# Hair Transplants > Hair Transplant: Start Your Own Topic >  5020 grafts FUE - Dr Koray Erdogan - Asmed - 3/4 Oct. 2018

## farsanUK

Hey guys I am a 35 yo male from London and arrived home a few days ago from Istanbul so I will talk about my experience at Asmed. Firstly a big thank you to both Sema and Suzana who were my coordinators. Sema - who helped me over the past year since I contacted Asmed and Suzana who was with me throughout the experience and never left my side. She is very fluent in English and communication and organisation was excellent. In fact everyone at Asmed looked after me very well and never made me feel awkward.

Initially I sent Asmed (Sema - my initial coordinator) my photos 12 months ago and Dr Erdogan recommended 5000 grafts and for me to start finesteride before surgery as without it I may not be happy with the end result because of my type of hairloss. I was a bit weary of finesteride side effects so it took a month for me to decide what to do because for me hair transplants and finesteride go hand in hand. So a couple of months went by (sept - dec 2017) eventually I got on brand name Propecia 1mg by Merck. I started slowly as advised by a hair loss expert we all know - it took me till January until I was using it more or less every day. In this time I was in constant communication with Sema discussing dates etc. And getting my finances sorted. So in January I asked to book the surgery in May however they had very few dates and I could not get the amount of time I wanted from work. I use Toppik hair fibers and Asmed advise patients not to use it for 6 months so I wanted as much time not using it as possible after surgery. So my work allowed me to take 3 months leave (mix of unpaid and paid) - yes a lot of time but only 6 weeks was unpaid. 

So in February we decided on 3rd and 4th Oct. 2018 (2500 grafts per day) this was actually good because I would have been on Propecia 10 months. You can send from 1000 to 3000 euros - I sent 1000 initially and just before I went I sent another 2000 just after Dr Erdogan looked again at my updated photos (as it was nearly a year since the initial ones)to confirm. I used TransferWise as they take the actual exchange rate on Google and not lower rates like banks provide.  I would need to arrive before 14:00 on 2nd Oct for the consultation however there were no flights that arrive before that time on BA from Heathrow Airport. There were other flights from different airlines but I wanted BA as I could get the flight for £75 return and free long stay parking (as I know someone who works there), I was already spending so much on the surgery so I wanted to keep costs down. Sema very kindly allowed me to arrive in the evening of 1st Oct, 2nd Oct - consultation, 3/4 Oct surgery 5th Oct shampoo/clean and departure for home at 1625. This extra night came at no extra cost. Initially I booked the clinics own suite but there was a problem with the room so they booked me into the Raddison blue hotel (5 mins from clinic) all days free and breakfast included. This turned out much better because although Asmed can make you breakfast, they close in the evening and the only people there are security and local restaurants are not very close. Just take a yellow taxi (with meter) from the hotel for 10 liras (just over a pound) and ask to go to the Palladium shopping and restaurant complex 5 mins away.  If you need to change money into Turkish Lira change it at this complex just ask anyone for "change office" which is in the shopping center. I wanted to see the famous blue mosque and grand bazaar but it is an hour away.

*Day of Arrival* (Mon 1st Oct)
Flight arrived at 1630 just a 4 hour flight from London Heathrow Airport. The Asmed driver was there with my name written on an iPad (transfer from airport to hotel and all journeys between hotel and Asmed are free). He gave me his phone as Suzana (my day to day coordinator) spoke on the phone me and welcomed me to Istanbul and said she will be in constant touch with me on whatsapp and in the clinic she will be taking care of me the entire time. The car was a large Mercedes people carrier with beautiful red leather seats and plenty of snacks to enjoy. Because of the time of day it took close to an hour to get to the hotel because of rush hour. The Hotel room was very good and I took a taxi to the Palladium center. You just need to tell the hotel reception to get you a taxi and it comes right away, they have a meter on so you won't be ripped off. Took 5 mins cost me a pound and walked around the shopping center, ate some delicious kebabs and got a taxi which are always there and got back to my room to get some sleep.  

*Day 2* (Consultation)
Suzana sent me a whatsapp message saying that the driver will pick me up at 12:45. I got into the car with 2 other people who also were having their consultations. You should know that you won't be the only patient in the day as I will come to later. We were greeted at reception by our respective coordinators and reception staff. The clinic is amazing, clean, modern and very classy at the same time. There a couple of women who are playing the piano and violin in the reception area. So Suzana sat me down and said that she will wait here with me until we are called for the consultation. Dr Erdogan and his team were very busy during this time and surgeries were still going on so we needed to wait an hour before they could see us. However, in this time I was offered some snacks and asked to read through some paper work and sign that I understood all the terms. All of this would have been sent to you when you booked so it is just the same. After that I was taken downstairs for blood tests to test for HIV etc.. All clear. I then went into the photography room and had my photos taken both dry and wet hair shots from all angles.

A while later I and my coordinator were called into Dr Erdogan's office. It was like meeting a king and I told him so - I have very been following him for few years and on social media so it was quite a hair raising moment for me. So in the consultation it was Dr Erdogan, another doctor, one of his senior surgical assistants and my coordinator. Dr Erdogan very quickly broke the ice with me and told me how happy he was to see me as when he saw my name he realized I am of Pakistani descent (born UK) and how happy he was about that because he has always liked people from there so that was a nice start. He went over some basic things with me and said that I am a candidate for hair transplantation after looking at the blood tests. He had a screen in front of him with my photos from just earlier and discussed what he can do. He said that my hair loss pattern was more Ludwig patterned rather than the usual norwood cases. He analysed my hair in detail with his apparatus and said that my hair is of very good quality with a total donor of 8500. In general he said that safe zone hair can be effected by DHT as seen by very old people and looking at my age (35) it is possible to lose 10% of safe zone hair in my lifetime and that if I came off finesteride later in life it is possible that my total donor capacity is at 7500 so even though my real donor is 8500 he sees it as 7500. 

He drew a hairline and asked what I thought. It was probably a tiny bit higher than I would have liked but he said that once transplanted it will look lower but my main concern were no temples drawn because mine are quite faint. He said in a funny way that he really does not like my crown. I have not got a massively receding hairline and that patch on the top really does stick out like a sore thumb. So he drew my temples and it looked great but he said he would need 700 grafts just for that and he can't cover the top properly as well in 1 operation so if  want that it would be 700 less grafts in my crown and it still wont look that good on top. He wanted 2000 grafts just for the crown 2500 for the hairline and just above and the remainder 500 in the mid-scalp as he said it has a lot of and hairs. He said it was up to me but if I leave it to him that is the way he would do it and I can always come back and do the temples after a year or so. I thought about it and knew already that the crown was my priority - it is a different type of hair loss pattern. So I said to him I will go with his instinct and he said I will be very happy with my result. He actually told me later on that he would in fact put 2100 in the crown and 400 just below that instead of the 500 so my crown should have a big difference he said. This was not the final hairline and he would refine it after hair shaving. Consultation lasted about 20 minutes I had a bunch of questions for him but he really is to the point and just gets on with his analysis and what he can do for you. 
After that Suzana took me to the finance department where I paid the outstanding amount in Pounds Sterling cash. If your home currency is pounds or USD I advise you to pay in that currency to them. It saves you changing into euro where you wont get a good rate and will have to pay some fees. The rate the clinic gave me was much better than at home and they dont charge you for them to change it into euros.

After this I got my hair shaved off! It actually looked alright! I waited for Dr Erdogan to make his final refined hairline plans. He told me that he will go into the temples a bit so that was good news. Whilst this was going on he has a big team of people watching. These are the techs or surgical assistants (as he calls it) who will work with you for the entire surgery. If you have 2 days surgery like me they dont have different teams, its the same people working on you. 

I was then taken to the room where they have their latest robot  the K-bot. You sit with your head against a support pad and the camera takes 3d images of your entire head and you can see on the screen your grafts in detail. This helps the doctor further in his analysis. This lasts for 15 minutes but you can be on your phone  I actually took a video of what the K-bot was doing but I dont think you can post videos here.

This all took best part of 4 hours from waiting at the start to the end. Dropped back to the hotel went into town again for a nice kebab (with lines in my head). Yes you have to keep the lines on and not rubbed off because they then have to go through the whole process again. And no wearing hats so I was laughed and smiled at a lot whilst walking through town it was surreal.

*Day 3* (Surgery 2515 grafts)  
Asmed advise you to where a buttoned shirt before and after surgery. I woke up at 6 am, 6:30 breakfast buffet  plenty of variety. For 3 days including this day I had to take an antibiotic tablet with breakfast and Xanax to calm me although I only needed that for the first day.  It wasnt till I got down there that I realised how many of us were being operated on. Including me it was 6 guys at breakfast ready to be taken to Asmed. Three of them already had their first day hairline surgery and the rest of us were on our first day. I was slightly taken back by this because I was sure they only did 4 surgeries a day but I guess it can depend on the cases. One guy was just having his hairline refined. All 6 of got into the people carrier and went to Asmed. 

We were given Asmed buttons shirts and bottoms to wear for surgery and it really is straight into it from that point. My coordinator took me to the surgery room and I met all the people involved with my surgery. I asked who will be doing the extractions and how long they had been working there. One person would be doing the extractions and she has been doing ONLY extractions for 7 years so I felt assured. Suzana showed me the microscope where they dissect single hair grafts as I was querying this lot. So onto the anaesthetics  Dr Umat organised this. He is a very interesting person he looks serious but he is a really cool person and fun to talk to, if he ever reads this I hope you are well and very active! 

This is the most painful part of the surgery, they have something that vibrates as they inject many times into your scalp which makes it a bit easier. If it is too much, they can give you something through the I.V your arm help ease you. It acts really quick and she starts extracting and you cannot feel a thing. You have a screen in front which tells you how many grafts have been extracted and if theyre singles, twos etcI actually had a fair amount of 4s 5s 6s. Suzana was in the room with me the whole time she was a great help.  She gave me a face rest support where I could also stick my I pad on it to watch stuff on. Sema came in now and then. Watched the BaldTruth Show re run from the previous night just to keep them on their toes and they knew what it was. This whole process takes more than 3 hours (I think) as I just lost track of time I didnt sleep at all.  They extracted 2515 grafts in total. Dr Erdogan did not come in during this time but his most experienced surgical assistant  Dilek came in at certain points. Dr Erdogan watches all the surgeries on monitor in his office and directs if need be from there which I am not completely happy about but the results are good. 

Next was 30 minute lunch maybe less and back to the operating room where Im prepped and given anesthetics for the recipient area before the main man Dr Erdogan comes in and shakes my hand and begins the incisions.  The techs cover my eyes and hold my face in certain positions as the doctor instructs them whilst he pokes away. This takes him 30  40 mins and he shakes your hand and moves to the next patient. The same person that did the extractions is now joined by Dilek who both start the implanting stage. This can be prickly and pain a bit so they test certain areas and ask you is it painful or not. If it is they put some liquid type anesthetic so you dont feel it. In fact at any time you feel pain you must tell them and they will ease it. They put a special blue solution over the recipient area which highlights all the incisions Dr Erdogan made. At some point they realised they covered the required area and had a few more grafts so Dilek made a few extra incisions which is fine as she is possibly the best tech going.   

Implants can take quite a while I cannot remember exactly but it was just a bit less than the extractions so maybe 2 hours. Once it is done I felt very tired walked very slowly as I was trying to get my bearings right. The trauma and anesthetics can make you very tired. So Suzana came with me to another room where they sat me down under a low level red laser for 10 mins to help with healing. After that she gave me ATP spray and said I must put spray my recipient area a few times every 2 hours with it. She also gave me ice cooling gel to help with swelling. Its only till a few days later I realise how big my face got! 

I went back to the hotel, my forehead looked bigger because of the swelling had something to eat in the hotel restaurant  felt like crap but hotel staff are used to Asmed patients so I mixed in well. I went back upstairs for a very awkward night. Didnt sleep much, Suzana gave me neck pillow and for the first 10 days you need to sleep with this on your back facing up (no rolling about) do not let your recipient  area rub anything as this is a very sensitive time for your scalp. I wasnt in much pain but I just felt completely shattered and sleepy but I kept waking up in the night but I got through it somehow. 

*Day 4*  (Surgery 2505 grafts)
Exactly the same as day 3. Note that grafts it is not exactly 5000 grafts (5020) they do not tell you to pay for these extra few. So that is it, surgery complete and Dr Erdogan came and said he is happy with the way it looks and is just the way he wanted it and said he will see me tomorrow. In terms of reactions to the surgery at the time I had swelling but by the time I wrote this my face was huge I look like sloth from the goonies  google it if you dont know. But this is all part of it. Some people have more sensitive bodies than others. Just have to keep applying ice packs. 

*Day 5*  (Wash and go)
Another awkward night but managed to have breakfast and be picked up at 9:50 am. Suzana was at reception and took me down for the shampoo and washing. This is what you have to do on your own for 10 days post op so pay attention when they tell you. They took the bandages off washed me and I felt fresh again and went in for the final post op photos. 
They gave me some Turkish delight sweets as a gift and a power pack. As well as this as they knew I was on Proscar (I changed to proscar a month earlier  cost effective and same brand  Merck) they gave me 1 year supply of Proscar (£200 worth) for free and a pill cuter! They gave me a USB stick with all my surgical details and photos as well as various papers of post op instructions. All the post op shampoos and creams are free. Suzana bid me farewell she was really good to me the entire time and I told her Ill be back in a year for results photographs only downside Dr Erdogan didnt meet me I left but I guess he is busy with all the other patients. Dropped to the hotel at 12 and was told the driver will be back at 14:00 for airport drop of.
So thats it I hope I didnt bore you with the details there is more I could write but those details may come up in the future in the meantime any questions just post on here. I have posted photographs taken at Asmed below.  :Cool:  :Cool:  :Cool:  :Cool:  :Cool: 

Surgery Details :

1148 Single
2589 Double
1158 Triple
119 Quadruple
6 Quintuple

Total Grafts: 5020 Manual FUE
Avg hair: 2.05 per graft
Hair thickness: 61 microns

Medication: Propecia 1mg since Jan 18 and Proscar 1.25 per day since Aug 18.

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## farsanUK

Most of my swelling has gone. Using the thermo gel from the freezer for remaining swelling. Still have some sharpish pain on the back of the head so i'm taking ibuprofen occasionally and that tends to do the job.  Still sleeping upwards with a neck pillow and even sitting up but sleeping is just too uncomfortable right now. Cannot wait till after 10 days to stop sleeping like a mummy!  Some scabs have come off too. Donor area is healing nicely, virtually no redness anywhere. This is my 5th day using the lotion and shampoo Asmed provided I'm not trying to wash too firmly at the moment just letting the water do the job and fingers at more stubborn areas. Still feel they could have gone a very tiny amount lower in the corner of the hairline but Dr Erdogan said it will look lower once grown..anyone agree? And although he said he would only go into the temples a bit i felt it should maybe have been a bit more in...maybe it would have left a gap behind it I guess what you guys think ? Anyway I will post once a week or 2 so if you want any more specific photos or questions just ask here.
*Also to add to the opening post:
Total Donor Capacity: 8900 
Punch size: 6.5*

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## BuddyX

Congratulations.  Looks amazing.

Really looking forward to seeing how this turns out.  Your hair loss pattern is almost identical to mine although i'm a little thinner (in the thinner parts than you).  I'm also of South Asian descent and was told at a recent consultation that I have 8500-ish grafts in the bank (donor) - similar to you.

You say you've been on Propecia since Jan.  Did you notice any improvement in your hair pics from the the time you sent your original pictures to Asmed to the pics taken by Asmed 10 months later (in your post) ?

Be sure to keep updating with your progress. Thanks in advance and good luck with everything.

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## tigerchad

Good stuff man, looks awesome
Thanks for the detailed experience update.
Im booked for December

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## farsanUK

> Congratulations.  Looks amazing.
> 
> Really looking forward to seeing how this turns out.  Your hair loss pattern is almost identical to mine although i'm a little thinner (in the thinner parts than you).  I'm also of South Asian descent and was told at a recent consultation that I have 8500-ish grafts in the bank (donor) - similar to you.
> 
> You say you've been on Propecia since Jan.  Did you notice any improvement in your hair pics from the the time you sent your original pictures to Asmed to the pics taken by Asmed 10 months later (in your post) ?
> 
> Be sure to keep updating with your progress. Thanks in advance and good luck with everything.


 Thanks. In terms of finesteride my hair hasn't got any worse which is first and foremost it's job. My hair in general feels like it has more give to it and feels healthier. The crown hasn't regrown hair but I wasn't expecting much from that area as it was bare. As I have alot of miniterised hairs in mid scalp I'm hoping that will get stronger in time. As Joe Tillman said on last night's show, you can see results up to 2 years of taking it. Hope that helps

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## farsanUK

> Good stuff man, looks awesome
> Thanks for the detailed experience update.
> Im booked for December


 Good luck with it. They take really good care of you.

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## Steve72

Nice result, impressed with how clean you look after the op they done a good job.

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## farsanUK

*10 days post op  update*. Photos below. Most of the scabs have fallen off. As a result of scabs falling off, the scalp is more visible in fact the days after a transplant is the most dense it will will ever look because between each hair there are scabs and redness which give it the appearance of a denser look.- not many people realise this and freak when comparing the final results to how dense it was post op. The native hairs on the outside of the transplanted zone are growing more and therefore accentuating the disparity. Redness has long gone. In terms of shedding I've seen 1 or 2 hairs fall out nothing major but I have tended to close my eyes when washing so who knows although I get the feeling that i might shed earlier than most. 

*2100* grafts went into the crown, *2500* into hairline and first 3rd,* 400* grafts mid-scalp.

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## Billyboy

This looks great on you! Thank you for all very useful info. Please can you write what is happening during flight back, was it surreal.
Can you wear a hat or so ? Do you recommend to stay some time more in Istanbul for rest? 
Thank you a lot for answer !!!

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## farsanUK

> This looks great on you! Thank you for all very useful info. Please can you write what is happening during flight back, was it surreal.
> Can you wear a hat or so ? Do you recommend to stay some time more in Istanbul for rest? 
> Thank you a lot for answer !!!


 The journey was very surreal people look at you alot but to be honest the airport in Turkey is full of people with post surgery but people still look. Staff see hundreds of people like you everyday so no problems there. This clinic doesn't advise you to wear a hat straight away but every clinic is different and some say it's fine. They did give me some sort of a hat for a few days later which looked ridiculous.  Just kept my head down and and didn't make eye contact with anyone and it was fine. On the flight there were a few HT patients once you're sitting nobody will see you. I felt like crap on the journey I had pain killers so that got me through luckily  it was just a 4 hour flight. The swelling got worse after i got home so either you take a flight back the next day or if you want stay there for 5 -7days and then come back when swelling is over.

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## farsanUK

*6 Weeks Post-Op Update*
Hey guys it's been 6 weeks since my visit to Asmed ( Dr Erdogan ) so check out the photos below. I've shed about 95% of the transplanted hairs and I am into that ugly ducking stage. I am really happy with how the donor area is healing - in the photo it is probably the equivalent of a number 4 at the back. I am also using 99% Pure Aloe Vera gel for the donor area. Occasionally it gets really itchy on the crown so I use the Zertek drug the clinic gave me and massage a tiny bit of Aloe Vera onto the itchy area. There has not been any pain for weeks and very little redness. It's far too early to say weather it will be a natural well angled hairline but cannot stop looking at every  small detail, I know this is normal and no matter how much you know before hand once you get that transplant you just cant help it!

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## farsanUK

*2.5 months (11 weeks) Post-op Update - Asmed*

So it's been 2.5 months since my surgery at Asmed with Dr. Koray Erdogan. Below are my photos I took today. Still have not had a hair cut will be doing it tomorrow but only the sides - maybe No.2 and leave the front and top. All the redness has gone (many weeks ago) and i stopped shedding a month ago. The crown shed quite a lot post op but i managed to not shed as much in the front although still shed a fair amount. From reading other guys' threads the 3 month mark is where most people tend to start to see very early stages of sprouting and black dots appearing. I have a few black dots on the crown and a fair bit more in the hair line. Can already see a rough faded lining of the new hair line all be it just a few dots. This is the hardest stage because nothing much happens after you have finished shedding and start seeing sprouting. Apart from the very front my  hair is basically back to where it was pre-op which is normal. It is now just a waiting game. Usually between month 3 and 4 is where I've seen people start to sprout so fingers crossed. The donor area has really grown out a lot and feels very thick and healthy so going forwards I should have a good number of grafts remaining. I don't think ill post anymore updates till the hair really starts sprouting so maybe in a month.

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## farsanUK

4.5 month post op update - Asmed- Dr Koray Erdogan*

hey guys it's been a little while this is my 4.5 months Post op update. Bare in mind that I had a lot of native hair as well so might be an idea to check out my pre op photos at the start of the thread.

Hair line is way ahead of the crown at this stage. In fact alot of the hairs in the very extreme of the hairline did not shed. There is no sign at this stage of any multi hair grafts at the very front so happy about that.I'm feeling small sharp or spikey *hairs on the crown although I can't physically see them at this point. I spoke to another doctor*last night about this feeling of spikey sharp hairs and he said that's not a good sign (very surprised as I thought that is sprouting) and that I should tweeze transplanted hairs out that are not growing otherwise I'll get pimples. Don't understand that at all.

It's only 4.5 months. In normal room light it looks good but then under light it looks very see through and actually the other doctor*said it*shouldn't be see through at this many months which again I think doesn't seem like an accurate assessment. By the way this other doctor*was not my doctor. Let me know what you guys think if spex, JT, or any other iahrs doc on here has an opinion of it I'd love to for you to comment too.

I questioned asmed about this and they said it looks fine and I should not ask people who had nothing to do with the surgery.

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## benny g

Hey FSK thanks for the update,

Hairline is definitely looking stronger already man, you must be excited about what the coming months will bring! I would of thought the spikey feeling was just sprouting too but I'm not a doctor. Do you stay in contact with Erdogan?

I'm just about to hit 11 weeks post op so hoping to start seeing some growth soon too. 

Happy growing  :Smile:

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## farsanUK

> Hey FSK thanks for the update,
> 
> Hairline is definitely looking stronger already man, you must be excited about what the coming months will bring! I would of thought the spikey feeling was just sprouting too but I'm not a doctor. Do you stay in contact with Erdogan?
> 
> I'm just about to hit 11 weeks post op so hoping to start seeing some growth soon too. 
> 
> Happy growing


 Well I would have been excited if that other doc said that's not a good sign. Not sure how it makes any sense (hasnt seen my photo).Slightly concerned about the crown as I had 2100 grafts which should make a night and day difference in the end. Ive heard the crown takes time for growth to occur. As far as Dr Erdogan, from all the patient  reviews and my own experience so far- post surgery you will never be in direct contact with him unless something seriously bad happened. It's the patient coordinator that does all the communication. They don't themselves contact you unless you ask them something (Whatsapp) and are fairly quick to respond.

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## DJM

Hi guys , great information, thanks for sharing. Would you mind me asking how much was the cost . . And why you decided to go with Dr Erdogan over the other clinics? Im trying to make a decision at moment which clinic to go with and nervous about making right decision so any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

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## Steve72

Hi FSK,

Just wondered how you are progressing with your transplant, I think the last post was at 4.5 months - have you seen any improvements from that point?

Good luck going forward.

Steve

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## farsanUK

Just﻿ ﻿a quick update on the crown area. I'm 5.5 months post OP now. Certainly feels more hairier when I put my fingers through the crown. Crown was my biggest problem so hoping for more improvements over the next 3 months which In terms of new hairs popping is a very crucial period coming﻿ up. Will post a full update in a few weeks.

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## benny g

Here comes the growth....looking good brother.

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## Templesrunner

hey, can you post 5.5 months pic for the front aswell?

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## farsanUK

Below are photos at 6 months. For this update I'm focusing on the hairline work only. So I'm going to be to the point - growth is on course but naturalness is lacking. I have to use a strong bristle brush to even the left half of the hairline to make it look smooth. Yes my hair and scalp contrast is high which makes the problem look worse than it is. There is a real pluggy look to it which I'm not happy about. Certain angles make it less and more obvious. You need to zoom in on the pictures because from far away it can give the impression of being fine.

This will no doubt improve and get fuller over the next 3 to 4 months but I just want to get to 12 months and make a decision about getting the front looking more natural and a smoother transition. The next time I will certainly look at one of Joe Tillman's docs they seem to be a class apart from everyone else. This is not a botch job but the naturalness of hair lines is where you can truly judge how good a clinic is. To the average Joe they wouldn't notice anything, but to us students of hair loss and hair restoration we can notice what is natural or not certainly when it comes to hair lines. 

Anyway at least it's not a Kyle Christie hairline so there is hope yet.

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## Templesrunner

It's not that bad. it looks pretty good. anyway the hair will look better and better in time.

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## farsanUK

> It's not that bad. it looks pretty good. anyway the hair will look better and better in time.


 I agree it's not the worst. Infact if you look at it without clicking on the photos it looks great and natural. But ofcourse when analysed properly its pluggy and sparse,  yes it will get better but not a great deal better,  pluggy is pluggy doubles are doubles they don't all of a sudden turn into singles but I'll wait till 12 months no doubt. Thanks for the support.

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## Billyboy

Hy Farsan, I think that all this good result photos and videos from clinics are from persons that are loosing density and were not complete bald around hairline. Also they cut them short so we can believe that they have less native hair than we do, and it is usually opposite. You also have some native hair in the middle hairline and that help you a lot with density. Joe Tillman I like but he have several HT-s. I think if they put us only single hair forward in few rows deep (as he said) in one session how they will than get density for persons without any hair in that area ? Especially if person want to lower the hairline what means more vertical angle of the had and more visible trough. Even young guys with dense hair and lot of graft transplanted like that Planet Stephen need to do second procedure. Anyhow for mans over 35 see trough hair is natural for most guys out there. ;-)  Your donor looks great so if you need more density you can go for 2nd. I think you look a lot better than before.

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## AlexMarx

wanna see worst? see my results at ASMED at 8th months!
devastating 

thread

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## Templesrunner

By the way I can't see any doubles in your hairline. I think once the density will improve in the hairline, the contrast will look better.

because you have light skin and dark hair it looks a bit pluggy. the transplanted hair grows at first with a different texture, later it becames more smooth and manageable. in the meantime maybe you can try to get a tan (spray or lotion) it will make the contrast less obvious.

I think you will have a good result at the end.

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## JoeTillman

> Hy Farsan, I think that all this good result photos and videos from clinics are from persons that are loosing density and were not complete bald around hairline. Also they cut them short so we can believe that they have less native hair than we do, and it is usually opposite. You also have some native hair in the middle hairline and that help you a lot with density. Joe Tillman I like but he have several HT-s. I think if they put us only single hair forward in few rows deep (as he said) in one session how they will than get density for persons without any hair in that area ? Especially if person want to lower the hairline what means more vertical angle of the had and more visible trough. Even young guys with dense hair and lot of graft transplanted like that Planet Stephen need to do second procedure. Anyhow for mans over 35 see trough hair is natural for most guys out there. ;-)  Your donor looks great so if you need more density you can go for 2nd. I think you look a lot better than before.


 When using single hair grafts the "first few rows" do not have to a massive crevasse, but also, no clinic should promise desired density in one pass as it rarely works out to be the case, even when cheaper clinics take shortcuts by using massive grafts at the very front of the hairline that induces the doll head appearance.

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## farsanUK

> When using single hair grafts the "first few rows" do not have to a massive crevasse, but also, no clinic should promise desired density in one pass as it rarely works out to be the case, even when cheaper clinics take shortcuts by using massive grafts at the very front of the hairline that induces the doll head appearance.


 Joe, from your Instagram I see you were taking a day off from the HT world... you just couldnt stay away could you ? :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile: 

I don't want to go on and on but I think patients that have hair on the courser side and high contrast are  more challenging when it comes to trying to create a soft transition at the very front. I think it is better to go quite dense to the very front in these cases. I've seen 6 more hairs sprout so hopefully this will help matters but it is what it is the attention to detail is lacking which is why at 12 months I will consult with the guys you represent I think baubac suits my style of case from the few cases I've seen but will see what happens. Yes it's not Kyle Christie bad but it has issues which should be resolved I feel. I have 2500 grafts left (asmed says alot more but their idea of the safe zone is more brave) so I have to be really careful as to what type of surgeon i go to next, I certainly dont want to use it all up maybe half if that's what's required, see how it grows and save the rest for later.

Density was 46-48 cm2 depending on how bald an area was - this is what they told me.

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## JoeTillman

You're correct in that density needs to be brought right up to the front when using coarser hairs. Soft transition zones don't exist in such cases and when the coarse hair is black on fair skin, it makes naturalness an even bigger challenge. Your density is improving, as I suspected it would, and the good news is that you don't require dense packing to increase the density to a level that you may be more satisfied with. The baseline is established now, but I think you're in a good position overall based on your improvements and the results I see so far.

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## BotchedFUE

I have the exact same problem. Multi hairgrafts used in the hairline and hair angles resulting in a cowlick look hairline. Not happy. Asmed have been notified

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## Templesrunner

Hey Joe,

What is your opnion on using minoxidil (for the first time) after hair transplant?
I'm using it (foam) 1 month post op and plan using it till 4-5 month post op and then stop.

I have read that it can speed up the growth proccess.

What is your take on it?

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## Simoo

> Joe, from your Instagram I see you were taking a day off from the HT world... you just couldnt stay away could you ?
> 
> I don't want to go on and on but I think patients that have hair on the courser side and high contrast are  more challenging when it comes to trying to create a soft transition at the very front. I think it is better to go quite dense to the very front in these cases. I've seen 6 more hairs sprout so hopefully this will help matters but it is what it is the attention to detail is lacking which is why at 12 months I will consult with the guys you represent I think baubac suits my style of case from the few cases I've seen but will see what happens. Yes it's not Kyle Christie bad but it has issues which should be resolved I feel. I have 2500 grafts left (asmed says alot more but their idea of the safe zone is more brave) so I have to be really careful as to what type of surgeon i go to next, I certainly dont want to use it all up maybe half if that's what's required, see how it grows and save the rest for later.
> 
> Density was 46-48 cm2 depending on how bald an area was - this is what they told me.


 Hi. in your pre operative photos it was written that the density is gonna be 80 grafts per cm2, why they told you after that it is only around 45 f/cm2 ?

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## JoeTillman

> Hey Joe,
> 
> What is your opnion on using minoxidil (for the first time) after hair transplant?
> I'm using it (foam) 1 month post op and plan using it till 4-5 month post op and then stop.
> 
> I have read that it can speed up the growth proccess.
> 
> What is your take on it?


 I think there is a chance that it does exactly that, and is why some clinics recommend it. However, I personally think it's a bad idea. Think of it like this. You start minox after a hair transplant and the grafts start to grow two weeks earlier than they would have without minox. Then you stop taking it. Who's to say that you don't lose hair from some sort of shock loss from ceasing the use of minox? It happens to longer term users as any hair they saved will fall out, so if you have any benefits from it for the short term (which can happen) why risk losing any gains you might make? I personally would never do that myself just for the sake of having a few hairs a month early. This is a long process so don't be in a rush.

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## farsanUK

> Hi. in your pre operative photos it was written that the density is gonna be 80 grafts per cm2, why they told you after that it is only around 45 f/cm2 ?


  That's the area not density transplanted. 80cm2 would be nuts no one does that.

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## Templesrunner

> I think there is a chance that it does exactly that, and is why some clinics recommend it. However, I personally think it's a bad idea. Think of it like this. You start minox after a hair transplant and the grafts start to grow two weeks earlier than they would have without minox. Then you stop taking it. Who's to say that you don't lose hair from some sort of shock loss from ceasing the use of minox? It happens to longer term users as any hair they saved will fall out, so if you have any benefits from it for the short term (which can happen) why risk losing any gains you might make? I personally would never do that myself just for the sake of having a few hairs a month early. This is a long process so don't be in a rush.


 Thanks for the answer.

My logic was, that because in this case, minox doesn't "save" hairs (because the transplanted hairs are stronger, and not going to fall naturally), than there won't be a shock loss after using it. 

I guess what you wrote is true for weaker hair, but, I guess I won't take any chances, and stop using it gradually. I have used it for 25 days till now.

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## clnhrls

Hello @farsanUK


Also from the UK here, I have been following this topic with interest as I have a similar hair loss to you, your results and experiences with ASMED have allowed me to feel comfortable with going forward with the hair transplant process. I am booked for surgery with ASMED at the end of the month, my co-ordinator is also Sema. In fact when I sent the clinic my pictures I was quoted the exact same amount of grafts in the same areas as you were, that's how similar our hair loss is.

I have a few questions if that's OK with you, if you could answer them, either here or in private message I'd appreciate that greatly. 


When in the consultation process you say you were taken for blood tests etc. Can you explain what the tests were, what are all the screening processes? What is every pre-test they conduct? Are they in private or are they with all the patients in one room who will be getting surgery that day?

You also say that when the operation is in process that you have to tell them if you feel any pain and they will rectify it, in what way? Is it all done with IV in the arm? Do you have machines attached to your chest or other areas during the surgery, just wondering for comfort reasons, are you strapped to a lot of machines in the same position for hours or are you allowed any movement and how that process works?

Can you show updated pictures that are taken from the back that show the crown region just so I know what to roughly (and hopefully) expect after surgery.



Thanks in advance for any advice and help given.

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## AlexMarx

could I have your contacts? at the moment Im contacting all patients harmed by ASMED to get justice, Ideally class action lawsuit.

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## AlexMarx

Can I have your contacts as well mate? I cant send you private message on Forum

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## farsanUK

Hey guys, so im at 10.5 months post-op and i would say the results are average at best. The hairline is pretty much natural but density wise not great like alot of other guys who went asmed have reported. When you see what the clinic posts and what patients have been posting in the past 18 months its as if its a different clinic (not true but you get my point).The crown has had growth but i expected better for 2100 grafts. Overall im finding it hard what to make of it  i will be post my results at the 11 month mark or at 12 months. I have booked a consultation with dr lupanzula in october to get a proper assessment of it. Going forward this all hinges on what donar i have left.

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## farsanUK

*KORAY ERDOGAN AT ASMED. 12 MONTH FINAL RESULT DISASTER*

So after much hope it looks like a failure. Whilst there is obvious growth there has been permanent shock loss in the front. Infact there is not much difference in the front , yes there is more body to the hairline but this is not a result which is 5000 grafts. Here's the thing, its not like im the unlucky one, this has been consistently happening to alot of patients at asmed in the last 2 years.  Unfortunately this forum does not have many patient posted results but if you go on to htn for example and really dig deep into patient posted results you will see a very similar trend. Theres too many photos to post so click the link below where you can view results on my google drive photos, it also has a video

https://drive.google.com/folderview?...bJ5LBBahT36kyI

The only good thing is the donar area is still in good condition despite so many grafts. I went to see Dr Lupanzula and he estimated approximately 3000 grafts remain and quoted me 1800 - 2300 grafts where 1300 would address the crown and 1000 to address the hairline and that gap right behind the centre of it so theres hope yet. Im thinking take a safe route and divide into 2 surgeries rather than 2 consecutive days as proposed. Will only consult with guys who are on Joe Tillman's site.  yes ive heard it before - theres not a doctor on a iahrs that hasnt messed up at least 1 patient.

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## Winston

The above is a complaint posted by a verified patient and will remain live on the site unless the patient requests that it be removed. As per our TOS users seeking to write a public complaint about a doctor, are required to verify their identity and BaldTruthTalk.Com will then notify the doctor so that he/she can respond publicly as well. The thread will allow for the patient to tell their story, the doctor to respond, the patient to reply to the doctor's response and one last response from the doctor if necessary. This thread will will stay live but will be locked and only opened if the clinic in question can respond to the complaint. General commentary from other users will not be allowed.

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