5008 Grafts - Dr Koray Erdogan / Asmed - May 24-25th 2017

[Handski]

At first I wasn’t going to share my experience, but this forum has helped me so much I felt I had to give something back. I apologize in advance for a long post, I finished watching all the TV shows I had on my computer so now I’m killing time on the last day writing. English is also not my first language so there might be some errors in spelling or grammar.

 

My Story

 

I am 36 years old and I would classify myself as a NW4-5. My temples started receding very early or when I was around 18 years old. It didn’t bother me very much until I was around 25 and then I just decided to give up and shave my head instead of trying to cover it with hairstyles. I sported the shaved look for almost 10 years and wasn’t really giving my lack of hair any thought as I have a pretty good head shape for a shaved look and getting girls was never a problem despite not having a full set of hair.

 

Last year out of curiousity I decided to let it grow a little bit and I was pleasantly surprised to see that my hair was in better shape than I thought it to be. I had been shaving my head with zero guard every week so it always felt and looked like I was almost completely bald. Sure, my hair wasn’t as thick as it was in my early 20’s but it was something to work with.

 

After letting my hair grow again I started researching hair transplants as I thought to myself; “I have been bald for 10 years, why not try a different look?”. After months of researching, reading and lurking on internet forums and watching every video online about hair transplants I finally decided to go for it. After receiving online consultation from numerous clinics I decided to go with Dr. Erdogan at Asmed and booked my procedure. It was recommended to me in the consultation to start using finasteride so I contacted my doctor and got a prescription. I have been taking propecia for almost 3 months now without side effects, hopefully it will continue to work without them. I know it’s still early days, but I think I see a definite change in thickness, especially in the crown.

 

Choosing Dr. Koray Erdogan / Asmed

 

Very early in the research process I decided to have a FUE procedure rather than FUT, as I would like to be able to have my hair short. I also felt that with my hair color and skin tone the FUE scars would not be noticeable unless I completely shaved my head. I had narrowed my list of surgeons down to a few in Europe. The reason I looked more to European doctors is that I felt they are a step ahead when it comes to FUE procedures. Not to say that there aren’t great doctors in the USA performing FUE, I just felt that going to Europe was the right choice. Finally I went with Dr. Erdogan as I felt his hairlines looked very natural and I just couldn’t find a bad review or a disappointing result online. I am Scandinavian and every result I saw with hair types and NW patterns similar to mine were either excellent or spectacular with Dr. Erdogan. The only bad thing I found was from a guy that is NW6 or something and was expecting a full set of Brad Pitt hair. I found out very early in the research process that you have to manage your expectations with hair transplants and be realistic.

 

Booking and traveling to Turkey

 

I was quoted 5000 grafts in the online consultation for a price of 2.5 Euro per graft or 12500 Euro total. I want to add that price was not a factor when deciding with Turkey and Dr. Koray. I would have paid 3 times as much if I felt I would get the result I wanted. I booked my procedure for May 24-25th and paid a 3000 Euro deposit via bank transfer. I was a little nervous about bringing almost 10.000 euros cash with me to Turkey, but after reading reviews stating that it was not a problem I stopped thinking about it. I have to give a special shoutout to my patient coordinator Sema, she answered all my emails very quickly and thoroughly and has been incredible through the whole process. I had to book a flight first to Frankfurt, Germany and from there to Istanbul. Both flights were around 3 hours and only a 3 hour layover in Frankfurt so the traveling part was pretty straight forward. I was however a little uneasy flying the day after the attack in Manchester and I could see that it made everyone a bit edgy at the airports, especially in Frankfurt. Those guys don’t f**k around with security there. I had to rip almost everything from my carry on bag and put it in seperate container. I was then checked for bomb residue and taken through a full body search (thankfully no probing though). The customs officer found my 10.000 Euros and asked me about it. I told him I was having a hair transplant and he grinned at me and finally through. The flight to Istanbul was with Turkish Airlines which I have to recommend. The planes are very comfortable and you get a free meal. I checked in online and was able to select a seat with extra legroom so I definitely recommend doing that.

 

I arrived in Istanbul around 20:00 and waited around 1.5hrs in the dreaded passport control line, fortunately my country is exempt from visa in Turkey so I just went straight through. While I was waiting in line my patient coordinator, Sema, called me and let me know that the driver had arrived and was waiting for me outside. She asked me if I was hungry and told me that she could order some food for me when I arrived at the clinic. I decided to stay there during the procedure as I felt it would be more comfortable staying in the same building. I arrived at the clinic, ate some great kebab and fell asleep. The clinic is insane, felt like entering a ship from Star Trek. Super clean and modern. The room was great, very clean and had an adjustable robotic bed which was nice. While looking for the light switch for the bathroom I accidentally hit some sort of an emergency button next to the toilet. Note to you guys going, the light switch for the bathroom is on the left side of the door on the outside.

 

Day 1 - Consultation

 

After a good night's sleep Sema knocked on my room door at around noon to start the consultation. First I was taken downstairs for some pictures and medical checkup. My blood pressure and ECG measured, and a blood test for diseases and glucose levels. I was introduced to Dr. Umut, the clinics anesthesiologist, who asked me questions about any medicine I was currently taking and allergies. He outlined for me how the operation would go in regards to drugs administered and anesthesia, we had some banter and a good talk. He also gave me xanax and some pain medication to take in the morning before surgery. Everyone was very nice and welcoming and Dr. Umut a pretty chilled and funny guy.

 

After the checkup I was taken to the lobby to fill out the rest of the paperwork and finalize the payment. I also answered a few questions regarding how I decided to go with Asmed and where I heard about them etc. I’ve seen some criticism towards Asmed that they focus so much on the marketing aspect of the whole thing. I have to say that I completely disagree. From my point of view, a marketing director btw, Asmed seems dedicated to running all aspects of the clinic in the most professional way possible. How can that be bad? The attention to detail at Asmed is incredible and no expenses seem to have been spared, there is a girl playing a piano in the lobby, how insane is that?

 

I was finally taken to see Dr. Koray for my frontline design and discussion about my procedure. I’ve spent so much time on this forum and online looking at videos and testimonials that meeting Dr. Koray felt like I was meeting a famous rock star or something. He was very charming and I felt I was in really good hands at his clinic right away. We chatted a little and then he took a closer look at my donor area. He told me that I had 7700 grafts available from my donor area and that my ratio was about 2.30 hair graft, which was higher than I thought beforehand. He then calculated that I needed about 6750 grafts to completely fill up the 150 cm2 area that my MPB is affected by. I admit I was a little down hearing that news as I knew that Asmed transplanted a maximum of 5000 grafts divided over a two day procedure. I told him that my front and vertex area were a priority for me and I would like him to allocate more grafts to those areas and see if finasteride, which I started taking 3 months prior, would do some magic on the middle area. He agreed and told me that he expected finasteride to work well with me and expected a good result from the procedure as guys with my hair color and skintone can usually expect a good result. I have 2700 grafts in the bank if needed and will surely return to Asmed if I have to, but hope not for at least 5-8 years. He then started drawing a sketch for my hairline on my head. I admit I bought a marker a while back and drawed a hairline on my head a couple of times and Dr. Koray’s design was remarkably close to what I had imagined. Not to aggressive, just perfect for my head shape and age. We then said our goodbyes and I proceeded to the shaving of my head and the final touches of my hairline design.

 

The head shaving part was no problem for me as I am very used to a shaved head, while there were a couple of other patients there at the same time and they were almost crying as the hair locks fell to the floor. There is a dedicated hair shaver for every patient and you get to keep it after the surgery. Kinda funny that you are given a hair shaver at a hair restoration clinic, as I don’t plan on using one again for a very long time. Maybe just for my beard or something. I was also introduced to SevvaI, my other patient coordinator, who would be with me during the procedure. She was very nice and she and Sema really seem to love their jobs and ready to help you in any way. I was then taken to the next room for a final design of my frontline with a laser measurement thingy and almost the whole team was there. I was very happy with the final result and the team agreed. The team started talking and laughing during and I was very curious to find out what they were talking about. Sema later told me it was because my original “hairline” was skewed by nature and they would fix it with a new one. Some more pictures were taken of my head, now shaved, and finally Sema told me to be downstairs for breakfast at 7 o’clock and we said goodbye for the day.

 

After the consultation decided to go shopping in a mall close by that Sema had recommended for me. I got euros exchanged to Turkish lira at a great rate right there at Asmed so I would definitely recommend doing that if you decide to go out shopping or whatever in Istanbul. I took a taxi to a mall called Palladium nearby, nothing spectacular, just very basic. Enough for me as I wasn’t looking to shop much. Taking a taxi to the mall was no problem, but taking a taxi back wasn’t quite as easy. I showed the taxi driver the address to the clinic and he nodded his head and started driving. He then stopped and mumbled something and pointed out. I decided rather to try my luck outside rather than trying to explain to the taxi driver where to go. With no internet on my phone and not an internet connection in sight I managed by some miracle to find my way back to the clinic. I decided then and there I would just stick to the clinic during this trip to Istanbul.

 

Day 2 - Front area operation

 

I didn’t sleep a thing the night before the first day and was down eating breakfast at 6 o’clock because I got tired at watching TV shows and staring at the clock in my computer. The staff started arriving right before 7 o’clock and the other patients as well. I had some conversation with Dr. Umut and a couple of the other guys and we shared a few laughs. Finally around 7:30 o’clock I was shown to the operation room. It is very cold in there so don’t be afraid to ask for extra blankets. An IV was injected to my forearm and it was quite painful as the nurse wasn’t able to enter a vain on my right hand. Finally Dr. Umut came and tried the left hand which worked like a charm. He gave me some pain relief via the IV and I could feel the effects pretty quickly. Local anesthesia is administered to the donor and it isn’t as painful as I thought it would be, stings a little bit but you get numb almost right away. I was in a sitting position for the extractions which was problematic for me. I have a muscle injury from weightlifting on the left side of my lower back and can’t sit for very long in the same position. I told the girls about it and they stopped every 10 minutes for me to change positions which was nice. On a screen in front of you there is a graft calculator which shows you the exact number of grafts and hair / graft so you can easily see how much is left and such. I was also given an Ipad and headphones so I was able to watch a movie and listen to music during. I used the Ipad camera to see how the extractions were going and I could tell that the technician knew what she was doing. The extractions of 2500 grafts took about 3hrs to complete and after I was shown to lunch.

 

After lunch I was taken back to the operating room for the incisions performed by Dr. Koray. We shared some laughs before Dr Umut gave me some muscle relaxing pills and some more pain relief via the IV. Dr Koray started and I must have dozed off because of the drugs during the incisions because it felt like 5 minutes. Two technician then started working on the implantations and I would say that took around 3hrs, but I’m not sure as I dozed off quite a lot and wasn’t quite watching the time. Either Sema or Sevval were in the room for almost the whole time and I was regularly being asked if I needed something or felt pain and how I was doing. I could hear the ladies gossiping and talking almost the whole time and you very much get the feeling that it’s a very close knit group that works there. I had around 50 grafts “left over” and incisions were made to place those grafts and I was told I wouldn’t be charged for those which is a nice touch. Finally it was done and anti bacterial cream and bandage was put on the donor area.

 

After the operation I was taken upstairs to have a 10 minute laser treatment and I saw my new hairline for the first time. It was quite a shock but I was very happy when I saw it, I Haven't had a hairline like that for almost 20 years! Dr. Koray came over to give his seal of approval and he noticed that there were a few grafts that were not properly placed. One of the techs got to work on placing them with forceps and finally I went under the laser. I was then given some ATP spray to use every hour, a neck pillow for sleeping and an ice pack to help with possible swelling. Sema asked me what I would like ordered for dinner and I went upstairs to my room.

 

I watched some TV and fell asleep pretty early. Sleeping on my back with the neck pillow is not the most comfortable sleep i can get, but I was pretty tired and druggy after the day so the night was ok. The neckpillow deflated often during the night and I kept having to blow air into it until I just gave up and decided to use my own which seemed to be stronger or at least didn’t deflate.

 

Day 3 - Mid and vertex operation

 

I woke up right before 7 o’clock, had some breakfast and popped the pills given to me by Dr. Umut and I was ready for round two. I noticed some swelling in my forehead and felt pain in my head from the procedure the day before but that went away pretty quickly after the pain relief and local anesthesia were administered. The process was pretty much the same as the day before: Extractions, lunch, incisions and implantations. The implantations were noticeably more uncomfortable than the day before, maybe because my scalp more sensitive or the skin is thinner in that area. I just asked for a anesthesia whenever I felt pain but it still came through. I wouldn’t describe it as super painful, more just very uncomfortable. But I just tried to block the pain and soldier through it, not much else to do. After I was taken to the laser treatment as the day before and Dr. Koray game to give his final seal of approval. He said that he felt I would be surprised by the coverage and was expecting a great result. He was very optimistic that this operation would be enough to cover everything, which was very encouraging to hear. I thanked him for everything and we said our goodbyes. I have to say that I’m so happy I chose Dr. Koray and everything in his demeanor and approach has confirmed that it was the right choice for me. Sema then told me that I should be downstairs at 9 o’clock for my wash and post op instructions.

 

I wasn’t feeling to good after the day and there was some concerns that I might have a fever. Dr. Umut gave me penicillin to take every 12 hours as a precaution for any infections and advil to counter the possible fever. I was also given a thermometer to check my fever. Luckily no fever broke. I slept for almost 13 hours though, but stumbled regularly to the bathroom to apply my ATP spray and tried to use the ice pack every now and then.

 

Day 4 - Washing and postop care

 

I was feeling much better when I woke up for the hair wash. I was downstairs right before 9 o’clock, had some breakfast and then straight to the wash. After I was given a very detailed information file with all the statistics regarding the operation, instructions and FAQ’s regarding what to do and when to do it after the operation. I was then given a goodie bag which included; shampoo and hydrating moose, USB drive with photos and information, Asmed hat, neck pillow, hair shaver and a letter to show to security control at the airport should they give me trouble over the liquids.

 

Sema and I then hugged and said our goodbyes. She told me to contact her via Whatsapp if there were any questions or if I needed some info in the days after the surgery. She told me that the driver would pick me up at 5:30 the following morning for the airport.

 

I spent the final day in my room watching TV and writing this text as I didn’t have much else to do. I went to sleep pretty early and had a good night’s sleep before I was picked up.

 

Flight home and final words

 

The trip home was pretty straight forward, I didn’t wear a hat at the airport in Istanbul or on the flight to Frankfurt. I actually counted 5 other guys with fresh hair transplants in the plain. Granted it was a larger Airbus 330, but I was very surprised. I decided to wear a baseball cap in the airport in Frankfurt and on the flight home. Don’t know why, just felt more comfortable with it. I made sure it was placed in a way so that my grafts weren't disturbed and made sure to take it off and spray ATP every hour.

 

I want to say that I am not in any way, shape or form affiliated with Asmed or Dr. Koray. My experience with Asmed has been nothing short of incredible. From the moment I sent the consultation form to the second I left. Everything good I read about the clinic and Dr. Koray has been exceeded and I thought that couldn’t be possible as I have only read great things. Sema and Sevval, my coordinators, are so nice and helpful and you get the feeling that you are the only person in the world that matters. Dr. Koray in just the right mix of chilled and ultra professional and he has an incredible presence when he enters a room. I cannot recommend him and Asmed enough.

 

I want to mention something about the high graft quotes that have been criticized here on this forums. I must admit I was skeptical as well and felt that Dr. Koray’s quotes were very high. Obviously I am not an expert in hair restoration but if I have to make an educated guess I would think he is able to pull of implanting so many grafts is a combination of his graft counting and organizing system, the use of the KEEP pen to plant, detailed after care and very well trained staff. He guarantees a 90% graft survival rate, so you could say he put his money where his mouth is and stands completely by his methods. Again, I am not affiliated with Asmed, just my thoughts on the subject.

 

I apologize again for a very long post but hope you read it and it maybe helped you. I can only speak for myself but I think I must have read almost every post about Dr. Koray / Asmed and many other clinics from beginning to end, some more than two times. So I hope you enjoyed mine, and it helps you in your decision. If you have any questions just fire away and I will try to update with pictures as regularly as possible. I have also attached some pictures and stats.

 

Total grafts: 5008 (5058)

Ratio: 2.19 hair / graft

Single: 800

Double: 2573

Triple: 1541

Quadruple: 94

 

Total area covered: 140 cm2

Front: 2500 grafts

Middle: 1300 grafts

Vertex: 1200 grafts

Edited May 29, 2017 by Handski
Added FUE to the title

[Handski]

These images were taken today, 3 days after the surgery. I know it's very early days but I must say I'm pleased, especially with the donor area which seems to be healing fast.

 

Feel free to comment or ask me questions.

[ediee02]

Congrats! Looks like typical great work from Asmed!

[Handski]

Congrats! Looks like typical great work from Asmed!

 

Thanks! Still early to say, but if I get somewhere near the results I have been seeing from Dr. Koray I will be ecstatic

[Handski]

Day 5 post op

 

The scabs are coming off pretty fast and I'm very confident that I'll be scab free around day 7, which is great. There are hairs sometimes in the scabs, but Sema at Asmed told me that is perfectly normal.

 

The donor area is healing ok but it's still feels very sore and sleeping is a big problem for me. I started taking painkillers before sleep and it helped some.

 

The worst thing without a doubt is not being able to go to the gym or work, it's driving me crazy staying at home doing nothing.

 

Feel free to comment

[Vainism]

Congrats this should be a nice transformation. Any front on pics to see how the hairline frames the face?

[Handski]

Congrats this should be a nice transformation. Any front on pics to see how the hairline frames the face?

 

Yes of course, here are two images. One taken right after the surgery and one taken today (day 5).

 

The redness is much worse on pictures than in real life, I really can not believe how little redness there is.

[Handski]

Day 8

 

As of today I'm completely scap free.

 

I still have some pain in the donor area and a crazy itch both in the recipient and donor areas. Really hard not to touch it.

 

Those of you here who have had a transplant, how has your experience been regarding the transplanted hair?? Has some of it started to grow immediately or just stayed the same length until it sheds?

[ediee02]

My transplanted hair grew with my original. A few hairs stayed the same length. I started shedding around the 3 week mark. And by 6 weeks I think it had all shed out. My donor area had some nerve end type pain for the first two weeks. Hurts like hell haha. It would keep me up at night. But after the two weeks, you're good to go.

[Lyubo93]

Wow bro, the shape of the hairline is amazing.I want something similar.

Edited June 5, 2017 by Lyubo93

[Handski]

Wow bro, the shape of the hairline is amazing.I want something similar.

 

Thanks mate, I'm very happy with it!

[Vainism]

Hairline design looks nice and conservative... this is what I originally wanted, except koray thought it was best if I went more aggressive . I think a nice little tip at the front would look mint. Happy growing!

[Handski]

Hairline design looks nice and conservative... this is what I originally wanted, except koray thought it was best if I went more aggressive . I think a nice little tip at the front would look mint. Happy growing!

 

I'm very happy with the hairline, it's conservative but not too much.

[Handski]

Day 14

 

The shedding has started in the last couple of days, not many hairs but definitely started.

 

The scalp itches like a motherf*cker and I have some pimples breaking out. Trying my best not to touch, but it's really hard.

 

What do you guys recommend regarding the pimples, what is the best way to handle them?

[JayLDD]

Day 14

 

The shedding has started in the last couple of days, not many hairs but definitely started.

 

The scalp itches like a motherf*cker and I have some pimples breaking out. Trying my best not to touch, but it's really hard.

 

What do you guys recommend regarding the pimples, what is the best way to handle them?

 

Leave them and forget about it. I had the same issue in the first few weeks. At about 2 months now and starting to get them again, hopefully that means the growth is soon.

[Handski]

Day 21

 

These are trying times.

 

My head officially looks terrible at the moment. Almost all of the transplanted hairs have shed and i'm fairly sure I have some shock loss as well. On top of that I think I'm experiencing a shed because of Propecia. I started taking that about 4 months ago so that could easily be the case, right?

 

No amount of forum reading, video watching and HT education can really prepare you for the phase I'm in right now.

 

To make the matter worse I have a lot of pimples breaking out on my scalp and it's quite red. I have been trying my best not to touch or pop them, but I admit I have popped a few. Can someone please tell that my grafts are going to be okay

 

Other than this I've never been better.

[Handski]

1 Month

 

It's here, the first month has flown away. Last two weeks after the shedding started have been pretty tough. I've wore a baseball cap everywhere I go since I'm still pretty red. I think the redness has subsided the last couple of days though.

 

There is some good news I think, maybe. I think there is some growth already as I can see small tiny black stubs coming out in the temples. I tried to take a closeup for you guys to see. What do you think, is it growth or just the rest of the transplanted hair being pushed out.

 

The pimples and itching is still there and I've noticed more of the pimples showing up in the temple area today and yesterday, sign of growth?

 

I will switch to a monthly update from now. I've added a couple of pictures, both with flash and without.

 

Any feedback is greatly appreciated

[Shuriken]

I am hoping you can do some weekly updates instead. I'll follow this thread!

[scoobyht123]

Hey Handski,

 

Thanks for the write up. I will be following this closely as I you have very similar hair colour and loss to you and I have also booked in to see Dr. Erdogan in November.

 

Hairline design looks great, looking forward to seeing how this turns out!

[Handski]

I am hoping you can do some weekly updates instead. I'll follow this thread!

 

I will update more regularly Will try to update tomorrow.

[Handski]

Hey Handski,

 

Thanks for the write up. I will be following this closely as I you have very similar hair colour and loss to you and I have also booked in to see Dr. Erdogan in November.

 

Hairline design looks great, looking forward to seeing how this turns out!

 

Thanks, I am really liking my hairline too! Hope it fills out nicely

 

You should be in good hands with Asmed, good luck!

[scoobyht123]

Are you doing anything at the moment for the redness? I am quite fair skinned as well and imagine that I will have similar redness.

 

Has anyone else got recommendations that worked for them to reduce this?

[Handski]

Are you doing anything at the moment for the redness? I am quite fair skinned as well and imagine that I will have similar redness.

 

Has anyone else got recommendations that worked for them to reduce this?

 

I am using Aloe Vera and a little Witch Hazel. It hasn't done anything with the redness though unfortunately

 

I am expecting many months of lingering redness.

[Handski]

Day 38

 

Mostly status quo since the last update. Still redness in the recipient area that is very visible in the pictures I uploaded. To be fair I took the pictures right after I came home from the gym and shower, but it's quite visible non the less. I have been applying Aloe Vera and a little Witch Hazel but I don't think it's doing much.

 

I have a lot of pimples, especially in the donor area and they are kind of driving me crazy. I'm also getting pimples in the recipient area, mainly on the vertex. Is this something I should be worried about? I haven't been able to stop myself popping a few of those bastards, does anyone have similar experience with pimples on the scalp?

 

To be fair I have been quite prone to getting pimples on the scalp before the HT. I messaged Asmed about it and they say it's pretty normal after a HT, so I guess I'll have to soldier through it.

 

I started using Coal Tar shampoo again as it has worked in the past with pimples on the scalp. Hope it works.

 

I have attached a few pictures,taken both with and without flash.

 

As always, any comments are greatly appreciated.

[Handski]

6 Weeks

 

Short time between updates as I had a haircut today. I had the sides shaved with a 0 guard at the bottom and faded up to a 1 guard. The scars are barely visible to the naked eye and definitely not to the untrained HT eye. Regular people unfamiliar with the concept of FUE won't see anything.

 

My donor area scalp is pretty bad however. Some combo of acne/psoriasis/eczema happened and it looks like someone shot me with a shotgun. I started using steroid/cortisone cream today and hopefully it subsides.

 

I've attached some pictures with various lighting.

Edited July 8, 2017 by Handski