POSTED UNDER Hair Transplant REVIEWS
4000 Graft FUSS HT - Dr Karadeniz - Istanbul. Turkey, TR
ORIGINAL POST
I arrived in Istanbul on 16th December and after...
chris62January 1, 2016
WORTH IT
I arrived in Istanbul on 16th December and after only 6 hours sleep headed of to the clinic the next morning at 8.45.I met Dr K at 9am whereupon we discussed the options . Dr K's opinion was that 4000 grafts plus would be required , to provide a good camouflage density to the frontal area and mid scalp regions . The crown would be untouched on this occasion , but sufficient grafts remaining should a further procedure be required . In consideration of my level of hair loss and the donor area characteristics , we agreed upon FUSS as the initial choice , with a potential further FUE the following day if the strip alone were to be insufficient for my requirements .
The usual pre-op photos were taken and hair design marked out . At around 10am the procedure commenced and I was on the operating table , and the first anaesthetic injections were administered along the strip line . These were pretty much painless , which was good as I was expecting worse . Much less painful that a dentists needle . Didn't take long for the head to be suitably numb and the strip procedure commenced by Dr K . I was aware of things happening at the back of my head , but that's all it was , a slight sensation .On completion , the strip was passed on to the technicians for dissection .
With the strip removed , a lunch break was taken . Upon returning to the surgery, the technicians reported that in excess of 4000 grafts were taken .
On to the operating table once again and the recipient area was anaesthetised . Dr K made all the recipient site incisions . Again , I was aware of things happening , but was not painful in the slightest. Whilst the recipient incisions were being made , a team of technicians were dissecting and preparing the grafts .
Dr K made the initial graft placements to check for any potential popping ( elevation ) of the grafts . There appeared to be no issues , and the graft placement commenced , undertaken by a team of technicians . Strangely enough , although the time period from commencement of surgery to completion was around 9 hours , it didn't seem to drag at all .
Grafts were more densely placed at the frontal area and taper off to the rear .
I left the surgery around 7pm and returned to my hotel. Sleep that night was intermittent , although pain killers and other medication were taken to reduce pain / swelling .
I returned to the clinic the next morning for the hair wash and post-op instructions given .
Luckily enough , no swelling was suffered and little pain experienced - everything appears well .
I will update post op photos periodically .
The usual pre-op photos were taken and hair design marked out . At around 10am the procedure commenced and I was on the operating table , and the first anaesthetic injections were administered along the strip line . These were pretty much painless , which was good as I was expecting worse . Much less painful that a dentists needle . Didn't take long for the head to be suitably numb and the strip procedure commenced by Dr K . I was aware of things happening at the back of my head , but that's all it was , a slight sensation .On completion , the strip was passed on to the technicians for dissection .
With the strip removed , a lunch break was taken . Upon returning to the surgery, the technicians reported that in excess of 4000 grafts were taken .
On to the operating table once again and the recipient area was anaesthetised . Dr K made all the recipient site incisions . Again , I was aware of things happening , but was not painful in the slightest. Whilst the recipient incisions were being made , a team of technicians were dissecting and preparing the grafts .
Dr K made the initial graft placements to check for any potential popping ( elevation ) of the grafts . There appeared to be no issues , and the graft placement commenced , undertaken by a team of technicians . Strangely enough , although the time period from commencement of surgery to completion was around 9 hours , it didn't seem to drag at all .
Grafts were more densely placed at the frontal area and taper off to the rear .
I left the surgery around 7pm and returned to my hotel. Sleep that night was intermittent , although pain killers and other medication were taken to reduce pain / swelling .
I returned to the clinic the next morning for the hair wash and post-op instructions given .
Luckily enough , no swelling was suffered and little pain experienced - everything appears well .
I will update post op photos periodically .
chris62's provider
Replies (15)
January 7, 2016
Hi. How much did the transplant cost and was it a fue or fut procedure?
January 7, 2016
Hi ,
I underwent a FUT ( FUSS ) procedure , but Dr K does both FUE and FUSS . The price of the surgery was 1.50 euros per graft inclusive . This rate includes transfers from and to the airport , and also accommodation in a 5 star hotel adjacent the clinic .The price is more expensive than other clinics in Turkey , but this is because the doctor himself performs the donor extractions and recipient incisions , which are both critical elements of the transplant process. If you go to the cheaper clinics ,it is likely these tasks will be undertaken by technicians .
All the information is available on the clinics website .
I underwent a FUT ( FUSS ) procedure , but Dr K does both FUE and FUSS . The price of the surgery was 1.50 euros per graft inclusive . This rate includes transfers from and to the airport , and also accommodation in a 5 star hotel adjacent the clinic .The price is more expensive than other clinics in Turkey , but this is because the doctor himself performs the donor extractions and recipient incisions , which are both critical elements of the transplant process. If you go to the cheaper clinics ,it is likely these tasks will be undertaken by technicians .
All the information is available on the clinics website .
May 20, 2016
Considering dr k as well. Jist wondering if there is anything else you can tell me about him and the procedure. Why did you all decide on fut vs fue. Thanks
May 21, 2016
If you can be a bit more specific on what else you need to know , I'll try to give you the answers .
As far as why I went with FUT over FUE , this is due to a range of factors . Both are excellent procedures , each with their own pros and cons . This is why you need to spend a good deal of time researching the subject taking into consideration your own level of hair loss and what further hair loss you may experience .
In my case , I was a high level Norwood ( NW6 ) with a large area to cover . Going for FUE straight of the bat limits the number of future grafts you may have available should you require further procedures . As I know I will need a further procedure to address the crown , a FUT procedure , possibly followed by a further FUT procedure was the most beneficial route to take for me . It may be that due to skin laxity a further FUT may not be possible in which case I will go with a FUE procedure .
That's a pretty simplistic overview of my position , but sums up the gist of it .
As far as why I went with FUT over FUE , this is due to a range of factors . Both are excellent procedures , each with their own pros and cons . This is why you need to spend a good deal of time researching the subject taking into consideration your own level of hair loss and what further hair loss you may experience .
In my case , I was a high level Norwood ( NW6 ) with a large area to cover . Going for FUE straight of the bat limits the number of future grafts you may have available should you require further procedures . As I know I will need a further procedure to address the crown , a FUT procedure , possibly followed by a further FUT procedure was the most beneficial route to take for me . It may be that due to skin laxity a further FUT may not be possible in which case I will go with a FUE procedure .
That's a pretty simplistic overview of my position , but sums up the gist of it .
May 22, 2016
I'm a Norwood 3 . Age 34. Concerned about future hair loss.I'm would like to do fue because no scar but am.also concerned about fue reducing donor area for future hair procedures if need be. Have been researching as much as I can. Dr k seemed to recommended fut 1st for me as well because of the reasons u mentioned. It's confusing some dr so like fut and others fue. It also hard for any dr in Turkey to get a good idea of your head without a physical exam. So im trying to find out as much about them as possible. Thanks for your time
May 22, 2016
Most doctors will specialise in one or the other . There are not that many that do both , but Dr K does .It was one of the reasons I chose the Dr , as there is no bias to his preferred option. Like you , I initially wanted to go the FUE route , but after the consultation decided to take the Drs advice and go FUT.
Europe seems to be heavily leaning to FUE whilst N. America still does a lot of FUT . This is slowly changing with many US docs now getting into FUE as well as FUT . The same is not true in Europe as most surgeons undertake FUE . Turkey is certainly mostly FUE .
FUT definitely requires greater surgical skill than FUE which is the reason why Turkey has so many tech' clinics .
As far as consults are concerned , unless you are local to your preferred clinic , online consults is the only realistic option. As long as the photo's you email are of sufficient quality and show the true extent of the hair loss , the surgeons will get a pretty good idea of surgical options . This can change of course with a physical consult , but will more likely be a case of slight adjustments to the plan rather than wholesale changes .
Europe seems to be heavily leaning to FUE whilst N. America still does a lot of FUT . This is slowly changing with many US docs now getting into FUE as well as FUT . The same is not true in Europe as most surgeons undertake FUE . Turkey is certainly mostly FUE .
FUT definitely requires greater surgical skill than FUE which is the reason why Turkey has so many tech' clinics .
As far as consults are concerned , unless you are local to your preferred clinic , online consults is the only realistic option. As long as the photo's you email are of sufficient quality and show the true extent of the hair loss , the surgeons will get a pretty good idea of surgical options . This can change of course with a physical consult , but will more likely be a case of slight adjustments to the plan rather than wholesale changes .
UPDATED FROM chris62
3 months post
3 Month update
chris62March 21, 2016
Just a quick update as I'm just past the 3 month mark . Things are going fine and I've had some growth already which I'm happy with .
Will update again in a month or so .
Will update again in a month or so .
Replies (5)
March 24, 2016
Started growing already well done
March 25, 2016
Thanks Danny . I see you're about 3 weeks ahead of me and looks to be kicking in nicely .
UPDATED FROM chris62
4 months post
4 Month update
chris62April 24, 2016
Just passed the 4 month mark .
Just had my first proper hair cut post op ( no. 3 to 4 on the clippers ) and I'm very pleased with the progress to date . The scar is no longer visible even after a fairly short hair cut , so really happy about that .
Over he past month , my hair seems to be maturing and plenty of new grafts popping up at the moment . Hoping the good progress continues , but will update gain at the 5 or 6 month mark .
Any questions fire away !
Just had my first proper hair cut post op ( no. 3 to 4 on the clippers ) and I'm very pleased with the progress to date . The scar is no longer visible even after a fairly short hair cut , so really happy about that .
Over he past month , my hair seems to be maturing and plenty of new grafts popping up at the moment . Hoping the good progress continues , but will update gain at the 5 or 6 month mark .
Any questions fire away !
Replies (9)
May 13, 2016
Do you have any pics of the scar? How big is it? I am considering FUT but am concerned about the scar since I wear my hair short.
May 13, 2016
I don't have any photos of the scar yet . May upload some on my next update .
You're right to consider the scar - I was also concerned about it when considering procedures, but for me it a none issue .I recently had a no.3 haircut and think I'll try a no.2 buzz next time around . The scar is not visible in the slightest . I asked my wife recently to see how it was healing and she had a hard time finding it .
How the scar heals is a combination of the surgeons skill and your own physiology
( how well you heal ).
You're right to consider the scar - I was also concerned about it when considering procedures, but for me it a none issue .I recently had a no.3 haircut and think I'll try a no.2 buzz next time around . The scar is not visible in the slightest . I asked my wife recently to see how it was healing and she had a hard time finding it .
How the scar heals is a combination of the surgeons skill and your own physiology
( how well you heal ).
May 13, 2016
Okay thank you because I was considering Dr k specifically for the surgery but don't want a huge scar as I've seen some nasty ones online but he seems like he knows what he's doing any pictures would be greatly appreciated thanks again
May 14, 2016
No problem .
I'll post some photos in a week or so . I'll include scar pictures if I can , but to be honest it's very difficult to find .
I'll post some photos in a week or so . I'll include scar pictures if I can , but to be honest it's very difficult to find .
Thanks for your comments .
Dr Karadeniz and his medical team were very nice and professional . If you have any concerns , Dr K will answer your questions with honesty .
I have a long way until I can judge the results ,and although it is early days I am happy with the way things are progressing . Don't worry too much and if you have any questions I'd be pleased to give you my opinion .
Worried more about my safety :( with everything that's going on these days.
What was your opinion on that when you were there?
I had no concerns whilst I was in Istanbul . The surgery is literally a 5 minute walk from the hotel . The hotel itself is very nice and the staff warm and welcoming .Also , the people and drivers on the airport transfers were very good also.