Regular Member TempleRunner Posted March 10, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted March 10, 2019 (edited) Hey everyone,I am 34 years old. My main issue with my hair (or lack of it ) is my deep temporal recession (as you can see in the pictures attached). The temples have been receding ever since I was 22. in the age of 26 or so, I have started to take propecia. the treatment pretty much stopped the receding and it is stable for the past 6-7 years.It has always been my dream to have a hair transplant, but because I am very sensitive to ppl and work colleagues seeing me after the transplant and with no hair. I postponed the hair transplant as much as I could. I managed to get 4-5 months leave from work, so I'm hoping I'll have some hair by the time I have to go back to work.Estimations I gotbased on the pictures I sent I got an estimation from Dr. Koray 3800-4000 50 grafts per cm2Dr. koray estimation was the highest from all the clinics I have contacted, but I saw it as a good thing - it's because he plans to cover more of the scalp with hair and for better density. given my current hair loss stage and the fact, the hair loss has stopped for the last 6 years - I was cool with his estimation.Choosing a hair transplant Dr I liked the results of Dr Koray, and I love his hairlines designs, as I like more relatively aggressive hairline (and not the "half circle", most sergeants do).Another plus for ASMED, is my great personal patient coordinator, Suzana. unlike other clinics, I got from Suzana very thorough and quick answers to my questions. she was very patient with me even though I had A LOT of questions. sometimes she misses a few of my questions, but overall she is super helpful, nice and provided me with all the answers I needed - And most importantly she made me feel like someone is with me throughout the process which is very important to me, As I'm doing the procedure in a foreign country.First day - consultationI arrived in Istanbul at 09:00 (12.3.19). ASMED driver waited for me at the airport as Suzana said he would. I checked in the hotel, which is located 2 min walk from the clinic. then ASMED driver waited for me at 12:00 to take me to the clinic (it was raining so I used this service ). Suzana welcomed me at the entrance and then I had some blood tests & heart rate checks. then I got photos of my current state. Afterward, I met DR. Koray he is a very nice person, he saw that my temples area was thin and asked me if I would like to transplant in that area as well to make it denser, I said yes and then he changed the grafts number for hair transplant from 4000 to 4300. he said that I have a good donor zone, and can reach 48 grafts per cm2, and that my average hair per graft ration is 1.9 (he wasn't far it was 2.13 according to his machine analysis). then he drew a hairline he thought is good for me, it was ok but I wanted it a little bit lower and the temples with a little less angle. he said we will consider it after the head shave - only then and after the grafts analysis he can know my actual current state and we will decide together.So, they shaved my head, took a few pictures (shaved) and then I went to this machine that supposed to count the grafts and hairs from the entire head.then we went back to DR he agreed to do the changes I wanted. in the room there where like 5 very pretty girls, he drew the new line (with the tweaks I requested) and each gave her input. the whole prosses took 4 min or so. then I looked in the mirror and was happy with that hairline. the whole prosses took around 8 hours (i waited for the Dr consultation around 3 hours) I got to the hotel at 17:00, with the hairline drawn on my shaved head. I should say that breakfast is served at the hotel and lunch and dinner is served at the clinic. operation day 1+2I got a really professional team (jasmin). I used the iPad they gave me as a mirror to see her work. she seemed very professional.I didn't feel the anesthetics at all and slept half the surgery.after the extraction (that was made by jasmin) i had lunch and got back to the incision part which is done by the Dr himself. when that part is finished jasmin continued to the implanting fase.the second day repeated itself.after the first operation day my face was doubled in size and after the second one, it tripled! I look now like a giant balloon.operation details1st day - hairline and temples - 2400 grafts.2nd day - 1929 grafts'density - 48 grafts per cm572 - Singels2733 Doubles900 - Triples118 - Quadruple6 - QuintpuleHair/grafts ratio 2.13pictures before the HT: pictures after the HT (swollen face): 2 days post op. close up: Edited March 16, 2019 by TempleRunner 4329 grafts - ASMED - Dr. Koray - 12-13.3.19HT thread: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member BjornBorg Posted March 10, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted March 10, 2019 (edited) Hello and welcome to the forums! A wig on the temples? What does that look like? Pictures please. Edited March 10, 2019 by BjornBorg My results - 2486 grafts FUE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member SprayPaint Posted March 10, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted March 10, 2019 Welcome, and good luck! With 4-5 months leave from work you should be absolutely fine. If you shave your head with the surgery and keep it cleanly trimmed, by the time you return to work it will simply look like you have a normal short-shaved head. People will be so shocked to see you with a shaved head they won’t even be thinking about a hair transplant. I wouldn’t worry if I were you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member nb98 Posted March 10, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted March 10, 2019 My hair loss was like yours, why don’t you just grow your hair out then have a partial shave? Soon as my back and sides grew back a bit I got it blended in and was looking normal within 3 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Craig2412 Posted March 10, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted March 10, 2019 Good luck with your procedure. I’ve just got back from Asmed and everything went well for me so far. The clinic and staff especially are world class and amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member TempleRunner Posted March 15, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 15, 2019 guys, I edited the post with post op pics 4329 grafts - ASMED - Dr. Koray - 12-13.3.19HT thread: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member CosmoKramer Posted March 22, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted March 22, 2019 (edited) Work looks nice and clean, best of luck with your progress and growth! 👍🏻🙂 I, too, had Suzana as my patient coordinator and she was fantastic! Edited March 22, 2019 by CosmoKramer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member TempleRunner Posted March 25, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 25, 2019 Hey, 10 days have passed since the HT. The donor zone completely healed - no redness, no scars. I feel itchiness though. It seems that they did a good job on the extraction phase. The density is lower in the transplanted area relative to the native hair, but I guess once the hair will grow and given that most of the grafts are 2+ hairs, it will look ok, but we will see. Also the transplanted zone in totaly numb. I don't know if this is normal. I'll ask the clinic. After day 6 my face returned to normal. pics (HD + flash + florecent light - so no cover ups :)): 4329 grafts - ASMED - Dr. Koray - 12-13.3.19HT thread: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member SprayPaint Posted March 26, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted March 26, 2019 I wouldn’t worry about the numbness. My recipient area maintained some degree of numbness for more than 2 months. Also, I think the density of the recipient area will always appear less than the native areas, but in 8 months with the new hairs having had time to grow mature and thicken, you should be just fine. For right now, things look good. Work looks clean, hairline appears nice, and the redness is relatively minimal. Now the hard part, sit back and wait. Things will get worse (i.e., the shed) before they get better. But hang in there. All signs look positive for a good result. 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HairDew Posted March 26, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted March 26, 2019 I had numbness for 5 months. All normal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member TempleRunner Posted April 19, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 19, 2019 Hey everybody, this is a 1-month post update (the photos below were taken at 30 days mark at least). The situation is dire, almost 90% of the transplanted hair has been shedding. I guess I need to look in the mirror and welcome with a heavy heart the ugly duckling phase :) The shedding in one temple is worst than the other - can't really explain why. I don't know if you guys can see it in the pics. but there are small hairs sprouting out, I'm having a hard time to believe these are newly grown hairs after only 1 month. maybe slow growing hairs from the HT, we will see in time. Another thing, As I'm suffering through this ugly duckling phase, I decided I am going to do what ever I can to accelerate the prosses. So I'm going to share with you guys the medication/supplements/shampoos I'm using, tell me what you think: 1. of course Propecia ( actually Proscar which I split 4 ways - I got a year supply from ASMED clinic). 2. minoxidil 5% foam - started at day 28 and will continue using it for 5 months (I don't like, never used it, but it helps growth so I will try just about anything). the clinic says not to use minoxidil solution (only after 6 months for it causes skin irritation, unlike minoxidil foam) 3. Nizoral shampoo 2/3 times a week (started after 5 weeks) 4. Sebamed anti-hair loss shampoo (with caffeine) for the days I'm not using Nizoral. 5. maxi hair supplements - which contains Biotin, MSM and a lot of different types of vitamins for hair growths. 6. saw palmetto + pumpkin seed oil The pics: 1 4329 grafts - ASMED - Dr. Koray - 12-13.3.19HT thread: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member SprayPaint Posted April 20, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted April 20, 2019 Your shed looks completely normal for the one month mark. Try not to stress. Your head will start to look much better around months 3-4. Keeping your head shaved to a #1 clipper during that whole period may make it a little less obvious and more tolerable. Up to you. Good luck. Stay positive. You’ll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member TempleRunner Posted April 25, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 25, 2019 What do you guys thinking about Minoxidil use after HT? I've never used it before. I read that it can accelerate the growth process in about a month. I also read here in the forum that it can also harm HT (don't know how). I have been using it for 20 days now 2 timed a day. I really don't know whether I should stop or not. I don't want to do anything that can slightly harm my HT, even if it means longer (or normal) ugly duckling phase. Any advice/thoughts? 4329 grafts - ASMED - Dr. Koray - 12-13.3.19HT thread: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Kraistoff Posted April 25, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted April 25, 2019 Hello mate i stopped as I was told by someone on here that it caused native hairs to shed . my thoughts were that if my native hair shed (not donor) , and I stopped using it that I would lose those hairs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member TempleRunner Posted April 27, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 27, 2019 I read that on the forum, as well, but it doesn't make any sense. minoxidil is a hair growth product and not hair loss product. If it causes shedding, why on earth it got FDA approve for hair loss? 4329 grafts - ASMED - Dr. Koray - 12-13.3.19HT thread: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Kraistoff Posted April 27, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted April 27, 2019 I think it makes you shed weak hair and better hair grows in its place but you will lose them if you discontinue i don’t think anyone knows how minox actually works, but for most it doesn’t help very much and you have to keep using it you will lose gains and end up worse than before . you shouldn’t shed transplanted hair, but your native hair might. If you’re not doing it forever then there’s no point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member TempleRunner Posted April 27, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 27, 2019 I'm using it on transplanted hair only (the transplant was on a completely bald areas). So I guess that is not a problem for me. some doctors say that minoxi makes hair grow faster and stronger because the grafts get more nutrition. so using minoxi on the HT hair should show you results a month earlier, so they say. 4329 grafts - ASMED - Dr. Koray - 12-13.3.19HT thread: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member TempleRunner Posted May 13, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 13, 2019 Hey everybody, 2 months update. Most of the hair has shedded. from a far the temples look empty and sick. But closer look I can see a lot of new hairs (look closely at the pics) It's a bit early for growth, maybe because all the supplements I take, maybe not. 4329 grafts - ASMED - Dr. Koray - 12-13.3.19HT thread: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member xadiohead Posted May 14, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted May 14, 2019 I'm impressed by how many hairs you have on the recipient area. I hardly have any. You had asked somewhere else that I provide pictures of my status because were at ASMED on the same day. Here is a link to my thread (it's not as well documented as yours): https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/forum/15-hair-restoration-results-posted-by-patients/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member TempleRunner Posted May 16, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 16, 2019 On 5/15/2019 at 2:25 AM, xadiohead said: I'm impressed by how many hairs you have on the recipient area. I hardly have any. You had asked somewhere else that I provide pictures of my status because were at ASMED on the same day. Here is a link to my thread (it's not as well documented as yours): https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/forum/15-hair-restoration-results-posted-by-patients/ Thank you. there are not so many hairs in total, but I can see new growth. do you? the link is to genaral board. can u give me a link to your HT post? I am really curious to see your status right now. 4329 grafts - ASMED - Dr. Koray - 12-13.3.19HT thread: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member TempleRunner Posted June 11, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 11, 2019 Hey guys! it's 3 months mark! (almost 2 days left) There is a major improvement from month 2. The hair is still not dense enough of course but I'm only at 3 months, so I have a lot of growth time left. The photos I upload here are focused at the temples, so you can judge the growth, but I'm not going like this outside. I'm wearing it down so it looks much better than the pics I upload here (I attached a pic with the hair down). the middle of the hairline growth is falling behind the temples, dunno why, I hope it will catch up soon. Still continue with the regime. what do you think of the growth rate so far? 4329 grafts - ASMED - Dr. Koray - 12-13.3.19HT thread: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member xadiohead Posted June 12, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted June 12, 2019 Wow, looking good from what I can tell. You are way ahead of my growth (we were there the same day). I think you are going to have a success in six months. I hardly have ANY growth so far and it is still very red. Does your hair normally grow fast? I think we are on similar regimes (proscar, MSM, biotin, palmetto) except I'm still using minoxidil once per day. Mine normally grows somewhat slow and I have pale skin so hoping that's all it is. I'll update my thread in a few days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member TempleRunner Posted June 13, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 13, 2019 Thanks, two weeks ago i started minoxi again. yeah, it is growing good so far for this stage. I don't consider my growth, fast, but between 2-3 i saw lots of new hairs. you don't have any new growth? odd.... but, I saw ppl start to grow at 6 months so nothing out of the ordinary yet. i have brown hair and white skin so the you can see it better. 4329 grafts - ASMED - Dr. Koray - 12-13.3.19HT thread: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member TempleRunner Posted July 12, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 12, 2019 (edited) HI everyone, It's been* almost 4 months (-2 days) - Update time! The hair continues to grow and thicken. Yesterday I did my first hair cut, almost 1-2MM on the side and back. no trace of the hair transplant procedure: no redness, no scars, no shock loss (I have 2*scars there, but they are from*childhood). I'm very happy with the donor area state. After the new hair cut, the native hair and the transplanted hair blend in better and more smoothly. The density is far from good, but for this stage (4 months) I'm happy, I have 7 more months of growth. Now I'm limited to a certain hairstyle - comb downwards. I can't style it backward yet, due to lack of density - it's just doesn't look good yet. hopefully, in a few months, it will be possible. When I look at my pics before the HT and now - I just can't believe it! a dream comes true. no other way to describe it. What do you guys think? Edited July 12, 2019 by TempleRunner 4329 grafts - ASMED - Dr. Koray - 12-13.3.19HT thread: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Kraistoff Posted July 12, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted July 12, 2019 Outstanding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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