Regular Member VelvetGold Posted May 11, 2022 Regular Member Share Posted May 11, 2022 Hello everyone First of all, I'd like to express my IMMENSE gratitude to the moderators and owners of this forum - Melvin(?) - for creating this space for everyone to come to and consult rather than get carried away and overwhelmed by the sheer amount of positive reviews on Google and Yelp and various published articles singing the praises of every Tom, Dick and Harry in the Hair Restoration Business. Okay, I came in hot! Simmer down! Thanks to this site and the information herein I was able to narrow down my search from no-name hair mills to legit practitioners. What started off as a wish fulfillment trip for my mother - she's wanted to see Aya Sofiya and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul for over 5 years. I was just happy for the timing of it all that I got to know of Turkey being a leading hair restoration centre. Instead of spending $25,000 on a single procedure I can actually spend that amount (should I choose to) on THREE procedures in Turkey (including airfare). So after 3 anxious days of research (8 if you don't count the blind search) I finally decided to go with ... drumroll please... DR. RESUL YAMAN I wasn't so sure at first but the recommendations on this site plus another one that only lists Dr Bicer and Dr Yaman, I figured it must be meant to be. Plus I have seen how subtle the results are and not SEVERE at all! He seems to have good luck with his work...most of the time, barring the overharvesting. Also, being a student of Indian classical music, one of my favourite raags (chords) goes by the name of Yaman. It is a name and technique imported into Indian Classical Music from Turkey. So... Wish me luck! My appointment is on the 18th, surgery on the 19th, wash and dressing on the 20th and then I return to Canada on the 21st. I shall share my journey here as it happens Thanks again to EVERYONE who took the time to post pictures, testimonials, advice, admonishments even lol! Time to have 3500 grafts done!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member RTC Posted May 11, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted May 11, 2022 (edited) Congrats on taking the step. I have to note that 3 days of research really is not a good basis on which to make a decision about life changing surgery.. I and many other have learn that the hard way. That said, I hope this turns out well for you, I'm sure it will, good luck Edited May 13, 2022 by Aslitarcan sucks 3 2 Hattingen September 2023 - Punchouts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member mafpe Posted May 12, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted May 12, 2022 good luck on your upcoming HT! do make sure to follow pre and post op instruction, and other than that, look up on meds a bit, in order to hopefully keep retaining your native hairs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Nw7HPE Posted May 12, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted May 12, 2022 Good luck, make sure to document the upcoming journey . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugenix Hair Sciences Posted May 12, 2022 Share Posted May 12, 2022 11 hours ago, VelvetGold said: Hello everyone First of all, I'd like to express my IMMENSE gratitude to the moderators and owners of this forum - Melvin(?) - for creating this space for everyone to come to and consult rather than get carried away and overwhelmed by the sheer amount of positive reviews on Google and Yelp and various published articles singing the praises of every Tom, Dick and Harry in the Hair Restoration Business. Okay, I came in hot! Simmer down! Thanks to this site and the information herein I was able to narrow down my search from no-name hair mills to legit practitioners. What started off as a wish fulfillment trip for my mother - she's wanted to see Aya Sofiya and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul for over 5 years. I was just happy for the timing of it all that I got to know of Turkey being a leading hair restoration centre. Instead of spending $25,000 on a single procedure I can actually spend that amount (should I choose to) on THREE procedures in Turkey (including airfare). So after 3 anxious days of research (8 if you don't count the blind search) I finally decided to go with ... drumroll please... DR. RESUL YAMAN I wasn't so sure at first but the recommendations on this site plus another one that only lists Dr Bicer and Dr Yaman, I figured it must be meant to be. Plus I have seen how subtle the results are and not SEVERE at all! He seems to have good luck with his work...most of the time, barring the overharvesting. Also, being a student of Indian classical music, one of my favourite raags (chords) goes by the name of Yaman. It is a name and technique imported into Indian Classical Music from Turkey. So... Wish me luck! My appointment is on the 18th, surgery on the 19th, wash and dressing on the 20th and then I return to Canada on the 21st. I shall share my journey here as it happens Thanks again to EVERYONE who took the time to post pictures, testimonials, advice, admonishments even lol! Time to have 3500 grafts done!!! Wish you the best of results. You are in absolutely brilliant hands. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member ITA Posted May 12, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted May 12, 2022 I totally agree with @Aslitarcan sucks, months are not enough to find a good clinic to make a choice that will change your life, for good but also for bad if you are unlucky, in any case I wish you good luck. 🤞 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member VelvetGold Posted May 12, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 12, 2022 1 hour ago, Eugenix Hair Sciences said: Wish you the best of results. You are in absolutely brilliant hands. Thank you so much! This is really encouraging when someone from a different country, a practitioner in the same field no less, testifies positively for another professional. Love the support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digi23 Posted May 13, 2022 Share Posted May 13, 2022 (edited) 15 hours ago, Eugenix Hair Sciences said: Wish you the best of results. You are in absolutely brilliant hands. Interesting comment. Could you elaborate? You guys also like to sort grafts by eye without loupes or microscopes? To the TS: I wish you best of luck! Edited May 13, 2022 by digi23 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted May 13, 2022 Administrators Share Posted May 13, 2022 Welcome to the forum. Pay no attention to drama. I wish you the best and thank you for sharing your experience with us. 1 I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member VelvetGold Posted May 13, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 13, 2022 2 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said: Welcome to the forum. Pay no attention to drama. I wish you the best and thank you for sharing your experience with us. Thank you so much, Melvin. The replies have been mostly positive n with this forum as my resource along with all the reviews n testimonials, I'm confident that I couldn't have made a better choice given my budget. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member VelvetGold Posted May 19, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 19, 2022 ALRIGHT!!! So today is THE DAY!!! Got picked up, taken to the clinic, registered REMEMBER: Wear something loose with a wide wide collar or a button up shirt. Something that won't brush past ur head when u need to take it off. Take ur photo ID and/or passport with you for authentication. Got my blood sample taken for tests. Before pics taken. Waiting for the FIRST SHAVE!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEE!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Britanium Posted May 19, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted May 19, 2022 @VelvetGoldWishing you good luck 🤞 Hope all goes well 👍🏽 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member VelvetGold Posted May 19, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 19, 2022 ...aaaaand here it is 😬 4986 (I think, too tired to walk to the print out n confirm) grafts. Is it me or is it just more BLOODY than most 🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted May 19, 2022 Administrators Share Posted May 19, 2022 Blood is to be expected. You’ve got quite the coverage can’t wait to follow the full journey 🙌🏼 1 I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Britanium Posted May 19, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted May 19, 2022 Damn man that’s a lot of grafts in one session, seems like a couple of spots are oozing a little blood. How long after the procedure was this? Are you going back for a check up ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member VelvetGold Posted May 19, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 19, 2022 32 minutes ago, J-C said: Damn man that’s a lot of grafts in one session, seems like a couple of spots are oozing a little blood. How long after the procedure was this? Are you going back for a check up ? I agree. It took around 11 hours to get done. I was expecting I'd be done in 6 or 8 max. This pic was just an hour after the procedure. I have a follow up the next day...ie. today in 10 hours. The bandage is coming of and the blood has stopped n scabbed (a word I just made up). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member VelvetGold Posted May 20, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 20, 2022 Morning after thoughts: 1. We lose a LOT of blood as part of this procedure. And that's BEFORE the hair gets planted in. 2. It's HOURS of pain in the chair and then HOURS more in bed (and not the good kind of pain either that we associate with "in bed"). It demands a lot of our backs. 3. Do NOT travel for this with your mom! Mom things will happen whereby she worries as if the healing process is directly proportional to her worrying. Worse if she also gets sick at that time. Also, the look after is far more scary for moms. 4. Travel with someone for that damn pillow. You need someone to inflate that pillow which is so bloody hard to do as a patient. Or better yet, pack one of those donut pillows that you find ppl wearing in planes to keep their necks straight. 5. Have a place to write down your thoughts, like this forum. I'd be an anxious mess if I hadn't found this site. Btw, here's what I saw in Dr Yaman's office. Look for a name that appears TWICE!!! 😅 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member VelvetGold Posted May 21, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 21, 2022 Day 3! First wash and then off to departures on way to Canada. What most posts don't prepare you for is the emotional journey you undertake during the whole process. I've had to feel each feeling and thanks to the kindness, patience and understanding of the staff specifically Ihsan, a lot of fears, concerns and doubts were put to rest. The biggest surprise comes when u see how nonchalant n matter of fact people around in the hotel are. Because some of them have seen this before. Others who haven't, stare for a couple of seconds n then look away. Remember, we'll never see them in our lives again, so you do you. Thanks to my mom's travel pillow, I was able to sleep much much better than Night 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member VelvetGold Posted May 21, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 21, 2022 The day after the bandages were removed. After a relatively less painful night... Looks like a war zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member VelvetGold Posted May 22, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 22, 2022 At some point I'm going to compile "lessons learned" in a separate topic but for now this will have to do. Most clinics, especially those Tutkish ones, will tell you that all you need are 3 to 4 days from consultation to the day of ur first wash n ur done. You could even travel that same day. NO!!! Not quite. Here are some of my lessons learned: 1. Pack light, really light if you're traveling specifically for the surgery. 2. Pack a travel pillow (the donut shaped one). It's great for both before and after the procedure 3. Budget at least 2 days AFTER ur last visit to be travel ready. Believe me, ur wits n blood flow hasn't quite stabilized yet. 4. Be prepared, you're gonna have a few brain farts and blank out moments. 5. There maybe a fever after the surgical procedure. It's part of the joys...beauty is pain! 6 a. Don't be in a hurry. If you must have a connecting flight, make sure there's at least a 2 hour layover. Flights get delayed all the time n the airports are too MASSIVE to cover in a reasonable time with your sanity intact. 6 b. Don't be hero in a rush. Opt to be the last one to get up from your seat in the plane to get your overhead luggage. Remember, your freshly shorn head is in the way...ALL THE TIME 7. Passengers will find a "tactful" way to look at your head...again and again. Especially if your behind them. Remember, you'll never see them again, n probably noting the same state. 8. That hot flight attendant you think you have a chance with? Let it go. It's not gonna happen. Unless they willingly go out of their way to be nice to you. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member RTC Posted May 22, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted May 22, 2022 What pillow did you get Velvet? Hattingen September 2023 - Punchouts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member VelvetGold Posted May 22, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 22, 2022 It's kinda like a donut shaped pillow that ppl have around their necks in flights, but smaller so that the head is elevated at 40° angle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member StillAlive Posted May 23, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted May 23, 2022 Thank you for sharing your experience! Out of curiosity, did Yaman's rate stay flat on what was initially agreed, in spite of the extra grafts that you ended up receiving? (And that was a mega session, you went from 3500 estimated grafts to almost 5K). Did you get the DHI implanter or was a different technique used? And also, are you using minox/fin or not? Many thanks for taking the time to reply to those! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member mafpe Posted May 23, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted May 23, 2022 On 5/20/2022 at 1:08 PM, VelvetGold said: 3. Do NOT travel for this with your mom! Mom things will happen whereby she worries as if the healing process is directly proportional to her worrying. Worse if she also gets sick at that time. Also, the look after is far more scary for moms. 21 hours ago, VelvetGold said: 4. Be prepared, you're gonna have a few brain farts and blank out moments. 7. Passengers will find a "tactful" way to look at your head...again and again. Especially if your behind them. Remember, you'll never see them again, n probably noting the same state. 8. That hot flight attendant you think you have a chance with? Let it go. It's not gonna happen. Unless they willingly go out of their way to be nice to you. 😂 😂 😂 thanks for the tips though, i almost forgot about few of them and didnt think about the rest. how bad is it if you have the op, then have the wash + flight back home the next day? i thought most blood are already settled/coagulated by the 2nd/3rd day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member VelvetGold Posted May 23, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 23, 2022 (edited) 42 minutes ago, mafpe said: 😂 😂 😂 thanks for the tips though, i almost forgot about few of them and didnt think about the rest. how bad is it if you have the op, then have the wash + flight back home the next day? i thought most blood are already settled/coagulated by the 2nd/3rd day Edited May 23, 2022 by VelvetGold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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