Dr Hakan Doganay 16th October 2017 3200 Grafts

[XabiAlonso123]

Hi, 6 months post op and I wanted to share my results, I'll share my thoughts and pre/post pics and do a separate post for results after 6 months.

 

Disappointed with the results so far and I'll explain why.. I did about a months research before deciding on Dr Doganay and had heard he had a period of bad results but had made a lot of improvements and was showing great results again. considering he was one of 3 Turkish surgeons on the International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons list and had a good track record I decided to make contact..

 

communication was fast and I was offered dates very quickly which was excellent but the communication to set them up wasn't the best. I had to explain to their administrator that a phone call would be more appropriate so I had more confidence in coming to Turkey with ?3000 in my pocket. They were using 2 different email addresses from AHD clinic wasn't the best idea (made me think the individual could be using a fake email address) but after several more emails and contacting the clinics advertised email address I was confident enough to set up a surgery date.

 

I Arrived in Antalya, Turkey on the 15th October and after being greeted by the driver I felt a little more assured especially when he didn't ask for money when booking me into the hotel! lovely accommodation with all meals provided. also Antalya is a beautiful place to visit with lots to do.

 

The driver turned up on the morning of the Surgery and introduced me to the team. Lovely bunch and really felt at ease after meeting the DR and Didem. The Surgery took all day but pretty painless. Pictures posted below pre and post Surgery: please note I had Scalp Micro pigmentation (SMP) all around my balding areas prior to surgery and my hairline wasn't in the worst state but needed fixing, my crown was showing balding.

Edited April 21, 2018 by XabiAlonso123
Wrong graft number

[XabiAlonso123]

And here are the results post 6 months where I've seen very little difference compared to pre surgery.

 

I'm very disappointed but maybe someone can offer an unbiased opinion? and I know the hair should improve but would have expected more hairs to surface by now!

 

Front hairline shows about 20% improvement but still very bald across the front hair line.. the back doesn't seem like its improved at all?

[XabiAlonso123]

Here are results at 7 months.. hair is starting to come through.. looks like I'm one the unlucky ones whose hair grows back quite slowly...

[XabiAlonso123]

Month 8 results have shown a slightly improvement but hoping the hairs will start thickening. At the minute there's still a lot of gaps.

 

I've also attached a comparison between month 7 and 8.

[JayLDD]

Not really sure you can complain when you admit yourself Doganay's had major problems in the past. He's a butcher with more bad results than any well known surgeon in the industry, utterly silly to go to him at this point. That hairline design is a disaster as well.

 

4 years or so of terrible results now, maybe by the 5th people will figure out he's not worth the risk.

[Rawkerboi]

I wonder what's wrong with Dr.Hakan?

Few years back he was really good now its just a disappointment!

Is it the technicians who are doing the complete surgery ?

[spitfire uk]

Former Hakan patient here , poor crown result .

He did extraction and some placement , suspect he took his eye off the ball a long while ago .

Also suspect his techs arent up to it , i was lucky enough to get most of my money back but grafts are lost for good .

Nice people but i refused a free op after it with them.

[XabiAlonso123]

Here's the response I got from the clinic when I asked for advice (today's response)

 

'Hey,

We have attached your pre surgery picture.

As you can see there is good improvement. We do not know if you are expecting a teenager hairline from

a hair transplant but this is not the case.

Hair transplant gives you illusion of fullness not the exact fullness. This is already achieved by 8 month result.'

 

I didn't like the above response because

 

- I've seen plenty of results where you can restore the hairline

- my hair wasn't that bad to start with! 2200 grafts should have achieved a better result

- I went to a good dr expecting good results and paid for a good service

- if I wanted an average result with lots of spots not filled in and only a 40% improvement (by my measurement ) I could have just had a cheap job done by someone who isn't as expensive.

 

 

What are your thoughts am I expecting too much or are the clinic being unfair? (I agree they are very nice people but agreeableness isn't a good quality if the results aren't what you paid for)

[XabiAlonso123]

I wonder what's wrong with Dr.Hakan?

Few years back he was really good now its just a disappointment!

Is it the technicians who are doing the complete surgery ?

 

No the technicians did the extraction and Dr hakan did the implants .. they looked ok post results but I suspect not enough grafts were used (not really sure if 2200 were used judging by the results )

[XabiAlonso123]

Not really sure you can complain when you admit yourself Doganay's had major problems in the past. He's a butcher with more bad results than any well known surgeon in the industry, utterly silly to go to him at this point. That hairline design is a disaster as well.

 

4 years or so of terrible results now, maybe by the 5th people will figure out he's not worth the risk.

 

Hi interesting opinion.. can I ask how much your transplant cost per graft? And where's you would advise going with Dr Erdogan for a 2nd transplant? Does he perform the surgery himself ? (I was previously rejected by him)

[XabiAlonso123]

Former Hakan patient here , poor crown result .

He did extraction and some placement , suspect he took his eye off the ball a long while ago .

Also suspect his techs arent up to it , i was lucky enough to get most of my money back but grafts are lost for good .

Nice people but i refused a free op after it with them.

 

Am I entitled to my money back if I get an average result? I may consider a 2nd op with another 1000 grafts to cover the front and get a fuller hairline (which is what I was hoping from the first op)

[JayLDD]

Hi interesting opinion.. can I ask how much your transplant cost per graft? And where's you would advise going with Dr Erdogan for a 2nd transplant? Does he perform the surgery himself ? (I was previously rejected by him)

 

2.5 euros per graft, he does consultation, hairline design and incisions. Obviously still waiting on results from the second procedure so can’t make a full judgement yet but on the basis of the first procedure I would recommend.

 

Your repair case would probably be difficult due to how low the hairline is and straightness of design. I’d also contact others like dr cooley, dr bisanga, konior and lorenzo and see what their opinions are too. Probably not a simple solution.

[XabiAlonso123]

Great.. thanks I will do!

 

Reason for the low hairline was to match the SMP I had done previously.. and maybe it doesn't show on the pics but that's naturally where my hair was before the receding started ( I still had hairs there before the surgery)

 

My concern wasn't the hairline design more the fact that the coverage is only about a 40% improvement and if I comb my hair back you can still tell it's balding. For 2200 grafts I was expecting a better coverage. Or maybe some of the hairs just didn't grow back (or single grafts were used instead of doubles)

[spitfire uk]

Am I entitled to my money back if I get an average result? I may consider a 2nd op with another 1000 grafts to cover the front and get a fuller hairline (which is what I was hoping from the first op)

 

I was lucky , Hakan was hanging on to being a named Dr on here , since then he's lost it.

Muslin was his rep , he repaid me then left a while after .

Do yourself a favour , do not go back.

As Jean says look at his list plus I'd add Devroye to it , do not rush !

[XabiAlonso123]

I was lucky , Hakan was hanging on to being a named Dr on here , since then he's lost it.

Muslin was his rep , he repaid me then left a while after .

Do yourself a favour , do not go back.

As Jean says look at his list plus I'd add Devroye to it , do not rush !

 

Quite a shame because I found them very friendly in person but since the transplant the after care hasn't been great.. it feels like pulling blood from a stone trying to get advice of them post surgery.. the last email was very rude and gives an impression they just wanted my business and aren't really bothered about the patient after!

 

I'll wait until month 12 to see the final result and speak to one of those drs and do some more research on them.

[XabiAlonso123]

Hi all,

I've gone back to Dr hakan for a partial refund let's see what they say..

think I'll need another 1000 grafts at the front and may leave the back for now. What does everyone think?

Im planning to have surgery in september which is 11 months post transplant is it too early for surgery after 11 months? And can people recommend good drs in Turkey or anyone competitively priced in the UK?

Please help

[JayLDD]

 

 

If you're opting for Turkey only look at Keser and Erdogan.  It's actually quite a area where the SMP and new hairline is,  Probably closer to 1700-2000 grafts in the hairline to meet native density and 1000 in the crown if you wanted work there.

 

Honestly not significantly different in terms of the numbers of your first procedure, your growth looks barely 25-30% so it didn't go a long way.

[XabiAlonso123]

11 minutes ago, JeanLDD said:

 

 

If you're opting for Turkey only look at Keser and Erdogan.  It's actually quite a area where the SMP and new hairline is,  Probably closer to 1700-2000 grafts in the hairline to meet native density and 1000 in the crown if you wanted work there.

 

Honestly not significantly different in terms of the numbers of your first procedure, your growth looks barely 25-30% so it didn't go a long way.

I know it's shocking the surgerys initial response was 'I shouldn't expect a teenagers hairline' when I asked them about my results!

I've paid alot of money for a very poor result but I want to see how much they will refund (or if they actually will)

[XabiAlonso123]

Final results after 12 months below..

Not completely happy with the result but not totally disappointed either..

After speaking to the clinic I was offered a free follow up transplant by Dr Doganay which I went ahead with on the 8th October 2018.. I will write a separate post on this...

[ILtrooper]

On 6/14/2018 at 1:04 AM, JeanLDD said:

Not really sure you can complain when you admit yourself Doganay's had major problems in the past. He's a butcher with more bad results than any well known surgeon in the industry, utterly silly to go to him at this point. That hairline design is a disaster as well.

 

4 years or so of terrible results now, maybe by the 5th people will figure out he's not worth the risk.

So, what’s your personal experience with this specific surgeon? Or are you just talking based on some of the stuff you read here and there?

Everyone has bad reviews. This includes Erdogan, Keser, Couto, 20k HT jobs ar LA Clinic, etc. Can’t make everyone happy. Yeah, some more than the other, but look at their overall work. Overall Doganay has yielded great results. So far, my experience with him and his team couldn’t be better. I can comment, because I have a first hand experience. 

Just like any other place, this place is filled with a ton of followers. Once one person complains about a procedure, rest just follow that lead. I m not denying the fact that he had problems in the past, I don’t believe he does either, but his most recent years have been very good. It appears to me he took all the corrective action and fixed whatever was broken. I did a ton of research. 

For the way I was treated, the way they conducted themselves and the way my hair is so far, I am a fan of Doganay and will do my part to share my experience with him, unlike most of you, speak on behalf of hearsay. 

 

Edited October 25, 2018 by ILtrooper

[JayLDD]

39 minutes ago, ILtrooper said:

So, what’s your personal experience with this specific surgeon? Or are you just talking based on some of the stuff you read here and there?

Everyone has bad reviews. This includes Erdogan, Keser, Couto, 20k HT jobs ar LA Clinic, etc. Can’t make everyone happy. Yeah, some more than the other, but look at their overall work. Overall Doganay has yielded great results. So far, my experience with him and his team couldn’t be better. I can comment, because I have a first hand experience. 

Just like any other place, this place is filled with a ton of followers. Once one person complains about a procedure, rest just follow that lead. I m not denying the fact that he had problems in the past, I don’t believe he does either, but his most recent years have been very good. It appears to me he took all the corrective action and fixed whatever was broken. I did a ton of research. 

For the way I was treated, the way they conducted themselves and the way my hair is so far, I am a fan of Doganay and will do my part to share my experience with him, unlike most of you, speak on behalf of hearsay. 

 

I agree everyone has bad reviews,  but I do not base my claims on heresay. Probably 50 negative reviews and claims of surgical misconduct from former clinic reps. Over the last 3 years or so more negative reviews than positive.

Some of his results still look fantastic, but its all over the place. You can even search the recent Doganay cases on this site and you'll find its true,  hit or miss. Hopefully yours is a hit.

[ILtrooper]

On 10/25/2018 at 4:21 PM, JeanLDD said:

I agree everyone has bad reviews,  but I do not base my claims on heresay. Probably 50 negative reviews and claims of surgical misconduct from former clinic reps. Over the last 3 years or so more negative reviews than positive.

Some of his results still look fantastic, but its all over the place. You can even search the recent Doganay cases on this site and you'll find its true,  hit or miss. Hopefully yours is a hit.

That is precisely what a hearsay is. You don’t have a first hand experience with this specific surgeon. 

Go to eBay or amazon and you will have sellers with 99% customer satisfaction scores and those guys had hundreds of negative reviews written on their pages, but overall they are at 99%. So don’t let a a few bad experiences or negative reviews ruin a business someone built over the last 15 years and produced many positive results. Especially based on hearsay, without having any first hand experience with the guy. 

I specifically spoke with Doganay about some of the negative feedbacks andhe said and I quote “we were very busy. So many people were coming in for hair transplant, we became a bit relaxed. Bit off a bit more than we could chew, but have since taken the proper precautions.”  Says a lot about his ethics and integrity to me. 

You can read about the reviews, do you research and choose not to use him based on your research, but no need to talk negatively of them without experience is my point in this thread.

 

i personaly would never talk negatively about any surgeon on here without having any experience with them. If I didn’t believe they were good, I would keep searching. Anyways, cheers!

Edited October 26, 2018 by ILtrooper

[JayLDD]

Just now, ILtrooper said:

That is precisely what a hearsay is. You don’t have a first hand experience with this specific surgeon. 

Go to eBay or amazon and you will have sellers with 99% customer satisfaction scores and those guys had hundreds of negative reviews written on their pages, but overall they are at 99%. So don’t let a a few bad experiences or negative reviews ruin a business someone built over the last 15 years and produced many positive results. Especially based on hearsay, without having any first hand experience with the guy. 

I specifically spoke with Doganay about some of the negative feedbacks andhe said and I quote “we were very busy. So many people were coming in for hair transplant, we became a bit relaxed. Bit a bit more than we could chew, but have since taken the proper precautions.”  Says a lot about his ethics and integrity to me. 

You can read about the reviews, do you research and choose not to use him based on your research, but no need to talk negatively of them without experience is my point in this thread.

 

i personaly would never talk negatively about any surgeon on here without having any experience with them. If I didn’t believe they were good, I would keep searching. Anyways, cheers!

Your experience is anecdotal, I'm basing my analysis on statistics. Doganay is not a doctor with a 99% customer satisfaction rate if you judge patient posted cases online, he's a 50% satisfaction rate surgeon. Google or search on this website for yourself. Its not a small sample size either, and there are claims from old patient reps of making fake profiles to hype the clinic, posting fake reviews, unhygienic management of surgical equipment and not refunding or offering a touchup to patients with bad results. 

If a surgeon had clearly butchered someones head, had ONLY awful looking work and plenty of evidence to back this up, are you seriously saying you would need "personal experience" before you could criticise it? You just ignore it until you've been butchered yourself by them? Silly, and I'm sure you could see it if you thought about it. Its basic logic that you're missing here, same with your other point.

Doganay is obviously a talented surgeon and has produced ample good work, but he is objectively hit or miss based on patient posted results and at various periods has lacked proper quality control to the point where there was more bad than good.

[ILtrooper]

49 minutes ago, JeanLDD said:

Your experience is anecdotal, I'm basing my analysis on statistics. Doganay is not a doctor with a 99% customer satisfaction rate if you judge patient posted cases online, he's a 50% satisfaction rate surgeon. Google or search on this website for yourself. Its not a small sample size either, and there are claims from old patient reps of making fake profiles to hype the clinic, posting fake reviews, unhygienic management of surgical equipment and not refunding or offering a touchup to patients with bad results. 

If a surgeon had clearly butchered someones head, had ONLY awful looking work and plenty of evidence to back this up, are you seriously saying you would need "personal experience" before you could criticise it? You just ignore it until you've been butchered yourself by them? Silly, and I'm sure you could see it if you thought about it. Its basic logic that you're missing here, same with your other point.

Doganay is obviously a talented surgeon and has produced ample good work, but he is objectively hit or miss based on patient posted results and at various periods has lacked proper quality control to the point where there was more bad than good.

I am gonna go ahead and call you our on your 50% customer satisfaction claims, which is extremely bold! I have done an arm and leg work and trust me I wouldn’t just fly all the way there and put my into their hands for them to butcher if I hadn’t crunched some numbers.

 

go ahead and show me this 50% satisfaction ratio. Remember, what you are saying is, HALF of Doganays customers experiences bad results. That’s thousands of people over the last 15 years. 

Based on logic alone, if that statement was in any shape of form true, he wouldn’t be in business today!

 

p.s. about fake profiles, I have been on message boards for many many years and dealt with a ton of different vendors of different categories and this fake profile thing is done virtually by everyone. Some are caught and some aren’t. Some admit and some deny till their grave. 

[XabiAlonso123]

Ok 6 month update post 2nd surgery

 

1st surgery 2200 grafts

2nd surgery 1500 grafts

I've put the pictures in order (pre OP, 1st surgery and 2nd surgery post 6months)

 

My thoughts...

Improvement- really good when compared to how it looked pre surgery

Cost- 3700 grafts for around £2500 which is very cheap compared to most (2nd surgery was done free to repair the 1st)

Use of grafts- maybe not the best as now I'm limited in future, what took 3700 grafts to achieve should really have been done with 2500, I started as a Norwood 2a and dont think it should have taken this many grafts to achieve the result

Overall- satisfied with the result but despite 2 surgeries and 3200/3700 grafts being used to repair the hairline it still has lots of gaps and I can not comb my hair back only forward so still going to need more work done!

 

It's only 6 months post 2nd surgery so may improve further...

 

Now I'm wondering where to go for the 3rd surgery and how many grafts I have left to use?