HDC Cyprus - 3600 Graft FUE - Dr. Christina

[miked316]

After relying on forums like this for my pre-transplant research I wanted to share my experience to hopefully help others in the planning stage. I’d decided to wait 6+ months before posting to give a better retrospective because what these forums don’t need is another post from someone asking how they look and freaking out after one month!

About me: 40+ years old American who always had a high hairline but very dense and thick hair on the sides and back. Very little regression of the hairline over the years but some thinning up front. I started looking into a HT only a couple of years ago as I didn’t realize the success people were having with them. During 2022, I decided to take the plunge as I judged the risk (a shaved head) to be minimal and the reward to be good. Considering my hair, and that of my father who has nearly identical hair to me, has been stable throughout adulthood, I judged the need for future loss to be low.

Research: I decided early on to go overseas. Cost being one (major) factor and the availability of testimonials the other.  I reached out to several preferred spots after developing my list. Some responded within hours, some never responded. The graft estimations went from 2500-4000. This is the sketchy part and we’ll get to that later. After a few consultations I decided to go with a FUE at HDC in Cyprus. I’d seen several of their patients with hair remarkably close to mine that had great results and I felt comfortable with the cost. It was ~2 euro per graft for Dr. Christina, which is more than a couple of other clinics I consulted but the value seemed appropriate considering they include up to a week of accommodations and don’t shuttle you out the door right after surgery which was a fear of mine. Additionally, they do their surgeries over two days (if necessary) so the hair isn’t outside the body very long which appealed to me. I had numerous back and forth conversations with Doran, their consultant and a couple of video calls. I was able to schedule for about 3-4 months out which was shorter than some, longer than others. A friend of mine decided to go at the same time which was also helpful to know we’d have a shared experience.

Experience/Timeline:

Day 0: Pickup at the airport was bad - it was late and I couldn't get ahold of anyone.  Luckily, my friend already arrived the day prior so I knew it was just a communication thing which was resolved in about 45 minutes.  This isn’t a professional driving service but one of the employees of the clinic in her personal car.  About 30 minutes later we were at the clinic and I was shown to my room in the adjacent apartment building. HDC has a couple of different options for rooms. A single unit and other two-bedroom apartments. I was given the single unit and my friend was already in one of the two-bedroom units. The two-bedrooms are nicer. The single unit was like a motel room but it had everything I needed (fridge, cooking supplies, desk, etc). The two-bedroom had a great living area, laundry, and such. 

Day 1: Prior to surgery I went for a walk around the surrounding area. It’s mostly industrial with little or nothing to see without venturing over to the city center which is about a 20 minute walk. This isn’t a bad thing in my opinion. Because there was nothing around, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything by sitting in my room for recovery. At 8am I went to the clinic and was shown around. The clinic itself is an aged medical facility with nothing fancy but it was clean and professional. I was brought in for paperwork, a COVID test, photos, changed into a smock, had my head shaved, and drew a hairline with the doctor. From there, more photos were taken and then we started the process. After prep, extractions were taken and I received a blood test. The doctor did the punching of the extractions and the techs removed them from the scalp. After a break we did more extractions. After another break we started the incisions. This is a painful process but the staff did as much as they could to numb the area and make it more comfortable. After a lunch break, we started the implants. This took about 2 hours and we were done with day 1 at 3:30pm. More photos were taken and I was given pain pills and instructions for the evening. This included rinsing every 20 minutes.

Day 2: The second day of surgery was mostly a carbon copy of day 1. We finished up a bit earlier and instructions were provided. I was told I could now drink coffee (thank god). I had little to no post-op pain. While this day was about 2 hours shorter, it felt longer. I just wanted it over. Again it was a mixture of doctor involvement (punches, incisions, and some insertions) and the techs (Christala and Aristos - who were great). I did go over to the market next door to get some food. The market is great, by the way.

Day 3: They applied cream to the donor, provided more supplies and instructions (continue spraying every 15 minutes). I paid for the surgery - it was 3600 grafts I was charged for but who knows if that is an accurate number. I really wish these clinics would just give you the flat rate. That way they’d be encouraged to use less hair and achieve the best result. Oh well, it is what it is. Swelling started to show in the evening.

Day 4: They washed my head in the morning and again in the afternoon. At this point I was quite swollen and just kept up the ice and spraying.

Day 5: Same as the day prior - swelling continues. At this point I had some cabin fever and needed to get outdoors. In my last 4 days I had only seen the apartment, the clinic, and the market next door. I walked over the area where the Turkish and Greek sides of Cyprus meet. I did wear a hat to do this (a deep Melin hat which didn’t touch my scalp other than my forehead). I felt pretty comfortable while wearing a hat out.

Day 6: I was leaving on this day so I only received one wash and then was provided shampoos to use myself. My swelling was pretty intense at this point. I was driven to the airport and sent on my way. I wore a hat for my flights and tried to spray the area when I could do so without disturbing others.

At home: There was no follow up from the clinic. I had their info if I had questions but nothing proactive. My swelling finally subsided around day 8. I had no issues washing the scalp but the scabbing was pretty thick and bothersome by day 10. I followed instructions online for soaking and massaging the scabs off at that point and the look was night and day. I looked good and felt good…for about 5 more days. By day 14 shedding started and continued, much to my dismay, for the next 2 months. I’d touch my head and come away with hair pretty much constantly for about 45 days. I just kept telling myself it was normal but let me tell you something, I looked awful from months 1-3! There’s no hiding it if you have to be without a hat. I wore a hat everywhere I could for this time. 

For the first 30 days I lived pretty clean. No working out, no alcohol, etc. After the first month I resumed going to the gym and living my normal life. I did also start cleaning up the hair with at-home haircuts at this point. My first real haircut came at month 4.

Results: As you can see from the pictures the results happened from month 3 onward. At the 4 month mark I felt awesome as the patchiness filled in. I put my hats away and started going out in the wild with my new hair. I noticed double-takes and I swear people started treating me better but this was probably because I am more confident. At 7 months I am very happy with my result at this point. The hair is thickening and a weird bonus is that this hair doesn't flop around like my native hair did.  I can style it and it stays all day.  Can others tell? I don’t know but it looks natural, even under harsh lighting, and my wife and I love it so I don’t really care.

Would I recommend a transplant: If you’re in a similar boat as I was (stable hair, good donor quality, and willing to accept a bad result) then yes. I’d also caution that the first thing you should do before surgery is to get comfortable with yourself. Shave your head and see how it looks. If you don’t like yourself bald you’re not going to like yourself with hair. It may help a bit but if you read these forums you’ll see people who freak out about small imperfections, etc. Those people are never going to be satisfied. If you like yourself with thinning hair you’re going to really love having a full head. I still smile at myself in the mirror every day. If you have hair loss that is advanced or noticeably moving, I’d probably recommend against it. You’re only really buying a short amount of relief and you’re paying money, recovery, and worry plus potentially more surgeries later as you chase results. If that’s worth it, ok. It wouldn’t be for me. If you do decide to go forward, get what you want. Be vocal with the clinics you talk to, have input ready for hairline design and such. More than anything, be ready for a long, long wait for results.

Things can change but I hope this helps someone. If you have questions let me know.

[mr_peanutbutter]

very nice result and detailed write up

[Melvin- Admin]

Looks amazing 🤩 amazing write-up as well.

[BaldReaper]

Good result, can you also post some pics outdoor under sunlight?

[miked316]

12 minutes ago, BaldV said:

Good result, can you also post some pics outdoor under sunlight?

sure, here you go.

[Jackdaniels]

Good one…Can you share post op pictures with the graft placement ? 

[Doron Harati]

@miked316 thank you for your feedback, your new hair looks stunning, was my pleasure to assist you in this process 😀

[AB2000]

On 6/23/2023 at 11:40 AM, miked316 said:

It may help a bit but if you read these forums you’ll see people who freak out about small imperfections, etc. Those people are never going to be satisfied.

How true 🙂 

[A_4_Archan]

On 6/23/2023 at 10:10 PM, miked316 said:

It may help a bit but if you read these forums you’ll see people who freak out about small imperfections, etc. Those people are never going to be satisfied

Better result and best write up....good to see that you have your goals and expectations in check and aware of the limitations of a surgery ....and thats why you are happy and i wish all other patients should keep this things in mind so that they don't get disappointed or stress out so much even after a successful surgery...

Edited June 25, 2023 by A_4_Archan

[miked316]

On 6/23/2023 at 2:31 PM, Jackdaniels said:

Good one…Can you share post op pictures with the graft placement ? 

Here you go. After day 1 and then after day 2 of surgery.

[miked316]

Just wanted to post a final follow up since I passed the 1-year mark recently.  Here is a shot of me now.  I've also included a before/after of my friend and I who had the procedure done at the same time at HDC. Like we stepped out of a time machine!  One surprise for me is my hair up front has some curl to it now which is new but I like it.  I've had several comments about the Superman curl!

[Melvin- Admin]

Wow Dr. Christina did an amazing job 🙌🙌