected at 3pm for my health checks and consultation. The journey to the hotel took approximately 45 minutes but I have been told that sometimes that is doubled due to traffic.

 

The Hotel

 

I had decided to stay at the hotel for the duration of my stay. The Radisson Blu Asia hotel is a business hotel and perfectly acceptable for the time I'm here. Following JustJax's recommendation I decided to upgrade my room. The biggest perk of this for me being the free pay per view movies and I have already watched two films. I barely had time to check in to my room before the driver collected me along with two other guys who were on their way for their consultations as well. The clinic is no more than a mile away from the hotel.

 

Health checks and consultation

 

 

 

I was greeted at the clinic by Sema and my other coordinator Sara who was equally as lovely. The clinic is state of the art and no expense has been spared. After having your shoes covered in plastic by a machine I was taken off immediately for my hair to be washed as I had concealer still in it. There are so many people working here and everybody is so lovely and made me feel completely at ease. After the hair wash, I had an ECG, blood pressure check and blood test which checked for HIV, Hepatitis B & C and also your blood glucose levels. All was fine apart from my blood pressure being a little high but given the lack of sleep and nerves this was to be expected. I then met with Dr Umut who despite some reviews stating a certain level of coldness was engaging and funny towards me. He talked me through what medications that I would be given and put my mind at rest as well. He also showed me his transplant and we spoke about how he is depicted on here as being cold. He just said he was like an old diesel car and takes a while to warm up. I couldn't say enough nice things about him. So then I sat upstairs and waitied my turn to meet with Dr Koray to plan my hair line. During this time I completed some paperwork with Sema and we chatted about how the next few days would go. Finally I was called to meet Dr Koray and again he instantly made me realise that I had made the right decision coming here. He was funny, complimentary and more importantly I could tell he had a real passion for what he did. He could sense my nerves and he spent a long time telling me not to worry and that he would ensure that I got the result I wanted. He asked me to trust him completely and I did. He then spent five minutes drawing a rough hair line. He noted my face shape, larger forehead and then went to work like Pablo Picasso. He kept reviewing and correcting till he wa finally happy. I was over the moon with the hair line and it was lower than I expected. He then explains that to fill my vertex and get the hairline corrected he would advise 5000 grafts not 4500 which I ageee too. He also said to leave the temples alone as the hair along the side was quite thin and he would also need to implant hairs there so that the density matched. He took my hair measurements which were all very good. I don't have all the figures yet as I'm still mid extraction but hair thickness was 60 microns and density from the donor area was 90 hairs p/cm2. Finally he explained that he would be implanting at 50cm2 in the frontal region and 40cm2 in the vertex. Oh and my total donar supply was 9160 hairs which will leave me 4160 in the bank should I need them in the future. I then went and paid the finance lady the outstanding balance before heading off the dreaded hair shave. This was the part that I had least been looking forward to but it turned out be one of the most liberating experiences that I have been through. I actually looked okay with a buzz cut and all the ladies here agreed. I still knew I wanted to have the transplant but it showed me that the last 10 years of stress has been manifested by my brain not reality. Finally I had the final hair line design with Dr Koray and the team of technicians who would be working on me, led by Mujde who would be making all the extractions and doing the implantation. She was again so lovely and promised to take good care of me. Dr Koray uses a machine to measure the face symmetary to ensure the hair line is prefect and he allows you to have input. After a few adjustments we were all happy. I think I finally left the clinic at around 7pm and it was safe to say that I was shattered when I got back to the hotel. I forgot to mention the photo stage. They take pics with wet hair, dry hair and when they have shaved it. They also give you an Asmed goody bag before you leave with a hat, shampoo and instruction leaflets.

 

I was told that I would be collected at 7am and that I should take the Xanax that Dr Umut gave me with my breakfast. I went back to my room, ordered room service, admirered my new hair line every two minutes and then went straight to bed.

 

I am currently 2300 extractions down so only 200 to go. Then Dr Koray will come and perform all the incisions. Still no pain. Will write a full post for my first day later surgery tomorrow.

 

 

Morning deb ,

 

Hope all is going well ! You mentioned that your sides were already thin ? Is this due to miniturization i.e. Dupa/faga type hairloss ? Are you having grafts placed there ? So basically your only safe donor zone is the back of your head ?? Cheers

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Surgery Day 1 - 2535 grafts

 

After a pretty poor nights sleep due to nerves and excitement, I had a decent breakfast downstairs at the Radisson and then popped my Xanax .5mg pill at 7am just as we were picked up by the Asmed driver. Once we arrived at the clinic we were asked to change into our surgery clothes which are like pyjamas and then taken outside to a seating area and asked what we would like to drink. It was a good opportunity for all the patients to chat about their procedures and hair loss regimes.

 

You are then led down to the basement levels which are sterile and very cold. First order of the day was 2500 extractions. I was worried about the anaesthetic injections and they do sting a little in places, especially in the temporal region but nothing to worry about and last for only a few minutes. You are sat upright during the process and it is a burden on your neck as it is pushed forward but I had very little pain through out. It took 3 hours and 25 minutes to extract all 2500 which is a speed of roughly 730 extractions per hour. Any time I felt any pain they simply topped up the anaesthetic and I was good to go. My Xanax kicked in and I was struggling to stay away and my head kept falling down so in hindsight maybe this wasn't the best idea. They regularly check your blood pressure and oxygen saturation throughout as well and Dr Umut comes by from time to time to see how you are feeling. I was offered an iPad with films to watched but I played on my phone and we even had some music playing in my room that everyone was singing along too. The TV screen infront of you shows you how many grafts and hairs have been taken. The hardest part for me was just having to sit still, sounds an odd thing to say but it's gets pretty boring and I had to keep stretching my back. I also received a foot and lower leg massage which I would definitely recommmend getting.

 

After the extractions are completed its is then over to Dr Koray to perform all the incisions. For this you are lies down flat and it may have just been me but the room became even colder. You then receive anaesthetic injections along the hair line and again these do sting but nothing that anybody couldn't handle. Most people report this part as being there favourite but it was probably my least favourite. There was no pain but I found it a little claustrophobic as my head was essentially being held down and I couldn't see anything due to the bright light being shone onto my head. The individual incisions are counted by two assistants to ensure that you receive the correct number for your grafts. I did feel slightly light headed during this stage but think that was my nerves more than anything else. It took Dr Koray roughly 40 minutes to make all the incisions. If you listen closely during this part you can here your skin being pierced.

 

After that you are given lunch which is a pretty quick affair. I should say that it's probably a little after 12pm at this point so you would have been in the chair for 4 and a half hours so make sure to stretch your legs, Lunch is varied but all really nice and you are given a shoulder massage after you have finished. As I said lunch takes barely 30 minutes before you are whisked off for implantation.

 

The implantation stage took about 2 hours altogether and you have two technicians implanting on either side of your head. I had Mujde and Vildan who were both extremely attentive and joked with me throughout. They use the KEEP tool to implant the hairs which makes sure they are implanted straight and correctly. You are lying down during this stage and I even fell asleep for an hour. I had 35 left over grafts so they called Dilek as Dr Koray was not available and she made the extra incisions to ensure we used the grafts.

 

I was lastly taken upstairs to receive some laser treatment which helps with healing and I was able to admire my new hairline. The work looked very tidy and densely packed. Dr Koray came in to check me over one last time and then Sema explained the aftercare process which consisted of hourly ATP spray on the recipient area and a cold compress over my forehead every four hours. I was also given a neck pillow and asked to sleep at a 45 degree angle. With that I was on my way back to the hotel and it's was only 4pm.

 

I was so surprised at the ease of the day and how little pain I experienced. I can't give enough credit to the team that worked with me. The right balance of professionalism and personality. I ate dinner in my room and fell asleep early. I awoke a few times throughout the night but think I got about 6 hours sleep. I turned the heating off as well as apparently sweating is not good for the grafts.

 

In terms of the pain I felt afterwards it can only described as tightness in the recipient area. A litlle like sun burn. I did have pain killers but I didn't take any of them.

 

So half way there. Another 2500 grafts into the midscalp and vertex today. My forehead is a litlle swollen so today may be a little more painful.

 

I have attached some photos so let me know your thoughts on the hair line.

IMG_2417.thumb.jpg.55a220f6ae9c32093ef4062d4a430929.jpg

IMG_2418.thumb.jpg.c84f8b93a8486978b75478afd01719b5.jpg

IMG_2420.thumb.jpg.a0220ffad4a18b43af8cb3598c25c771.jpg

IMG_2421.thumb.jpg.c80c81d9948de320c9ef855ef950c6ac.jpg

Edited by DEB1982

First Transplant: 5000 FUE grafts with Dr Koray Erdogan ASMED, December 2016

 

First Hair Transplant link: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185564-5000-grafts-fue-13th-14th-december-asmed-dr-erdogan.html

 

 

Hair loss regime

 

Propecia 1mg daily

Saw Palmetto 450mg daily

Biotin 1000ug daily

MSM 1500mg daily

Pumpkin Seed Oil 1000mg daily

1% Nizoral shampoo weekly

Lasercomb x 3 weekly

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Here are some other pictures that I managed to take from my day that may be of interest. Just having the implantation part done day two. Day two for me has been a little harder mentally and pain wise.

IMG_2402.thumb.jpg.b094b61df339e504c117731008d21208.jpg

IMG_2403.thumb.jpg.0b610056becdaeee130b4849fae59235.jpg

IMG_2410.thumb.jpg.91845812c730552c008ad7680c405bc6.jpg

First Transplant: 5000 FUE grafts with Dr Koray Erdogan ASMED, December 2016

 

First Hair Transplant link: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185564-5000-grafts-fue-13th-14th-december-asmed-dr-erdogan.html

 

 

Hair loss regime

 

Propecia 1mg daily

Saw Palmetto 450mg daily

Biotin 1000ug daily

MSM 1500mg daily

Pumpkin Seed Oil 1000mg daily

1% Nizoral shampoo weekly

Lasercomb x 3 weekly

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