Dr. Hakan Doğanay - 3000 Grafts - April 2022

[AVI1214]

Hello,

I'm from the United States, and I'm in my early forties. Since I was 30, I've been highly mindful of my receding hairline. Since started taking Finasteride at the age of 35, I've observed a dramatic reduction in my hair loss. My hairline, on the other hand, receded more than I would have liked. HT was constantly on my mind. Despite the fact that several people advised me not to get it done and that everyone said my hairline looked fine, I opted to go ahead and do it because it did not look good to me.

Research

I began doing some research on HRN and eventually settled on Dr. Hakan Doğanay. Especially after reading IL Trooper's extensive evaluation and his experience with Dr. Doğanay. Thank you very much. Dr. Doğanay has a lot of experience and is well-known in Turkish forums. He has a 20-year track record, which influenced my decision.

Consultation

I sent a WhatsApp message to the clinic. My coordinator was Didem. She is quite pleasant. It was a very simple process. They had requested images, which I had supplied to them. The doctor examined them and provided a rough hairline as well as the number of grafts needed. For me, the front was 2500 and the crown area was 500. I had a lot of questions, and Didem patiently answered them all. Finally, my surgery dates were set for April 4 and 5. Each day, 1500 grafts to be extracted and implanted on the same day

Travel

I've purchased my plane tickets and visa to arrive on April 3rd. Because the clinic was in Antalya, I had to connect through Frankfurt. Because the earlier flight was delayed, I missed my connecting flight. They put me on the next available flight. Throughout my trip, I communicated frequently with Didem, who was quick to reply and make the necessary changes for my pick-up and accommodation. On April 3rd, i arrived in Antalya late at night. At the airport, Tolga from the clinic was waiting for me. He whisked me away to the hospital, where they drew blood for my tests. Checking in and drawing blood took around 30 minutes. Then he drove me to a lovely hotel and left me off. They happily accommodated my request for a room with a view of the ocean. I checked into the hotel, ate my (included) dinner, and went to sleep, which I only got a few hours of due to jet lag and anxiousness over the next day. The next morning, I had my breakfast (which was provided), and Tolga arrived at 9:30 a.m. to pick me up.

Surgery - Day 1

At 10 a.m., I arrived at the clinic. Didem and the rest of the staff were waiting for me. I finally had the opportunity to meet her. She is a beautiful woman who is well-versed in her field. She appeared to be in charge of the entire clinic operation and appeared to be in complete command. She greeted me with delicious Turkish tea and pastries before whisking me away to the doctor's office. When I initially met Dr. Doganay, the first thing that came to mind was how much I admired his natural hairline. I told him the same, and he grinned and walked away. The doctor, like the technicians, does not speak much English but has a great smile and a positive attitude. Didem, on the other hand, was there every step of the way, interpreting and explaining. The doctor inquired about my expectations. My hairstyle was really straightforward: a natural-looking hairline with some fullness. He drew two alternatives for me, one conservative (6.5 cm from the glabella) and the other aggressive (6 cm from the glabella). Because my donor area is good and suits my age and face, I chose the aggressive option. I proceeded to the prep room to get my hair shaved and prepared for surgery. After that, I changed into an apron and had my donor area trimmed down to a Zero. I did keep some hair on top, though.

I was then taken to the surgery room. The doctor and Didem entered the room and detailed the operation to me, including all of the steps. They requested me to lie down on my stomach, face down, so they could work on my donor area. After administering local anesthetic, they proceeded to motor pluck 1500 grafts. It took roughly 2-2.5 hours to complete the extraction. After that, we had to take a break for lunch. Didem took me to the top floor, to the clinic's lunch area, where everyone eats. I had a small lunch because I couldn't eat much due to jet lag. So far, I've only had the soup and a small bit of bread. The lunch lady is also quite pleasant. She brought me some water and Turkish tea and told me not to get up because I was anesthetized. You could see she was caring.

It was time for implantation after lunch. The doctor entered, this time I facing up. The doctor used local anesthetic and went to town punching those nasty boys into the front of my head. With the 1500 grafts that they had retrieved earlier in the day, he worked on the major hairline and the left temple. It took roughly 3 hours to complete this process. After that, they patched up the donor area and checked on me to see how I was doing. They provided me some pain relievers to take at night if necessary. I was also given a travel neck pillow to sleep on so that I wouldn't rest my head directly on the pillow. To avoid blood stains from the donor region, they gave me a couple pads to lay on the pillow. Tolga drove me to the hotel. I ate my dinner, watched some television, and retired to my bed. I had an extremely restless night's sleep. I took a pain reliever, which was quite beneficial.

Surgery - Day 2

The next day was the same as the first. 1500 more grafts were extracted. The doctor worked on the left temple and crown area this time, as well as planting a few more grafts in the front. It was more uncomfortable than Day 1 because the donor and implanted areas had weariness and discomfort from Day 1. In the end, I made it through, and the procedure took around 7 hours total, including a lunch break. They did a good job of patching me up once more. They gave me some pills and escorted me to the hotel. The night was excruciating, but tolerable. After dinner, I took another pain reliever and went to bed.

Post-Op

The next day, I returned to the clinic to remove the bandages and receive my first wash. As it was my last day here, I presented the staff with cookies and Baklava as a mark of my gratitude. Didem gently explained the washing instructions to me. She administered a foam-based soothner to the implanted locations and waited 15 minutes for it to take effect. She next thoroughly cleansed the donor region and gently pat washed the recipient areas. I was finished with a little towel dab. Antibiotics, pain relievers, and Biotin were supplied to me (for later). I paid the bill and requested to meet with the doctor. I was brought to the doctor's office by Didem. He was probably in the middle of a video consultation when I approached him, yet he made the time to speak with me. I thanked him sincerely for what he had done. He asked me not to hesitate to reach out if I have any questions.

Summary

From beginning to end, it was a fantastic experience. They were all incredibly pleasant and a terrific bunch of people to deal with, from Tolga to Didem, Dr Doğanay to the technicians, and not to forget the lunch lady. I stayed an additional day in Antalya to explore the city. I spent the rest of the week in Istanbul before returning to the States on the weekend.

Next

I'll keep this page updated with images and information about my development. Please have a look and let me know what you think. Any comment, whether favorable or unfavorable, is much appreciated. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. I'd be happy to respond.

Edited April 12, 2022 by AVI1214

[Britanium]

Thanks for posting such a detailed account of your procedure ! Great pics, look forward to seeing your progress 🙏

[AVI1214]

9 hours ago, J.A.C said:

Thanks for posting such a detailed account of your procedure ! Great pics, look forward to seeing your progress 🙏

Thanks. I will.

[AVI1214]

1 WEEK UPDATE
The scabs from the front have shed. Some remain in the crown area. I can see the implanted hair clearly now. The direction looks good to me and so does the graft density.

Thoughts?

[AVI1214]

 

2 WEEKS UPDATE
All scabs have shed. The implanted hair grew a bit longer. Trimmed my regular hair short to blend into the implanted hair. I’ve started using Minoxidil on the implanted areas. The donor area looks healed but there is slight pain when touched and also some itchiness. Started wearing a baseball cap loosely. Took it off on a few occasions. None of my friends or family noticed yet. They all just commented on my buzz cut. 

Thoughts?

[Ah97]

Are  all transplanted hairs in your temple  single hairs ? can you provide us  with closer pic 

did thy use a microscope  ? 

[AVI1214]

4 hours ago, Ah97 said:

Are  all transplanted hairs in your temple  single hairs ? can you provide us  with closer pic 

did thy use a microscope  ? 

Mostly single on the front line of the temples. I saw 1 double though.

They used glasses while extraction and microscope while transplanting.  You can see the doc wearing microscope in one of the photos from my first post. 

Edited April 22, 2022 by AVI1214

[AVI1214]

3 WEEKS UPDATE

A little more growth overall. Especially the back donor area. I haven't noticed any shedding yet. However, the implanted hair has become a little softer than before. Slight soreness in the donor area when I press. Still using Minoxidil.

[AVI1214]

4 WEEKS UPDATE

The ugly duckling phase. The shedding started exactly after 3 weeks. And it was quick. Almost all implanted hair has fallen. The doctor had mentioned this would happen before new hair grows back.

Edited May 8, 2022 by AVI1214

[Britanium]

Donor recovering well, totally on track here 👍🏽 Thanks for the update 🙏

[RTC]

Looks good