Regular Member THE GAME Posted June 5, 2022 Regular Member Share Posted June 5, 2022 (edited) Hello everyone I have been a lurker for the last 3 or so years and the forum really helped me come to make a decision to have a hair transplant and how to choose a surgeon for the procedure. I want to thank everyone for the information they all posted which really helped me over the course of the last 2 years to make the best choice. This will be a long post and will pertain to my own personal experience in selecting doctor Bicer and my procedure. First of some background on me : ME: 46 year old male Norwood 6 with diffuse thinning , strong donor but not amazing. hair loss started in my early 30 ' I took finasteride and was a hyper responder after 1 year on the medication I experienced serious side effects including loss of libido which for me is in hyper drive 90% of the time. Needless to say I made the choice to stop the Finasteride and that made me lose all I had gained and kicked me back into hair loss mode. Over the next 10 years I tried minoxidil on and off which did slow the hair loss but did not really grow any hair for me. At about age 36 I discovered hair fibers and that was a game changer for me , I was able to keep my hair short and with help of my barber style it in a way that made me a Norwood 3-4 and much more presentable then what I really was . Of course this was not without its challenges but for the better part of 10 years I did a good job of concealing my hair loss from most. I also started wearing baseball caps religiously when I didn't use fibers , I could wear one at work so it became my daily routine of either fibers or baseball caps with haircuts coming often to keep the hair short so the fibers looked good. I was satisfied with this for awhile till I realized this will never stop, it will be fibers and caps till the END of my days. After 10 years of caps and fibers I said I would look into surgical treatments. I lurked on this forum and others , watched YouTube and tried to put a plan together. FINDING DR BICER :The first step in my journey is 5 years ago a friend of mine went for a hair transplant, he went to a hair mill in turkey and told me about his experience. I remember thinking how crazy he was to go all the way to Turkey to get hair. After 8 months I saw him again and he had went from a Norwood 7 to a guy that looked like he was balding but not hopeless in the hair department. It planted the seed that would eventually lead me to seek surgical help. I began researching extensively in the last 2 years and decided I would want a doctor doing the procedure, it would allow me to be comfortable and it would reassure me with my choice to travel across the world to have the procedure. This quickly brought my list down to 10 or so clinics ( I kept a few of the higher end hair mills on the list) I reached out 12 clinics and sent them my pictures , I waited for their responses and some used sales tactics like discounts or better accommodations to try to get me to reserve with them. out of the 12 all of them had pretty much the same conclusion: I had a decent donor but I would likely need 2 surgeries almost all of them proposed 4000 grafts to start and see how my hair would look like from there. Only 2 clinics actually asked me what I wanted the rest pretty much told me what they would do. The only clinic that did a video conference with me m was (Dr Bicer) she was kind and answered any questions I might have. The video conference lasted 7 minutes but she seemed willing to stay as long as I needed to answer my questions. I looked over the info and only 2 clinics made me feel comfortable going forward , I looked at travel plans and potential dates and continued to look at the reviews of both clinics. My choice was made and it all came down to Dr. Bicer results and her approach. Out of the 12 clinics she was the only one that video conferenced and one of the only to ask me what I wanted , what my expectations were. OFF TO TURKEY: I organized my life to give me 5 days in turkey to get the procedure done and get back home. I would leave Sunday night and arrive on Monday , my friend who lives in Greece would come meet up with me and he would stay till Thursday with me. This would give us Monday to see Turkey a little and maybe Wednesday if I was feeling ok. The hotel is literally steps away from the clinic, Istanbul is a busy city and traffic is insane having the clinic next to the hotel is a major plus. Nearby there are malls, stores , pharmacies and restaurants all within walking distance. I was picked up at the airport with the vip transfer , my friend met me at the airport as well and we went to the hotel. the accommodations were very good , everything in Turkey is super clean and I was quite happy with the room and food at the hotel. One thing be warned there is not a lot of English speaking Turkish people that includes cabs , hotels , police and anyone else. This why OZEN the coordinator for dr. Bicer is such an important person she answered any question I had the whole time before , during and after my trip. She is a very patient person as she gets bombarded with texts daily , please be nice to her she works very hard and I believe she answers at all hours (not sure how she does it) First evening we went to Salt bae restaurant and got back to the hotel and had a good nights sleep , I was off to the clinic the next morning. THE PROCEDURE: arriving at the clinic I was greeted by Ozen and 2 staff members, the clinic is clean and is in a building next to the hotel. I had to sign some paperwork and then I discussed with Dr. Bicer what the procedure would be and what my expectations were. She was honest and direct never trying to sell me anything. She designed a hair line which I felt would leave me with little density in the crown so we redesigned the hair line to where my current hair line is , given my age I felt this was a good compromise because it would allow me to have more density in the crown and would keep me from having a great front and a terrible crown after the first procedure. I understood this was not a perfect solution as I may lack density still a little but I am more then open to a second surgery if it means its a final surgery. I got changed went in the surgery room and everything there was impeccable , sterile and clean I sat in the chair and Dr.Bicer walked in and explained the first step is the anaesthetic , this part sucks it's terrible, it's 15 minutes of needles to your head and it does not feel good. Once that's over the worst is done. I did not feel a thing for the rest of the procedure I fell asleep 3-4 times. Dr Bicer was there the whole time she would periodically ask me if I'm ok. we stopped for lunch half way through and even the lunch was good. I got back in the chair and the 2 nurses continued to implant the follicles while Dr Bicer supervised. all in all it was about 7-8 hours , Dr. Bicer seemed happy with the results and asked me to post my results as she felt it would be a great result. They bandaged me up and I walked to the hotel my buddy had left for the day to discover Turkey so I walked alone without a problem to the hotel and tried to go to sleep. AFTER THE PROCEDURE: ok the worst part for me was trying to sleep , it was virtually impossible to find a comfortable way to sleep. The first night I managed to get 4-5 hours sleep which I thought was not very much little did I know it was the most I would get till I got home. I got to the clinic the next day they removed the bandages gave me hat , Dr Bicer encouraged me to go visit Turkey but watch my head and stay out of the sun. We waited till the afternoon it was a cooler day and we visited the Blue Mosque , Aya Sofya and other landmarks in Istanbul. I felt fine we ate at a great restaurant on the European side and headed back to the hotel. Wednesday nights sleep was not good I managed to sleep 1 hour and it was miserable. Thursday my friend was leaving to go back to Greece so we had breakfast got all his things ready and then went around the nearby stores , we found a nice cafe nearby got to speak to some other tourists stayed for lunch and made some cool friends. My friend left that evening and I tried to sleep . I slept 2.5 hours again miserable sleep. I woke up the next morning (Friday) and went tot he clinic for my first wash. I was in a rush and had to be at the airport in an hour. They were so nice to me trying to hurry up to get me to the airport they did the wash showed me how to do it and rushed to the hotel to meet my driver. I got to the airport (amazing airport built 3 years ago). and jumped on the plane back home!! Conclusion: Dr Bicer is not a miracle worker she can't change your genetics or create a full of head of hair for everyone that walks in no doctor can. What she does is honest , I was treated like family, she and her staff made me feel comfortable and secure the time I was there. The choice of Dr. is a personal one. my friend had good results with hair mill BUT I was not comfortable going that route. I think I made the right decision , DrBicer is a kind and skillful surgeon. I want to thank her and her staff from the bottom of my heart for the treatment I received. I am very excited to see the results in the coming months keep your fingers crossed for me. pics will be uploaded soon I am now day 5 post op Edited June 5, 2022 by THE GAME 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member RTC Posted June 5, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted June 5, 2022 Looking forward to the result sir. Where are you based originally? Hattingen September 2023 - Punchouts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted June 5, 2022 Administrators Share Posted June 5, 2022 Nice can’t wait to see your pictures. 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 THE GAME Posted June 5, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 5, 2022 Thanks for the kind words here is right after the surgery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member THE GAME Posted June 5, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 5, 2022 First wash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member THE GAME Posted June 5, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 5, 2022 This is when i got home, donor seems to be fast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member THE GAME Posted June 5, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 5, 2022 Ill take another pic in a few weeks and keep you guys posted. I plan to jump back on minoxidil a month after surgery. I have also added biotin supplement to my diet . im going to pass on fin having been hit by major side effects. Its a shame because i was a really great responder to fin. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member THE GAME Posted June 5, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 5, 2022 4 hours ago, Aslitarcan sucks said: Looking forward to the result sir. Where are you based originally? Im in north america Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Z-- Posted June 5, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted June 5, 2022 Bro, are you me?! Our hair loss looks exactly the same. Following your progress closely. Bicer is fantastic and no doubt you will have a fantastic result. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member THE GAME Posted June 5, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 5, 2022 25 minutes ago, Z-- said: Bro, are you me?! Our hair loss looks exactly the same. Following your progress closely. Bicer is fantastic and no doubt you will have a fantastic result. Hey man would love to see your hair , let me know where . I appreciate the positive vibes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Euphoria Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 Keep us updated. I am interested about Bicer results Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Z-- Posted June 7, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted June 7, 2022 (edited) On 6/5/2022 at 10:22 PM, THE GAME said: Hey man would love to see your hair , let me know where . I appreciate the positive vibes. Thanks man! My transplant is due very soon. Will post a thread once it's set!! Hoping we both come out looking great. Edited June 7, 2022 by Z-- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member THE GAME Posted June 7, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 7, 2022 2 hours ago, Z-- said: Thanks man! My transplant is due very soon. Will post a thread once it's set!! Hoping we both come out looking great. Which doctor are tou going to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Z-- Posted June 7, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted June 7, 2022 2 hours ago, THE GAME said: Which doctor are tou going to? Konior! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member THE GAME Posted June 7, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted June 7, 2022 G 9 minutes ago, Z-- said: Konior! good luck my brother !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member receedinglegend Posted October 2, 2022 Regular Member Share Posted October 2, 2022 any update? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member THE GAME Posted October 12, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 12, 2022 Hey super busy with life , ill update soon . Its a mixed bag this far 4 months ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member receedinglegend Posted November 22, 2022 Regular Member Share Posted November 22, 2022 Hey @THE GAME, have you made any progress? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Gatsby Posted November 22, 2022 Valued Contributor Share Posted November 22, 2022 Following GATSBY 'UNPLUGGED!' 15,671 (3 surgeries) Grafts FUE+BHT Dr. Sethi Eugenix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member THE GAME Posted March 4, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 4, 2023 Hey everyone thought i would finally update . First thing when i got to Turkey i had let my hair grow out which showed my hair loss even worse. Keeping my hair short was actually giving me an illusion of hair i didn't have . Looking back on the pictures i am amazed at how bad my hair loss was. So my hair loss was actually worse then the initial pictures i posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member THE GAME Posted March 4, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 4, 2023 Things started slow but after a while they really took off . This was me at 7 months Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member THE GAME Posted March 4, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 4, 2023 Then month 8-9 i saw amazing growth , the pictures obviously show an incredible result but my barber is the real mvp . I am thin in the back its hard to see in pictures but i style my hair left to right which covers the thin spots. Also the mid scalp is still weak (doesnt show in the photos) . I know you all probably think i should be happy with this kind of recovery and believe me i am . I need another 2-3k grafts for the back and mid scalp which is thin and is being hidden with some great hair cuts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member THE GAME Posted March 4, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 4, 2023 Lastly my entire experience with Dr Bicer has been amazing . From ozen to Dr Bicer herself it has been a wonderful experience. I look forward to going back and finishing the job. i can assume the first question will be do i take any meds ? I take minoxidil foam 2 times a day i use ketaconazole 2% 2 times a week . I only use baby shampoo. I also use my micro pen every 10 days. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Spring15 Posted March 5, 2023 Senior Member Share Posted March 5, 2023 This is a killer result. Congratulations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member BackFromTheBrink Posted March 5, 2023 Regular Member Share Posted March 5, 2023 Looking really good, such an improvement. Are you planning a second surgery, and do you know how many grafts you have left at your disposal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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