FUE 3500 Dr Biçer Istanbul

[Pablo_doc]

I just wanted to write regarding my recent experience with Dr Biçer on 25th July 2023. This is a long post, sorry, feel welcome to skim read 🤣. 

I am 46 years old, medical doctor, living in London, UK. I have been thinning for some time but very slowly. I have taken oral finasteride in the past but developed some side effects and had recurrent eye problems using topical minoxidil. I have been reading forums and researching for several years, building up the courage then opting out last minute for some time. Finally in March I decided to go ahead and get this sorted once and for all. It was starting to affect my confidence and I was started to age facially as well, so the combination was the final straw 🤣. 

My prerequisites for the clinic was good reputation, recognition with ISHRS, good reviews that weren't financially promoted, reasonable price, one patient/day ideally. Initially I had a consultation with another clinic but didn't get good vibes. I reached out to Dr Biçer in March 23. I wanted to do it ASAP as I knew i would probably chicken out again if I didn't do it sooner. I sent my medical data and photos and spoke mainly with Ozen, who works closely with Dr Biçer. Dr Biçer wrote and recommendation for 3500 grafts covering mainly frontal area 2500 and crown 800-1000. To be honest the crown didn't bother me as I couldn't see it, but i realised this would need to be treated to get a good result. 

Dr Biçer was booked up for 12 months, it wasn't looking good, and I didn't want to book impromptu with another less ideal clinic. Fortunately, a cancellation came up for 25th July. I booked the plane that night. I wanted to stay close (5 mins walk max), and decided on the Sheraton Grand Atasehir. The reason for this was I knew i'd need room service for 2 days afterwards due to my appearance. It cost £700 for 4 nights. I arrived Sunday evening to Istanbul from Dubai after working there for a week. I decided to arrange my own transport and simply jumped in a taxi outside the airport. It cost me 320 Lira but I rounded up to the nearest 100 (400 lira is so cheap compared to London). The hotel was nice, top floor view, great food and excellent English speaking staff. 

I was asked to go the next day 9am for a review, the day before the procedure. Dr Biçer was there but busy seeing other patients, reviews and planned procedure. She was welcoming and handed me over to Ozen who asked if I could fill in the forms that day to save time. Now bear in mind there are about 30-40 pages of information and legal type text. I was going to give it time to read and it probably took 1 hour. I also took photos of every page for future reference and I'd definitely advise this if its not sent on. However, most was straight forward and pertaining a lot to following the recommendations post procedure etc, potential for failure and consent to share info/photos. Once this was finished Dr Biçer saw me briefly, we drew some hairlines, 3 in total, and I chose 1 of them that we both agreed on. I'd read so much at this stage I had no questions, just information overload. Bloods were taken, an ECG to check on the heart, and my medical pack and pillow for after the procedure. 

In the afternoon I decided to explore and went to Sultanahmet Square and Hagia Sofia and the Grand Bazaar. I'm so glad I did this as it helped distract from the following day's operation. One thing to mention is that taxis are a nightmare to flag down or call via Uber/BiTaksi. Eventually had to jump on the metro, without a ticket, as the guards were unable to sell me a card, and hope for the best. Thankfully I got home and managed to rest that night. 

The next morning I arrived 9am. I was taken for head shaving, was actually fine and didn't bother me at all. New hairlines were drawn but more concise and thought out with measurements. Photos were taken and I was throughly cleaned. The rooms were immaculately clean which made me feel better. The nurses discussed their previous experience in the medical field and we joked a lot which put me at ease. 

The local anaesthetic was not as bad as I thought, as others say like elastic bands snapped off the head and then needle injections until fully numb, 5/10 pain and took 20 mins approx. 

Extractions were done solely by Dr Bicer, it felt really quick, may have been the Xanax. These were counted and separated by the nurses whilst Dr Biçer performed the insertion points. I'd asked for a super natural, irregular hairline to ensure a more natural result. We decided against balancing temples as both felt some natural asymmetry was normal. Then it was lunch for 45 mins 

I was then left in the hands of 3 nurses who took turns in the insertion of the grafts. Took hours with several toilet breaks and me moving to try and alleviate some back pain from lying so long. They were asking if I was okay throughout. I finished the procedure at 7.30pm and after quick bandaging I was allowed to go home. Everyone was tired and it was very late. 

I ordered room service for dinner and breakfast and went for bandage removal 9am. It was slightly sore cleaning the area and stung a lot initially. That day I just relaxed in the hotel room watching movies. It was slightly sore but minimal pain. I struggled a lot to know what position to sit in, what to wear, how to wash my face and shower etc. 

Sleeping the first night with bandages was fine to be honest. I made a V shape with pillows and lay slightly on my side avoiding the grafted area. The second night was terrible without bandages. The donor area was leaking bloody fluid and I woke with 4 destroyed pillows that I decided to wash by hand at 3am 🙈. I asked for a review to make sure everything was okay and Dr Biçer actually came in on her day off to review me. I met another patient who had the procedure the day after me and we chatted about things and put ourselves at ease. I would definitely recommend making contact with others there at the same time. Thankfully all was okay and I was able to fly home that day. By this time I was less bothered and embarrassed about my appearance. I'd decided to book a front row business class seat from SAW airport (£235) and so glad I did, more space, less risk trauma and more comfortable. 

I'm now day 3 and have done my first hair wash. It was hard to know how hard to apply pressure and the cream they gave was difficult to remove without some pressure but I was told this gets easier with time. Head is feeling tingly but not sore and I've stopped any pain meds. Still on steroids as I have pretty severe facial swelling on the forehead. 

I realise this is a very long post but wanted to be clear about the things that I would like to have known beforehand. 

In summary the experience was great, Dr Biçer was so kind and obviously very knowledgable and I felt completely comfortable throughout. Ozen has been great with follow up questions, only 1 so far, phew!

I'll update with regular photos for anyone interested. 

Below are photos taken in March 23 prior to the procedure. 

[Pablo_doc]

Immediately afterwards...and day 2. I've asked for the clinic pictures for hairline drawing and pre and post for better quality and will add later. 

Edited July 28, 2023 by Pablo_doc

[A_4_Archan]

@Pablo_doc excellent detailed write up brother ....you have chosen a good doctor ..happy growing and keep updating ...will follow your journey closely ...

[Davies]

This looks like great work. Keen to follow how you grow !

[Melvin- Admin]

Looks good, following your journey 😎

[Gatsby]

Excellent write up and you've chosen a top surgeon. Happy growing and I look forward to following your updates!

[Marko7t4]

Looking forward to seeing how this progresses. 

[ScottishGuy21]

Best of luck. You’re in very good hands with Dr Bicer (speaking from personal experience!)