3790 Grafts FUE NW6-7 by Dr. Ozlem Bicer, 02/07/2021

[tokerutaichou]

Hello!

After a long, long time of procrastinating and researching, I decided to finally go through with a HT. Now I want to share with all of your my experience and progress.

 

I've been suffering from hair loss for a very long time, since I was 20 I think. Now I am 28, and with 2.5 years (I think, maybe more) of finasteride. I also took Minoxidil off-on for a while, but I wasn't consistent.

My hair loss is genetic, but I really ignored the signs until it was too late and I ended up NW 6. I think finasteride helped. I'm pretty sure my condition has stabilized since I started taking it.

Anyway, I am a very cautious person, so I decided to closely study the whole hair transplant deal as much as I could. Unfortunately, my hair is relatively bright and very thin, so my hair loss is more pronounced than most people. Also, because my hair loss was at such an advanced stage, I knew there was no room for errors, which I found were a bit too common to my liking with the cheaper clinics (and they also usually post dark haired results).

Since I knew I required a large number of grafts, I realized that going for the highest priced clinics was a bit out of my reach. Luckily enough, I found through this forum Dr. Bicer's clinic, and with all the high praise she receives here I felt confident to go through with it. It was especially important to me that I go to a clinic where I'm the only patient, and not a 'hair mill'.

I should note here that I sent my case to several clinics beside Bicer, and while most of them came up with the same recommendation of 4000-4200 grafts, Dr. Bicer initially advised me to only do 3000 grafts. This is because I am relatively young and she wanted to preserve my donor area in the case of additional hair loss. This cautious advice also gave me good impression.

Dr. Bicer's assistant, Ozen, was very kind, and answered all of my question via WhatsApp, and even arranged a video call with Dr. Bicer, where she answered my questions. Ozen sent me a very detailed paper with explanations of what was going to happen before, during and after the surgery. It contained a price quote for 1.5*3000+300 EUR, for the VIP package (transfers+hotel). After I decided to go through the operation, I paid 500 EUR in advance through my bank. Luckily enough, I did not have to wait long for the operation as a slot cleared for about 2 weeks following my decision.

 

Day -1 (day before the operation)

My flight arrived late, so I think the travel company had to get another taxi. I waited a while, but not too much. A VIP taxi took me straight to the hotel, which was literally 2 minutes walk from the clinic. Dr. Bicer's assistant, Ozen, sent me a convenient photo to show me where it is.

The hotel was grand, very tidy and clean (except a huge dead moth I found on the floor, lol).

Dinner at the hotel was great and inexpensive (maybe I will go to Turkey on vacation next time...)

I took a shower and went to sleep.

 

Day 0 (operation day)

Woke up, had a big, good breakfast, took another shower, and headed to the clinic. Note - go around the building from the RIGHT. Accidently circled it from the left.

Told the guard at the building where the clinic is that I'm there for Dr. Bicer (note: pronounced like teacher), and he let me in and told me the room and floor.

I met with Dr. Bicer's Assistant, Ozen. She explained to me the procedure and the necessary aftercare, and brought me forms to fill. She even had the forms in my native language! You basically have to sign at the bottom of each page and also fill some other details occasionally. Then I also had to copy a few paragraphs with my own handwriting (apparently part of the bureaucracy mandated by the Turkish government).

Ozen then gave me a cap hat, a neck pillow and a small bag with medications and lotions and usage instructions.

After that I met with Dr. Bicer. She explained to me the overall procedure and examined my hair closely in order to decide the extent of the surgery. At site, she told me that she recommended me to go with 3800 grafts instead of the original 3000. She said that because my hair loss was so advanced, I just didn't have much more to lose, and so she could harvest more of my donor area. I agreed and Ozen went to write a new price quote.

I had my pictures taken and then went back to Dr. Bicer to draw the hairline. Dr. Bicer chose a very conservative hairline for me- nearly the same as my current, very thin hairline. I was quite surprised since I assumed that more grafts would allow for a lower hairline, but she told me that she preferred density over area. I asked her 'how low she can go' with my hair, but even the less conservative hairline she drew was really conservative, so I figured I should just go with what she recommends.

She looked over her drawing a few times to make sure the hairline as straight, and then I went to get shaved, and also get some blood extracted for the grafts.

Apparently, there was an issue with a gel-filling customer who claimed that her lips were still too small or something, so we had to start the operation at quite a late hour.

 

Operation

The operation room as on the second floor of the clinic. I had to take off my shoes at the entrance. I then changed my shirt for an operating vest and lay on the table.

There were two technicians helping Dr. Bicer with the procedure. They were very nice, but barely spoke any English. Ozen had to come a few times to translate.

The first part of the operation was the graft extraction. I was hooked to an IV.

First I had needle-less anesthesia (it felt kinda like a stapler? can't really explain), it wasn't bad, just long and annoying (I think I had like a 100 of those). And then they injected something to dilate my skin, I believe. This part hurt like a b*ch, but the technicians made sure to give me more anesthesia if it hurt. After that Dr. Bicer and the technicians extracted the grafts with automated FUE. It felt like little drills in my head (but didn't hurt at all). The grafts were put into a solution with my blood.

I think this whole part took like 3 hours. I didn't really have a sense of time during the surgery, and during this part I apparently even fell asleep. After that they bandaged the area.

At around 14:00 we had a break and I was treated to Turkish Doner. Yum.

Then we resumed. I was again given anesthesia and skin dilation (this time to the recipient area). It hurt a bit more than the donor.

Dr. Bicer then did the incisions. Again little drills in my head, doesn't hurt. I think this took like 2-3 hours.

Last part- putting the grafts in the incisions. This part was annoying- creepy sensation of things put into my head, and also it was the longest part. I think this took like 4 hours. The technicians did most of this part, Dr. Bicer came in occasionally to supervise. I had to ask for two breaks during this part, I was starting to get exhausted. I was given some sweet juice during those breaks. Apparently this was an unusually long operation (both the duration, and the late starting hour).

Finally, we were done at around 21:00. I was a bit dizzy from the anesthesia and lying for so long.

My dad somehow managed to get Ozen's number (I did not give it to him), he was really stressed because the hour was late and I didn't contact him lol. Ozen gave her phone to me and I recorded him a quick message.

After a few minutes of composing myself, I wore my shirt again and headed for the hotel. Had dinner, took an antibiotic and went to sleep (on the side).

 

 

Day 1 in next post.

If there is anything I forgot to mention, do tell me.

 

EDIT: Changed emojis to neutral ones.

Edited July 14, 2021 by tokerutacihou

[tokerutaichou]

Day 1

In the morning I saw that one of the grafts fell off. 😢 I held a toilet funeral for it.

Had breakfast at the hotel, took the morning medication, and then checked out and headed to the clinic.

Dr. Bicer took off my bandages, examined me, and took some more photos.

I had my flight at 13:00 so I was a bit in a rush. Apparently there was miscommunication so instead of the VIP taxi I was already booked for, Dr. Bicer called a regular one. On that note: note that yellow taxis are 'special' taxis. VIP taxis are black. Oh well, it wasn't so expensive.

Had lunch at the airport, took my meds again and flew home.

 

Edited July 11, 2021 by tokerutacihou

[tokerutaichou]

Day 2-6

I decided to take the week off to rest at home. It was a very good decision.

In the morning of day 2 I found another fallen graft. My head almost stopped hurting, but I had a lot of gases (painful ones). Talked to my doctor, and she said the medication I was given at the clinic was the cause. She told me to take anti-gas medication and probiotics, which helped. I kept taking them until day 8 just to be safe.

On day 3 I started applying the cream and shampoo I was given, making sure to rub my head gently and without my nails touching, I even use latex gloves. The video instructions I was sent by Ozen seemed a bit too rough for my liking, lol. My head was still covered in scabs and they did not come off, but I decided to stay gentle. I take things nice and easy. I noticed one more fallen graft. I hope this is the last one.

On day 4 I noticed that my head, especially the areas around the eyes, started getting a bit bloated. Didn't hurt, was just annoying. Talking about it with Ozen, she told me it's okay to take the anti-edema medication they gave me for one extra day (the box they gave me had enough for 3 extra days). The bloating disappeared after 2-3 more days.

At around day 6 the scabs were starting to come off slowly, but surely. I was making sure to be very gentle with my scalp, in any case.

 

Day 7

Time for first progress pictures. Many of the scabs have fallen off, but a lot still stay. I rub the cream and shampoo slightly harder every day, but I do not force it, and I make sure not to use my nails. I need to apply them daily until day 12, so there's a lot of time.

My hair already started to grow back in. I started taking biotin a few days before the surgery, so maybe it helps.

Edited July 14, 2021 by tokerutacihou

[Britanium]

Dr Bicer was a very good choice! Thanks for posting a very detailed write up 👌look forward to following your ongoing journey 🙏

[tokerutaichou]

Day 8-13

After 8 days, the scabs start falling off a lot more quickly. I still don't rub hard.

After 10 days, nearly all of the scabs have fallen off. However, a lot of hairs also start falling off (notably without the roots). I assume this is normal?

My head is still very pink. I wonder when it will go back to normal. I also start feeling more comfortable with touching it. I find that my recipient area is still numb. I asked Ozen, and she told me it will go away after a month or so. Not worried at the moment.

Day 11 - more hairs fall off. Almost all of the scabs are gone.

Day 12 - some more hairs fall off, a bit less than the previous days. All of the scabs are gone. This is the last day I'm using the cream and shampoo I was given at the clinic. I sent updated photos to Ozen, and she said everything looks okay. I will use regular baby shampoo from now for a month, as the clinic advised. I think the pinkness is starting to go away, but the area is still numb. I will update with more photos here on day 14, I want to be consistent here.

 

Day 14

Time for more progress pictures! I didn't notice any more hairs falling since day 12. Since day 13 I was using baby shampoo.

I wonder if the rest of the implants will fall in the coming days...

If nothing dramatic happens, I will post another update in a week.

 

Edited July 17, 2021 by tokerutacihou

[SLA]

Go you! Excellent choice of doctor and thanks for the detailed write up!

You are poised for excellent growth.

Did Dr. Bicer comment on how many grafts might be left to extract for your donor region should you want to cover the crown?

[tokerutaichou]

On 7/12/2021 at 7:41 PM, SLA said:

Go you! Excellent choice of doctor and thanks for the detailed write up!

You are poised for excellent growth.

Did Dr. Bicer comment on how many grafts might be left to extract for your donor region should you want to cover the crown?

Thanks for the words of encouragement!

She did not, and I didn't think to ask her. She just said that I should come back for a second surgery in at least a year. So I assume there aren't troubles in that matter? She also didn't use the areas above my ears. (my hair is really dense there!)

She said that she goes for high density at the front and medium density further back, so I guess I won't need as many grafts to cover it. I'm also pretty tall, so I don't need to have very high density there (correct me if I'm wrong). Plus, she said that if necessary we can also use beard/chest.

Should I ask her?

Edited July 17, 2021 by tokerutacihou

[Britanium]

44 minutes ago, tokerutacihou said:

Day 8-14

After 8 days, the scabs start falling off a lot more quickly. I still don't rub hard.

After 10 days, nearly all of the scabs have fallen off. However, a lot of hairs also start falling off (notably without the roots). I assume this is normal?

My head is still very pink. I wonder when it will go back to normal. I also start feeling more comfortable with touching it. I find that my recipient area is still numb. I asked Ozen, and she told me it will go away after a month or so. Not worried at the moment.

 

Will edit this post with updates in the coming days.

All totally normal ! Everything your experiencing is expected 🙏

[SLA]

2 hours ago, tokerutacihou said:

Thanks for the words of encouragement!

She did not, and I didn't think to ask her. She just said that I should come back for a second surgery in at least a year. So I assume there aren't troubles in that matter? She also didn't use the areas above my ears. (my hair is really dense there!)

She said that she goes for high density at the front and medium density further back, so I guess I won't need as many grafts to cover it. I'm also pretty tall, so I don't need to have very high density there (correct me if I'm wrong). Plus, she said that if necessary we can also use beard/chest.

Should  I ask her?

You're welcome- While I have yet to take the plunge myself, I know encouragement and support is super helpful.

You might ask her is she has any gauge on the capacity of your scalp donor and how many grafts she anticipates needing to cover the rest of your head with adequate density.

Looking forward to your continued updates!

[tokerutaichou]

Before getting to the update, I just want to thank Ozen again for her attentiveness and care. Apparently she browses the forum regularly and contacted me about my other post.

She answered some of my questions and even offered to set up a video chat with Dr. Bicer again next week, so I'll see how it goes.

 

Days 15-20

Hairs in the recipient area are still falling off in a very moderate pace. I think the numbness in my recipient area is starting to go away, but overall it's still numb.

I try to take a shower every day and I wash my head gently with baby shampoo, as advised.

At around day 19, I started noticing some tiny white bumps in the recipient area. Based on what I read, I assume these are the new hairs growing in? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I am also noticing some of the grafts barely starting to grow. Either it's that or what I'm seeing is what's left after the original hair fell off.

 

Day 21

Time for more progress photos. Honestly, I still don't think there's much new to see, but I want to be consistent with these so I can compare them all later on.

At least the donor area looks like it recovered.

 

Once again, I will post another update in a week, if nothing special happens.

Edited July 23, 2021 by tokerutacihou

[SLA]

Coming along nicely! Thanks for keeping us posted.

[Britanium]

Awesome 😎 nice progress ! All totally on track. Thanks for the update 🙏

[ITA]

2 hours ago, tokerutacihou said:

Apparently she browses the forum regularly and contacted me about my other post.

She answered some of my questions and even offered to set up a video chat with Dr. Bicer again next week, so I'll see how it goes.

Wow, that's great, she read your forum post and contacted you to answer your question.  Compliments to Bicęr 👏👏👏👏

Edited July 23, 2021 by Egy

[Melvin- Admin]

Excellent write up, look forward to seeing your progress 👏🏼

[tokerutaichou]

Before the update - Ozen did not get back to me about the video call with Dr. Bicer. I assume she simply forgot, but I didn't really need to remind her as she's already answered all of my questions on WhatsApp. If I do have more questions for Dr. Bicer, I'll make sure to contact her again and write here what happened.

1 month update

Not much to update in my opinion, I'm just being consistent here.

I am not suffering from much more hair loss. My recipient area is still a somewhat pink and numb. I really hope it will go back to normal soon...

I still see small white bumps in my recipient area. They're especially visible after I take a shower. Still showering almost every day and washing with baby shampoo.

Also, upon close examination, I think I'm seeing some the new hair coming in? But the density is still very low. I think this is considered the worst point in the hair transplant timeline, correct me if I'm wrong.

 

I will now update at half-month intervals.

 

Edited August 1, 2021 by tokerutaichou

[Britanium]

With the pinkness fading and it seems all the shedding has taken place I would say your still on track. 
The next couple of months will be the worse part before you start to see any growth occurring. Most people will have the grafts start growing around month 4. 
Thanks for the update 🙏

[tokerutaichou]

1 hour ago, JohnAC71 said:

With the pinkness fading and it seems all the shedding has taken place I would say your still on track. 
The next couple of months will be the worse part before you start to see any growth occurring. Most people will have the grafts start growing around month 4. 
Thanks for the update 🙏

Thank you for the encouragement!

[Britanium]

1 hour ago, tokerutaichou said:

Thank you for the encouragement!

Always welcome ! You should have be facing a hairy winter ❄️ 

[tokerutaichou]

2 hours ago, JohnAC71 said:

Always welcome ! You should have be facing a hairy winter ❄️ 

Finally some insulation 😆

[tokerutaichou]

1.5 months update

For the past couple of weeks, I've been experiencing some grains of dead skin falling along with a few hairs each (stuck in them). I assume/hope those are just the ends of the transplanted grafts, and that they're supposed to fall off. It doesn't seem to be very serious, only slightly unpleasant to feel and look at.

The numbness in my transplanted area has now mostly dissipated, but the skin is still visibly pink. I hope this will disappear soon too.

I haven't cut my hair since the surgery, and now it seems almost back to how I used to keep it before the transplant, so I assume only my sparse, original hair has grown back. I might cut it again in a few weeks, but probably not before the next update.

When I look closely between the long hairs, I can see very short hairs, which I assume are the transplanted ones. I hope they'll start growing soon!

I'm still washing my hair with baby shampoo. I think I'll just keep going with that until I empty the bottle. I am still seeing some white spots in my transplanted area after I shower.

I'm also extremely careful not to expose my head to the sun. I plan to keep doing so until next year.

Next update in two weeks.

[Britanium]

Thanks for the update. From the pics I can see the pinkness is improving. Everything is on track. Maybe you will start to see growth starting in about 2 months. 🙏

[tokerutaichou]

2 months update

 

Hi again!

The dead skin grains I've reported previously are now almost completely gone.

I feel almost no numbness anymore, and the pinkness has started to fade (but it's still quite visible).

Overall, my hair seems back to how it was pre-surgery, only with the transplanted hairs between my native hairs, looking like very short hairs (2-3 mm). They are not growing at the moment.

I will probably get my first haircut before the next update. I was told at the clinic not to use a hair trimmer machine for 6 months after the surgery, so I'll make sure to tell that to the barber.

Still washing my hair with baby shampoo once every 1-2 days. The white dots I reported post-shower earlier are still there, but I think there are fewer.

I'm still being careful not to expose my scalp to the sun. I was told that I can stop when it isn't pink anymore, but I'll keep doing that until the end of the year just in case.

Next update in two weeks.

Edited September 4, 2021 by tokerutaichou

[Britanium]

Totally on track, good the pinkness has faded. This is now the worst period of waiting 🤨 growth could start anywhere from month 3 onwards 🙏

[Gatsby]

Firstly what an excellent write up! In my opinion you chose the best surgeon in Turkey! You still have a fair bit of time ahead of you but I think it’s going to be a hairy Christmas for you and the best present you will ever receive. Looking forward to your updates and thanks for sharing! 

[tokerutaichou]

7 hours ago, JohnAC71 said:

Totally on track, good the pinkness has faded. This is now the worst period of waiting 🤨 growth could start anywhere from month 3 onwards 🙏

 

1 hour ago, Gatsby said:

Firstly what an excellent write up! In my opinion you chose the best surgeon in Turkey! You still have a fair bit of time ahead of you but I think it’s going to be a hairy Christmas for you and the best present you will ever receive. Looking forward to your updates and thanks for sharing! 

Thanks guys!

I really hope it will all go as planned.