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Hair Transplant - Athens, Greece

J

JTurnbull

Valued member
Hi guys

2 weeks ago I plunged into the world of hair transplants. I read forums for months before deciding to go with a hair transplant. I got caught up with the CHOI procedure and decided I wanted that done. I homed in on a UK website (I won't mention the name, although some of you will know who I mean) and emailed and spoke on the phone to the guy that runs it. Obviously the website had some great (and what I thought) very credible testimonies. I felt safe with these guys so decided to go ahead with the surgery.

The surgery was carried out in Athens, Greece by a team of a doctor and his 2 surgeon/nurses. I felt very much at ease and the doctor seemed like a very nice guy, as did his staff. I had a consultation beforehand before proceeding with the op. The op went very smoothly and lasted about 5 hours in total. I was told before I went to Greece that I'd need approx 5000 grafts, but after the procedure I was told that I'd had approximately 6000. Well I was quite astonished at this, however looking at the donor scar, I can see how they may well have gotton that many. Anyway I arrived back in the UK after my 3 day 'holiday' and I went back to work wearing a hat for a week.

I've been following the post op instructions to the letter, along with taking the medication I was given to take. I'm off the medication now, but still washing my hair gently with Betedine shampoo. Now I know this stuff is good for fighting any potential infection, but it's not exactly a hairs best friend when it comes to looking nice.

After a few washes and as the scabs come away, I can definately see new hairs when I look close up and I've definately got a new hairline, however it's quite evident that I've not had the 6000 grafts I was told I had had, it looks more like 60 given how far apart they are spaced. Also, while I've been washing, a couple of the grafts have come out. The grafts look like large chunks of fatty tissue and it makes you wonder if they separated them correctly before implanting, and just stuffed them in a hole hoping they'd stick and possibly grow :S I am now worried that more will fall given time, as my head has a lot of 'pimple' type formations. Maybe the grafts are still settling in?

As for pain during surgery, I experienced quite a bit. I was told this was down to me being sensitive.... maybe that was right, maybe not. The only discomfort I've experienced since returning to the UK is from the donor area. It is still quite sore, however not as much as it was, and it is going away slowly. I'm having the stiches taken out of the donor area tomorrow by my GP. I'm eager to hear what he has to say about it. I will post his comments tomorrow.

Anyway onto some photos!



BEFORE

before1.jpg



AFTER (2 days post op)


after2.jpg



AFTER (12 days post op)


after3.jpg



As you can see, the blood spots/scabs are still clearing and I reckon I've got less hair than I started with (maybe I've had a small amount of shock loss?)

Anyway I've started this topic to help others when it comes to HTs. I am already aware of BadLuck's post on this forum about Athens, and it seems we were both treated by the same clinic.

Any comments are very welcome.

John
 
Sparky

Sparky

Valued member
6000 my arse. No clinic could do 6000 grafts in 5 hours.

I assume you went to NHI run by Malcom Mendelsohn, the guy is a crook, and a major bullshit artist, along with his American accomplice Jeff, who is a fugitive from the law in America hence why he is/was working with Mendelsohn (I dont know if he still works with him) I had a lucky escape from these people and didnt go through with any surgery.
 
J

JTurnbull

Valued member
Sparky wrote:
6000 my arse. No clinic could do 6000 grafts in 5 hours.

I assume you went to NHI run by Malcom Mendelsohn, the guy is a crook, and a major bullshit artist, along with his American accomplice Jeff, who is a fugitive from the law in America hence why he is/was working with Mendelsohn (I dont know if he still works with him) I had a lucky escape from these people and didnt go through with any surgery.

It wasn't NHI but I think it may have been with a guy who used to work with him. It was in a clinic in the centre of Athens, round the corner from the National Archeological Museum. No big NHI signs to be seen anywhere. My heart did race a bit when I arrived at the clinic as I started to have seconds thoughts. It was nothing like I expected it to be.

Hopefully I can find a reputable surgeon soon to sort this out and get back on track.
 
janna

janna

Valuable Member
JTurnbull wrote:
Hopefully I can find a reputable surgeon soon to sort this out and get back on track.

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. I agree the graft count does not match the work from the pics you posted. As for "sorting this out", I'm not sure what you'll be able to do until your grafts are fully grown out. Do you have pics of your donor area?
 
J

JTurnbull

Valued member
janna wrote:
JTurnbull wrote:
Hopefully I can find a reputable surgeon soon to sort this out and get back on track.

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience.     I agree the graft count does not match the work from the pics you posted.   As for "sorting this out", I'm not sure what you'll be able to do until your grafts are fully grown out.   Do you have pics of your donor area?  

Hey Janna

Yeh I'm possibly looking at an approx 8-10 month wait before I can have any more surgery? However doing the research correctly this time and finding a surgeon sooner rather than later will give me something to look forward to.

I'll take a pic of the donor area tomorrow after the stitches have been taken out, I'll be able to run the clippers over my hair to give it a tidy then too without worrying I'll catch the stitches.
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Hi JTurnbull and welcome to the forum.

Looking at your 2 day post op picture there is no way that you received 6000 grafts or even 6000 hairs which would equate to approximately 3000 grafts.

I would contact the clinic and ask them for the immediate post op pictures they should have taken and an accurate graft/hair count.I guess i know which clinic it is as they have a few guys on their UK website singing the praises of this clinic because they work for them.

Hopefully they have not done a bad job on your donor closure as the placement of your grafts implanted are spread way too wide.Unfortunately all you can do now is wait and see what growth you get.It may turn out ok with the few grafts they planted.In 10/12 months you can evaluate it and see where you need to go from there.

Feel free to ask any questions and please keep us updated on your progress and any info the clinic provides you with.

Take care.

bm.
 
Sparky

Sparky

Valued member
your situation looks totally fixable IMO, I dont know what the scar is like though.
 
Sparky

Sparky

Valued member
Was Clive one of the guys you spoke to? He lived/lives in Enfield with his son. He worked with Malcom Mendelsohn of NHI, I think its possible that his company is related to NHI.
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Hi John.

How was the suture removal today,did your GP comment on the closure and were you able to take any pictures of it.

Thanks bm.
 
J

JTurnbull

Valued member
hey guys

Sparky: yes it was, I spoke to him over the phone, however since I've got back I'm not too sure he's really interested in following up the procedure. Felt like I was bugging him when I emailed him post op.

As for my sutures, the nurse took them out this morning and the doctor had a look. He was pretty pleased at how clean and tidy everything was and he said it had healed up pretty well. The nurse commented on how the skin had been lifted over the cut slightly and then sutured. Hope that's normal.

I've taken some pics but apologies for the angles etc, I didn't realise how extremely difficult it would be to take photos of the back of my head ;;D

Note I've separated my hair to expose the scar in the first 4 pics. Oh and ignore the bathroom in the background, I'm renevating the bathroom and kitchen at the moment :T:


donor1.jpg



donor2.jpg



donor3.jpg



donor4.jpg



now with hair back down, some of it has grown over the donor area covering it a little. I expect in a few more weeks it will become less visible.


donor5.jpg
 
Last edited:
janna

janna

Valuable Member
Your donor looks decent. Hope it's not too tight and it'll heal well. It would be good to know your surgery data - like the size of the strip and your graft/hair count. Thanks for getting the pics up so quickly. We all hope the best for you.
 
J

JTurnbull

Valued member
it's actually not that tight at all really, just still a bit sore from this morning. I've just measured the donor area and it's approx 24cm long. I have no idea how wide it was, nor do I know the graft/hair count.

I was just told pre-op that I would get approx 5000 grafts, and post op I was told I had approx 6000 grafts. We all know that is not true however. So apart from that, I have no idea exactly how many were implanted. Not a very professional outfit aye.
 
Sparky

Sparky

Valued member
Looks like the scar is in the "safe zone" so hopefully it wont stretch. The size of it would suggest that thousands of grafts were obtained but I've heard of less reputable clinics chucking these in the bin.
 
J

JTurnbull

Valued member
Sparky wrote:
Looks like the scar is in the "safe zone" so hopefully it wont stretch. The size of it would suggest that thousands of grafts were obtained but I've heard of less reputable clinics chucking these in the bin.

yup I am sure they had plenty to harvest, however where they all ended up is anyone's guess
 
Sparky

Sparky

Valued member
I'd "bug" Clive a lot more if I were you, aftercare is very important, and as your result isnt going to be anywhere as near as you would of liked, I think he owes you some cash mate.
 
J

JTurnbull

Valued member
Sparky wrote:
I'd "bug" Clive a lot more if I were you, aftercare is very important, and as your result isnt going to be anywhere as near as you would of liked, I think he owes you some cash mate.

I know what you mean, however I'm not one for confrontations, I shy away from them. I will however draft an email update for him with pics and point out that I've definitely not had 6000 grafts, nor have I had 5000 (a large procedure which I paid for), nowhere near.

I will fill you in on his response when I get one.
 
Sparky

Sparky

Valued member
Mmmmm, they basically stole money from you, sometimes, you gotta stand up for yourself and say NO!
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
The donor closure does look ok so hopefully wont need any future work there.

It will be interesting to hear what they have to say about the graft count etc.

bm.
 
B

BAD LUCK

Member
Bigmac wrote:
The donor closure does look ok so hopefully wont need any future work there.

It will be interesting to hear what they have to say about the graft count etc.

bm.
Hope all goes well for u please will u tell us the name of the clinic
 
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