Got a last minute cancellation with Dr. Bicer, flying out in a few days. My Story, need advice!!

[cr1mson]

Hi all!

So after going through hairloss for about 12 years now, I have decided to get a hair transplant. After many countless hours of research, I chose to have a consultation with Dr. Bicer in Turkey. To give you some background info on my hairloss: I started noticing it when I was 20 years old. My crown thinned alot and my whole head started to diffuse with my crown and hairline being the hardest hit areas. I immediately began taking Finasteride and Minoxidil. Over the next few years, I was able to thicken up my exisiting hair and had minor regrowth in the crown. I was on finasteride and minoxidil until about age 27, when I was going thru some personal things. Starting around 25 I begain using hair fibers and it masked any hairloss I had. Once I dropped off fin I noticed my hair started thinning again and lost alot of density, but made up for it by putting in more hair fibers. Fast forward to now, I am 32 and although have decent coverage, my hair thinned considerably. I have now started using Fin again in the hopes of not losing any more native hairs and continue to use minoxidil foam. I had a consult with Dr Bicer, and she thought we can do 3500 grafts to my entire scalp spread out, as to increase the overall density. 

 

My HT was scheduled for Feb 10, but Ozen (Her coordinator - extremely helpful) messaged me two days ago and said there was a cancellation. She asked if I wanted to take it and I said yes! To be honest I still havent mentally prepared for my HT on Feb 10 so this sudden shift of date is now weighing on me heavy. I wanted to ask you all, who gave me so much hope in getting a HT after thinking it was impossible for a diffuse thinner to get a good result, what your opinion is for my case. Here are some pictures below that show my current situation. I have been on Fin for a few months, but my hair is still thin. It basically looks the same as in 2018 so I think it has satbilised or maybe still thinning slowly. Normally I just style my hair down with some hair fibers and it gives it the buzz look and I get a fade to make the top look thicker. I am just tired of using fibers and want the front half to be decently thick and the top part of my crown to be as thick as the region in front of it. I dont mind using fibers in the back, but am going to ask Dr Bicer if we can put some hair there so its not as thin and the fibers have something to attach to. Is that being realistic with 3500 FUE grafts? I am also very nervous about the rest of my hairs falling permanently due to shock loss. My biggest fear is coming out worse then before the HT. I plan to continue using fin indefinitely and will probably add a topical minoxidil finasteride combo to strengthen the remaining hairs. I also can't tell if my donor is thin or thick so any feedback there is appreciated! This is going to be a roller coaster of a week so any advice from the vets here will be greatly appreciated!

 

Also, for those who have had HTs, anything I need to bring or any tips that you wish you knew prior to your HT? I will be flying in the day before my HT and then staying in Turkey for a full three days after that then flying home to Canada.

 

And finally the pics!

[hairman22]

You wont come out worse than before.

 

You are going to a very good doctor.

Do it. You would regret it otherwise

[HappyMan2021]

is this diffuse thinning? It's really fascinating to me that, despite very significant hairloss, there is still a very very very faint outline of a NW 1 hairline. Or maybe its just your haircut.

Edited December 14, 2021 by SadMan2021

[giegnosiganoe]

Can you show more pics of your donor?

[cr1mson]

32 minutes ago, giegnosiganoe said:

Can you show more pics of your donor?

 

Edited December 14, 2021 by cr1mson

[cr1mson]

Also, what can I expect my donor to be like after ? Would I be able to go down to a 1 guard?

 

 

Edited December 14, 2021 by cr1mson

[hairman22]

10 hours ago, cr1mson said:

Also, what can I expect my donor to be like after ? Would I be able to go down to a 1 guard?

 

 

I shave mine to a zero. Ive had 2700 fue grafts taken. No one has ever said anything to me about them. So small & not easy to see

[StressedOut]

Do you any special Visas ( paperwork) out side of covid vaccine status to fly out of Canada

[WhiteyUK]

1 hour ago, hairman22 said:

I shave mine to a zero. Ive had 2700 fue grafts taken. No one has ever said anything to me about them. So small & not easy to see

Same 2700 grafts and get a skin fade every 2 weeks 

[AlexMeister21]

I would recommend picking out a good hat that you can wear while traveling, but a hat that's loose and doesn't impact your grafts. You might also want to get a neck pillow so you're not putting too much pressure on the donor area while sleeping after surgery. I think some clinics give this out. Other than that, good luck with your transplant.

[LaserCaps]

A couple of things....since you've decided on traveling abroad.  Stay conservative...DO NOT come down on your hairline.  Strengthen what you have and start working back from there and until you run out of grafts.

On the return, check in your bag so they don't take whatever post-op things they give you.  

PLEASE do not stop whatever medical therapies you are doing.  That's just a waste of time and money. 

[cr1mson]

34 minutes ago, AlexMeister21 said:

I would recommend picking out a good hat that you can wear while traveling, but a hat that's loose and doesn't impact your grafts. You might also want to get a neck pillow so you're not putting too much pressure on the donor area while sleeping after surgery. I think some clinics give this out. Other than that, good luck with your transplant.

I think I am just gonna own it and travel without the hat. I am too nervous it might catch a graft or something. I am spending alot of time and money to go to Turkey so I can deal with the embarassment of flying home like that. Thanks for the tip on the neck pillow, will grab one today!

[cr1mson]

2 hours ago, Newyear newhair said:

Same 2700 grafts and get a skin fade every 2 weeks 

Wow! from the pics of my donor do you think that would be possible for me! I usually do a low bald fade at the barber but would love to do either high or low fade if it doesnt look bad. But Dr Bicer did mention I might have tiny white dots as scarring so that would be noticeable if I went too short. Do you have any pics of your current donor with the zero guard fade brother?

[Curious25]

Yes shaving down to a 1 guard will be fine. 
 

Ideally you’d have the 3500 graft procedure spread out over 2 days;

I would recommend bolstering your frontal 1/3 with all of these grafts - and then rescheduling a procedure to address the vertex and crown at a later date - this strategy works very well (the great Spanish surgeons have countless displays of doing this in 2-3 step strategy’s) and usually after the first surgery, patients are thrilled to have a dense hairline and frontal third, which when styled backwards, can disguise the weaker areas towards the crown. 
 

Good luck, and keep us all updated! 

[cr1mson]

13 minutes ago, LaserCaps said:

A couple of things....since you've decided on traveling abroad.  Stay conservative...DO NOT come down on your hairline.  Strengthen what you have and start working back from there and until you run out of grafts.

On the return, check in your bag so they don't take whatever post-op things they give you.  

PLEASE do not stop whatever medical therapies you are doing.  That's just a waste of time and money. 

 

Yes, Dr Bicer mentioned not to go lower as well. I just want to fill it up as I basically have no hairline, but it looks like it when I brush it down. She wants to fill the frontal 2/3rds and then do the crown at a seperate procedure, but I was hoping to fill the frontal 1/3rd and then put some grafts in the crown so it matches the mid scalp and I have some hair there for the hair fibers to bond to. What do you think about this stratey?

[Curious25]

2 minutes ago, cr1mson said:

Wow! from the pics of my donor do you think that would be possible for me! I usually do a low bald fade at the barber but would love to do either high or low fade if it doesnt look bad. But Dr Bicer did mention I might have tiny white dots as scarring so that would be noticeable if I went too short. Do you have any pics of your current donor with the zero guard fade brother?

Yea there’ll be scars visible on a skin fade, but unless you are prone to keloid scarring . . they will be unnoticeable to 99.9% of the public. 

[cr1mson]

Just now, Curious25 said:

Yes shaving down to a 1 guard will be fine. 
 

Ideally you’d have the 3500 graft procedure spread out over 2 days;

I would recommend bolstering your frontal 1/3 with all of these grafts - and then rescheduling a procedure to address the vertex and crown at a later date - this strategy works very well (the great Spanish surgeons have countless displays of doing this in 2-3 step strategy’s) and usually after the first surgery, patients are thrilled to have a dense hairline and frontal third, which when styled backwards, can disguise the weaker areas towards the crown. 
 

Good luck, and keep us all updated! 

Thanks for your input! Even when I had thick hair as a teen I never really did this hairstyle as I felt it didnt suit me. I am thinking of keeping the same hairstyle and having the front kind of fall down like a fringe. This would make my forehead appear smaller. Also, when transplanting diffuse patients, do they place the grafts in between existing hair, or just place it as if its a bald scalp? Is there any chance I loose the rest of my hair permanently due to shock loss? This is my greatest worry and has been stressing me all week.

[cr1mson]

@Melvin- Moderator

 

Was hoping to get some feedback from the big boss! Any thoughts on my case brother?

[LaserCaps]

2 minutes ago, cr1mson said:

 

Yes, Dr Bicer mentioned not to go lower as well. I just want to fill it up as I basically have no hairline, but it looks like it when I brush it down. She wants to fill the frontal 2/3rds and then do the crown at a seperate procedure, but I was hoping to fill the frontal 1/3rd and then put some grafts in the crown so it matches the mid scalp and I have some hair there for the hair fibers to bond to. What do you think about this stratey?

Putting grafts in the crown at this juncture is a mistake.  That area is a sphere and it will take tons of grafts which likely you don't have.  Allow the meds to work back there.  It is OK to be thinner in that area because of the whirl we all share.  

Rather than continuing using fibers, why not consider SMP? 

[cr1mson]

6 minutes ago, LaserCaps said:

Putting grafts in the crown at this juncture is a mistake.  That area is a sphere and it will take tons of grafts which likely you don't have.  Allow the meds to work back there.  It is OK to be thinner in that area because of the whirl we all share.  

Rather than continuing using fibers, why not consider SMP? 

I plan to go on topical dutasteride post surgery, do you think this can thicken my crown a little? I know putting some grafts in there isnt probably the best decision but my crown has been my worst area since I started losing area at 21. I have the hair just under it longer so when I brush it up it covers the bottom half. So i was hoping to put 5-700 grafts in the top part of my crown so it matches the area right ahead of it and doesnt look barren anymore. Do you think this would be unwise?

I never really considered SMP, but after reading some threads on this forum, it sounds expensive and only lasts a few years. Would SMP even make a difference in my crown?

Edited December 14, 2021 by cr1mson

[kirkland]

Definitely get a neck pillow for travel - it will be helpful for those first few nights where you will have to sleep on your back and keep your head elevated above the pillow.

Since you are travelling to and from Canada, make sure you download the ArriveCan app for your phone and load up your phone with your vax status. I assume Canada still wants a neg PCR test 72-hours prior to re-entry? Make sure that you arrange as soon as possible for that test in Turkey. 

Also, if the clinic is providing you with a saline spray to keep the recipient area moist, get a small empty spray bottle from Dollarama so you can put the saline solution into it and thereby avoid having a larger bottle taken away at airport security. Keeping the area as moist as possible, particularly if you are not intending to wear a cap on the flight back, is going to be helpful. Having said that, ask the clinic if they can give you a few disposable surgical caps to wear rather than a ball cap. Surgical caps are loose fitting and can keep the area covered. The air on the plane is more dry so you really want to keep the recipient area from drying out too much.

[cr1mson]

1 minute ago, kirkland said:

Definitely get a neck pillow for travel - it will be helpful for those first few nights where you will have to sleep on your back and keep your head elevated above the pillow.

Since you are travelling to and from Canada, make sure you download the ArriveCan app for your phone and load up your phone with your vax status. I assume Canada still wants a neg PCR test 72-hours prior to re-entry? Make sure that you arrange as soon as possible for that test in Turkey. 

Also, if the clinic is providing you with a saline spray to keep the recipient area moist, get a small empty spray bottle from Dollarama so you can put the saline solution into it and thereby avoid having a larger bottle taken away at airport security. Keeping the area as moist as possible, particularly if you are not intending to wear a cap on the flight back, is going to be helpful. Having said that, ask the clinic if they can give you a few disposable surgical caps to wear rather than a ball cap. Surgical caps are loose fitting and can keep the area covered. The air on the plane is more dry so you really want to keep the recipient area from drying out too much.

 

Yes, they still need the negative test! I will try to sort that out the day that I land. I will be in Istanbul a full three days after my surgery, then leaving saturday morning ( Christmas day) so hoping the flights are not too packed. If I end up not wearing the surgical or baseball cap, should I spray the saline solution in intervals while I am on the plane? I also usually wear a baseball cap backwords and it doesnt touch the top of my scalp, would this be an option as well?

[kirkland]

Just now, cr1mson said:

If I end up not wearing the surgical or baseball cap, should I spray the saline solution in intervals while I am on the plane?

Yes. About every two hours on the flight if you can. And as often as you can when not in the air. It really helps with scab removal when they start separating about a week post-op.

Just now, cr1mson said:

I also usually wear a baseball cap backwords and it doesnt touch the top of my scalp, would this be an option as well?

Avoid the backwards baseball cap if you can. Avoid the baseball cap altogether if you can for those first few days. Better to have something more loose fitting, like a surgical cap, to cover the area.

[kirkland]

5 minutes ago, cr1mson said:

Yes, they still need the negative test! I will try to sort that out the day that I land.

Contact the clinic now and ask if they can arrange for a PCR test.

[kirkland]

Other than that, good luck with your op. As a Canadian who recently travelled to India for a HT, feel free to DM if you have any questions.