5000 Grafts FUE Feb 2020 Asmed

[John MacDonald]

Hi everybody!

Normally I would not bother to post on online forums but I felt that the experience I had and the results after only 6 months were so far beyond my expectations that it would be selfish not to share them. My hair had noticeably being falling out since my late 20s (I'm 35 now) and it was something that I was very conscious off in the last few years especially when I looked at photographs from certain angles or if I was outside and it was very windy! I decided in 2019 that I would finally do something about it and after looking online at forums and watching many, many Vlogs I decided to put my trust in Asmed.

No turning back!

From my initial inquiry I dealt primarily with Andreea and despite my obvious apprehension she made the process as seamless as possible. Before I had even boarded a plane I knew exactly what to expect from the moment I landed in Istanbul because Andreea had outlined the whole process from the moment my driver picked me up at the Airport to when he dropped me off a few days later completely satisfied albeit a little swollen. 

After a mixed night sleep due more to nerves than discomfort because the facility is tremendous I awoke to breakfast and a day of consultations, hair cuts and loads of photographs. It was strange seeing Dr. Koray Erdogan because I had watched so many videos with him in them it was like meeting a celebrity and I suppose he is, certainly within the world of hair restoration. Its a nervy moment waiting to see if I would be deemed a suitable candidate and thankfully I was. The day passed in a blur moving from here to there under the guidance of my coordinator. One of the biggest benefits of staying inside the clinic aside from the instant medical care was that I was able to mix with and chat to other patients who had already undergone the operation and they assured me that the process although long and at times uncomfortable was not overly painful, phew!

The morning of the surgery I had a light breakfast and was met by Andreea who whisked me away for a final haircut. I was a little surprised that I did not feel nervous, only excited and ready to finally do what I have been waiting months for! The operation was as described by the patients the previous night, nothing more than a little uncomfortable. I actually fell asleep a few times during the procedure. The team were great, constantly checking to see if I was okay and If I needed anything. The first few hours is the manual extraction process where they remove the grafts with a punch and count them all, sorting them into singles, doubles etc. After a break they moved onto the next phase where Dr. Koray does all the incisions for the grafts, again I slept through this whole process. Lastly the grafts are all inserted. Its a long day but you are kept entertained with a tablet to watch Netflix and the charm of the ever attentive staff.

That night sleep does not come easy, you are instructed to sleep on your back with a blow up pillow to keep your head straight but its not easy. A combination of the pillow and being wary of turning over meant that I only got a few broken minutes here and there. Although uncomfortable and frustrating this is essential to keep the area that has just received grafts from being damaged. It gets easier, slightly. The second day was just a repeat of the first putting in the remainder of the 5000 grafts. Another night of rough, broken sleep ensued.

My final day involved the removal of my dressings and a tutorial of how to look after my hair over the next couple of weeks including shampooing and what I can and can't do. They took some final pictures and done some final scans of the donor site. After a brief chat with the Surgeon I was given a bag of creams, ointments and shampoos as well as a few months supply of Finasteride and memory stick with all my pictures and data and I was able to leave. 

Looking after those new locks

Your journey with Asmed doesn't end when you say good bye at the airport, they are on hand to help if you have any queries or questions and I also keep them up to date with pictures of my progress. The healing process was quicker than I expected and within 10 days all my scabs had fallen off. It was at this point everyone decided to tell me that I suited a shaved head and I realised I had wasted thousands of pounds for no reason! Haha.

I was lucky and only about 20% of my grafts fell out over the next few weeks so straight away my hair looked good and what a time to do it during COVID lockdown when I hardly seen anybody. It was the 4-6 month point that my hair really started to thicken and now after just 6 months the results have surpassed my expectations and I know it will only get better over the coming months. I finally have options when I go the barber shop!!! 

If anyone has any questions about any stage of the process or wants to see post op or other progress pictures let me know 🙂

Edited August 28, 2020 by John MacDonald

[Jimmy58]

Great result!

very happy for you ✌️

[mxm56]

Hi man, your hair is perfect now, enjoy it! Do you think that your case is similar to mine? Does age matter with the result of a transplant? 

 

Did you need to use finasteride before the operation? Sorry for the many questions

Edited November 24, 2020 by mxm56

[Britanium]

Missed this one. That’s a massive amount of grafts. How’s it looking now? 

[SearchingMan]

Great result