42yo 5000 graft FUE Hair Transplant, Maral Klinik - Istanbul, TR

Hi everyone,
So I'm now back in London recovering from my 2nd Hair Transplant done non Sat 12 Jan 2019, 1 year and 11 months after my first transplant.
Of course I went back to Maral Klinik, it was a no-brainer. The results I have achieved are outstanding so along with two friends (1st time), we all contacted Dr Maral and booked our surgery on the same day.
I can't lie and say it was painless, in fact he uses a slightly modified anaesthetic procedure which is applied by a prick to the area pre-injection (say 20 in total). I do remember 2 years ago it was straight in with the needle, but now it's a little different and meant to be less painful. My two friends were over the moon and didn't feel any pain with this new technique, but for some reason I felt the pricks were a bit too sharp for me although nothing when compared to the straight up injection. A small quibble which I am being too picky about really!
Once the pricking had finished you don't feel any pain of the injections, so a great relief to all you injection phobics. Now before I continue, I will point out that the same team operated on me again and I was delighted at this. I really wanted them to complete the transformation and so the wonderful lady surgeon Yeshin, her assistant Mr Shakir, Mr Murat and Ms Ayesha were all raring to go after the success of my 1st opp result. Both they and I couldn't wait for HT 2 and what they could achieve.
So after lots of pleasantries and many gratitudes at the miracle they had achieved, I sat down, had the anesthetic and let them get on with it. I think it's the best way because what's the point disturbing their plan and saying you want a lower hairline, I just felt I'd do what I did the first time around and let them get on with it. It worked wonders so why spoil it.
So they got to work.on removing the grafts and after 2 hours of very painless extraction I was advised they had harvested another 2600 grafts. I had a short break and Dr Maral recommended I allow them to harvest some beard hairs below my chin, just so they can use them mid-scalp and not affect their plan to use the other hairs to fill out the front and pack in the crown. I was in a bit of trepidition but my friend, who was totally bald was undergoing the harvesting of his beard hair and he told me it felt painless.
So an hour later and much to Dr Maral's surprise they had managed to get a further 600 grafts from my beard. He said the highest they'd ever grafted was 700, so 600 was very good.
They then spent a further 3.5 hours making the grafts holes and implanting them. They did keep asking me to stay still, I think this time I was more impatient and should have been more careful. It's to stop any loss or displacement of grafts.
Once surgery was over, I looked in the mirror and could clearly tell this would really thicken my hairline and crown. Once again the Maral team had done a super job. So the usual routine of pain killers and antibiotics were given along with tablets to reduce swelling on the face post-op. This was new and it worked a treat!
We all returned to the Hotel, which this time was a 5 star one in Besiktas, called Dedeman Hotel. It was a serious upgrade from the Levant hotel I stayed in last time although it was far busier and with lots of business people. The usual HT patients were there to be seen but unlike The Levant, where I would say 75% were HT patients, this Hotel had more regular users. The restaurant was superb and the coffee lounge and general amenities much better. I felt the rooms were clean and acceptable and the service was good. So a welcome upgrade without passing the cost onto the client. I paid €2100 in total so well worth the stay and same price as opp #1.
The next day we returned for our clean-up and care routine and after plenty of hugs and photos we said our goodbyes and went onto explore the magnificent city of Istanbul.
The next day our driver Murad dropped us off at the airport and he waited to collect some new clients from Ireland. It was a seamless experience and my friends were delighted with their grafts and the care they received, so we'll done all at Maral Klinik.
I've attached a number of pics and will keep you all updated once every 2 months. Reason being my existing hair will grow back much faster so will space out the photo results so you can judge the results of opp #2 better.
Happy to answer any questions and hope wherever you go, you achieve your desired effect!

12 months photos added.

12 month update. So guys, it's now the full year since my HT and what a journey it's been. Looking at my old photographs, I find it unbelievable how different (and much younger!) I now look. The HT has transformed my profile and boosted my personal confidence, although I did get used to having a baldie! My advice to anyone is that if you can do it, then don't hesitate and go for it. Also I want to give a huge thanks to Dr Maral and his superb team for doing such amazing work for me. My next update will be at month 15 just before I go to Maral Klinik for my second session to further fill-in my crown. As always please feel free to ask any questions and I'm always happy to speak to anyone on the phone/Skype/WhatsApp if you need some help/advice or assistance. Take care.....