Hi all
Way back in 2011 I created an account here to ask about hair restoration products like minoxidil, finasteride, Nizoral etc as I knew I was beginning the horrible process of going bald.
Eventually around a year later I decided that, when the time came, I'd opt for an hair transplant. Until then, I decided to go with Toppik fibers as although I was thinning literally everywhere, I maintained a coverage that allowed me to pull off a good look with the fibers. All was well until this year, after 5 years of gradual loss, the Toppik was on its last legs and despite my best efforts, it was starting to look a little noticeable, especially in the corners. The decision was mate, it was time for the FUE.
Not being made of money, I couldn't afford the £9500 quoted to me by local clinics where I live. My budget was, at a maximum, around a third of that, so I decided to look abroad. After a lot of research, I decided to go with Clinicana, a company based in Istanbul, Turkey.
Communication with them was conducted via Whataspp, and weirdly enough, Snapchat. I didn't mind this as via written comms there is no language/accent barrier. Snapchat was purely to allow them to send me videos and pictures of live procedures, and to give me a virtual tour of their private hospital, which looked great.
Obviously the discussion with them over the treatment and number of grafts was based purely on estimates via pictures I had sent them and the surgeon believed he could get around 4000 from me, which was great. The price was set, the dates agreed, and it was then just a waiting game until I got on the plane. Between those dates, there was a bombing at the airport in Istanbul, then the failed military coup... but I assure you I would've walked through fire to get to that hospital, so it didn't put me off. And during my stay, there were no issues at all.
Once I arrived and was put up in a 5 star hotel (fully inclusive) I was given some more info about the procedure and had a good nights rest. The next day, they took me in, shaved me head and agreed a hairline suitable for me. The procedure then began.
After the grafts had been removed, the surgeon beamed at me and explained merrily that they had managed to extract 5300, which is a massive amount. I was obviously very happy, and in Turkey, this doesn't affect the price. You pay what you were quoted, irrespective of grafts obtained.
Let me tell you this - to anyone thinking about FUE, I'm not going to lie. It was a horrible 7 hours of my life. It was uncomfortable, it was physically and mentally exhausting. The local anesthetic is agony when its pumped in to your skull, and you still get some discomfort afterwards. I lost quite a lot of blood, and felt like sh!t for a few days after. I was far too confident that I'd be up and back to normal the next day, but that certainly was not to be. My face swelled like a balloon, I got two black eyes as a consequence. I think I was definitely worse case scenario, as most reviews and stories I have read show that people don't normally go through all that. But irrespective, it was worth it, and so far, I am very happy with the results.
I've attached some pictures of various stages so far. I am now 10 days post-op, there is no swelling left, no pain, the scabs and blood and dead skin have been washed away.
The only concern I have is for my donor area. I'm worried they may have over-harvested. 10 days post-op and it is still very obviously thin compared to the parts of the back of my head that weren't touched. However, this may be normal considering the large amount of grafts. Does anyone know?
The pictures show my head a few weeks before the op, without any Toppik in. Then there's me pre-op after it has been shaved and the hairline drawn. The picture with the bandages is around an hour after I had been sent home from the hospital. The following two are 3 days post op. The side-on picture is day 8, just prior to the first proper wash. The final 1 is from today, 10 days post-op after my first proper wash and removal of scabs, skin etc.
I'll be sure to post more in time, and answer any other questions.
Cheers.
Way back in 2011 I created an account here to ask about hair restoration products like minoxidil, finasteride, Nizoral etc as I knew I was beginning the horrible process of going bald.
Eventually around a year later I decided that, when the time came, I'd opt for an hair transplant. Until then, I decided to go with Toppik fibers as although I was thinning literally everywhere, I maintained a coverage that allowed me to pull off a good look with the fibers. All was well until this year, after 5 years of gradual loss, the Toppik was on its last legs and despite my best efforts, it was starting to look a little noticeable, especially in the corners. The decision was mate, it was time for the FUE.
Not being made of money, I couldn't afford the £9500 quoted to me by local clinics where I live. My budget was, at a maximum, around a third of that, so I decided to look abroad. After a lot of research, I decided to go with Clinicana, a company based in Istanbul, Turkey.
Communication with them was conducted via Whataspp, and weirdly enough, Snapchat. I didn't mind this as via written comms there is no language/accent barrier. Snapchat was purely to allow them to send me videos and pictures of live procedures, and to give me a virtual tour of their private hospital, which looked great.
Obviously the discussion with them over the treatment and number of grafts was based purely on estimates via pictures I had sent them and the surgeon believed he could get around 4000 from me, which was great. The price was set, the dates agreed, and it was then just a waiting game until I got on the plane. Between those dates, there was a bombing at the airport in Istanbul, then the failed military coup... but I assure you I would've walked through fire to get to that hospital, so it didn't put me off. And during my stay, there were no issues at all.
Once I arrived and was put up in a 5 star hotel (fully inclusive) I was given some more info about the procedure and had a good nights rest. The next day, they took me in, shaved me head and agreed a hairline suitable for me. The procedure then began.
After the grafts had been removed, the surgeon beamed at me and explained merrily that they had managed to extract 5300, which is a massive amount. I was obviously very happy, and in Turkey, this doesn't affect the price. You pay what you were quoted, irrespective of grafts obtained.
Let me tell you this - to anyone thinking about FUE, I'm not going to lie. It was a horrible 7 hours of my life. It was uncomfortable, it was physically and mentally exhausting. The local anesthetic is agony when its pumped in to your skull, and you still get some discomfort afterwards. I lost quite a lot of blood, and felt like sh!t for a few days after. I was far too confident that I'd be up and back to normal the next day, but that certainly was not to be. My face swelled like a balloon, I got two black eyes as a consequence. I think I was definitely worse case scenario, as most reviews and stories I have read show that people don't normally go through all that. But irrespective, it was worth it, and so far, I am very happy with the results.
I've attached some pictures of various stages so far. I am now 10 days post-op, there is no swelling left, no pain, the scabs and blood and dead skin have been washed away.
The only concern I have is for my donor area. I'm worried they may have over-harvested. 10 days post-op and it is still very obviously thin compared to the parts of the back of my head that weren't touched. However, this may be normal considering the large amount of grafts. Does anyone know?
The pictures show my head a few weeks before the op, without any Toppik in. Then there's me pre-op after it has been shaved and the hairline drawn. The picture with the bandages is around an hour after I had been sent home from the hospital. The following two are 3 days post op. The side-on picture is day 8, just prior to the first proper wash. The final 1 is from today, 10 days post-op after my first proper wash and removal of scabs, skin etc.
I'll be sure to post more in time, and answer any other questions.
Cheers.
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