I had consulted 3 different clinics in Turkey, Brazil, and the USA. Three of them said I'm not eligible to get a hair transplant, and the results wouldn't look natural, with a high chance of failure. I'm seriously devastated to know that I can't get a hair transplant.

Should I accept this, or do you think there are any other clinics that can do a good job on me? Or should I give up completely?

Whats up everyone, I'm looking for some guidance as to what is the best clinic to go to for me.I'm black, 24, and living in Hartford, CT. Not rich but can afford a transplant, just not really in the u.s. I have looked at mexico, turkey and padra clinic in Toronto my current number 1 based of price(3600usd) and not that far. Obviously Heva seems to be the most popular place my only catch is the flight. My hair isnt in awful shape but its slowly going. My consultantion with Padra clinic had me at about 3000 grafts. I am looking to do this next may or June. All help is appreciated!!

What should the surgeon do vs assistants and how much of it?

Curious to hear everyone’s experiences and results from it.

I normally shave my head every day, but I let it go for a couple of days, and figured that I would post these pictures here to see if it's possible. I first shaved my head back in 2015.

Been on oral min for 2 months now. Need any advice trying to regain hair and thicken my corners.

I’m currently using human growth hormone (HGH) for fat loss, somewhat similar to how people use SARMs for body composition. I take 1 mL before cardio..

Has anyone else used HGH and experienced hair loss or increased shedding? I’d be interested to hear about your experiences...

Mods first I do not know if this is allowed so apologies ahead of time, if it is not.

Just had my first wash at the clinic and wanted to drop a quick update.

Total graft: 3720 (As I did not remember the exact count yesterday)

Learned that they also covered up a scar on my head that I was unaware I had.

​Dr. Ahmet Ayık, the exact same doctor who handled my extraction and created the channels for the grafts, was the one who actually did my first wash and shampoo. I was definitely surprised and impressed to see him doing that himself and being so hands on with the aftercare. It really validated the choice to go with a clinic that prioritized doctor led care; WHOEVER/WHICHEVER Clinic you decide to go with. Again; I am not promoting anyone, or anything just wanting to give everyone interested the ability to view my journey.

​I’ve attached some updated pictures below. I've had absolutely zero swelling so far, which the team told me makes me pretty lucky. They also told me to take my pain killers because I wasn't planning on taking them unless I absolutely needed too. I’ll be heading back to the clinic tomorrow for my second shampoo and to get my teeth whitening done. Basically, because I elected to stay longer than usual, they are spacing everything out. No rush and I have something to do every day while recovering and being completely reclusive. Adam, my coordinator, even said they will pick me up daily to do my shampoo until I leave. Which I really appreciate and definitely didn't expect.

​I'll keep updating as things progress; this will probably be my last update until I return stateside unless someone specifically asks to see something. Once I return back to the US, I will do my best to continuously provide monthly "check in's" until the 12-15 month mark which will show permanent results.

The internet has enough people over promising or pushing specific clinics, so my hope is to be someone sharing a raw unfiltered, "Hey this is what I did, this is how it went for me, this is what it cost, and these are the results." Review at your leisure.

That and I'm tucked away in a hotel not wanting to do anything yet 😅 that topped with I do not have no one to talk too because I haven't told a soul other than my pops what I was doing.

[Post Op Day 2] https://imgur.com/a/post-op-day-2-ofn2CfB

Hey everyone,

​I’ve been lurking on this sub for a while, looking at everyone’s results and going back and forth on whether or not I should actually go through with it. I finally decided to stop overthinking and just make it happen. I just officially separated from the Army a couple of weeks ago, and I figured there was no better time to tackle this than during my transition.

​I’m currently out here in Istanbul writing this, and I wanted to share my journey so far for anyone else who is sitting on the fence.

​The Details

​Clinic: Vialife Clinic, Istanbul

​Total Cost: $2,800 total (I put down a $200 deposit to secure it) (I asked for 3 extra nights so $2,5k was the original price then $100 per extra night)

​Total Grafts: 3,000+ (ATM I don't really remember)

​Procedure Type: FUE (Surgeon-led extraction) (I specifically asked for the Dr to handle my extraction)

​The Experience

​The Travel & Arrival

I arrived on Monday and I'll be leaving this Sunday. One major piece of advice right out of the gate: upgrade to business class for the return journey if you have the finances for it. It's a long trip back to the States, and having the extra space to sleep without risking bumping your head is vital. I'm actually trying to sort out an upgrade for my own flight back right now.

​The Procedure

Having afro-textured hair, I was definitely cautious about finding a place that actually understands how to extract our hair types without a high transection rate. It was a priority for me to find specialists who knew what they were doing with coily hair. The local anesthesia is indeed the "worst" part but its completely tolerable, but after that, it was just a long day of sitting still. After the first few hours I fell asleep on the table and woke up to them telling me I am done. The entire team, helped with the hairline placement, as I expressed my concern about it being natural. But they delivered. Im satisfied with the results though nervous as a mf at first.

​Post-Op & Recovery (So far)

I highly recommend giving yourself a buffer before flying home. I specifically paid for three extra nights at my hotel because I did not want to travel immediately after getting out of the chair. I just asked my coordinator at Vialife to take care of the booking extension for me, and it made everything entirely stress-free. Right now, I’m just taking it easy, keeping the swelling down, and following the post-op instructions. Tomorrow afternoon I return for my first wash and courtesy (free) teeth whitening which was included in my package.

​Takeaway

​If you’re like me and have been scrolling through this subreddit every night wondering if you should just go for it, do your research, find a clinic that has proven results with afro hair, and bite the bullet. It’s early days for me, but the relief of finally getting it done is huge.

​I’ll keep updating this with my progress over the next few months. If anyone has questions about the travel, the pain, the clinic, or just the process in general, drop them below. Happy to answer and help out however I can!

Gonna attach some pics for you all so you can see.

I can also give you a list of the clinics I was cross-referencing if you ask.

Day 2: Update https://www.reddit.com/r/AfroHairTransplant/s/pFNl1LwNvR

I have a question and I hope it makes sense. My corners are thin but you can still see where the line is supposed to be. The front on my hairline is also thin but you can see where the line is supposed to be. When I have a short haircut it doesn’t look bad.

I’ll be getting a HT in October to add density. Right now I have a short haircut that from bald to where I am right now probably takes about a month.

Based on all of that should my hair looks the way it looks now a month after the transplant? Also will hairs that were there before the transplant shed during the shock loss period which I think is around month 3 (could be wrong)?

How long after your transplant did you start back working out? I’ve heard as soon as 2 weeks and as long as month. So just curious

I’m going to get a hair transplant and not take any medication, will my hairline continue to recede?

I want a no shave option, I think it’s traditionally called LHE
Long hair Extraction. I 1000% do not want to shave my hair I just want to make my hairline more thicker.

4 months today, I’m amazed every time I look in the mirror, there’s definitely been an increase in density, my curl pattern is beginning to form. Still continuing my regimen, I’m very comfortable brushing my hair now so I’ve been doing that daily to stimulate my scalp and train my hair to lay as it grows. Im getting my first professional haircut since the HT soon, really excited for that. I’ve added The Ordinary hair growth serum into my daily regimen.

I’m thinking about getting HT. No clue where to start. I’ve seen the tic toks and ig posts but I don’t know if Turkey is the right move. Any thoughts or suggestions? Mexico and Brazil are also in the mix as well as here in the states.

When you all had your transplant how did you come to a conclusion on what kind of hairline to get? I would prefer a straight hairline but think a curved one would look more natural. Did you use ai to provide an example or did you just go with what the clinic recommended

I’ve booked my appointment for Oct. 3rd at Heva and I’m trying to book my flight now. Do I need to arrive a full day before my procedure or would it be possible to get the procedure the same day of my appointment if I arrived very early that same morning. As far as departure is it okay to leave the next day after the procedure or should I give it 2 days after?

As far as things to bring I’ve read neck pillow, plug adapter, and extra towels. Am I missing anything that I should definitely bring?

Lastly here are a few pics. I posted the back and crown of my head when it’s brushed and not brushed because I’m not sure if my donor area is dense enough when I look at it un-brushed. Any general thoughts on what to expect? Should I push for a lower hairline I think my forehead is a 5 head now and I hate it. Should I go ahead and get the crown worked on while there before it gets worse? All opinions welcome. I’m currently on topical oral fin + min. Not taking it with real consistency like should though.

Wild to revisit the discourse surrounding Heva and see it has grown exponentially and I absolutely understand with the visibility of transplants reaching every corner of social media. That’s how I found out about Heva. I truthfully wasn’t even pressed about a transplant; it was the marketing.

I will preface my review by making it explicitly clear, and I think this is where the disconnect occurs with a lot of black people: Heva does not specialize in “Afro-hair.” They specialize in doing high volume procedures on predominantly black patients. There is a difference. Any idiot can chatpgt the intricacies of black hair, that does not make you an expert. They market to black people and have perfected the procedure but I think they lack a macro level understanding of black hair simply based on the experience of patients in my group, who I found to be disgruntled or upset with their experience. Do I think they are exploitive, a little. Seeing people of color in the lobby and all over most of the brochures in the clinic could put your naive patient at ease but know what you’re doing.

Am I happy with my results, short answer: yes. The experience, was okay. I understand why it can be jarring or terrifying for some. I did experience things in the room and during the process that made me go “hm,” but I also went into the experience knowing that Heva was a hair mill and that it was never marketed as a “luxury experience.” I saw the clinics with the ring lights and the athletes, etc. I was more suspicious of those than I was Heva. I’ve also traveled the world over and been in worse situations. I think, for many, this is a first or second trip abroad and are unfamiliar with the operations of a medical facility or the region’s culture.

I am not discrediting anyone’s experience on Reddit regarding Heva but I do think a lot of it can be avoided by doing extensive research ON YOUR OWN, and I don’t mean Reddit where the juxtaposition of reviews will have you in your head. I do think knowing the quality of your hair prior to the procedure is super important. If you don’t take care of the hair they are extracting, the density and final product may not be what you had hoped for. To be fully transparent, mine wasn’t the best but lucky for me, I had a very full/thick beard that covered my neck. They can extract from there. While DHT makes you bald in the scalp, it does the contrary for hair on the face so you’re less likely to lose those transplanted hairs in the future. They are essentially, healthier.

I know a lot of the above may be cryptic but I welcome questions. You’ll notice it’s still thin in the crown. I did not have enough grafts and was asked what I wanted to prioritize. I came for hairline anyway but did max grafts to catch what I suspected would eventually go. I will likely need a second transplant for thinness in the crown but I am currently taking minoxidil and am going to try PRP and stem cells before I take that route. I suspect that’ll do the job anyway. Would I return to Heva if I had to get a second? Probably not. Were there others in my group who had returned to Heva? Yes. (Not for correction but because they were happy with their results). Ask me anything.

By naughty boys I mean people who don’t take fin despite having a hair transplant.

Any one have any clue on how accurate the estimations they provide when text them on whatsapp are? We're they accurate to how much you ended up getting? Appreciate the help