3,841 grafts Dr Gokhan Gur 14.09.2022

[Ronnie]

Hi All

I've not been an active poster on this forum for a while, but thought I would update on my progress. I've previously documented my journey in the following thread:

newbie-seeking-advice.11279

To update from my previous thread, I'd had numerous phone calls with Mick McHugh from Farjo Institute and then a consultation there and they were all very positive experiences. Following that consultation, I gradually became more and more certain that I would have a transplant at Farjo as I had complete faith in them. I was in the process of moving jobs but then I had another change in circumstance which put a transplant at a premium UK clinic out of reach for me. I then commenced a search to identify an option which I felt would satisfy my requirements, but at a lower price and after months of research this led me to Dr Gokhan Gur in Turkey.

I shall go into more detail in subsequent posts but for now I'll post my before and after (1 year) photos. I'm very happy with the outcome and am now looking into a second surgery to focus on the crown.

 

[Ronnie]

Two photos, the first in January 2022 with very short hair and the second several months later with hair grown out and after using Finasteride & Minoxidil.

 

[Ronnie]

Photos taken at the surgery, hair grown out very long at doctors request.

 

[Ronnie]

Taken exactly a year after surgery, right after a haircut

 

[Ronnie]

I'll provide some more details in due course but please feel free to ask any questions!

 

[SimBa]

Decent coverage I would say, good result. A lot of guys get a HT and then start plotting HT 2.0 shortly after, usually for the crown. The crown looks alright, and I wouldn't think would warrant another HT with the cost and hassle etc. Typing of which, how much did it cost and how did the travel and after care go ?

Can't you feel happy using fibers here if you feel you need a boost rather than another HT ?

 

[Ronnie]

Hi. The transplant cost €2,500, all in with flights etc cost about £2,800. Everything was like clockwork really, flew from Manchester and was picked up at the airport. All arrangements via a company called Fuecapilar.

I get what you’re saying about the crown, but for me it stands out as ‘the bad bit’ now. I’m about to sign up for a second transplant of 2,000 grafts to the crown. Should leave me with about 1,000 spare should I ever need them. I just want it done then to forget about it. Hairpieces, fibres, colouring…..it’s not for me. Would rather just have the cost and hassle as a one off!

 

[Ronnie]

This shows the crown better……definitely room for improvement. This was before the hair cut too, so the coverage looks better.

 

[SimBa]

This shows the crown better……definitely room for improvement. This was before the hair cut too, so the coverage looks better.

I hear you bud. I have a similar outlook to yourself in that you weren't expecting to be 21 again and if the HT lasts 10+ years then why not. I think your result so far is good enough to certainly question the value of another one.

How was the post op care, pain, mess, result anxiety, travel hassle etc ?

 

[Ronnie]

Cheers pal. I’m soon to turn 48 so my expectations were never to regain ‘perfect’ hair. It’s easy to think you’re the outlier with going bald, but truth be told, the majority of people my age have seen changes. Some balder than me, some just receded or with their crown on show. I feel it has put me back in the pack. In some ways it was a compromise going to Dr Gur rather than Dr Farjo for instance, but I researched it to death and decided he was the doctor for me. Very affordable and almost goes under the radar a bit, but the results I did see were good and in particular he is conservative and implements age appropriate and natural hairlines. The hairline is exactly what I wanted, he drew it and I didn’t have to ask for any revisions, he nailed it first time. It is almost identical to the one that Dr Farjo drew when I had my consultation there. I was also happy with the ‘up to 4,000’ grafts as it meant all the visible areas can be attended to. I think he’s done well with the number of grafts and the largish area he had to address. Most of the time it looks like a full head of hair, only when it’s looked directly down on in strong light (see the photo I’ve posted) do you start to see the gaps. It has been transformative. In terms of working to a budget, I think the compromises have worked well. I opted for the standard package whereby the technicians do the extracting, but I’d read enough experiences to give me reassurance that his team knew what they were doing. They were very efficient and it seems I had a good survival rate, with no overharvesting.

 

[Ronnie]

The entire experience was first class. Fuecapilar make all the arrangements (except flights) so I had my hand held throughout. The day of surgery went like clockwork, the worst bit as anyone else will testify was the anaesthetic, but that is soon over with. I was surprised to not be in pain at some point later, but then to be fair, my head stayed numb for several months! Worst bit was the swelling that started 2 days later, did look most unusual, but that went after a couple of days. Other than that I just followed the (very clear) instructions they gave me. Probably the biggest mistake I made was scratching the donor area, it visibly heals incredibly quickly so I ended up messing with it and set off some irritation. It then stayed tender for several weeks, but eventually died down. I stayed in close contact with the clinic about this and they were very responsive.

Maybe the most annoying part is sleeping on your back for 10 days or so. When the scabs came off and I just had a great crew cut for a few weeks, it was amazing. Then it fell out! Watching the regrowth come in was amazing, I got good early growth, so at 3 months could see what was coming. If anything based on their view of what % additional improvement I‘d see, that is the only disappointment. Think my early growth was so strong, that the additional improvements were less spectacular, but I am still thrilled with the final result.

 

[SimBa]

Good for you Ronnie, seems like a good result. I know of FUE Cappilar as I was in touch with someone who went to Dr Turan and had good results, with a positive overall experience there.

Absolutely on the age changes, every body changes, be it hair loss, wrinkles, eye bags, Beer belly, the whole lot relaxes a tad ! For me it's about what's healthy to accept or what could be tweaked.

Some people make a lot about if technicians or the Dr does it, but it doesn't seem Rocket Science to place grafts into slits. The FUE Cappilar Drs state on their website they do minimal patients daily also. I can't stand some of the greedy arse Dr's who pump people through their hair mills. How much money do they need at thousands in a day per customer ?

I read a previous post you sent a while back about your wife discouraging a HT but that she didn't fancy bald guys. I hope this played out well.

 

[TBH]

For the grafts used, I'd say this is an insane result!

 

[Ronnie]

For the grafts used, I'd say this is an insane result!

Thanks, yeah I’m really chuffed. It’s definitely a result I’m happy with, given that in most circumstances it looks like a full head of hair, given how bald I was before, it’s kind of insane. I get what they mean now when they say about a transplant being an illusion of density, there’s obviously way less hair on top than before I started losing it, but the end result most of the time is similar. Can’t wait to get the crown done!

 

[Ronnie]

I’d say that perhaps the best thing is that it doesn’t really look like a transplant. I had a lot of people try to dissuade me from having it done as they had a fixed idea of how bad it would look. They have all been amazed and when I tell people that didn’t know me before, they too are shocked and had no idea it was a restoration. Just looks like the sort of less than perfect hair that people my age have!

 

[TBH]

Thanks, yeah I’m really chuffed. It’s definitely a result I’m happy with, given that in most circumstances it looks like a full head of hair, given how bald I was before, it’s kind of insane. I get what they mean now when they say about a transplant being an illusion of density, there’s obviously way less hair on top than before I started losing it, but the end result most of the time is similar. Can’t wait to get the crown done!

Agreed, once you have the crown done, you'll just look like a normal guy with some age related thinning, but still a good head of hair. Best of look for the next surgery!

 

[Ronnie]

Agreed, once you have the crown done, you'll just look like a normal guy with some age related thinning, but still a good head of hair. Best of look for the next surgery!

Thank you sir!

 

[Ronnie]

Few more shots of the hairline, shorter, longer, wet! Few interesting things, firstly my old hair was always lifeless and needed some sort of styling product on to not just flop down, the new hair is definitely stronger and I don’t put anything on it now, just brush into how I want it. Secondly there is now a bit of a wave in the hair which wasn’t there previously and I quite like it!