Procedure Date: 17th May 2025 Grafts: 4,500 (3,000 front, including new hairline, dense-packing approach and 1,500 mid-scalp area) I spent weeks on Reddit, google, Facebook, etc. researching hair transplants options, deciding between spending the extra money to have surgery here in the US, Turkey or Thailand. Once, I felt comfortable that I could find a first class clinic in Turkey and sifting through all the hair mills I had narrowed it down to either Dr. Turin (DHI) or Dr. Demircioglu (FUE). I received detailed plans and estimates from both clinics but I chose Diamond Hair Clinic and Dr. Demircioglu due to his personal involvement (at no extra charge), his “one patient a day” philosophy, his flat pricing (same price regardless of how many grafts) and the reviews of his previous patients. The communication from the clinics admin was amazing, he responded at all hours of the night. Then Dr. Demircioglu personally reviewed my uploaded photos (which were extensive) and made a personalized plan that detailed his recommendations (4,500 grafts in the front and mid scalp and creating a new but natural and age appropriate hairline). It was clear upfront that they would not be able to cover my bald spot with the first surgery and a second one would be required of approx 2,500 grafts a year later if I chose. The clinic does not require a deposit but your reservation was not held until you show your airline reservations to Istanbul. For me they had availability in May when I inquired in mid-January and the spot was still available when i booked my tickets in February. The price was all-inclusive including transfers by Emir (who is a great guy and has one of the most luxurious vans I’ve been in) hotel, and six months of medications, shampoos and post op care. I’ve never been to Turkey but do travel extensively. I found Istanbul to be a beautiful city with warm, fun people, amazing food and we enjoyed a couple days sightseeing before surgery. My wife was with me and we were meeting friends in Istanbul so we skipped the included hotel and booked on our own. The clinic deducted the 300 eur for the hotel room charges so my final bill was 5,700 Eur. I paid cash in USD (no credit cards accepted) and had to bring a little more cash since exchange rate had been fluctuating; the final cost was just over 6,300 USD. From the time of the booking to the day of the surgery there was countless and consistent communication with the clinic on procedures, expectations and preparations and then a week before surgery I was emailed a PDF file reiterating the plan for the procedure, pre-op instructions and post-op instructions and expectations. On the morning of the surgery I was met by directly by Dr. Mehmet who speaks English fluently (another plus over Dr. Turin) and he went through every part of the plan again. I was immediately at ease and comfortable with Dr. Demircioglu as we spent an hour getting to know each other and walking me through the day. Then we spent another 45 minutes creating and drawing a hairline. He’s got an artists eye in seeing a natural hairline with his focus on it being natural to my face and emphasizing age appropriate since I’m nearly 50 y/o. The day consisted of 2 hours of extraction (face down), a lunch break, 2 hours of creating the incisions which were done exclusively by Dr. Dermicouglu, another break and then 3 hours of implantation. I arrived at the clinic around 8:15 and left a little after 6:30 PM. I had read that the anesthesia is the most painful part and that was definitely the case for me. The needles for the initial numbing (about 15 to 20 small injections) were the most painful part of the day. Then the larger injections of more anesthesia and fluid are uncomfortable but not unbearable. In all after 10 minutes or so I was pain free for the remainder of the day. I know some Thai clinics offer Valium but that was not offered and not sure it was really needed in my case. Lunch was a cheese pizza from Dominoes (a welcome taste from home) and a local favorite drink (think salty yogurt water). Face down was a bit boring but I hadn’t been sleeping well so I napped a bit during that part. Face up part was fine until my AirPod batteries died and the male technician rambled in Turkish language almost non-stop about subjects that were clearly unrelated to me. It was mildly annoying and I wished I had brought a second set of AirPods or a brand with a longer battery life. I was pleasantly surprised with how I looked and felt immediately after the surgery. The swelling went down quickly and I was very happy with the hairline he created and because of the health of my donor area he was able to cover more of my scalp than he thought before the surgery. I also felt great after the surgery. I needed some fresh air but stayed in for the night and didn’t leave the hotel room the next day at all. Sleeping wasn’t terrible and I was given a very nice neck pillow which helped. Dr. Mehmet was very insistent about staying upright for a couple of days to make sure the fluids didn’t drain to my face and I was mostly able to avoid that until I had some minor swelling in my right eye after the 9 hour flight home. After a rest day, Emir picked me up at 7 AM to head to the clinic where I met with Dr. Demircioglu again to inspect the grafts, remove the donor bandages and complete the first wash. He spent a total 90 minutes with me going through the medications, washing process, shampoos, DHT blocker (Adovart) and his recommendations for post-op care. He also insists on daily photos of the grafts after the daily wash and responds to each day with his thoughts (so far everything is looking good). Everything Diamond Hair Clinic and Dr. Mehmet Demircioglu promised they delivered and more. He was thorough, kind and talented and I’m very happy with my decision so far. I’m currently day 6 post surgery and I’m healing well.