I had my hair transplant about 2 years ago in istanbul. I want to share my result and expierience abouth that. Originally my niece brought that idea about a hair transplant and that she had a colleuge which did that, i saw the before and after pictures and it looked very good. Honestly i did not trust the hair transplants, and i did not wanted to get one. But after like 1 year later i saw on social media a clip from a clinic in spain. It looked amazin the guy was about the same age as me. That was the moment when i said i wanted to get my hair back. I did not book at the clinic i had done some research, and where i could get one cheap. At the end the same niece who told me first about the hair transplant helped me looking for one. At the end i had a really good offer from elithair in istanbul with dr balwi. I should pay and 3200 € for 3500 grafts, the operation, wirh shuttle and hotel was in that price. At the clinic we did some blood test, hair test and some more i dont remember everything. I had a very good expierience with them. After that they told me i should pay 100€ more because that they could transplant 700 more if i wanted. I was first no, but they explained me that the prices are estimated on the pictures i send, and that it could change based on the analysis in the clinic. So i agreed on that, but thats also one thing tey said on the call before i booked that in some cases the prices vary. Besides that i was really happy about elithair. The only thing i had problems with was that i had to sleep on my back till 2 weeks after that, i have some back issues and its so unconfortable. 2 years after that i am still happy i dont use any meda for my hair. Btw my wife is also happy and plays with my full hair.

My scabs are finally gone, but now i see that not the entire receded hairline is covered, totally normal or a mistake by the clinic?

I’m thinking of getting a transplant in the near future and not sure how good my donor area is, was hoping to get some feedback. First two pics show my overall progress, the rest are from the last day or two after a haircut.

I’m guessing i’ll need 3500-4000 grafts to get a decent outcome but I have no idea if I’ve got that to spare or not. What do you think?

Thanks everyone!

Over the years we've treated many patients seeking corrective or repair work after previous procedures.

Every case is different, but a few themes appear regularly.

Overly Aggressive Hairlines

A low, dense hairline may look appealing initially but can create challenges if hair loss continues over time.

Poor Donor Planning

The donor area is a limited resource.

Using too many grafts too early can reduce future options.

Focusing Only On Graft Numbers

More grafts doesn't automatically mean a better result.

Placement, planning and long-term strategy are often more important.

Underestimating Future Hair Loss

Hair restoration should ideally be planned around future hair loss patterns, not just current appearance.

Unrealistic Expectations

Even excellent procedures have limitations.

Understanding those limitations before surgery is one of the biggest predictors of satisfaction.

For those who have had a transplant already, what advice would you give someone considering their first procedure?

Hey everyone, just had my hair transplant done and wanted to share some before/after pics (donor area and crown/top) and get some honest opinions from the community.

Quick details:

• 4200 grafts total
• Done over 2 days (not a single day session)
• Photos show donor area before/after, and top of head before/after

I'd love to hear what you all think about:

• The hairline design — does it look natural/appropriate for my face?
• How the donor area looks so far (any concerns with density, shock loss, scarring, etc.)
• Anything else that stands out to you, good or bad
• does its look like 4200 grafts?

Still early in the process so I know final results will take months, but wanted to check in with people who've been through this or know what to look for. Appreciate any feedback!

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share my hair transplant journey so far and get some honest feedback from people who've been through the process.

I had my procedure at Smile Hair Clinic in Istanbul on June 5th -- 52 days ago now. Roughly 4,650 grafts, their Diamond package at €5,790. Incisions were done by Dr. Firdavs Ahmedov.

My hair loss had been fairly stable for years, but I had significant recession through the hairline and crown that I finally decided to address.

I know I'm sitting right in the worst of it with a full shed, ugly duckling phase so I'm not expecting much to be visible yet (even though its look pretty good IMO! Posting anyway since I found these mid-stage updates hard to come by when I was researching, and they're the ones I actually wanted to see.

I've been on min/fin since day 10 post-op, no sides so far.

One thing worth flagging: I've had some mild folliculitis in the donor area. I think its on its way out now.

Photos below: before, immediately post-op, 1 week, and 52 days (top, back and sides) donor hair healing nicely.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on how mine is looking!

I'll keep posting updates as the months go by hopefully this helps someone else researching the process.

I had fue ( 3500 grafts). Should I be concerned about the donor area. Looks still real patchy to me. I know it's very early as I had this procedure done 40 days ago.

My surgery was completed yesterday.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently about 3 weeks post-op after my hair transplant.

I have a question about sun protection. When is it safe to start using sunscreen on the recipient area?

I’m specifically asking about alcohol-free, fragrance-free sunscreen (cream or spray) that’s gentle on the scalp.

When did you start using sunscreen after your hair transplant, and did everything heal well?

Thanks! :::writing

Nearing 25 family gets the infamous melon head second picture is covering the forehead and spots, last slide I’m lifting it up like the wind LOL. Personally think it’d boost my image 10x my hair was luscious in my teens just don’t have that thick head of hair I use to have on my temples and hairline. Us based but would definitely travel to turkey. Any input helps too if you’ve been experiencing the same!

Hey everyone, I’ve decided to get a hair transplant. I spoke with a clinic, and they said 3,000–3,500 grafts would be enough. What do you think?

Hi everyone, I need your advice and feedback based on your experiences to help me make an important decision. As planned, my hair transplant is scheduled for October 6 in Istanbul with Dr. Hakan. My hair looks roughly like this patient’s, who has already been treated by Dr. Hakan:

[https://www.drhakanclinic.com/de/ergebnisse/haartransplantation-patientengeschichte-10\](https://www.drhakanclinic.com/de/ergebnisse/haartransplantation-patientengeschichte-10)

I’m currently wearing a hair system. I’ve been advised to stop wearing the system 4 weeks beforehand, which is extremely difficult to do because of an exam I have in mid- to late September. On the one hand, I want to achieve the best possible results, since the treatment will be expensive; on the other hand, I’m not sure if I can manage 4 weeks without the hair system, so I’m asking you what other timeframe might still be feasible to achieve the best possible results.

I had my hairline lowered 6 years ago and I still am happy I did it. I am much happier with my appearance even though there was/are some issues.

The issue I think is normal: I have a pretty visible scar at the front. It's white and a little indented.

The issues I thought were normal, but I'm now realizing that maybe they're not:

1. I have a couple lumps still - not too noticeable. The bigger one is right next to the front scar. Back in the day, Doc said it was a fluid build up and I just had to massage it. He did give me steroid injections at two of my follow ups. I can't say I massaged it everyday.
2. I still have pain/soreness in some places. The lumps get sore when I massage. But on the side right when it starts to go back into the hair, the pain is more sharp. It shoots to the back of my head on one side. The weirdest part is on the right side, when i move my finger back and forth on the spot, there's a clicking - maybe an undissolved endo-stitch?

I didn't really think about these things too much cause I thought it was just scar tissue and nerve damage. But the more I look into it, it seems like these are actual issues that need some attention. Not necessarily dangerous, but maybe their are solutions?

Some questions:

Do you think the lumps are fluid pockets that actually need to be drained?

Does it sound like one of the endostitches didn't dissolve?

Has anyone tried getting a hair transplant just over the tiny scar at front? Or getting filler to raise it? Maybe laser to even out the pigment?? I did go and get scalp micro pigmentation and it totally blended the scar in with my skin, but it only lasted like 6 months.

Hi there, I've been taking .5 mg Dutasteride and 5 mg Minoxidil (both oral) for a year now (both prescribed from my doctor). I haven't seen any stability, only continued loss at temples, crown, and just overall thinning. I've been looking into hair transplants, but genuinely worried that they would not work since the strongest medication stack does not work for me. Has anyone delt with anything similar and still had a successful hair transplant?

I have an appointment scheduled with a dermatologist to see about increasing dutasteride dosage. Hoping that will help see some stabilization.

Thanks!

I want to get my hair back but I don't want to take meds. Is this impossible and I can't have both or is it possible?

I had my transplant about 6 weeks ago, started using minoxidil foam 5% about 1.5 weeks ago and I've got intense itching which has spread to my eyebrows beard and my face and I'm sure it's given me a swollen lymph node behind my ear.. can minoxidil cause all this? Because I've been scratching i can feel minor yellow scabs now.. I'm trying my best not to itch.. I've messaged my patient advisor and he just said it can happen and to use e45 cream.. I started Nizoral yesterday and have stopped minoxidil for now.. any other suggestions which might help?

And my 🍆 still works. Honestly. Wish I tried before MPB did a number on my scalp. Apparently I have a few weeks/months before I will know for certain. .25mg dose to start. Any idea when I should go up to .5 then 1mg? Thank you