POSTED UNDER Hair Transplant REVIEWS
Excellent Hair Transplant with Dr Levent Acar Istatanbul
ORIGINAL POST
This is a review for Dr Levent Acar at Cosmedica...
sd77777August 7, 2017
WORTH IT$2,100
This is a review for Dr Levent Acar at Cosmedica clinic in Istanbul, Turkey. Prior to writing my review for Dr Acar I would like to give some history about my experience with the hair transplant process.
In 2010 my hair on top was so thin throughout and I was on way to being completely bald within a few years. I had my first hair transplant with Dr. Gabriel Hernandez in Tijuana, Mexico in 2011. She performed a FUT transplant (strip method) and did an excellent job creating a natural hairline for me. I decided to return to Tijuana in 2013 for a second procedure and made the mistake of listening to a friend and chose a different doctor. This other doctor from another clinic created a second large FUT scar and he transplanted very little hair so I was not satisfied at all. I should have gone back to Dr. Hernandez’s clinic but I can’t change the past.
Fast forward to 2015. I was rapidly losing more and more of my natural hair in the middle and crown area and did not want to take finasteride because of prior experience with side effects. I could picture myself in the future having significant hair around the hairline with nothing in the middle or crown so I decided I had to take action and have a 3rd transplant. I didn’t want another FUT scar so I started researching the FUE method. I found some great doctors in the U.S. that I was interested in but they were out of my price range so I looked elsewhere.
I researched affordable clinics and found positive reviews for Dr Acar at Cosmedica clinic in Istanbul Turkey. I was initially apprehensive about traveling so far. Duyga, who was responsible for communication for the clinic, calmed my anxiety by answering all of my questions. I must have sent her 30 emails before taking the plunge and purchasing my ticket. The price was $2100 for the procedure with maximum amount of grafts and PRP. Hotel for 2 nights was included in the package. I paid for an additional 4 nights at the hotel (Tempo Suites Airport) which cost $40 a night. Nonstop round trip ticket from NYC to Istanbul was approximately $800. All together, including food and sightseeing, I spent a total of $3300 for the trip and procedure.
When I landed at Ataturk airport the clinic’s driver took me to the hotel. My booking was already taken care of so it was a smooth check-in. I explored the neighborhood near the hotel the first day and enjoyed the local cafes. The hotel was nice and included a continental breakfast.
The next morning the driver picked me up at the hotel at 8am and took me to the clinic. The doctor and his team greeted me and were very friendly. Dr Acar is fluent in English and we discussed my transplant goals. He subsequently outlined the recipient areas. I initially wanted to focus on the crown as you can see in one of the photos where a marker was used to label crown area 1 and the middle was labeled area 2. However after seeing the before pictures prior to surgery I changed my mind and asked the team to work on the middle of head first and work back towards the crown. In addition they added some hair to my hairline.
I was taken to the operating room and given local anesthesia. One nurse extracted the grafts from the donor area, a second nurse created the tunnels in the recipient area and 2 technicians inserted the grafts. The procedure lasted 8 hours which included lunch. One thing the person taking the grafts from the recipient area did very skillfully was to avoid taking hairs right above the 2 FUT scars from my previous Tijuana procedures. This allowed for good coverage of the scars when my hair grew out. I had good hair density and they were able to extract 4000 grafts. The following day I came back to the clinic for the initial shampoo and was provided with antibiotics and other medications (included in the price of the package). The next few days I explored the city which is magnificent. The results a year later were incredible! However, after a year and half I noticed I was still losing my native (non transplanted) hair. I could have avoided this with finasteride but again did not want the side effects. In hindsight I should have started Minoxidil but didn’t.
I was still very happy with the results so I decided to go back one more time. Dr Acar reviewed my post transplant pictures via email and he was straight forward and told me my donor area was sparse and that they couldn’t harvest many grafts without thinning the donor area too much. When I decided to go ahead and have the second procedure 2 months ago in June 2017 he was very kind and discounted the price to $1000 knowing not much hair could be harvested this time. I do not think this is something he usually does and needless to say I was very grateful. In addition, at my request, he not only took hair from the back of my head but also from underneath my beard and chest area for the second procedure. I believe I received 2000 grafts total this time. Second transplant mirrored my initial experience. Everything went smoothly and the staff was very professional and nice. One difference was they moved into a brand new facility which is very modern. The hotel was also changed. They now use the Hyatt near the airport. The new hotel itself was great but to be honest I preferred the neighborhood I was in the first time around which had nice cafes and shops. I felt very safe on both of my trips. Istanbul is such a beautiful place with so much history. I recommend it as a vacation destination even if you don’t need a hair transplant.
I am now close to 2 months post second surgery and this time I have chosen to use 5% Minoxidil. I started with the liquid but my head itched so bad (propylene glycol) so I switched to the 5% foam which I am tolerating well.
Dr Acar’s whole team is great and you really do get the maximum amount of grafts! I believe the cost is still around $2100 dollars like I paid the first time in 2015. I suggest asking that both the nurse extracting the grafts and placing the grafts be a part of your initial consult with Dr Acar the day of surgery so that the whole team knows upfront exactly what you want accomplished. Dr Acar did this for me.
In summary I would recommend Cosmedica clinic and Dr Acar whole heartedly. Having a transplant at Cosmedica was one of the best decisions for my confidence that I have ever made!
SD New York
In 2010 my hair on top was so thin throughout and I was on way to being completely bald within a few years. I had my first hair transplant with Dr. Gabriel Hernandez in Tijuana, Mexico in 2011. She performed a FUT transplant (strip method) and did an excellent job creating a natural hairline for me. I decided to return to Tijuana in 2013 for a second procedure and made the mistake of listening to a friend and chose a different doctor. This other doctor from another clinic created a second large FUT scar and he transplanted very little hair so I was not satisfied at all. I should have gone back to Dr. Hernandez’s clinic but I can’t change the past.
Fast forward to 2015. I was rapidly losing more and more of my natural hair in the middle and crown area and did not want to take finasteride because of prior experience with side effects. I could picture myself in the future having significant hair around the hairline with nothing in the middle or crown so I decided I had to take action and have a 3rd transplant. I didn’t want another FUT scar so I started researching the FUE method. I found some great doctors in the U.S. that I was interested in but they were out of my price range so I looked elsewhere.
I researched affordable clinics and found positive reviews for Dr Acar at Cosmedica clinic in Istanbul Turkey. I was initially apprehensive about traveling so far. Duyga, who was responsible for communication for the clinic, calmed my anxiety by answering all of my questions. I must have sent her 30 emails before taking the plunge and purchasing my ticket. The price was $2100 for the procedure with maximum amount of grafts and PRP. Hotel for 2 nights was included in the package. I paid for an additional 4 nights at the hotel (Tempo Suites Airport) which cost $40 a night. Nonstop round trip ticket from NYC to Istanbul was approximately $800. All together, including food and sightseeing, I spent a total of $3300 for the trip and procedure.
When I landed at Ataturk airport the clinic’s driver took me to the hotel. My booking was already taken care of so it was a smooth check-in. I explored the neighborhood near the hotel the first day and enjoyed the local cafes. The hotel was nice and included a continental breakfast.
The next morning the driver picked me up at the hotel at 8am and took me to the clinic. The doctor and his team greeted me and were very friendly. Dr Acar is fluent in English and we discussed my transplant goals. He subsequently outlined the recipient areas. I initially wanted to focus on the crown as you can see in one of the photos where a marker was used to label crown area 1 and the middle was labeled area 2. However after seeing the before pictures prior to surgery I changed my mind and asked the team to work on the middle of head first and work back towards the crown. In addition they added some hair to my hairline.
I was taken to the operating room and given local anesthesia. One nurse extracted the grafts from the donor area, a second nurse created the tunnels in the recipient area and 2 technicians inserted the grafts. The procedure lasted 8 hours which included lunch. One thing the person taking the grafts from the recipient area did very skillfully was to avoid taking hairs right above the 2 FUT scars from my previous Tijuana procedures. This allowed for good coverage of the scars when my hair grew out. I had good hair density and they were able to extract 4000 grafts. The following day I came back to the clinic for the initial shampoo and was provided with antibiotics and other medications (included in the price of the package). The next few days I explored the city which is magnificent. The results a year later were incredible! However, after a year and half I noticed I was still losing my native (non transplanted) hair. I could have avoided this with finasteride but again did not want the side effects. In hindsight I should have started Minoxidil but didn’t.
I was still very happy with the results so I decided to go back one more time. Dr Acar reviewed my post transplant pictures via email and he was straight forward and told me my donor area was sparse and that they couldn’t harvest many grafts without thinning the donor area too much. When I decided to go ahead and have the second procedure 2 months ago in June 2017 he was very kind and discounted the price to $1000 knowing not much hair could be harvested this time. I do not think this is something he usually does and needless to say I was very grateful. In addition, at my request, he not only took hair from the back of my head but also from underneath my beard and chest area for the second procedure. I believe I received 2000 grafts total this time. Second transplant mirrored my initial experience. Everything went smoothly and the staff was very professional and nice. One difference was they moved into a brand new facility which is very modern. The hotel was also changed. They now use the Hyatt near the airport. The new hotel itself was great but to be honest I preferred the neighborhood I was in the first time around which had nice cafes and shops. I felt very safe on both of my trips. Istanbul is such a beautiful place with so much history. I recommend it as a vacation destination even if you don’t need a hair transplant.
I am now close to 2 months post second surgery and this time I have chosen to use 5% Minoxidil. I started with the liquid but my head itched so bad (propylene glycol) so I switched to the 5% foam which I am tolerating well.
Dr Acar’s whole team is great and you really do get the maximum amount of grafts! I believe the cost is still around $2100 dollars like I paid the first time in 2015. I suggest asking that both the nurse extracting the grafts and placing the grafts be a part of your initial consult with Dr Acar the day of surgery so that the whole team knows upfront exactly what you want accomplished. Dr Acar did this for me.
In summary I would recommend Cosmedica clinic and Dr Acar whole heartedly. Having a transplant at Cosmedica was one of the best decisions for my confidence that I have ever made!
SD New York
sd77777's provider
Replies (4)
UPDATED FROM sd77777
2 years post
Photos taken after second transplant with Dr Acar 2017
sd77777August 8, 2017
Attached are photos taken before my most recent or second transplant with Dr Acar. Notice in the pic "Daybefore2ndtransplant2017Pic1" that Dr Acar outlined where he was going to take grafts under the beard. Also noted where chest hair extraction was taken in one of the photos. I am now 6 weeks post op and there is no scarring in these areas. I will post more photos at 3 months.
Replies (2)
January 15, 2018
Hi, how did this end up? Great review and story. Thanks
UPDATED FROM sd77777
2 years post
6 months post second transplant with Dr. Acar
sd77777December 16, 2017
Update of crown and donor area at 6 months
Replies (5)
January 12, 2018
How many grafts did u do from chest & beard?
I like your result. Do you have any latest update ?
Thanks
January 15, 2018
Hi Salajmi
I posted pics at the 6 month mark about 3 weeks ago so I will post again in a few weeks. They were able to extract 1500 grafts from the back of my head but since that area was sparse from previous transplant I believe they took 1000 grafts from chest and beard. I was only focused on the crown so they didn't need to take much from those areas. The first time I went to Dr Acar he transplanted 4500 grafts from the back of my head because I had good donor supply at that time.
I heard of one guy that had 2 procedures in a row like on a Monday then second on Tuesday with Dr Acar. Doing it that way they can extract more chest and beard hairs and give you the most grafts needed from all areas. He has a good team and they work hard for approximately 8 hours so if you have good donor area you will get good results maybe do the 2 days in a row if you have a lot of area that needs covered. In one day working with hairs only from back of the head you can expect 4000 grafts but body hair takes longer to extract so not sure maximum they can do in a day.
I posted pics at the 6 month mark about 3 weeks ago so I will post again in a few weeks. They were able to extract 1500 grafts from the back of my head but since that area was sparse from previous transplant I believe they took 1000 grafts from chest and beard. I was only focused on the crown so they didn't need to take much from those areas. The first time I went to Dr Acar he transplanted 4500 grafts from the back of my head because I had good donor supply at that time.
I heard of one guy that had 2 procedures in a row like on a Monday then second on Tuesday with Dr Acar. Doing it that way they can extract more chest and beard hairs and give you the most grafts needed from all areas. He has a good team and they work hard for approximately 8 hours so if you have good donor area you will get good results maybe do the 2 days in a row if you have a lot of area that needs covered. In one day working with hairs only from back of the head you can expect 4000 grafts but body hair takes longer to extract so not sure maximum they can do in a day.
January 15, 2018
Salajmi
I found this article which has a short section in it on how to prepare for body to head transplant. The section I am referring to "Preoperative phase planning and donor hair preparation". I thought this might help. Link is below.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5447335/
I found this article which has a short section in it on how to prepare for body to head transplant. The section I am referring to "Preoperative phase planning and donor hair preparation". I thought this might help. Link is below.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5447335/
January 15, 2018
I hope you see great results as time goes by. I myself did FUE which I got good donor area in the back. Had 3000 grafts transplanted 6 months and a half ago, but still my growth is not fully satisfactory ,maybe I need to give it a full year then do evaluation. Thank you sir
January 16, 2018
Salajmi
I can relate to the anxiety at 6 1/2 months. You should continue to see hair growth especially thickening of the hair shafts up to 12 months. Finasteride if you can tolerate and minoxidil may help. I believe the whole body to scalp procedure is pretty new but doctors should continue to perfect the procedure so there is always hope in the future if you need another transplant. Thank you for wishing me well in regards to my results. I hope you continue to have new hair growth and are happy with your final results. Take care.
I can relate to the anxiety at 6 1/2 months. You should continue to see hair growth especially thickening of the hair shafts up to 12 months. Finasteride if you can tolerate and minoxidil may help. I believe the whole body to scalp procedure is pretty new but doctors should continue to perfect the procedure so there is always hope in the future if you need another transplant. Thank you for wishing me well in regards to my results. I hope you continue to have new hair growth and are happy with your final results. Take care.
When I started my hair transplant journey I was a Norwood 5. I had 2 strip procedures in Mexico which gave me a good hairline and a small amount just behind the hairline. Dr Acar's team performed 2 procedures via FUE method and I received approximately 4000 grafts the first procedure and 2000 grafts the second procedure. Note the second procedure was a combination of hair from the back of head, underneath beard and chest hair. The focus of the second procedure was the crown but I am still waiting to see the end result. You can see pics at 7 1/2 months I posted a week ago below. I started off with very little hair so yes I am happy. I don't plan on having any more procedures because donor area is sparse now. Technicians and nurses performed the procedure. Dr Acar takes his time with you and outlines what areas will be worked on but in the end the technicians create the tunnels and place the grafts so results are dependent on their extraction and placement of the grafts. I will say the technicians are skilled and have done thousands of procedures so you can trust their expertise. However like I said in an earlier post I would ask Dr Acar or any doctor using technicians to have the person extracting grafts and placing grafts to sit in on the pre-surgery consult to ensure everyone is on the same page. From the results I am seeing so far a lot of hair was placed just in front of the crown but not in the crown as I discussed with Dr Acar so that was the technicians doing. However the truth is I needed hair in both places so no complaints. I am only at 7 1/2 month so with thickening of the hair shafts I received I believe I will be satisfied with crown coverage. Dr Acar's team is very hard working and they will do their best to give you the maximum amount of grafts so I have no regrets going with him.
Take care
SD