Potential Recommendation of Dr. Emrah Cinik of Istanbul, Turkey

[Bill - Seemiller 14,761]

Dear forum members,

As many of you know, we gather as much information as possible about a physician, their staff, technique and track record before they are even considered for recommendation on the Hair Transplant Network. Part of our review process involves getting input from patients and the members of this forum community. To learn more about this review process, click here. 

Thus, we'd like your input on the potential recommendation of Dr. Emrah Cinik of Istanbul, Turkey.  At this time, Dr. Cinik is being considered for recommendation only, not the Coalition.  To see our demanding standards for recommendation, click here.

Dr. Emrah Cinik has over 15 years of experience and performs state of the art FUE hair transplant surgery exclusively at his clinic in Istanbul Turkey.  He has vast experience and uses all the latest techniques and tools, providing his patients with the very best results.  He operates on only 2 or 3 patients daily depending on the size and has over 22 experienced staff members, the newest of which possesses 6 years of experience. 

Dr. Cinik specializes in FUE, PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma), Mesotherapy, Eyebrow Restoration and Scar Repair. He has the experience and staff to perform densely packed sessions of ultra refined follicular unit grafting exceeding 4000 grafts when appropriate for the patient.  He uses cutting instruments as small as .6mm to minimize trauma to the scalp and can densely pack up to 80 to 100 FU/cm2 when appropriate for the patient.  He maes a combination of parallel (saggital) and perpendicular (lateral/coronal) incisions, depending on the patient, mimicking the natural direction of hair growth.

During FUE, Dr. Emrah Cinik uses both a manual and a motorized extraction tool called Marathon with a punch ranging in size from 0.5mm to 1.1mm depending on the size of the graft (1 to 3 hairs).  Grafts are further trimmed under microscopes as necessary and are stored in an ATP saline solution between the extraction and implantation process for less than an hour to minimize dehydration of the follicular units. Dr. Emrah Cinik and his staff use steel pincers to carefully implant follicular units into tiny recipient sites as small as 0.6mm.

Dr. Cinik’s experienced technicians also employ the DHI (Direct Hair Implantation) method.  It is similar to FUE in that the extraction process is the same however, the implantation process is different.  With the DHI method, hair follicles are inserted into a pen implantation device (Dr. Cinik’s staff uses the Choi Implanter) after extraction.  Then, with a single "punch", the recipient incision is made and the follicle is implanted into the recipient site. Normally, anywhere from 2-6 Choi implanters are used concurrently during a procedure, and the device comes in a variety of needle sizes to fit single, double, and triple follicular unit grafts. Dr. Cinik believes that the DHI method should only be used for those with minimal hair loss and in patients under 40.  He typically uses the DHI method when dense packing high numbers in a small area.   Note that the surgeon does not perform the actual surgery but does oversee and supervise the entire procedure. 

Dr. Cinik has a background in aesthetics and cosmetics and is a member of the ISHRS (International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery).

Given Dr. Cinik’s training and experience in performing both state of the art FUE and DHI and providing only the best results, in my opinion, he should be considered for recommendation.

In recent weeks, Dr. Cinik has presented several examples of his procedure and recent results on this forum.  Dr. Cinik’s recent patient and surgical photos can be found below:

3500 Grafts - FUE - Dr. Cinik

4500 Grafts - FUE - Dr. Cinik

2500 Grafts - DHI - Dr. Cinik

4000 Grafts - FUE - Dr. Cinik

6100 Grafts - FUE 2 Sessions - Dr. Cinik

3600 Grafts - FUE - Dr. Cinik

3000 Grafts - FUE - Dr. Cinik

https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/50151-3500-scheduled-with-dr-cinik-1212/?tab=comments#comment-463171 - patient posted experience with photos from beginning to end

 

https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/52555-3500-grafts-dr-cinik-6th-november-2018/?tab=comments#comment-486343 - patient posted experience with photos including postoperative photos, results not in yet.

 

https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/52115-dr-cinik-4300-grafts-results-progress - patient posted experience, postoperative photos and progress

 

https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/52116-dr-cinik-june-2018/?tab=comments#comment-481551 - patient shares seven months progress photos

 

https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/52116-dr-cinik-june-2018/?tab=comments#comment-481551 - patient shares experience, progress and results using scalp, body, chest and beard hair

You can find additional examples of his work by visiting the “Results Posted by Leading Hair Transplant Clinics” forum and by using the “search” feature.

I welcome input and comments from forum members regarding his potential recommendation. 

To view our standards for recommendation, click here.

Onwards and Upwards,

Bill

[Melvin-Moderator 756]

I’ve been thoroughly impressed by Dr. Cinik, I’ve been hearing about him for quite sometime. This patient review is particularly impressive. For me it’s a yes. 

https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/50151-3500-scheduled-with-dr-cinik-1212/?tab=comments#comment-463171

 

[Marco Van Basten 6]

I have been considering him for a while

[Mick50 99]

I'm not sure about this one ..I think a question needs to be asked is the community happy about a clinic being recommended where the Doc offers a cheaper  package where the techs do everything  apart form drawing the hair-line , so basically extractions, incisions placements etc ...what happens if a patient has chosen the cheaper option and comes on here complaining of a sub -par result how would that be dealt with ?   

[jim009 1]

see some good results off him

[Bill - Seemiller 14,761]

Mick,

The keyword here is “offers“.   They are being very transparent about what they do and what they offer.. As long as the clinic is being honest and giving the patient a choice, then I don’t personally see any problems with it considering they are still following the law of the land and are legitimate. Blackhat clinics would simply delegate patients to other clinics or possess no surgeon involvement  regardless of whether you choose the surgeon or not.  In other words, you wouldn’t have a choice.  

Remember also that we  recommend hair transplant surgeons, not entire clinics. Therefore, when we are recommending Dr. Cinic,  you are recommending that you go to him.  

 If a patient was to choose to bypass the surgeon and then go to the clinic to get work done without the doctor, that is not our recommendation.  Now, that doesn’t mean we’re saying it’s a problem, but our recommendation is specifically for the surgeon and anyone who chooses him for surgery will get the doctor. That’s the important part  in my opinion. 

best wishes,

Bill

 

[SOW 0]

Bill,

Just to understand:
If you recommend Asmed clinic, does this mean that your recommendation is valid only if the doctor himself performs most of the surgery?  but If most of the surgery will be done by his technicians your recommendation doesn't apply?

If the answer to this question is no, what is the difference between those clinics?

to my understanding, for both the doctor (Ardogan/Cinik) supervises the technicians

(BTW you can't  bypass  Dr. Emrah Cinik without his permission) 

 

 

[Melvin-Moderator 756]

8 hours ago, Mick50 said:

I'm not sure about this one ..I think a question needs to be asked is the community happy about a clinic being recommended where the Doc offers a cheaper  package where the techs do everything  apart form drawing the hair-line , so basically extractions, incisions placements etc ...what happens if a patient has chosen the cheaper option and comes on here complaining of a sub -par result how would that be dealt with ?   

You bring up a very valid point. In my opinion, anyone who is consulting with a recommended doctor on our site, should be having him/her participate in the surgery. As Bill mentioned, we do not recommend clinics only doctors. If someone voluntarily chooses a cheaper option where the surgeon is not involved then that goes against our recommendation.

However, if they're choosing a doctor from our site, in my opinion they shouldn't be given that option. Some of you may disagree, so that's why it's good to have these discussions. But our site doesn't exist to save patients money, our site exists to provide patients with the best surgeons out there. In my opinion, if they notify the clinic that they heard of them through us (hair transplant network), then they shouldn't have the cheaper option (only techs). Again, this is not the position of the hair transplant network, this is just my opinion i'd like to hear what everyone else thinks. Is that something you guys would agree with? Personally, I would rather spend some extra money to ensure the doctor performs vital parts of my surgery.

[Bill - Seemiller 14,761]

2 hours ago, SOW said:

Bill,

Just to understand:
If you recommend Asmed clinic, does this mean that your recommendation is valid only if the doctor himself performs most of the surgery?  but If most of the surgery will be done by his technicians your recommendation doesn't apply?

If the answer to this question is no, what is the difference between those clinics?

to my understanding, for both the doctor (Ardogan/Cinik) supervises the technicians

(BTW you can't  bypass  Dr. Emrah Cinik without his permission) 

 

 

@SOW,

 What you’re asking doesn’t make sense. Again, we recommend surgeons, not entire clinics. And I never said that a recommendation doesn’t count if the doctor is only partly involved during the procedure. Now if a doctor is not involved in the procedure at all nor does he supervise and sits in his office doing nothing, we would not approve him for a recommendation. 

Regarding Dr. Cinik,  we are considering him for potential recommendation which means that if he is approved, and a member chooses him for surgery,  then we expect him to be involved to the degree he is usually involved which is to oversee/supervise the entire procedure and make recipient incisions. He is also supervising donor extractions and implantation.  Now if somebody chooses another package so to speak where the doctor is not involved in the actual hands-on operation, then this is their prerogative. But this is the equivalent of choosing another surgeon that we have not approved for a recommendation. That doesn’t mean that they won’t obtain top-notch results as the doctor is still overseeing the entire procedure.   However, our recommendation is for surgeons and when we recommend surgeons, we always recommend whatever procedure where they are directly involved. 

I should also mention that  clinic is very transparent about what they offer. The patient has the option to choose a package where the doctor is more directly involved or where they are a little less directly involved. There apparently is a price break when he is not directly involved however, he still oversees the entire procedure and his expert staff is still working on the patient as diligently as if he were directly operating. Therefore, because they are transparent and honest,   I am not hesitant to recommend this surgeon  nor do I have a problem with the clinic. 

As I’m sure you’re aware, hair transplant surgery is a team effort however, there is always a lead surgeon in charge of the procedure and ultimately responsible for the end result. Even in America during FUSS (Strip surgery)  procedures, most surgeons are only  hands on and directly involved during a portion of the procedure. This includes harvesting the donor strip and making a recipient incisions. Dissecting follicular units under microscopes and implanting carafes takes up about 85% to 90% of the procedure.   The technicians are largely responsible for this large part of the procedure and doctors typically only enter the room a couple times during these many hours. 

If we were to stop including surgeons just because they only operate hands-on during a portion of the procedure, we would have to revise our list and recommend only a handful of those doctors.   In fact, as much as my surgeons did a great job on my procedure,   They could not be recommended because they only operated during a portion of the procedure  while their technicians did the rest.

 At the end of the day, we do expect surgeons recommended by this community to be hands on in at least a portion of the procedure  and oversee/supervise the entire procedure.   It is also the surgeons job responsibility to train technicians, nurses and other doctors operating during the procedure to do the kind of top-notch work that the surgeon expects from them.   So while hair transplant surgery is a team effort, it all comes back to the operating/supervising physician.  

I hope this helps. 

Bill

[lukeyb1687 51]

Hi All,

 

I guess I should chime in here that I fully approve this! My results came out even better than I could have expected! Thanks for the following so closely @Melvin-Moderator 

[Grouchy 15]

"Dr. Emrah Cinik has over 15 years of experience and performs state of the art FUE and DHI (direct hair implantation)".

This isn't accurate - Cinik himself doesn't perform DHI, his technicians do.

Cinik offers 3 packages on his site. His only involvement with the DHI package is drawing the hairline - Cinik performs neither the extractions or implantation with the DHI package.

Therein lies the problem with recommendations like this. People will conflate the clinic with the doctor, as has been done here.

 

Edited February 13 by Grouchy

[Mick50 99]

2 minutes ago, Grouchy said:

"Dr. Emrah Cinik has over 15 years of experience and performs state of the art FUE and DHI (direct hair implantation)".

This isn't accurate - Cinik himself doesn't perform DHI, his technicians do.

Cinik offers 3 packages on his site. His only involement with the DHI package is drawing the hairline.

Therein lies the problem with recommendations like this. People will conflate the clinic with the doctor, as has been done here.

 

This is the problem it's all well good saying we only recommend the Doc and not the clinic but in my opinion you can't separate them as easily as that ..the bottom line it is Dr clinik's clinic... his name above the door ,also I'm afraid to say I am not convinced that it is legal in Turkey for techs to perform surgery ...murky waters indeed 

[BuddyX 12]

I like a lot of the work that comes out of this clinic.  But there are a few points I'd like to bring up.

A lot has been discussed above about the DHI method (the top package offered on Cinik's website), however, according to the site, other than drawing the hairline at consultation, Cinik only 'supervises' this procedure.  The only package I see where he is involved in doing something is the 'middle' one (FUE) where he opens the channels.

Lukey B, you've obviously had a great result, congratulations and I hope it gets even better.  Could you clarify what package you chose ?  Correct me if wrong, but didn't you say that Cinik performed your whole procedure in your write up ?  I also recall others saying they paid the extra and Cinik wasn't involved at all.

Finally, why are all the results posted with an exact number of grafts ?  3500, 4500, 2500, 2000 etc etc. Is this just a guess ?  How are these counted ?  How can it be exact every time ?  Is a breakdown provided after the surgery.

These things worry me.

Edited February 13 by BuddyX

[Grouchy 15]

22 hours ago, Bill - Managing Publisher said:

Dr. Cinik’s recent patient and surgical photos can be found below:

  

3500 Grafts - FUE - Dr. Cinik

4500 Grafts - FUE - Dr. Cinik

2500 Grafts - DHI - Dr. Cinik

4000 Grafts - FUE - Dr. Cinik

6100 Grafts - FUE 2 Sessions - Dr. Cinik

3600 Grafts - FUE - Dr. Cinik

3000 Grafts - FUE - Dr. Cinik

 

Just to clarify, are you claiming that all of these results are from the doctor, and not 'tech only' procedures by the clinic - i.e the doctor had some direct involvement in all of them beyond drawing the hairline and an occasional check up?

Edited February 13 by Grouchy

[LonelyGraft 171]

1 hour ago, Grouchy said:

"Dr. Emrah Cinik has over 15 years of experience and performs state of the art FUE and DHI (direct hair implantation)".

This isn't accurate - Cinik himself doesn't perform DHI, his technicians do.

Cinik offers 3 packages on his site. His only involvement with the DHI package is drawing the hairline - Cinik performs neither the extractions or implantation with the DHI package.

Therein lies the problem with recommendations like this. People will conflate the clinic with the doctor, as has been done here.

 

When I asked the clinic, they said they bring in an "expert" in DHI to perform the procedure so this goes in line with what you say.

[Grouchy 15]

1 minute ago, jj51702 said:

When I asked the clinic, they said they bring in an "expert" in DHI to perform the procedure so this goes in line with what you say.

That's what they told me too. 

They said it's why the DHI package is more expensive than the package where Cinik is involved himself.

[typpel 10]

Well. U underwent surgery with him. And there are pros and cons. The main pro is that everything went according to plan. Cons..I was more concerned about crown area and though I told him, he drew the front line. The work in the front line is amazing, but not very pleased with the crown, that was my main concern. When I got in touch with him speaking about my disappointment, he treated me as a new "customer". So the guarantee that they offer for 10 years is basically bullshit. So don't know whether or not recommend him. And as many of you have said, he just draws the line. You never get to see him again. I do not say that he has to be present in all the process, but from time to time, walk in and check how everything is going.

[Mick50 99]

6 hours ago, Bill - Managing Publisher said:

Mick,

The keyword here is “offers“.   They are being very transparent about what they do and what they offer.. As long as the clinic is being honest and giving the patient a choice, then I don’t personally see any problems with it considering they are still following the law of the land and are legitimate. Blackhat clinics would simply delegate patients to other clinics or possess no surgeon involvement  regardless of whether you choose the surgeon or not.  In other words, you wouldn’t have a choice.  

Remember also that we  recommend hair transplant surgeons, not entire clinics. Therefore, when we are recommending Dr. Cinic,  you are recommending that you go to him.  

 If a patient was to choose to bypass the surgeon and then go to the clinic to get work done without the doctor, that is not our recommendation.  Now, that doesn’t mean we’re saying it’s a problem, but our recommendation is specifically for the surgeon and anyone who chooses him for surgery will get the doctor. That’s the important part  in my opinion. 

best wishes,

Bill

 

Bill ..when you say you have no problem with the clinic do you mean that although they are are not part of the recommendation ..you see nothing wrong with techs     carrying out all aspects of hair transplant surgery including incisions ?

Edited February 13 by Mick50

[grantleebuffalo 6]

2 hours ago, BuddyX said:

I like a lot of the work that comes out of this clinic.  But there are a few points I'd like to bring up.

A lot has been discussed above about the DHI method (the top package offered on Cinik's website), however, according to the site, other than drawing the hairline at consultation, Cinik only 'supervises' this procedure.  The only package I see where he is involved in doing something is the 'middle' one (FUE) where he opens the channels.

Lukey B, you've obviously had a great result, congratulations and I hope it gets even better.  Could you clarify what package you chose ?  Correct me if wrong, but didn't you say that Cinik performed your whole procedure in your write up ?  I also recall others saying they paid the extra and Cinik wasn't involved at all.

Finally, why are all the results posted with an exact number of grafts ?  3500, 4500, 2500, 2000 etc etc. Is this just a guess ?  How are these counted ?  How can it be exact every time ?  Is a breakdown provided after the surgery.

These things worry me.

the important questions right there! we need some clarity with this clinic. 

[Melvin-Moderator 756]

44 minutes ago, typpel said:

Well. U underwent surgery with him. And there are pros and cons. The main pro is that everything went according to plan. Cons..I was more concerned about crown area and though I told him, he drew the front line. The work in the front line is amazing, but not very pleased with the crown, that was my main concern. When I got in touch with him speaking about my disappointment, he treated me as a new "customer". So the guarantee that they offer for 10 years is basically bullshit. So don't know whether or not recommend him. And as many of you have said, he just draws the line. You never get to see him again. I do not say that he has to be present in all the process, but from time to time, walk in and check how everything is going.

Which option did you choose? Did you opt for the cheaper option where he’s not involved? Also, do you mind posting pictures of your results. Showing us the results will definitely give us a better idea of what kind of work the clinic is producing.

[Mick50 99]

4 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

You bring up a very valid point. In my opinion, anyone who is consulting with a recommended doctor on our site, should be having him/her participate in the surgery. As Bill mentioned, we do not recommend clinics only doctors. If someone voluntarily chooses a cheaper option where the surgeon is not involved then that goes against our recommendation.

However, if they're choosing a doctor from our site, in my opinion they shouldn't be given that option. Some of you may disagree, so that's why it's good to have these discussions. But our site doesn't exist to save patients money, our site exists to provide patients with the best surgeons out there. In my opinion, if they notify the clinic that they heard of them through us (hair transplant network), then they shouldn't have the cheaper option (only techs). Again, this is not the position of the hair transplant network, this is just my opinion i'd like to hear what everyone else thinks. Is that something you guys would agree with? Personally, I would rather spend some extra money to ensure the doctor performs vital parts of my surgery.

In my opinion a patient whether  a patient is choosing   Doctor Clinik from this site or a not... a recommended Doc should not be offering different packages  2 of which he pretty much has no involvement apart form drawing the hair -line ,I personally think this site would lose credibility by going ahead which the recommendation .. of course if Dr Clinik changes his procedure policy and at least does the incisions like other recommended Docs on this site  Hasson and Wong , Asmed etc that is a different matter ..on that basis I am against Dr Clinik being recommended on this site .

 A lot of people don't  come onto these sites before they choose a clinic  I think it is  naive to think HTN wont be linked to the results of  patients if he/she has chosen 2 of the packages where the Doc only draws the hair-line 

 

Edited February 13 by Mick50

[Marco Van Basten 6]

Do any of the recommended Doctors carry out the whole procedure themselves?

In particular, those based in Turkey?

[Gasthoerer 104]

There is no doctor performing the entire procedure himself, but there are some which do most of the steps.

Konior in the US

Lupanzula in Belgium

But also a lot of not recommended clinics in turkey or switzerland:

Keser

HLC

Kaan

Hei(t)mann

...

[Mick50 99]

59 minutes ago, Marco Van Basten said:

Do any of the recommended Doctors carry out the whole procedure themselves?

In particular, those based in Turkey?

No most don't do all the procedure themselves ...but none delegate techs to do all the procedure apart form the hair-line.. this is a recent model that has developed in Turkey in the last 2-3 years where Doctors have different packages with different prices.. even Dr Karadenez  who used to be very out-spoken about the legality of techs doing surgery, saying it is actually illegal for them to be doing it  has adopted this model, a complete and utter sell out . 

Edited February 13 by Mick50

[haironhead 11]

There is some issues regarding this doctor that need to be adressed. The way he presents his cases isnt that great, just show some before and after are not enough. Pre and post op with donor pics and several photos to show the development like Dr Koray for example.

When there was a thread that showed all this by a private person there still were some issues. It does look like the hairline was tilted, and there seemd to be a slight overharvest in one section of the donor, and the hairs didnt have a natural direction(they were not horrible, but not that natural either) .

So as a final statement I wouldnt recomend him at this stage.