3680 grafts FUE NW6 with Dr. Bicer

[SamV7]

Hello everyone,

After a lot of research here, and consulting with many hair transplant surgeons, I finally decided to do my HT with Dr. Bicer as her name stands out more when it comes to working and managing larger graft numbers. I also would like to thank @Melvin- Moderator and @JC71 for their support answering my questions! My goal with this post is to go over my "unique" case and my personal experience, as opposed to explaining the step by step of procedures that are covered in other very similar reviews and posts of Dr. Bicer and her team on this forum. I think this would be more helpful to people in a similar situation.

 

Some background:

I am 39 years old with a history of NW 6 and 7 from my mother side of the family, but my father side all had solid hairs (😡). I am heading to NW6 myself, but I was told by some of the surgeons that I was in contact with that I am NW3 or 4 since I still have a lot of thinning hair. I did a lot of research to pick a surgeon in the US, Turkey, and Europe and ended up going with Dr. Bicer based on many recommendations here. One of the HT surgeons here in New York advised me against FUE. I was told that I have thinning in my donor are and it is best not to move forward with surgery unless this is just how my hair has always been. I found pictures of myself from 2008 with similar hair characteristics and same "average" donor when I was in my 20s, and it looks relatively the same. 

 

Having said that a lot of other surgeons told me that I have Ok or good donor, and went to a few dermatologists here in US to confirm that I don't have DUPA and it's just how my hair looks. I also need to mention that my hair now, right before surgery, looked a lot better when I started my research and when I was advised against HT a few months ago. Now that I think about it it could have been due to stress, seasonal/hormonal changes or the fact that I switched the brand of my finasteride. 

 

 

Moving forward to today, Dr. Bicer physically examined my hair and said that I have a good donor area and thick hair overall which was very reassuring. Since my hair is a bit curly that may explain the illusion of thinning. After all, she's been doing this for 20 years at this point I just trust her. Her assistant Ozlem also mentioned that I have good donor when she was taking photos, and I thought to myself that they must have seen it all in this business.

 

Surgery:

As everyone else mentioned it started with some paperwork the day before and meeting Dr. Bicer for a quick chat. On the surgery day, I shared my concerns about my donor with Dr. Bicer, and she patiently explained the process and set my expectations. She mentioned that she feels that I can even have a second surgery and I am relatively a low-risk patient, but just to be sure I can wait for a biopsy of my scalp to move forward with surgery. Then she gave me a few minutes to make the decision (which was a very difficult thing to do on the day of surgery after going through all the research and traveling). Both of my dermatologists back home told that I don't need biopsy, and I look normal and it'll just leave an unnecessary scar. I decided to move forward and finally do something about my hair. It'll either go well or back to square one. After I made the decision, Dr. Bicer mentioned that I am in good hands, and she has over 20 years of experience and she will do the extraction herself to pick the quality hair from my donor without over-harvesting, and there might be a possibility for a second surgery.

 

The original plan in her offer letter was to do 3800-4000 grafts in the first session to cover the front and temples, and a year later another 2000 to do the graft, but then she advised that she can blend in the 3800 with my native hair to add an acceptable density to all over my scalp where thinning is more, and this way she can cover my entire head since I am very concerned about my donor.  She drew some lines on my head and fixed my very asymmetrical hairline that she didn't like, and I loved the plan. It was actually what I always wanted to do from the beginning. Add some volume and move on with my life! They then shaved my head and it was then that I realized my donor isn't as bad as I thought it was with longer hair:

 

The surgery started at 10:30, and the local anesthesia hurt so bad! I generally tolerate pain very well, and a lot of people here mentioned it is not that bad, but for me, it was very painful! Dr. Bicer kept coming to the room to check on me. When I was numb she started the extraction process herself and I dozed off 30 min later due to lack of sleep. She woke me a few times to ask how I am doing, and then she said I have thick hair which is good, and curly hair which will probably have a longer shock loss in my donor area (not looking forward to that!). She also mentioned that I was bleeding too much and not sure why, but it was all good. I stopped minoxidile a month before as instructed. Extraction finished and the lunch was served at 3pm. I did notice that she took less hair from my left side of my donor that has less hair compare to right side, which I think is a good think and shows she pays attention to over harvesting.

 

Then Dr. Bicer started the incisions and left the two nurses to insert the grafts in. This process took forever! Both nurses were super nice and Dr. Bicer stopped by every hour to check in on me. The surgery was done at 8:30pm, they took some pictures and send me back to the hotel. I saw the outcome for the first time in the mirror before I left and it made me very happy:

 

 

Next day:

Went back to the office and Dr. Bicer removed the bandages from the donor area and gave it a quick wash, and said that it's already healing very well:

 

 

I did get a chance to chat with a few patients, and then asked Dr. Bicer about graft counts and punch sizes just so I know:

 

Single grafts: 1100

Double Grafts: 2000

Multiple grafts: 580

Total: 3680

 

The punch size used were 0.8mm and 0.83mm and she mentioned that she had to use a larger than 0.7mm punch size since my hair is thicker. So I hope the scars are not going to be as visible.

 

Overall I am very happy with what I am seeing so far and how she managed to use the grafts to give an acceptable density. I am hoping that my donor area heals fast and doesn't thin out more or gets a bad shock loss. I'm going to day 3 now and my first wash up is coming up. I don't have any pain and I don't feel that my head is swollen too much. What do you guys think overall? About the work done, hairline and quality of work, my donor area and any feedback on the number of grafts harvested. 

 

I'll try to post an update every time I hit a milestone, and am hoping for a quick recovery! Time to get more rest and be patient 😆

 

 

Edited October 30, 2021 by SamV7

[Melvin- Admin]

Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us, Dr. Bicer’s work looks extremely clean. I agree with her about your donor. It’s thick and you have great hair characteristics. Very excited to follow your progress 🙌🏼

[SamV7]

Just a quick update: These pictures are 12 days post op, and just finished 10th wash as instructed. I still had a lot of scabs left by day 11, and tried to gently message them with my finger to remove without picking any by finger (which is very very tempting!). They were very loose at that point. I hope I didn't damage anything, but they felt very secure after day 10. I contacted Özen and she advised me to massage more with the lotion, and this time they all came out in the shower, but I had to help them with y finger (again I tried to be very gentle). I still have a few left, but they should come off too. I sent the pictures to Dr. Bicer directly, and she called me a few minutes later to do a quick video call. She seemed very satisfied with my recovery, and said everything is on track. I'm happy about the fact that it's very easy to communicate with them post-op and ask questions. Almost all my scabs (about 70%) came out with small hair(s) attached to them. Some of them had 2-3 hair attached to them. I know this is normal, and read everywhere that it's part of shedding process, but you still freak out when you see the hairs falling out 😁 Dr. Bicer mentioned this is very normal and I am shedding hair early. I noticed the first scab with hair attached to it on day 5, and from there more and more came out. I am supposed to resume Minoxidil 1 month post-op.

I am a little concern about my donor, but I should give it more time to heal and fill up.I tried to take a pic from front/temple and crown. What do you guys think?

 

[Zoomster]

Nothing to worry about at all

[blackislback]

Looks good, and clean, so early say aynthing about recipient area, as usual it start with better progress at 3-4-5 month, about donor area, it takes time too, at some guys even 1-2 months to fully recovery, so think all is on track, and go in right direction, just leaves you more patience and waiting ...

Edited November 9, 2021 by blackislback

[Alshe]

Everything's gonna be alright, man. Brace yourself for first 2 months. Happy growing after that!

[SamV7]

Back/crown:

1 month update:

This is 1 month post op update, I started shedding transplanted hair since week 3, mostly in the frontal area, and it's been shedding slowly since then. The hairs that fell out are tipical J and L shape hairs, but I still have roughly half of the transplanted hair left. Some of them (circled in red) are very slow growers and barely grew compare to other ones, and don't want to shed either. Most of the transplanted hairs in the back/crown area fall into this category and are 2-3mm in length, very short, and stopped growing. I hope they are not dead grafts. I am a little bit concerned about my donor density but I guess it's too soon to tell. Dr. Bicer mentioned it might take a good 5-6 months for it to look ok. At least I am happy that the area that hairs were removed blend in nicely and it's hard to see a distinct line (looks better in person). Donor areas is still a little bit pink and is more obvious in camera. To be fair I didn't have a dense donor to begin with. I guess I'm kinda going into ugly duckling phase soon? my hair was always in ugly duckling phase when cut short anyway 😂 Expecting more shedding in next few weeks. Any thoughts on the progress? 

I contacted Dr. Bicer and she said everything looks normal, and I shouldn't be worry about slow growers either. I hope they shed soon. One thing I am impressed so far is that how responsive Dr. Bicer is. She's probably pretty busy, but I receive a video call or voice message from her within 10-15 minutes when I send her pictures and updates. 

 

 

Edited November 28, 2021 by SamV7

[hairman22]

are you using propecia?

[SamV7]

3 hours ago, hairman22 said:

are you using propecia?

Not Propecia as a brand, but I am on generic Finasteride for a few years now. 

[Davy773]

Any updates? 

[SamV7]

On 1/13/2022 at 3:11 PM, Davy773 said:

Any updates? 

Hi, It's been exactly 3 months since the surgery. Not a lot of change to report in regards to HT, but a lot of my native hair grew back, and I see some small hair growing mostly on the right side frontal area (and some of them are surprisingly thick). Here's a 2 months vs 3 months picture. I'd say 60% of my native hair grew back, still in ugly duckling phase if you ask me, and waiting for the transplanted hair to start growing in the next month or so.

[Alshe]

On 1/25/2022 at 7:58 PM, SamV7 said:

Hi, It's been exactly 3 months since the surgery. Not a lot of change to report in regards to HT, but a lot of my native hair grew back, and I see some small hair growing mostly on the right side frontal area (and some of them are surprisingly thick). Here's a 2 months vs 3 months picture. I'd say 60% of my native hair grew back, still in ugly duckling phase if you ask me, and waiting for the transplanted hair to start growing in the next month or so.

It is going well, man. I guess after 1-2 months you'll see in a mirror and smile at yourself like "heya handsome".  Good growing!

[SamV7]

Here's a 4 months update in case anyone is interested. A big difference compare to last month. I took all these photos with camera's flash on. It seems more dense in person.

 

Frontal left side is not as dense as right side yet, and overall slightly less dense pre op, but other areas are looking better pre-op. I hope I see more grow in next 1-2 months.

[Gatsby]

You've chosen an excellent surgeon. At four months your hair is looking great. Don't worry about your donor if you are. Everything after surgery takes time to heal. The fact that you have wavy/curly hair and that you are on finasteride and minoxidil will ensure that you get a great result. I look forward to following your journey and thanks for sharing!

[SamV7]

Thanks @Gatsby! My donor does look better but still a bit sparse, but I feel much better reading your comment! Dr. Bicer told me to expect 6 months for donor area to look good again. Same here, and I look forward to your updates and happy growing!

[Gatsby]

5 minutes ago, SamV7 said:

Thanks @Gatsby! My donor does look better but still a bit sparse, but I feel much better reading your comment! Dr. Bicer told me to expect 6 months for donor area to look good again. Same here, and I look forward to your updates and happy growing!

Don't worry. Dr Bicer is in LA now. Yesterday she gave a presentation on the complications of FUE and their causes. So you can rest assured you will be fine. One of the things I like about Dr Bicer is that she will not accept a patient if she feels their is any risk to the patient.

Edited March 2, 2022 by Gatsby

[Z--]

Great progress for month 4! Haven't seen too many Bicer results here lately, so great to see more of her work.

[civic]

Your donor was great , i am surprised that some doctor in NY told you its thinning, i now question if that doctor is experienced & what does he consider good hair texture?  

[MaasterK]

Looking good man!

[Britanium]

Coming in strong for such a early stage 💪

[SamV7]

22 hours ago, civic said:

Your donor was great , i am surprised that some doctor in NY told you its thinning, i now question if that doctor is experienced & what does he consider good hair texture?  

Thanks! To be fair he is a great surgeon and is recommended by this forum, and I've seen great results from him. My donor was in worse shape than what you see in the first pictures when I consulted with him. I changed the Propecia pills that I was taking and it made a huge difference in hair quality. He advised against FUE for me and wanted to go with FUT in a few years depending on my hair quality in the future.      

[blackislback]

Nice progress for 4 months! Your donor area was very good before HT, so think it will continue with more growth following months . Glad to see such nice progress for now ! Good luck and much growth  wish you !

[SamV7]

Hey all, this is my 5 months update with a few days delay. I noticed a major change in texture and thickness but not a lot of new growth compare to month 4. Overall I am happy, and Dr. Bicer is very happy with the progress for 5 months. I think my hair already looks better compare to pre-op. I hope to see more growth in next few months, I still wish for slightly more density  The front left side is slowly catching up with right side. Donor is healing, but still a little bit sparse. I shaved/trimmed the sides with guard #2. These pictures are taken in front of a very large frosted window at day light, so lighting is a little bit harsh but soft. Still blows my mind how fast she responds to messages, and calls you right away. So far moral support from Dr. Bicer has been excellent. 

 

 

 

 

[Britanium]

So pleased to see such a improvement for you, it’s kicked off big time 👍🏽

[SLA]

Great progress!