loui
Valued member
This is actually photos from the clinic itself, shocking
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J
Jimbo
member
Yeah, I have no problem sharing photos. I just first wanted to get in touch with William. Seems like he's not checking this board anymore, which is a shame. I noticed 4 weeks ago he posted a review on Google reviews. I used the reviews as my primary means of deciding whether to trust him. Like I said, he had a very high score. I know we can't trust all the review sites, but I know that TrustPilot do not censor their reviews and I see some companies with very low scores. Also even if Whatclinic censor their reviews as they appear to have done for William, they still show the rating score because any clinics have a very low score. But ProHair have 9.7 which is way ahead of the rest. So I really don't know what to make of it all.
As I wrote my experience with Dr Mantse was not a particularly good one, but if the results turn out good then I won't mind. But it's all about the results. This week is the 4 month mark and I am about to find out. So far it's going ok, someone even commented this week that my hair is looking good. But I know what my expectations are and there is a lot more that needs to happen.
One thing is also for sure, he gave me a bad hairline. It was dead straight, even when I told him I wanted ridges. So even if the hair grows well, I will still be unhappy with how he sculpted my hairline.
J
Jimbo
member
I know, can you believe his own website has poor results. I suspect some of the good reviews are by people who don't know what good hair is supposed to look like and they are just happy that they aren't bald anymore. I mean any improvement is an improvement, but some of us know what a good HT looks like.
J
Jimbo
member
loui
Valued member
Hopefully your hairline will be fine and just need some fine tuning with irregularities.
I dont put much weight om Google Reviews, Trustpilot, Yelp and such because they are easily faked.
I would recommend everyone that you see many cases from actual real unbiased patients who posts on forums from start to finish when deciding for a hair transplant clinic.
A common fake tactic is also that someone(often related to the clinic itself) comes to a forum just post before and after in 1 post then leaves.
N
Nomdeplum73
Guest
I read this thread with some interest as I am about 8 months post transplant with Dr. Mantse at Prohair Clinic. I had my transplant done over two twelve hour days last summer, July 31 and August 1. My criteria for selecting a Clinic was to find one where the surgeon was (a) experienced and (b) would be overseeing the whole process from start to finish. I was open to Turkey, but preferred Budapest as I would already be on vacation there with my family and there appeared to be fewer hair mills in Hungary - plus Hungarian doctors are known to be very well trained. I spoke to Sikos clinic too, but ultimately chose Prohair because of the two, Dr. Mantse was much more engaged and responsive in addressing my questions and concerns.
I can't speak to others' experiences with hotels, transfers, and such as this was not part of my arrangement since I was staying with family and getting dropped off at the clinic and picked up by family too. Upon arrival, I was happy to find that the clinic is in one of the most upscale neighborhoods in Budapest and is kept meticulously clean.
Dr. Mantse, assisted by his wife, performed the entire surgery on me from start to finish. I can echo some of the observations about this being a painful and exhausting procedure with lots of time spent watching TV (in my case, Friends and Judge Judy). Yes, the lunch meal prepared by Dr. Mantse's wife both days was excellent.
Here's where my account maybe differs from some of the other posts. Dr. Mantse has had exceptional follow through with me and I have been in communication with him sending him weekly pics to which he would personally respond on my progress. On his own initiative, he has called me to check in on me. This is far above and beyond what I would have expected and night and day different from what I have read others experience with Turkish hair clinics.
Although I can definitely say Dr. Mantse is very strict about his follow-up regimen - for example, not washing the scabs off on Day 10, insisting instead on letting them fall naturally unlike most other clinics - and making a point of soaking my head in salt water (ideally in the ocean, since I would be traveling to Portugal post surgery and live on the coast in California), he explains the logic of these suggestions. Obviously, there are others too that mirror those from other clinics, but some of his are unique.
In terms of results, I can't compare with others because no two people heal the same, respond the same, etc. but in my case, I was on Finasteride for a full year before the procedure and have remained on it since (1 mg daily). Having said that, I no longer use Minoxidil or micro needling (these had been part of my regimen before). I have been very satisfied with my progress and still have a ways to go. Even if it stopped here at the 8 month mark, I'd already be happy, but as I was a late-bloomer - my grafts took longer to fall than most and some never did, and as my scabs took longer to heal than most - I expect that I will continue to see gains in months 8-12 if not beyond. This past month in particular has seen a lot of new growth and density.
I do wonder whether some of the issues others have experienced with lack of results might be attributed to not being on Finasteride and continuing to lose native hair and/or not following the recommended care protocol post-procedure?
For those interested, I have a few write-ups under the same user name on Reddit, a couple of which can be found here:
In any event, given that I paid about the same as what a Turkish hair mill charges, but had an experienced surgeon handle my transplant all the way through and continue to correspond and check in with me 8 months after the procedure, I definitely feel like I got more than my money's worth with Dr. Mantse. The results look natural and IMO will only continue to look better over time.
Note: the first pic is today and the second is pre-procedure and at the 7 month mark (still some ingrown hairs in the hairline, mostly all resolved by month 8).
I can't speak to others' experiences with hotels, transfers, and such as this was not part of my arrangement since I was staying with family and getting dropped off at the clinic and picked up by family too. Upon arrival, I was happy to find that the clinic is in one of the most upscale neighborhoods in Budapest and is kept meticulously clean.
Dr. Mantse, assisted by his wife, performed the entire surgery on me from start to finish. I can echo some of the observations about this being a painful and exhausting procedure with lots of time spent watching TV (in my case, Friends and Judge Judy). Yes, the lunch meal prepared by Dr. Mantse's wife both days was excellent.
Here's where my account maybe differs from some of the other posts. Dr. Mantse has had exceptional follow through with me and I have been in communication with him sending him weekly pics to which he would personally respond on my progress. On his own initiative, he has called me to check in on me. This is far above and beyond what I would have expected and night and day different from what I have read others experience with Turkish hair clinics.
Although I can definitely say Dr. Mantse is very strict about his follow-up regimen - for example, not washing the scabs off on Day 10, insisting instead on letting them fall naturally unlike most other clinics - and making a point of soaking my head in salt water (ideally in the ocean, since I would be traveling to Portugal post surgery and live on the coast in California), he explains the logic of these suggestions. Obviously, there are others too that mirror those from other clinics, but some of his are unique.
In terms of results, I can't compare with others because no two people heal the same, respond the same, etc. but in my case, I was on Finasteride for a full year before the procedure and have remained on it since (1 mg daily). Having said that, I no longer use Minoxidil or micro needling (these had been part of my regimen before). I have been very satisfied with my progress and still have a ways to go. Even if it stopped here at the 8 month mark, I'd already be happy, but as I was a late-bloomer - my grafts took longer to fall than most and some never did, and as my scabs took longer to heal than most - I expect that I will continue to see gains in months 8-12 if not beyond. This past month in particular has seen a lot of new growth and density.
I do wonder whether some of the issues others have experienced with lack of results might be attributed to not being on Finasteride and continuing to lose native hair and/or not following the recommended care protocol post-procedure?
For those interested, I have a few write-ups under the same user name on Reddit, a couple of which can be found here:
In any event, given that I paid about the same as what a Turkish hair mill charges, but had an experienced surgeon handle my transplant all the way through and continue to correspond and check in with me 8 months after the procedure, I definitely feel like I got more than my money's worth with Dr. Mantse. The results look natural and IMO will only continue to look better over time.
Note: the first pic is today and the second is pre-procedure and at the 7 month mark (still some ingrown hairs in the hairline, mostly all resolved by month 8).
Attachments
J
Jimbo
member
Hi Nomdeplum73,
Thanks for your update. As I am someone else who saw Mantse and posted my experience both here and in reddit, I can respond to your thoughts.
Regarding the post-op aftercare, I can say that I did not really attempt to contact Mantse. Only by about 2 weeks when he had forgotten to send me the post-op instructions did I message him asking for them (I went up to that point by memory of what he told me). But after that I didn’t seek any further guidance and he took no initiative to contact me. The reason I didn’t bother, beyond not feeling the need for his input, was that I didn’t particularly enjoy my exchanges with him. I didn’t find his communication style particularly pleasant or reassuring. Some of things he said while I was with him didn’t make much sense to me and seemed to be designed more to promote his own expertise and services. What’s more I had lost a lot of confidence in him from the experience itself. His rushed nature of doing things; his lack of interest in giving me the hairline of my preference; his poor explanation of what the “No-look” method would do to the donor area; his fairly curt and glib responses to some of my questions; and the gruelling ordeal of his surgery itself, left me with little desire to deal with him anymore. You obviously were not left feeling like me and continued to seek his input. But his lack of initiative to provide after-care was never something I took much issue with anyway.
Regarding your results, I would say that yours are quite similar to mine. I think the main the difference is that you are satisfied with yours and I am not. But this is the subjective nature of aesthetics. I find the results of his work to be substandard and, with absolutely no disrespect, you are not an exception. I don’t think your HT turned out particularly well. Certainly not a botched job, which was also the case with me, but I believe, definitely lacking the density that I see from many other surgeons. But if you’re happy that’s all that matters and I am happy for you.
I have been on a hairloss regimen for the past 22 years (since the age of 24) and have managed to hold onto most of my hair. The regimen I was on when I had the HT with Mantse was still helping, but my hairline was losing ground. What’s more my hairline was always a very ugly cowlick that parted in the centre and created 2 ‘hooks’ that went out toward the temples. So I welcomed the replacement of those original hairs with transplanted hair that could be inserted at an angle that would radically change the overall style of my hairline. That’s the reason I chose to get a HT. So I don’t put my unsatisfactory results down to a failure of my regimen to hold onto what I already had. In fact due to my regimen my crown continued to grow thicker throughout this period and down to this day. As far as I’m concerned the poor hairline results are due to Mantse’s work as a surgeon.
And I think the best evidence to support my conclusion is his very own website. I encourage anyone thinking of using Mantse to first look at his website (prohairklinika.hu/en/). The results he shows on there look genuine and will be a good indication of what you will get. If this is what you would be happy with then by all means choose Mantse. I made the mistake of rashly deciding to have my HT done by him (due to covid travel restriction fears, availability, and cost) and I regret it now. But if you’re satisfied with your result then I truly am happy for you.
Thanks for your update. As I am someone else who saw Mantse and posted my experience both here and in reddit, I can respond to your thoughts.
Regarding the post-op aftercare, I can say that I did not really attempt to contact Mantse. Only by about 2 weeks when he had forgotten to send me the post-op instructions did I message him asking for them (I went up to that point by memory of what he told me). But after that I didn’t seek any further guidance and he took no initiative to contact me. The reason I didn’t bother, beyond not feeling the need for his input, was that I didn’t particularly enjoy my exchanges with him. I didn’t find his communication style particularly pleasant or reassuring. Some of things he said while I was with him didn’t make much sense to me and seemed to be designed more to promote his own expertise and services. What’s more I had lost a lot of confidence in him from the experience itself. His rushed nature of doing things; his lack of interest in giving me the hairline of my preference; his poor explanation of what the “No-look” method would do to the donor area; his fairly curt and glib responses to some of my questions; and the gruelling ordeal of his surgery itself, left me with little desire to deal with him anymore. You obviously were not left feeling like me and continued to seek his input. But his lack of initiative to provide after-care was never something I took much issue with anyway.
Regarding your results, I would say that yours are quite similar to mine. I think the main the difference is that you are satisfied with yours and I am not. But this is the subjective nature of aesthetics. I find the results of his work to be substandard and, with absolutely no disrespect, you are not an exception. I don’t think your HT turned out particularly well. Certainly not a botched job, which was also the case with me, but I believe, definitely lacking the density that I see from many other surgeons. But if you’re happy that’s all that matters and I am happy for you.
I have been on a hairloss regimen for the past 22 years (since the age of 24) and have managed to hold onto most of my hair. The regimen I was on when I had the HT with Mantse was still helping, but my hairline was losing ground. What’s more my hairline was always a very ugly cowlick that parted in the centre and created 2 ‘hooks’ that went out toward the temples. So I welcomed the replacement of those original hairs with transplanted hair that could be inserted at an angle that would radically change the overall style of my hairline. That’s the reason I chose to get a HT. So I don’t put my unsatisfactory results down to a failure of my regimen to hold onto what I already had. In fact due to my regimen my crown continued to grow thicker throughout this period and down to this day. As far as I’m concerned the poor hairline results are due to Mantse’s work as a surgeon.
And I think the best evidence to support my conclusion is his very own website. I encourage anyone thinking of using Mantse to first look at his website (prohairklinika.hu/en/). The results he shows on there look genuine and will be a good indication of what you will get. If this is what you would be happy with then by all means choose Mantse. I made the mistake of rashly deciding to have my HT done by him (due to covid travel restriction fears, availability, and cost) and I regret it now. But if you’re satisfied with your result then I truly am happy for you.
N
Nomdeplum73
Guest
Thanks - I appreciate your thoughtful response. I will say that for me, the result at 8 months is one that I'm personally already happy with, but I don't think this is the final result by any means. The next 4-6 months will be a better indicator. I think in your prior post you indicated that he gave you a straight across hairline. Mine definitely was not that and looks natural with a peak in the middle, suitable for someone my age. I also didn't have the cowlick complications going into that you described. I showed him photos of what my prior hairline looked like when I was younger as an indicator of what I was after, and my current hairline post-transplant basically mirrors that. I think the original poster, William, complained of curly/fuzzy hair and that was not my experience, so I thought maybe this had to do with post transplant care or not taking DHT inhibitors like Finasteride, but I'm certainly no expert.
One thing I will also say is I have tons of donor left and no scarring or thinned out patches in my donor area. If I desired to get a second transplant at some point, I am confident that I have ample reserves left.
Bigmac
Administrator
Staff member
@Nomdeplum73 it would be great if you could create your own thread on here to document your hair transplant.
N
Nomdeplum73
Guest
Will do 
J
Jimbo
member
No problem buddy. There certainly seems to be a disparity between experiences. Does he have some kind of favouritism with his clients? By the sounds of how he treated William, he hated him. He obviously liked you a lot more. I lie somewhere in between maybe.
But in seriousness, I relate to William’s story more than yours. If you look at the hairline Mantse gave him, that was exactly the one he gave me, and it’s already been commented how unnatural it looks. Also I have the same strips in my donor area. Both of these results are already serious failings. Luckily for me I didn’t have terrible results like William, although like him, Mantse didn’t implant close enough to the original hair so there is a bit of a dip in the hair where the 2 areas meet. Again this is very poor.
But in your case, yes, your hairline design is definitely better than mine. I can see he gave you some ridges which is what gives it the natural look. Again, I wonder what you did to get on his good side? Like I said in my account, I specifically said to him that I want my hairline done in a zigzag to create the irregular effect. He acknowledged it and even agreed, and then didn’t do it. This is what I’m referring to in my total loss of confidence in Mantse after that weekend and my desire to disengage with him.
I’m glad your donor area is good. That’s because he didn’t use the No-Look method with you. You dodged that bullet! I wish I had understood what exactly it entailed and it was probably my fault for not insisting he explain it better. I guess I took for granted that a surgeon wouldn’t be so careless.
So I wish you best over the next 6 months. You should get some more thickening and maturing and maybe you won’t feel the need to do anything more. In my case, well I just got my 2nd HT done last weekend in Turkey. The experience was poles apart. But that’s for another thread.
G
Gordo
member
Hi William,
I’m sorry to learn you were not satisfied with your results. I understand the importance of high standards!
Personally, I’ve had a great experience with Thomas. In early 2015, a friend and I researched different clinics all over the world as we were coming from Canada. We wanted someone who did all the work themselves, had great reviews, and had a comfortable price for our budgets. We decided to go with Thomas and made the trip in June 2015.
Prior to our visit, we sent him pictures and he provided pre-op instructions. We both had 2000 FUEs completed on the hairline and crown. Our results were wonderful. He provided clear post-op instructions. Thomas is always easy to get a hold of and he always replies promptly. He is eager to hear about results.
I planned to return in 2020 for some more work - but COVID delayed it until this summer. In the meantime, Thomas was eager to hear about and see pictures of results.
I just completed 3000 more FUEs. We looked at photo evidence that the hairs transplanted in 2015 are still in place. He helped with the « new » hair loss. My friend is also thrilled with his 2015 results and planning a follow-up trip.
Should you or any readers would like more information about my experience, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
Gord
G
Gordo
member
Hi William
G
Gordo
member
I am sorry to read about your experience. It is important to have high standards!
Personally, I’ve had a great working experience with Thomas. In early 2015, my friend and I looked up clinics all over the world. We were coming from Canada, so we needed: someone who oversaw all the work himself, had great reviews, and had a reasonable price. We found all three of these requirements with Thomas. All three of us had a video meeting and agreed on a price that included two nights at a hotel and airport transfers for each of us. As we were coming together at the same time from Canada, we only used one of the included airport transfers. Thomas was kind enough to reimburse us for one extra night at the partner hotel for a total of five nights. This hotel stay were deducted from the agreed final price.
We made an appointment for June 2015. One week before our visit, Thomas provided pre-op instructions that we followed. We both had 2000 FUEs completed to the hairline and crown. Afterwards, Thomas was eager to receive weekly updates (back then, all done by email) with photos and ensured we followed the post-op instructions. Whenever we had a question, we emailed him and received a reply within one business day via email or Skype video call. We have this transplanted hair to this day.
I just came back to Canada from a second visit to Thomas. I got 3000 FUEs for the continuous hair loss. I would have come sooner, but a trip was prevented by the pandemic. Thomas remembered me and was, again, easy to get a hold of. WhatsApp (or Viber / Telegram) has made it even easier to communicate! I am sending weekly updates with pictures until all transplanted hairs have fallen.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
Personally, I’ve had a great working experience with Thomas. In early 2015, my friend and I looked up clinics all over the world. We were coming from Canada, so we needed: someone who oversaw all the work himself, had great reviews, and had a reasonable price. We found all three of these requirements with Thomas. All three of us had a video meeting and agreed on a price that included two nights at a hotel and airport transfers for each of us. As we were coming together at the same time from Canada, we only used one of the included airport transfers. Thomas was kind enough to reimburse us for one extra night at the partner hotel for a total of five nights. This hotel stay were deducted from the agreed final price.
We made an appointment for June 2015. One week before our visit, Thomas provided pre-op instructions that we followed. We both had 2000 FUEs completed to the hairline and crown. Afterwards, Thomas was eager to receive weekly updates (back then, all done by email) with photos and ensured we followed the post-op instructions. Whenever we had a question, we emailed him and received a reply within one business day via email or Skype video call. We have this transplanted hair to this day.
I just came back to Canada from a second visit to Thomas. I got 3000 FUEs for the continuous hair loss. I would have come sooner, but a trip was prevented by the pandemic. Thomas remembered me and was, again, easy to get a hold of. WhatsApp (or Viber / Telegram) has made it even easier to communicate! I am sending weekly updates with pictures until all transplanted hairs have fallen.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
