Hair transplant diary (ongoing)

TheQuietBeatle

Random question but when I'm in Turkey I was planning on going for a steak on a couple of the nights. Is certain foods in terms of chewing a bad idea after a transplant?

Monokne

No not at all. I had steak most nights. There is a nice kebab type place round the corner from the Elysium they put me up in. Did a mixed meat platter.

I had room service the day of though, bit tender

mikeoc85

DaveClarke17 wrote: »

Ah, thanks lads.

Looks like turkey is the way to go.

I think we definitely have a bit of a bias with Ireland too, we think since we are paying so much more than the quality is much higher. I know I had that bias but after seeing some results in Ireland compared with results abroad it is certainly not the case.

Also for anyone here looking for extra information, I recommend the Hair Loss Conquerors Facebook group.

Hi Dave,

I would be of the opinion that going to a surgeon only clinic is a better option, I think the more trained and qualified you are the better results, not to mention the fact that if something goes wrong they'll be held accountable. But for that you are paying 3-4 times the price here. Also the techs that do your hair in Turkey have probably been doing it week in week out for a few years. What I mean is if price was closer then Ireland would make more sense, but risk/reward meant Turkey made sense for me. If it's a pretty straight forward job I'd say go to Turkey, but if it looks complicated then I'd be a little more hesitant.

Also, with Turkey, there are places like Hair of Istanbul, that continuously give a low straight hairline. They typically attract the fake teeth, tattoo, sunbed, 'influencer' brigade and to be fair their results look great, but how is that going to look when you're 50?

I personally wanted mine a little lower on my temples and I'm not sure how receded I'll look when it's finished but I'd definitely prefer less where I can at least add more and also have more donor hair, it's very difficult to undo a low hairline. Don't get sucked into wanting as many grafts as possible, I was delighted when I was given less than quoted because down the line you may need another HT.

Monokne

mikeoc85 wrote: »

There are places like Hair of Istanbul, that continuously give a low straight hairline. They typically attract the fake teeth, tattoo, sunbed, 'influencer' brigade and to be fair their results look great, but how is that going to look when you're 50?

:eek: Judgemental much?

Iwantcoffeenai

I am 5 months post op -1600 grafts in Belfast. I am not happy with the way it is going. They refused to transplant any hair in the temples as they said I am too young (32). I am going to be left with a great forelock but with very receded temple points. Any advice? Should I get a second transplant to fill in the temples a bit elsewhere? I am also on finasteride and Regaine and feel like I am maintaining what I have got.

They also charged me £7.50 a graft which is very expensive. I reckon it would take about 800 grafts to fill my temples in. This thread has taught me that Dr Nel charges €4 a graft and does not shave your head. The results look good.

Mongfinder General

Iwantcoffeenai wrote: »

I am 5 months post op -1600 grafts in Belfast. I am not happy with the way it is going. They refused to transplant any hair in the temples as they said I am too young (32). I am going to be left with a great forelock but with very receded temple points. Any advice? Should I get a second transplant to fill in the temples a bit elsewhere? I am also on finasteride and Regaine and feel like I am maintaining what I have got.

They also charged me £7.50 a graft which is very expensive. I reckon it would take about 800 grafts to fill my temples in. This thread has taught me that Dr Nel charges €4 a graft and does not shave your head. The results look good.

£7.50 a graft is outrageous. A consultation with Dr Nel will cost €200. I have been to see him. He is not a bull sh1tter and will tell you out straight what he thinks and what he can do for you.

From reading what you’ve written, it seems like you’re protecting the native hair with finasteride which is what Dr Nel will probably prescribe anyway. So you’re already doing what you can to protect and improve your hair.

Iwantcoffeenai

Mongfinder General wrote: »

£7.50 a graft is outrageous. A consultation with Dr Nel will cost €200. I have been to see him. He is not a bull sh1tter and will tell you out straight what he thinks and what he can do for you.

From reading what you’ve written, it seems like you’re protecting the native hair with finasteride which is what Dr Nel will probably prescribe anyway. So you’re already doing what you can to protect and improve your hair.

Does he insist on shaving your head? I still have no idea why they wouldn't fill in the temples.

Jimmy Bottlehead

Monokne wrote: »

:eek: Judgemental much?

Ehh, isn't the whole premise of getting a hair transplant based on being judged? Either judgement from others or from yourself.

It's a perfectly valid question to ask and concern to have.

Mongfinder General

Iwantcoffeenai wrote: »

Does he insist on shaving your head? I still have no idea why they wouldn't fill in the temples.

No, you don’t need to shave your head. I think the cost of the procedure is about 10% higher if you don’t want to shave. It’s about €4 per graft plus 10% in that case.

I’m not sure why they wouldn’t fill in the temples. It is odd. But look on the bright side. You’ll not be paying £7.50 per graft to move hair from the back of your head to the temples. The hair that would have been transplanted to the temples is still there for you to redistribute. If you choose Dr Nel, it will be about €4 per graft. So you’ll be saving the difference between €4 and £7.50 per graft.

Monokne

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Ehh, isn't the whole premise of getting a hair transplant based on being judged? Either judgement from others or from yourself.

It's a perfectly valid question to ask and concern to have.

I think you misunderstood my point.

I was responding to this part:

"They typically attract the fake teeth, tattoo, sunbed, 'influencer' brigade".

DaveClarke17

mikeoc85 wrote: »

Also, with Turkey, there are places like Hair of Istanbul, that continuously give a low straight hairline. They typically attract the fake teeth, tattoo, sunbed, 'influencer' brigade and to be fair their results look great, but how is that going to look when you're 50?

Yeah HOI do produce some outstanding results and if you want to have your hairline higher you can just tell them. See some very natural results with them, think they are spiking prices now due to their popularity .

TheQuietBeatle

DaveClarke17 wrote: »

Yeah HOI do produce some outstanding results and if you want to have your hairline higher you can just tell them. See some very natural results with them, think they are spiking prices now due to their popularity .

I was quoted around 5K which is expensive for Turkey.

at9qu5vp0wcix7

Monokne wrote: »

I think you misunderstood my point.

I was responding to this part:

"They typically attract the fake teeth, tattoo, sunbed, 'influencer' brigade".

To be fair he is bang on the money. The same lads you see juiced to the gills wearing an extra small t-shirt. I don't mind these lads go there, I just don't like how the clinic really publicises their testimonials over that of a normal guy. It muddies the water and makes you question if you are looking at a legitimate testimonial or a paid advertisement.

Monokne

TheQuietBeatle wrote: »

I was quoted around 5K which is expensive for Turkey.

I have a friend who had gone to them and paid about 3. I contacted them by email and didn't hear back immediatley. My mate gave me a number so I got onto them on Whatsapp and they quoted one price. I got an email back with another price. I pushed back about my friends quote and they knocked a grand off it. So I had 3 separate prices!

At that point I moved on. Didn't feel good about doing business with them given the business practice.

Dr Cinik's crew were much more professional.

Monokne

Desmond Full Conduit wrote: »

To be fair he is bang on the money. The same lads you see juiced to the gills wearing an extra small t-shirt. I don't mind these lads go there, I just don't like how the clinic really publicises their testimonials over that of a normal guy. It muddies the water and makes you question if you are looking at a legitimate testimonial or a paid advertisement.

I am sure every clinic gets every different profile of person.


I'm also sure that for publicity they are going to use the most conventionally good looking people in pictures.

DaveClarke17

Monokne wrote: »

I have a friend who had gone to them and paid about 3. I contacted them by email and didn't hear back immediatley. My mate gave me a number so I got onto them on Whatsapp and they quoted one price. I got an email back with another price. I pushed back about my friends quote and they knocked a grand off it. So I had 3 separate prices!

I have seen a lot of people mention the different prices. They also tend to charge Americans a lot more as they are more likely to use credit, their results seem to be great but their business practice is a little shady to say the least.

Monokne

Yeah. It's a shame really as I would love to have gone with them given my pals results but I just felt like they were taking the mick. Dr Ciniks price is right there on the website - no messing about.

Maybe best anyway, I don't have a fake tan nor am I an instagram influencer so not really HOI material

at9qu5vp0wcix7

If you have time on your hands, go look at the testimonials on the Hair of Instanbul Instagram page, then look at the patient's own Instagram, and you will see that the "After" pictures don't really represent the results (perhaps lighting + hair fibers at play).

It might sound pedantic, but this is the kind of research that pays off, this is an irreversible procedure.

TheQuietBeatle

Cinik is asking for a false covid test of within 48 hours of flying. They do a free test on site but I'll lose the deposit if a fail.

Iwantcoffeenai

Mongfinder General wrote: »

No, you don’t need to shave your head. I think the cost of the procedure is about 10% higher if you don’t want to shave. It’s about €4 per graft plus 10% in that case.

I’m not sure why they wouldn’t fill in the temples. It is odd. But look on the bright side. You’ll not be paying £7.50 per graft to move hair from the back of your head to the temples. The hair that would have been transplanted to the temples is still there for you to redistribute. If you choose Dr Nel, it will be about €4 per graft. So you’ll be saving the difference between €4 and £7.50 per graft.

Out of interest do you know what the waiting time is for a transplant with Dr Nel? I see that he works in London and Dublin.

Hunchback

TheQuietBeatle wrote: »

Cinik is asking for a false covid test of within 48 hours of flying. They do a free test on site but I'll lose the deposit if a fail.

Presume you mean negative?

Monokne

Hunchback wrote: »

Presume you mean negative?

Perhaps they're going for a herd immunity thing

TheQuietBeatle

Haha, yes negative test

Mongfinder General

Iwantcoffeenai wrote: »

Out of interest do you know what the waiting time is for a transplant with Dr Nel? I see that he works in London and Dublin.

I’m not sure. I really think that Covid has caused a huge increase in demand for hair transplant services worldwide. It is the almost the perfect Time to get work done - most of us are working from home so it’s easier to conceal any work done.
I know he’s a pretty hands on guy, very pragmatic. So if you’re ready to go he may be able to accommodate you sooner than you’d expect in the current environment. Some people do back out and cancel.

Paul000111

Hi guys, I’m 1 month post HT with a Dublin clinic. I was taking 1/4 tablet of both Loniten ( minoxidil) and proscar every other day since January of this year. Prior to the HT I didn’t notice much improvement as a result of taking the meds.
The clinic I attended requested that I stop all medication in the run up to the operation to reduce the Risk of blood thinning and excessive bleeding during the HT, I reduced the intake 1 month before and finally stopped completely 2 weeks before the HT.
On the day of the HT, the doctor pointed out a very obvious patch of low density hair on the middle of the front of my head, I had never noticed it before, but assumed it was due to the short cut that I got in preparation for HT. After the HT, it was less noticeable due to newly implanted hairs. Now, a month later, I’ve lost some of the implanted hairs , this is fine and . to be expected and is part of the process, yet the patch of missing hair appears to be very noticeable.
I suspect it is due to coming off the meds for the month of the HT. So I have started back on both meds , 1/4 tablet. (1 mg) daily.
My question is to guys who may have experienced this, was anyone else taking meds before the op, did you stop, and if you did, did you notice a rapid hair loss.
If this did happen to anyone, did restarting the meds show an improvement in the hair growth in any loss area ?
I appreciate anyone in same situation responding.

1922

Has anyone that had had the procedure done in Ireland claimed any relief on it through the MED 1 form? Basically with medical expenses, you are entitled to 20% back from what your health insursnce didn't cover

at9qu5vp0wcix7

1922 wrote: »

Has anyone that had had the procedure done in Ireland claimed any relief on it through the MED 1 form? Basically with medical expenses, you are entitled to 20% back from what your health insursnce didn't cover

I didn't think that covered elective cosmetic procedures?

Edit:

"7.10. Hair restoration
Hair transplant treatment for androgenetic alopecia, (known as female and male
pattern baldness), is considered cosmetic in nature, (see Paragraph 7.9), and is not
regarded as the provision of "health care". Accordingly, tax relief is not due in
respect of expenditure incurred for hair transplant treatment in such cases.
However, other forms of alopecia, such as scarring alopecia, are different from
androgenetic alopecia and must be considered separately. Scarring alopecia, for
example, arises because of inflammation or infection of the hair follicles, which
results in hair loss. Where ailments such as scarring alopecia are treated with
medications to heal the scarring, tax relief can be allowed for the expenses incurred
for the medications and the services of a medical practitioner. Hair transplant
treatment for scarring alopecia, may also qualify as the provision of health care, if
it can be shown that the transplant treatment was not cosmetic and was undertaken
for the treatment of a congenital abnormality, a personal injury or a disfiguring"

Iwantcoffeenai

Plasandrunt wrote: »

So I got a HT done here in MHR clinic 2 weeks ago, a little bit disappointed with it as I feel they haven't put enough grafts on my crown. The hairline is looking good though. Have relayed my concerns to to lady in the clinic and was told to be patient. Can't shake the niggling feeling I'll be looking somewhere else in 12 months for a top-up

They asked me to get my bloods done so they could prescribe the Finesteride, however I've having an issue finding an doctor who'll book an appointment for a simple blood test in the current environment. Any advice? I'm thinking about maybe going on Saw Palmetto until doctor are seeing people for regular appointments again.Anyone have experience with that?

What are your results like now? I'm 5 months post op and am dissapointed so am considering a top up.

Monokne

Disappointed in what sense? The hairline? The thickness?

iebamm2580

5 months is way too early to have a result, wait until at least 10 before making a judgement.