Advice for choosing a Clinic, particularly Turkey

[Ramazann]

Hi,

Does anyone have any experience of Dr Mahmut Kaya working out of Memorial Hospital, Istanbul? Have seen him via Qunomedical who offer a package of 3000 grafts for £1500 which seems pretty cheap. Have googled but can't find ay reviews of him anywhere or on this forum so any info appreciated.

Thanks

Dr. Bicer is the best.

 

[AGW]

Hey guys, so I thought I'd share my experiences to help all of you guys researching clinics, particularly in Turkey. I know this is a complete minefield, and has to be one of the hardest things I've ever researched in my life. I believe there are fake posts, fake reviews, even fake pictures online, so you have to be very careful and smart when researching. You cannot research too much on this subject, take your time and be wise. Use as many sources as you can, including a range of forums, search engines and also YouTube. There are many YouTube channels available, and also people who have been through the procedure and created their own blogs. When choosing a clinic, there are many important factors to consider, and you need to decide what's most important for you and to suit your budget. A hair transplant is really not something that should be done on a budget though, and is a huge decision in your life. Learn all you can about the procedure first, and some of the variables that you may encounter. Then, create a series of questions you want to be asking your clinic. Try to create a shortlist, even if it's 10 clinics. Bare in mind there are almost 1000 in Istanbul I am told. Ask each clinic these questions and get a feel for their work, and if you trust the reps you're speaking to. I narrowed it down to about 8 or 9 clinics, then made a simple comparison chart with all the key factors (graft number, cost etc)... (bit geeky I know, but as I say it's a big decision), and then considered other things that were important, for example solution follicles are kept in, type of blades, where the Dr is registered, how much involvement the Dr has etc. Avoid hair mills full of nurses/technicians. I'm not saying that they don't produce good results, because some really do but you need luck, there isn't consistency. The most important part of the procedure, and the artistic part is the inscisions/opening of the channels. It's important this is done by a doctor. Extraction is also important, as you don't want follicles damaged or wasted, your donor is precious.
Another piece of advice I was given was to ensure that your chosen Dr operates in a hospital. I believe this is only incase anything should go wrong (heaven forbid).
Try to identify people who have been through it already, or personal experiences with particular clinics. I managed to get a number of people together through various forums, and we ended up getting 7 of us together in a WhatsApp group all with Dr Demirsoy. This communication was invaluable.
So I narrowed it down, and ended up going with Dr Demirsoy 10 days ago, having just short of 2,900 grafts FUE. I would have liked more grafts for my hairloss, but Dr Demirsoy is a conservative Dr, and will always think about your future.
Using Dr Demirsoy kind of goes against my own advice, as he doesn't operate in a hospital, but a private clinic. I decided to take the risk myself.
The reasons I selected Dr Demirsoy are as follows:
He does the majority of the procedure himself.
He's fairly reasonably priced, good value for money (€1.25/graft).
He's a reputable doctor with a lot of experience.
Their results look good.
Lots of detailed write ups and reviews on several forums.
Their assistant/rep Muzaffer has been brilliant, and is trustworthy.
I couldn't find any bad reviews or results.
There's a fair waiting list which gave me confidence that it's a popular choice.

Now I'm not saying that you have to choose Dr Demirsoy. Do your own research, and work out what is best for you.

I don't wish to name drop runners up, though Cosmedica came very close. However here are some reasons I didn't choose some on my shortlist:

Pushy reps.
Too expensive.
Unsure of the truth/legitimacy of reviews
Too many patients/day
Poor/negative reviews online - unfortunately once you've read these, you can't un-read them.

I hope this helps a lot of you who are currently in the position I once was.

I will try to write more about my experience soon, and post some pictures, but no complaints so far. Obviously it's far too early to speak on the results, this will take up to 10/12 months.

Good luck guys.

Currently also looking for a place to Turkey. I'm 24. Reached out to a few places and have had the same struggle as most people on this thread - similar prices, hard to gauge reliability based on reviews, doctor named on quotes rarely does the procedure.

Reached out to Dr Dermirsoy based on your recommendation and sent over pictures. He told me I'm too young and should wait for hair loss to stabilise and recommended the usual drugs.

He was the only clinic contacted who said this. For me, this is the most sincere sign of trustworthiness. I'm sure he knew there was a good chance I would ignore his advice and go somewhere else but he said what he thought was right at the [potential] detriment of economic gain.

I really want to get this done but I have my heart set on this guy now so will probably wait. Got me thinking when asking qualifying questions - ask 'why should I not get a hair transplant?' True professionals will give honest answers.

 

[hamidrezakhorasa]

I was looking for a good hair transplant clinic in Turkey. But I was not attracted because I was not sure. I happened to see a friend of mine who had a hair transplant at the Helia Clinic in Dubai. I found out that Helia Clinic will open in Turkey soon. I did a lot of research on it and now it's been 6 months. My hair has just started to grow. There were no side effects. This was my experience

 

[Antonio.Nogueras]

I nearly booked with a company called Clinic Center in Istanbul but I strongly believe they have loads of fake trustpilot reviews.
your post raises some valuable points that I’ll take onboard if I get a hair transplant.

Okay thanks for the information.

Hi Malik,

I went with Clinic Center 12 months ago, they were ranking high in Google, had good reviews and what not, my contact person seemed sound so I took a leap of faith. 12 months have gone by and results are not great at all, the hairline does not look natural, hair has scarcely grown on the recipient part, my donor has spots. They tell me this can happen and I should just wait more and use Minoxidil. I have used Minoxidil in the past and it had zero effect, just led to a more rapid hair loss (which I told them already), so they asked me to take vitamins. Basically they are taking me for an idiot and taking advantage of the fact that I am abroad.

I suggest you think about it twice before going with them. For me it has been a COMPLETE waste of money.

Cheers,

 

[Kevboy]

Hi Malik,

I went with Clinic Center 12 months ago, they were ranking high in Google, had good reviews and what not, my contact person seemed sound so I took a leap of faith. 12 months have gone by and results are not great at all, the hairline does not look natural, hair has scarcely grown on the recipient part, my donor has spots. They tell me this can happen and I should just wait more and use Minoxidil. I have used Minoxidil in the past and it had zero effect, just led to a more rapid hair loss (which I told them already), so they asked me to take vitamins. Basically they are taking me for an idiot and taking advantage of the fact that I am abroad.

I suggest you think about it twice before going with them. For me it has been a COMPLETE waste of money.

Cheers,

Why not document your experience on here?

 

[Garagebondit]

hey

 

[Amelia Clarke]

I had a hair transplant last year at Grace Touch Clinic in Turkey. I have got good results and I am satisfied. My experience with them was good. Dr. Murat and his team are very polite. Their hair transplant packages are very affordable compared to other clinics. If you are looking for the best hair transplant clinic in Turkey I will recommend Grace Touch Clinic.