Date of procedure - 23rd March 2025 Number of grafts - 3,500 I was very wary of taking the leap of faith and going from Ireland to Istanbul to get a hair transplant. My crown had been balding slowly for ten years but in recent years the rest of my hair had really started to thin particularly at the hairline where it was also receding. Not only was I wary of the procedure itself but the idea of taking medication long term into the future did not appeal to me (this by the way is a must if you want long term positive results after the operation). I started researching online, various “reputable” hair transplant clinics and communicated with several. They were all pleasant and similarly priced, however, the interactions did not fill me with confidence. The reviews were all similar and I couldn’t help feeling that many were uploaded by the clinics themselves. This after all was a lot of money and life changing surgery in terms of how my hairline and face was going to look like going into the future. I started to get itchy feet despite two of the clinics putting pressure on me to book and pay a deposit. All of the clinics just seemed the same with very little to differentiate them from each other. What freaked me out most was not knowing which doctor I would have, if it was even going to be a doctor and what their experience was etc. This after all is a highly qualified skill, an art even and I wanted to see the specific person’s previous work. Just like I would like to see the previous work of a tradesman or painter that I would hire for a job. It was at this point that I googled “boutique hair clinic Istanbul”. Several clinics came up in the search including Dr. Mehmet Demircioğlu and Diamond hair clinic. What stood out was his straight talking website with informative articles (not the bells and whistles of celebrity style hair mill clinics). I read the reviews (which were all certified) and I was really comforted by the idea that I would be the only patient for the day and that Dr. Demircioğlu would be carrying out the procedure himself. From the reviews I could see this doctors personal work and their results. I also liked the realistic imperfect hairline that was a trademark of his surgery (not the action- man figure straight line of other clinics). I contacted Mahmood, Diamond hair clinic’s line of contact and I immediately knew that this was a different type of clinic. The breadth and depth of questions that he asked, the number of photos that he looked for, not only of my current condition but of what my hair looked like previous to hair loss, all filled me with reassurance. The communication and the proposed case file that was prepared by Dr. Demircioğlu himself was detailed and professional. Certainly the cost is more than a hair mill clinic but with the level of care and attention it is value for money. After all you get what you pay for. I appreciated Mahmood’s honesty and advice in what was possible and what was not. With the other clinics, they seemed to say yes to everything as they just wanted me to book and pay a deposit. I am not going to go into all the detail of the day’s procedure as it has already been covered from many other reviewers. Suffice to say that everything from the moment that I was picked up from the airport to the completion of my surgery was carried out with the utmost care and professionalism. I had 3,500 grafts transferred. Elements of the procedure were a little painful and the recovery over the first ten days was pretty intense in terms of discomfort etc. What I was not expecting was the level of aftercare and communication with Dr. Demircioğlu. He gave me his personal number and we were in daily contact, offering his support, advice and appraisal of progress for two weeks post surgery (I must also update on a monthly basis for the next eighteen months so that he can assess progress). It has been only 1 month since the operation and so early days in terms of results. I am very pleased with the hairline that Dr. Demircioğlu designed (he spent at least 45 minutes on the morning of the operation crafting this and ensuring I was happy with it). Getting a hair transplant is not something to be undertaken lightly. There is a lot of trust involved. You must choose the professional that will be undertaking the surgery as this is how you are going to look for the rest of your life. Going for a clinic that only operates on one patient a day is certainly more expensive but it is worth spending the extra money if you can afford it, for peace of mind and for the quality of procedure. I would fully endorse Dr. Mehmet Demircioğlu. He is a skilled surgeon and artist, full of integrity and professionalism. He was so kind and patient throughout the process, happy to answer all of my questions (which I’m sure he had been asked a hundred times before!). There were no hidden costs or upselling at Diamond Hair Clinic. I was given all the medication and hair treatment products like specialist shampoos and vitamins as part of the package.