Regular Member Idan Posted January 22 Regular Member Share Posted January 22 (edited) Hello everyone, I wanted to share my HT journey at HLC. I'm now 8 months (and a few days) after the surgery. I'm 35 years old (on the day of the surgery I was 2 weeks shy of my 35 birthday - and I thought an HT would be a great present for me ). Before committing to HLC, I also consulted (online) with De Freitas and Pekiner. They quoted me for 2700 and 2800 grafts respectively. De Freitas suggested dates in more than a year time and also required a very heavy medication protocol so I didn't proceed with this option. While Pekiner was my first option, some factors made me choose HLC (earlier dates available and a contact person in my country which made me feel more comfortable about the surgery. In addition I had a live consultation few months before the surgery with Dr. Ozgur). The surgery was performed over 2 days exclusively by Dr. Elif (which I requested). 3201 grafts were extracted and implemented. 2600 at 50 grafts per cm2 on the "U" and another 600 grafts at 20 per cm2 to add some density to the area before. I have to say that the whole process felt extremely professional, and I really enjoyed it. Regarding the hairline, I think that in retrospect I would prefer the to be more V-shaped, and in addition, it's a bit asymmetrical unfortunately(?). I noticed it during the hairline design phase and mentioned it, the hairline consultant made some corrections but it didn't address the issue completely. It's not that critical, especially with long hair, but I would like to hear your opinion. Regarding my hair loss history and medication: I started using Nizoral 2% and topical foam minoxidil back in 2013 which I used for around 9 years (on the frontal hair loss only). In Dec 2021 I started using topical finasteride+minoxidil solution, and in July 2022 I decided to give low-dosage oral finasteride a try (0.5mg daily for two months and then 0.25mg daily), but I had to stop after 3.5 months due to side effects. In the last 5 months before the surgery I used minoxidil foam 3 times a week (in a vision to stop), and took some saw palmetto pills. Two weeks before the surgery I decided to give finasteride another try - took 1mg weekly (0.5mg * 2). I thought that maybe it could be beneficial for the grafts survival. Unfortunately, I had to stop around two weeks after the surgery, again because of (the same) side effects. Currently, I'm not taking any medication except the Nizoral and I feel that the hair loss is pretty stable (I'm hopeful that it will remain this way - but if not I have some grafts left in my donor which was assessed to have around 7500 grafts available before the surgery). Some pictures: At the airport: Right before surgery: Right after: 13 days post surgery: 1 month: 2 months: 2.5 months: 3 months: 4 months: 10 days before 5 months: Different lightning (somehow flattering): 5 months: 1 week shy of 6 months: 6 months: 10 days before 7 months: 5 days before 7 months: 7 months: 7.5 months: Almost 8 months: 8 months: I would like to hear your opinion. Thanks for reading. Edit: I'm not sure why the two pictures below appear twice. If possible I would like them to be removed - I tried to remove by editing the post unsuccessfully. Edited January 22 by Idan 2 HLC Ankara | Dr. Elif | 3201 grafts | 17-18 May 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member MazAB Posted January 23 Senior Member Share Posted January 23 (edited) Wow, incredible man! Congrats! HLC is by far one of the best clinics in Turkey. You chose well!!! Have you considered taking a topical form of Finasteride? A product called Xyon, is awesome for sustained release of Finasteride to significantly reduce systemic absorption. Might be worth a shot so you have an insurance policy for that gorgeous hair you now have😁 Edited January 23 by MazAB 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member duchaine Posted January 23 Senior Member Share Posted January 23 great!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member wembley Posted January 23 Regular Member Share Posted January 23 top class result. Congrats ! HLC is one of the best clinics in Turkey! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Gatsby Posted January 23 Valued Contributor Share Posted January 23 @Idan these are excellent results. You must be delighted! Thanks for the update! 👌 1 GATSBY 'UNPLUGGED!' 15,671 (3 surgeries) Grafts FUE+BHT Dr. Sethi Eugenix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted January 23 Administrators Share Posted January 23 10 hours ago, Canonx said: I got a price from Dr. Bek who left this clinic 1,5EUR ,I wonder what you paid? thanks Why are you posting this here? 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 Maorizio Posted January 23 Regular Member Share Posted January 23 (edited) 10 hours ago, Canonx said: I got a price from Dr. Bek who left this clinic 1,5EUR ,I wonder what you paid? thanks HLC are priced 2.5 per graft as of today. But just because Bek worked there it doesn’t mean he’s better than their current surgeons. Idan the OP, great results, very dense and natural, no needs for meds if the hair loss is stable, just keep an eye on it. Edited January 23 by Maorizio 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member BaldGuy Posted January 23 Regular Member Share Posted January 23 That’s an awesome result from HLC with high density and natural hairline. Enjoy your new hair 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Idan Posted January 23 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 23 22 hours ago, MazAB said: Wow, incredible man! Congrats! HLC is by far one of the best clinics in Turkey. You chose well!!! Have you considered taking a topical form of Finasteride? A product called Xyon, is awesome for sustained release of Finasteride to significantly reduce systemic absorption. Might be worth a shot so you have an insurance policy for that gorgeous hair you now have😁 Currently the hair-loss feels pretty stable so I’ll just keep tracking, but if needed I’ll probably use low dose topical finasteride as I know I managed that well in the past. The product you mentioned sounds interesting so I will check it out. Thanks. I paid 2.5 euro per graft. Thanks everyone for your comments. I’ll keep updating in the next months. HLC Ankara | Dr. Elif | 3201 grafts | 17-18 May 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Divinehair Posted January 24 Regular Member Share Posted January 24 perfect result. Thanks for sharing 🙏 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Idan Posted March 31 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 31 Short update. 9 months, wet hair (right side is lacking compared to left): Donor: 10 months 10 days (I think now the right side is already better): HLC Ankara | Dr. Elif | 3201 grafts | 17-18 May 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Idan Posted May 14 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 14 Hi, This is my (almost) 1-year update for whoever follows or will in the future. 12 days shy of 11 months: 17 days shy of 1 year: 9 days shy of 1 year. Today (3 days shy): I've definitely noticed that the quality of my hair is improving over time, and I'm hopeful that it will become less curly as it continues to grow. Overall, I'm really satisfied with the hair transplant results. That being said, I'm not totally happy with the hairline, which I feel is a bit too high or lacks a widow's peak if I want to be more specific. However, I lost a significant portion of my original hairline and opted to be conservative at the time of the surgery. I may consider a touch-up to the hairline in the future. 1 HLC Ankara | Dr. Elif | 3201 grafts | 17-18 May 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member translator Posted May 14 Regular Member Share Posted May 14 Excellent. With a good doctor and such a good donor and hair quality wouldn't expect any less enjoy your new hairline 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Gatsby Posted May 14 Valued Contributor Share Posted May 14 @Idan this is a killer result. 💯👌 2 GATSBY 'UNPLUGGED!' 15,671 (3 surgeries) Grafts FUE+BHT Dr. Sethi Eugenix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member duchaine Posted May 14 Senior Member Share Posted May 14 Would love to read comments from the hlc detractors. Your result is amazing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Divinehair Posted May 14 Regular Member Share Posted May 14 Top class result from HLC...cograts !! 👌😀 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Al - Moderator Posted May 14 Moderators Share Posted May 14 This is an excellent result. 1 Al Forum Moderator (formerly BeHappy) I am a forum moderator for hairrestorationnetwork.com. I am not a Dr. and I do not work for any particular Dr. My opinions are my own and may not reflect the opinions of other moderators or the owner of this site. I am also a hair transplant patient and repair patient. You can view some of my repair journey here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member BeardedArbor Posted May 14 Regular Member Share Posted May 14 This is a great result, OP. I don't think you need to do anything additional with the hairline as it suits your face and features well. I recommend keeping it as is, and just monitoring for any future hair loss. Should definitely look into some topical finasteride if the oral is giving you side effects. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Eli_Avdikian Posted May 14 Regular Member Share Posted May 14 Great result 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Gramatik Posted May 15 Senior Member Share Posted May 15 Impressive rsult...Very natural with high density. Dr Elif of HLC has shown awesome results... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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