2500 Graft FUE - Dr Ozlem Bicer - June 19th 2023

[DomTransplant]

Hello!

I've been a long-term guest-browser of the HairRestorationNetwork. At times, rather selfishly using resources without giving back. Having learned so much from other members over the past 3 years and having very recently had my hair transplant, I wanted to provide a full and thorough review of my journey, experience, along with providing regular updates for those who may find this useful. I'll answer any and all questions you may have along with providing weekly photo updates for those looking for reassurance on their own journey for the first 6 months, with a monthly image after that until 12 months, and most likely a final update at month 18.

ABOUT ME

- 28 year old male from London, UK.
- Began receding age 18.
- Have been taking Oral Fin (1mg) and Topical Minoxidil twice a day for the past 2.5-3 years. 
- I also use a Biotin and a caffeine shampoo bi-weekly

WHY A HAIR TRANSPLANT?

- Based on reading literally hundreds of other posts on the forums, I realised I had to get my current loss under control for a hair transplant to be the sensible option. I therefore committed to taking Fin & Minoxidil daily, which for me, helped drastically and got things to a point where they were manageable. Though not always useful as we're all different, my hair loss was a Norwood 2/3 with minimal crown loss. The rest of my hair remained relatively dense and improved in density on Fin & Min.

 HOW DID I CHOOSE BICER?

I reached out in September 2022 to three in Turkey, specifically, Bicer, Turan and Pekiner, along with Feriduni in Europe. I felt from reading reviews and the initial response I received from Ozen, Dr Bicens coordinator, that Bicer would be the best fit. I also fundamentally liked the fact that it was a 12 month waiting list. For me the longer I waited to see someone who everyone wanted to go and see, the better. I think the others would have been good options, but Feriduni was obviously more expensive and I just felt taking everything in to consideration that Bicer was clearly one of the best surgeons, and I was super excited to see her.  We set a date in September 2023, though I informed Ozen that if there were any cancellations could she please let me know. I received a couple of dates in May, none of which I could make, but they had one cancellation in June which I jumped at last minute, with circa a weeks notice and booked hotels & flights to go and see Dr Bicer and the team.

See images below for references sent to Dr Bicer initially (apologies for formatting - I'm knew to this!)



DAY OF OPERATION

What should you expect when seeing Dr Bicer?

I arrived late on Sunday evening with a private transfer sorted through Ozen. My operation was on Monday and I headed in for 8:30. I stayed at the Sheraton, which was a 1 minute walk away, I'd recommend this for others. Upon arriving I was welcomed by Ozen and some of the team and Dr Bicer came up and said hello. Shortly after filling out a number forms, I went downstairs and had a consultation with Dr Bicer where she drew a number of provisional options for hairlines. We discussed this in detail and came to a reasonable approach on what would look best. She said, which I thought was rather interesting, that she will always ask everyone in the team what they think, as she can never trust her eyes 100%. I thought this was a great take, just to make sure that everything looked as it should look. I then had some blood tests & some heart work done to make sure I was fit for the operation. We also discussed the number of grafts, initially in the range of 2200, but later increased to 2500. The reasoning for this was clear, the density in the hair is solid, so we'll need to work a denser job to try and balance this out. Of course, hair transplants are an illusion, and it's impossible to get close to what we grow up with, but the closer we can get, the better. It was also interesting to see the different levels of recession I'd experienced, with one temple being worse than the other - something I'm not sure I ever noticed or considered. She also said she felt the crown didn't need attention, maybe later down the line, but for now Fin & Min were doing their jobs.

I was then prepped for surgery and dressed in a gown and had my head shaved. Weirdly, this was the hardest thing mentally, going through an experience where you're trying not to lose hair and then having it voluntarily shaved off took a few glances in the mirror to get used too, but actually as most people type on here - I quite liked it really. 

One of the team then prepped me for surgery with anaesthetic. This was the ONLY part of the day where I felt any kind of pain*. It lasts for around 20 minutes but really isn't that bad. It just feels like you're getting stung by a bee about 50 times, if a bee sting lasts half a second. Once the anaesthetic is in, she made sure with a scalpel or something similar that I had no pain and tested every part of the back of the head, when I could feel even a slight pain, I informed her and more anaesthetic was administered. I was then handed over to Dr Bicer, who performs the extractions herself. I must say that this was way easier than I thought it would be. I laid on my side, on my front and then on the other side while they removed 2500 grafts. I fell asleep during parts of this, I'm not actually sure how long it took, only sensation I can describe is it's like someone's clicking a pen on your head, you know something is happening, but it does't feel particularly strange. The grafts are collected and counted as you go so they know how many single/double haired grafts you have. I don't know my final number yet of single/doubles, but I will update once I do. Once Dr Bicer had finished, my donor area was then prepped with anaesthetic. I lied slightly above, this bit hurts too, but only lasted 10 minutes as was a smaller surface area than the donor area. 

I was then given a lunch break where I was given options, but I wasn't fussed and was cooked a big meal which was great. 

Then, Dr Bicer returned and again to be totally honest, I fell asleep during this, I'm not sure if that's normal but I was tired from the night before and fell asleep for a fair chunk of it. Dr Bicer is the only one who performs this part of the surgery. There's a ton of skill required to space correctly, and she did talk me through what the plan was before she did anything, checking in too. Once this was done, the insertion of hairs begins. This is not done by Dr Bicer but by two technicians, I hope I'm not underselling them, they're obviously very, very good at what they do. This took hours, which I was pleased about, it did not feel rushed in any way which I was so thrilled about. I fell asleep (shock) during this too and took a couple loo breaks which they were fine about. They also kept asking if I was okay which was rather lovely. By the time the final graft had been inserted, it was almost 7PM, so it was a 10-11 hour day by the end of it. Though I would add that it would have been a couple of hours shorter if I was able to go the day before to have had bloods & heart tests done.

Once you're done, Dr Bicer comes and has a final look and sends you on your way, informing you what time she'd like you to be back tomorrow for a final checkup. Ozen also handed me a bag with aftercare in, pills, painkillers, shampoos - you get the idea, along with written instructions of when to take these, which was good to have. They also provide you with a neck pillow.

I was concerned about the prospect of sleeping and couldn't quite sit up right with their pillow, I had brought a softer neck pillow with me which did the trick and I conked out. I'd recommend probably bringing a neck-pillow you're comfortable in, sitting up at 45 degrees can be difficult enough, particularly if you're sleeping on a rather hard pillow. 

I returned the following morning at 9AM and met with Dr Bicer briefly. I didn't really have many questions, some related to returning to play Football & Golf, but that information is on the forums, I just wanted to hear it directly from her for some assurances. I then had final photos taken by Ozen and the bandage removed by one of the team. Dr Bicer seems really pleased and I must say so am I. It's of course, extremely early days but the experience was overwhelmingly positive. I'd like to say a special thank you to @Melvin- Moderator, @Gatsby and others I'll forget the names of. Although you don't know me, I've read hundreds of your comments on this forum which I found incredibly insightful, and I almost certainly wouldn't have gone ahead if this forum didn't exist.

TOP TIPS & ADVICE

Based on my experience in finding a surgeon, I'd say the most important thing is don't rush anything. There are plenty of good surgeons, and plenty of not so good ones. Make a list of four or five you really like that are consistently well reviewed in good numbers who are getting consistently good results, and from there, you can make a decision. I know when you read stories about fin and the effects it has in a small percentage, it can feel daunting. But if you ever experience a side effect, you can find a lower dose that works. I'm pleased I took 2/3 years to go on medication to control the problem, before opting for a hair transplant. Knowledge and the forum is your friend. If you're paying to have something done, you want to know everything you can about it, so there are as few surprises as possible. I'd read hundreds of accounts, so I knew what to expect, which meant I really didn't have any nerves on the day. 

I hope over the next year me posting my growing journey may help one or two of you. There are plenty of good surgeons, but just do your research, I personally couldn't recommend Dr Bicer more and it made one of the biggest life decisions I've made to date, a really great one. Thank you to Dr Bicer & the whole team, I'll continue to stay in touch with them to share progress too.

Cheers - Dom

- Some Post Op Pics - I consented for the clinic to use the ones they take in their studio, so I'll upload those at some point when received.


 

 

Edited June 21, 2023 by DomTransplant
added donor images

[Gatsby]

That's an excellent write up and you have gone to one of the best. I really commend you for taking the time in doing your due diligence and this will show in your results. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to seeing your updates! All the best!

[TrainingDay]

excited to see this one play out!

[A_4_Archan]

@DomTransplant Welcome officially to the forum...this forum is helpful to all the hair loss sufferers like you and me and all others...Nice clean work and densely packed....nice write up as well....will follow your journey closely ..happy growing and keep updating ...

[DomTransplant]

9 hours ago, Gatsby said:

That's an excellent write up and you have gone to one of the best. I really commend you for taking the time in doing your due diligence and this will show in your results. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to seeing your updates! All the best!

Thanks Gatsby, really useful seeing your comments pop up over the past couple of years.

[DomTransplant]

4 hours ago, A_4_Archan said:

@DomTransplant Welcome officially to the forum...this forum is helpful to all the hair loss sufferers like you and me and all others...Nice clean work and densely packed....nice write up as well....will follow your journey closely ..happy growing and keep updating ...

Thanks @A_4_Archan - happy growing brother.

[sl]

Great write up and all the best for the healing and growth. 

[duckling]

you have maintained well with meds. good decision to use them for 3 long years before surgery. The hairline drawn looks good on you and lets see how it looks all grown out. 2500 grafts is going to give a good dense look.

good luck and happy growing !

[DomTransplant]

8 minutes ago, duckling said:

you have maintained well with meds. good decision to use them for 3 long years before surgery. The hairline drawn looks good on you and lets see how it looks all grown out. 2500 grafts is going to give a good dense look.

good luck and happy growing !

Thanks for the kind words duckling - happy growing too my friend.

[JasonElva1990]

It looks cool etc but what will u do brother if the middle will go further after some time and the balding will progress?

[DomTransplant]

12 minutes ago, JasonElva1990 said:

It looks cool etc but what will u do brother if the middle will go further after some time and the balding will progress?

I'm staying on Fin & Min, and my hairloss for the past 3 years has been kept at bay with front forehead recession. So if it does start to recede, I'll go back for a touch up, probably something like 500 grafts. I'm also most likely going to have to, at some point in time get a crown touch up. But again, I'd rather wait as long as I can with this so the hope is that the meds keep doing the job they've been doing. I guess I'll just have to wait and see!

 

[JasonElva1990]

Sure thing, good plan brother - I'll hope for the best 

[Spring15]

Good luck pal

[DomTransplant]

Hey folks,

Thought I'd post my one-week update. Recovery has been okay, I'm looking forward to the 10-14 day mark where life will return to normal a little bit more and these scabs can be slowly worked out. Some scabs have fallen out, particularly on the edges, some have come out with hairs, as expected. Sleep has been the hardest thing and being inside for a while, but looking forward to moving past this stage and starting to shed properly. Much less sore now however, the back of the head has no noticeable scabs and I worked these out with a warm towel on day 6. Other scabs not yet removed, will begin to work out at day 10.

DAY 1 POST OP:

Front Sides

                   
             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back & Front


DAY 7 POST OP:

FRONT SIDES (under flash)



FRONT & BACK 



One thing I would have done - buy more bloody shirts before I got the transplant! 

Overall - things seem to be fine, have been extremely careful. Am probably being slightly too careful with washing and so will need to just rub out scabs post day 10.


 

[DDAM94]

Hi Dom,

Thanks so much for posting this review -  I'm excited to see how things pan out for you as we're a similar age and I had my procedure with Dr Biçer just a couple of days ago!

I just posted my review and it seems like we had similarly good experiences at the clinic so hopefully this plays out in the results over the next few months.

I hope life's got largely back to normal for you now you're a few weeks in. I only got back to London yesterday but already keen to have my sleep back to normal and being able to go outside again looking a bit less battered!

Daniel

[DomTransplant]

1 Month Update - the Shedfest.

Recovery has been fine, have returned to playing golf and football as of yesterday, which felt conservative but wanted to stay on the safe side.

I've experienced some amount of shock loss on the back of my head, although relatively unexpected, it's not totally uncommon and Dr Bicer thinks this should regrow in 6 months or so (max), I'm semi tempted to give it a buzz on the back to even it up for when I'm not wearing a hat!

I also had my first experience out without a hat at a wedding, was relatively nervous about the experience but people just seemed more interested in the new hair which led to good chats about the transplant, which was nice.

Edited July 19, 2023 by DomTransplant

[DomTransplant]

19 minutes ago, DDAM94 said:

Hi Dom,

Thanks so much for posting this review -  I'm excited to see how things pan out for you as we're a similar age and I had my procedure with Dr Biçer just a couple of days ago!

I just posted my review and it seems like we had similarly good experiences at the clinic so hopefully this plays out in the results over the next few months.

I hope life's got largely back to normal for you now you're a few weeks in. I only got back to London yesterday but already keen to have my sleep back to normal and being able to go outside again looking a bit less battered!

Daniel

Hey Dan,

Thanks a million for the shoutout, I'm pleased to have been somewhat helpful! Great to hear you've gone to Bicer, awesome surgeon! Left a comment and followed your post as we're on similar paths here, just a month apart! 

Rest up and just get through the next 10 days in whatever way you can, the anti-odemas should help a lot with the swelling. Stay in touch!

Dom

[DDAM94]

1 hour ago, DomTransplant said:

1 Month Update - the Shedfest.

Recovery has been fine, have returned to playing golf and football as of yesterday, which felt conservative but wanted to stay on the safe side.

I've experienced some amount of shock loss on the back of my head, although relatively unexpected, it's not totally uncommon and Dr Bicer thinks this should regrow in 6 months or so (max), I'm semi tempted to give it a buzz on the back to even it up for when I'm not wearing a hat!

I also had my first experience out without a hat at a wedding, was relatively nervous about the experience but people just seemed more interested in the new hair which led to good chats about the transplant, which was nice.

Brilliant to see your one month update Dom, looks like our messages crossed!

Glad to hear you're back to sports, sounds like you're well over the worst parts of it and now it's just a waiting game to see things really start to take off in a few months! I'm really looking forward to getting back to the gym as I had some exams that kept me out of there just before my procedure, and now have another month to wait.

I found your pictures really reassuring as I've also got some social events around the one month mark and have been feeling equally nervous about how I'll be looking/the kind of conversations that would crop up. Seeing the length of your original hair at this point, and how the redness in your recipient areas isn't that prominent, is making me feel reassured, especially given we're both quite fair-skinned so more prone to the redness hanging around. Must be good to have most of your old coverage back - I really resonated with your comment in your original post about the getting used to the look of the pre-op shave. I kept going back and forth between feeling a bit horrified and then thinking it looked much better than I'd always imagined! Sorry about the shock loss; from what I can see from the image it doesn't look overly noticeable in the way I've seen from some other shock loss pictures. I think you'll be grand either way whether you buzz it or not, and pleased to hear Dr Biçer's given you reassurance around it.

Really looking forward to seeing things start to properly kick off for you in the next few months, I'm sure it'll be happening before you know it! Let's definitely stay in touch - watching this oedema travel further down my face by the hour makes me grateful to be meeting someone who knows the struggle of the early days 😂

 

[DomTransplant]

*2 Month Update*

Some changes to report, shock loss on back of head has shown some improvement over the past 30 days, temporarily moved to topical min which has helped. I'll continue this until it's fully recovered, hopefully by month 6. 

As for hair growing in, as expected, not much but some early signs of growth, quite exciting to zoom in and see faint baby hairs pushing through in some areas. 

Redness has improved, pictures taken right after shower so looks redder than it really is

Edited August 19, 2023 by DomTransplant

[stephcurry30]

Looking good!

[A_4_Archan]

@DomTransplant

Yeh the donor is healing well and it will get better and better in upcoming months...you are right in the middle of shedding phase...you will come out of this around 3 months post op and will start seeing lot many hairs popping out...redness takes more time and will  fade away slowly and gradually with time...

[Ccd99]

Thanks for the update and your initial write-up, hugely helpful!

I am due my appointment with Dr Bicer March next year for 4000 grafts (also from the UK), cannot wait to start my hair restoration journey.

[mxnprettynice]

Minoxidil to combat shock loss in the donor area was a great decision!

[DomTransplant]

*Month 3*

Keeping this active for those that have found/will find it useful. Today marks 90 days since the transplant. Some things to report... improved temple growth in the past few months, more on one side than the other, but not particularly worried about uneven growth, aware this is very common and feel I've had some good progress given it's only month 3. I had a haircut today for the first time which was awesome, waited 3 months on Dr Bicers recommendation. So 3 months without a haircut and wearing a hat every day has been fine, but playing sports without one has been a bit tough as it has looked pretty terrible.

As for the shock loss, it's definitely improving, is more noticeable now the back has been buzzed today as was covered by longer hair, but I'm hoping over the next 3 months with continued topical minoxidil it'll continue to improve, but there is definitely some improvement from 4 weeks ago.





BACK OF HEAD MONTH 3: SHOCK LOSS PROGRESS

Edited September 21, 2023 by DomTransplant

[stephcurry30]

Looking good and on track. Almost through the ugly duckling phase. How long did it take for the redness to stop/get rid of?