From novice to new hair. Dr Bicer. 4000 grafts October 2022

[ScottishGuy21]

I’ve been gradually receding since I was around 22. Since hitting 30 however that has progressed from minor front hairline  regression, towards my crown. I do not use any medication at present for my hair loss. I have been researching HT but I am finding it a minefield and would appreciate any advice. 

 

The costs in the UK are out of my affordability (Quoted upwards of £10k!) so like countless others I’ve like towards Europe / Turkey. I am aware of the horror stories and mistakes others have made thanks to this forum but am finding it difficult making a decision. 

 

From a previous consultation I have been advised I require roughly 3500 grafts? My donor area does appear to be strong. Can anyone point me in the direction of good surgeons with semi reasonable prices. Thanks in advance 

 

[Melvin- Admin]

I would recommend not getting an HT unless you can afford a decent surgeon. You need at least 5,000 grafts, even a good doctor in Turkey is gonna charge near 10k. I would not be swayed by cheap hair transplants, instead focus on quality, the absolute cheapest doctor is Bicer at 1.5 per graft. 
https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/physician/Turkey/Ozlem-Bicer/694

[ScottishGuy21]

Thanks for the swift reply

I have read too much around various forums to fall into the trap of going down the cheap route which is why I have posted on here for advice 

When originally quoted for 3500 I did think that as a little on the light side given the extent of my hair loss. So it’s good to have confirmation my own gut feeling was right!

 

[blackislback]

Your donor area looks good, about solid clinics in Turkey, check thread below,

 

where are mostly recommended clinics-doctors here at HRN, table is made with experience of many HRN members - real facts, as threads of HRN members who already performed HTs and posted their post-op results, in frame like 1-12 months.

4-5k x 1.3e or 1.5e lowest prices of these recommended clinics in TR, can be something like 5.5-6k up to 7.5k depending of graft numbers, so contact few these clinics from table above, and ask for review your case and send you some quotation with total.

[Portugal25]

@ScottishGuy21 I fully agree with @Melvin- Moderator because there’s no way 3500 grafts with rebuild your frontal hairline and midscalp. 
Turkey is the world capital of botched hair transplants and since you require a mega session with decent rates I would strongly advise you to look into Eugenix. You have a Eugenix package that has Dr. Arika involved with the surgery and it cost’s the same as Dr. Bicer. 
Wish you all the best!

[Curious25]

Save up your pennies, and get in touch with Hattingen for an FUT procedure (If you don't mind the scar) - you seem to be a perfect candidate for them going off your pics. 

[Portugal25]

5 minutes ago, Curious25 said:

Save up your pennies, and get in touch with Hattingen for an FUT procedure (If you don't mind the scar) - you seem to be a perfect candidate for them going off your pics. 

Totally agree with @Curious25 if you want the best possible outcome you should chose Dr. Muresanu at Hattingen because they are Kings at mega sessions along with H&W. 
Only if budget is a real concern should you consider Eugenix but please remember that is a irreversible surgery that will forever afect your life so my advice to you is to save up and go for the best!

Edited October 5, 2021 by Portugal25

[Doron Harati]

Looks very strong donor, I would estimate around 3000-3500 grafts for frontal only.

At HDC clinic we can offer you Dr. Christina 2.0 Euros per graft, which includes our free accommodations next to the clinic for 7 days treatment: 2 days of surgery and 4 more days of washing all your scabs in our clinic, you need to make sure the middle scalp is thin for a procedure so it wont hurt your natural hair.

We're also recommend in this forum.

Our Instagram:

https://instagram.com/doronhairadvisor_hdc?utm_medium=copy_link

Edited October 5, 2021 by Doron Harati

[ScottishGuy21]

Again, thank you to everyone who has replied. A wealth of information that i’ll consider before taking my next step. 

As someone has mentioned would it perhaps be feasible to approach this in two stages with highly skilled surgeons?

Stage one concentrating on frontal loss? Before going back for stage two as soon as economically possible?

 

[Melvin- Admin]

17 minutes ago, Doron Harati said:

Looks very strong donor, I would estimate around 3000-3500 grafts for frontal only.

At HDC clinic we can offer you Dr. Christina 2.0 Euros per graft, which includes our free accommodations next to the clinic for 7 days treatment: 2 days of surgery and 4 more days of washing all your scabs in our clinic, you need to make sure the middle scalp is thin for a procedure so it wont hurt your natural hair.

We're also recommend in this forum.

Our Instagram:

https://instagram.com/doronhairadvisor_hdc?utm_medium=copy_link

HDC is a solid choice as well.

[Portugal25]

6 minutes ago, ScottishGuy21 said:

Again, thank you to everyone who has replied. A wealth of information that i’ll consider before taking my next step. 

As someone has mentioned would it perhaps be feasible to approach this in two stages with highly skilled surgeons?

Stage one concentrating on frontal loss? Before going back for stage two as soon as economically possible?

 

@ScottishGuy21 if you talk with FUE Doctors that are solely focused on getting the best outcome then they will probably insist on doing your HT divided into two surgeries. 

Dr. Bruno Ferreira did this for my friend @PT#31and his brother @TGR46 he also suggested I did the same (should have listened to him).

If you consider FUT at Hattingen you could have it all done in just 1 mega session. 

Great that you are considering the advise from your HRN friends. 

Edited October 5, 2021 by Portugal25

[digi23]

1 hour ago, ScottishGuy21 said:

Again, thank you to everyone who has replied. A wealth of information that i’ll consider before taking my next step. 

As someone has mentioned would it perhaps be feasible to approach this in two stages with highly skilled surgeons?

Stage one concentrating on frontal loss? Before going back for stage two as soon as economically possible?

 

It would be a good idea yes to do frontal area first maybe 3000 grafts. Then the rest.

Cheapest options in Turkey for your situation should be Dr Erkan Demirsoy 1,25 euro per graft or Dr Özlem Bicer 1,5 euro per graft.

Edited October 5, 2021 by digi23

[Curious25]

13 hours ago, ScottishGuy21 said:

As someone has mentioned would it perhaps be feasible to approach this in two stages with highly skilled surgeons?

Stage one concentrating on frontal loss? Before going back for stage two as soon as economically possible?

I’d personally opt for this. The smaller sessions that you break down surgeries into, the less room for error or losing finite grafts. 
 

If your heart is set on FUE, then this is the only way to go IMO. A mega session of FUE is never a good idea 

[ScottishGuy21]

So 12 months on I finally bit the bullet and had my first procedure. I spoke to several Dr’s but in the end opted for Dr Bicer. She was the most open and honest about what to expect. It’s clear she takes great pride in her work and cares about her patients. 

Originally I wanted a slightly lower hairline but during consultation she convinced me otherwise, stressing the need for donor preservation given my circs. I’m mid to late 30s, taking 1mg Fin a day (Can’t take Minox, had a few reactions in the past to it unfortunately)and will need two procedures. One frontal and the second mid scalp / crown. Whilst Fin may be effective at the moment Bicer explained it’s important not to exhaust incase gradual further recession kicks in late on in life. So there’s some in the tank so to speak for touch ups if this did ever happen. 

We agreed on a conservative hairline to begin with during session 1 which looking back was a sensible idea. It’s one thing seeing the lines of where she will operate but it’s another when you see it completed minutes after you’ve got out the chair. Only then do you realise the skill and effort that goes into this. In the end she transplanted just over 4000 grafts which is the very top end of what she would be willing to do in a day. From arrival to finish I was there close to 11 hours but it didn’t feel that long. The procedure was practically painless, the only mild pain is the initial anaesthetic going in. The rest your head is numb so you don’t feel a thing. I was very comfortable throughout and Dr Bicer and her close knit staff are all very friendly.

I opted for the transfer / apartment package they offer. Yes it is a little more expensive than independent booking but it takes away all the stress of travelling. The apartment is in the same block as her surgery which post op is very welcome, likewise the next morning when you go back to get your bandages removed and for a check up. I would recommend this as the first few hours are crucial for your recipient areas so the less stress or exposure to the elements the better.

Im currently on week 8 and so far so good bar the odd pimple 🤣. After 6 weeks I had the beginning of the dreaded shed which is now in full swing but my donor has healed up well. In daylight it is slightly noticeable but after 8 weeks it looks much better than I expected at this stage. I did also have a dry scalp around week 4 but on Dr Bicer advice began using almond oil which has worked a treat. 

I wasn’t going to post my progress but with so much misinformation out there I think it’s important to do so. 

Above 5 days post op 

Above 9 days post op

 

Above and below just before the shed kicked in.

 

The above is straight out the shower, so my crown does look much thinner and it would dry as the photo above that shows

 

Edited November 30, 2022 by ScottishGuy21

[Gatsby]

@ScottishGuy21 that's a great result which is no surprise coming from Dr Bicer. 👌

[Al - Moderator]

Thanks for coming back and updating us on what you decided to do.

 

[ScottishGuy21]

On 10/5/2021 at 11:25 PM, Melvin- Moderator said:

HDC is a solid choice as well.

Will continue to update thread with progress but may be in the wrong section now. Can you move it Melvin? 

[ScottishGuy21]

3 month update 

So far so good. Donor area back to pre op. Already have a fair bit of growth in my recipient area which I never expected so early on.

[ScottishGuy21]

Just a few days shy of month 4.

Slowly but surely it’s moving in the right direction.

[A_4_Archan]

Going good ..u will start getting growth from now onwards ..😊

[ScottishGuy21]

5 months in now

This is in lower light, density getting there but in harsh light it still looks relatively thin. Looking forward to it thickening up over the next few months (Hopefully anyway!)

[Redmann]

Looks very nice, man. Take this from a guy who fell into the trap of doing it in the UK and not going abroad, and 4+ months in has nothing even close to those results. Seems you have done the right thing!

[Gatsby]

Looking good. Great coverage and at five months you have a lot more growing in front of you. All the best!

[ScottishGuy21]

10 hours ago, Redmann said:

Looks very nice, man. Take this from a guy who fell into the trap of doing it in the UK and not going abroad, and 4+ months in has nothing even close to those results. Seems you have done the right thing!

Thanks, happy so far for where i’m at

4 months is still early. With a bit of luck you see some decent growth this month 👍🏻. 

[Spring15]

Nice. Look forward to seeing how it progresses over the coming months braveheart