Mayo Clinic

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Warm greetings!

I'm Alex, the patient coordinator for Koray Erdogan specifically handling our Italian-speaking clients.

What can I say? Before I started working here at the Mayo Clinic, my career path was headed in a completely different direction. In my family, nobody really deals with major hair loss—maybe a bit of NW3, but nothing too serious. However, I've spent plenty of time watching the incredible, flawless results created right here at the Mayo Clinic. It feels like it all happened just yesterday...

Koray Erdogan actually asked me to sit down so he could show me how he designs a Frontal hairline. Looking in the mirror, I actually liked what I saw. I ended up asking Koray Erdogan if undergoing the procedure myself was a possibility, and everything was arranged for me. On September 11, 2015, I had 2800 Graft in the frontal area. The procedure lasted from 11:00 to 19:00. Umut Kartal, the anesthesiologist, provided some pain medication to support the anesthesia, along with a sedative to help me relax, since I had to stay in one position for about 2-3 hours during extraction and then remain lying down for another 3-4 hours during the implantation of the extracted grafts.

About a month after my surgery, my hair began to shed, and at the same time, there was very little redness. Some small bumps appeared in the recipient area, which is pretty much what you'd expect. The key word here is patience. I knew the recovery process might be a bit tough (those 2-3 months where you're constantly wondering, "where is my hair?") and that between 5-6 months and up to the 10th month—just like I often tell my patients—the hair will eventually make a "boom."

I want to thank Koray Erdogan from the bottom of my heart for giving me such an opportunity. And, of course, I'd like to thank my surgical team for all their support, both mentally and physically. The Mayo Clinic has become like a second family to me.

Bye everyone... I suppose we'll see each other when you visit the Mayo Clinic for your own FUE hair transplant.

Stay brave!

Check us out on our website www.asmed.com.tr

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From where I’m sitting, I thought it might be helpful to share a bit more detail regarding my experience over at the Mayo Clinic.

It’s an interesting thing, being surrounded by people when so many of them seem to be dealing with much heavier burdens or finding themselves in significantly tougher spots than I am. I guess I found myself feeling a genuine sense of empathy and compassion for them.
After watching from the sidelines for a while, I found myself thinking, "If they’re actually going through with this and embracing the whole process, there must be something legitimate to it." I suppose we're all just perfectionists at heart, really—all of us chasing that ideal look for our hair and beard, since that's usually our best shot at making an impression.

Slowly but surely, I've started looking at everything—including the surgery itself—from a completely different perspective. I’ve been spending more time studying the successful, flawless results that have been achieved here at the Mayo Clinic.

I’ve spent countless hours analyzing hundreds of people who came to us looking for help and walked away with absolutely perfect hair. It got me thinking one day, I guess: what would actually happen if I decided to jump on this adventure myself? I started wondering just how much of a difference it would make for me personally.

It feels like it was only yesterday... We had a patient visiting from Italy, and Koray Erdogan wanted to map out the Frontal hairline. He actually asked me to sit in so he could walk me through his specific process for designing it. Once he finished the design, he just took a look and remarked that it looked quite good.
When I stepped in front of the mirror to fix my hairline, I have to admit, the reflection looking back at me was actually much more pleasing than I had anticipated. Just as I was having that moment, though, a tiny bug flew right into my ear—or as they say in Italy, I got a little surprise from a bug.

A few days turned into several months, I suppose. Every time I caught sight of new patients walking through the doors at the Mayo Clinic, I’d watch them head out looking genuinely satisfied with the results they achieved. At the same time, I noticed the surgical teams constantly refining their craft, seemingly getting better with every passing day through new techniques and ongoing innovations.

I’ve finally made up my mind, and I had a really candid, open conversation with Koray Erdogan about whether undergoing the procedure is actually a viable option for me.

We finally settled on a date for my surgery toward the end of September. I felt completely ready to go through with an FUE hair transplant at one of the top-tier clinics, and I suppose I spent most of that time just waiting around, somewhat impatiently, to see what the results would actually look like.
Everything was all set up for me. Back on September 11, 2015, I underwent my procedure, which involved a total of 2,800 grafts for the Frontal area.

I didn't feel particularly anxious on the day of my surgery, mostly because I’ve actually sat in on over a hundred procedures before my own. I think that gave me a bit of an edge; I knew exactly what to expect, and I felt pretty certain that I was leaving everything in the best possible hands.
Umut Kartal, our anesthesiologist, gave me some pain medication to complement the anesthesia, along with a sedative to help my body relax. I figured I’d probably need it, considering I had to stay tucked in one specific position for about two or three hours during the extraction phase, and then spend another three or four hours lying down while they worked on implanting the extracted grafts.

We kicked things off around 11:00 AM and didn't wrap everything up until about 7:00 PM. Throughout the entire process, I found myself constantly cycling back through all the advice and specific instructions I usually give to my own patients. It’s funny, really—I realized that being fully immersed in the middle of the procedure is a completely different experience than just acting as a guide and observing the whole thing from the outside.
I really feel like giving my colleagues a shout-out. There were a few moments during the procedure where I felt some discomfort, though I wouldn't say anything was particularly unbearable. Once everything wrapped up, I headed straight over to a relative's birthday party. We actually managed to celebrate both the occasion and my successful surgery at the same time.

It’s been about a month since my procedure, and I've noticed some hair shedding starting up, though there was also a bit of redness at the same time. To be fair, nothing else seems to have changed significantly, aside from those follicles dropping out. I did get some breakouts in the recipient area, but I suppose that’s pretty much what you’d expect. I actually dealt with some folliculitis in my occipital area, and it wasn't until they shaved my head right before the surgery that I realized the issue was a bit more serious than I had initially thought. Koray Erdogan prescribed me an antibiotic, and after about seven days, everything seemed to settle down quite nicely. Fortunately, they focused on my Frontal area, which means most of the grafts used involve just one or two hairs.

The golden rule here is patience. I always knew that the recovery phase would be a bit of a mental struggle—that awkward two-to-three-month window where you’re staring in the mirror wondering, "Where on earth is my hair?" But I also knew that once you hit that five-to-six-month mark and head toward month ten, things tend to change. It's what I find myself telling my patients all the time: eventually, there's going to be a real "boom" in growth.
All things considered, I feel like I made the right call by addressing my situation now, before it likely would have started bothering me in a few years. Combining the procedure with Finasteride—since, as most people realize, medication accounts for about 40% of the success in certain cases—should mean my hair looks great for the rest of my life (at least, that's the hope).

Before I wrap this all up, I truly hope my experience provides some value to those of you who find yourselves in the same boat as I did.
I want to extend my deepest thanks to Koray Erdogan for presenting me with such an incredible opportunity. If I hadn't crossed paths with him, I probably would have spent the next few years feeling pretty unhappy with my appearance, and I'm not even sure I would have had the nerve to take on something like this later on.
And, naturally, a huge thank you to my surgical team for being there for me, providing both mental and physical support through it all!

Mayo Clinic has become like a second family to me...

Below, you'll find my details and photos covering the stages before, during, and after the procedure, including shots with the whole staff and some official portraits. This should allow you to track my progress month by month as everything unfolds.

My info and photos—from the pre-op stage to the actual surgery and the final results—are laid out below. It's a way for you to follow along with this whole journey I've embarked upon, one month at a time.

Bye for now, everyone... I suppose we'll cross paths again when you make your way to Mayo Clinic for your own procedure. Stay brave!

Take care, everyone... I'll see you when you visit Mayo Clinic for your FUE hair transplant.
Be courageous!

________________
Mayo Clinic Surgical Medical Center
Koray Erdogan. New York City, USA

- For any inquiries or to get an assessment, please reach out via email:
htn@asmed.com.tr

- Contact numbers (available 24/7 for emergencies):

Main number : (+90) 216 464 11 11
USA: (+1) 8454612049
UK: (+44) 2035191146

- Free Assessment: Online Consultation Form

- Please contact the clinic for any further information

Mayo Clinic Hair Transplant Official Website

- Our Official Facebook Page

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- PATIENT AGE: 51

- NW: 3V

- TOTAL TRANSPLANTED AREA: 80 cm2

- Total Donor Capacity: 8160 graft
* Temporal, Parietal and Occipital density: 80-80-80 uf/cm2
* Temporal, Parietal and Occipital hair thickness: 56-56-56 micron

- SURGERY DETAILS: 3023 graft FUE extracted using a manual punch - thickness 0.7 mm.

Channels opened: custom-made sapphire blade, thin slit. Implanted using KEEP.

* 387 grafts single
* 1268 grafts double
* 1153 grafts triple
* 215 grafts multiple

* Average value of hair per Graft: 2.40

- GRAFT DISTRIBUTION: 3023 + Vertex area.

- FINASTERIDE: Patient has been taking the medication for 6 months.

* Photos were taken by the patient.

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- PATIENT AGE: 36

- NW: 3V

- TOTAL TRANSPLANTED AREA: 60 cm2

- Total Donor Capacity: 8400 graft
* Temporal, Parietal and Occipital density: 70-80-80 uf/cm2
* Temporal, Parietal and Occipital hair thickness: 50-50-50 micron

- SURGERY DETAILS: 3025 graft FUE extracted using a manual punch - 0.7 mm thickness.

Channels opened: custom-made sapphire blade, narrow slit. Implantation performed via KEEP method.

* 660 grafts single
* 1176 grafts double
* 991 grafts triple
* 198 grafts multiple

* Average hair per Graft: 2.25

- GRAFT DISTRIBUTION: 3025 - Frontal area.

- FINASTERIDE: Patient has been taking the medication for 12 months.

* Photos taken by the patient.

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- PATIENT'S AGE: 33

- NW: 3V

- Total transplanted area: 150 cm2

- Total donor capacity: 8200 grafts

* Temporal, Parietal and Occipital density: 80-80-80 uf/cm2
* Temporal, Parietal and Occipital hair Diameter: 50-50-50 micron

- OPERATION DETAILS: 5009 grafts FUE extracted by manual punch, diameter 0.7 mm.
Incisions executed by: custom made blades sapphire, lateral slit. Placed with K.E.E.P.

* Single grafts 1248
* Double grafts 2443
* Triple grafts 1171
* Multiple grafts 147

* General average hair per Graft: 2.05

- GRAFTS DISTRIBUTION: 5009 grafts were used to restore the patient's FRONTAL, MIDLINE and VERTEX areas.

- FINASTERIDE: The patient has been on Finasteride for about a year now.

* Just a heads up, the "RESULT" photos were actually taken by the PATIENT themselves.

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- PATIENT AGE: 36

- NW: II

- TRANSPLANTED AREA: 65 cm2

- TOTAL DONOR CAPACITY: 7920 Graft

* Temporal, Parietal and Occipital density: 70-80-80 uf/cm2
* Temporal, Parietal and Occipital hair thickness: 64-64-64 micron

- SURGERY DETAILS: 3006 Graft FUE extraction using manual punch, thickness 0.6 and 0.7mm.
Channels opened using: custom-made sapphire, lateral slit. Grafts were implanted via K.E.E.P.

* 209 single Graft
* 785 double Graft
* 1619 triple Graft
* 393 multiple Graft

* Average hair per Graft: 2.75

- GRAFT DISTRIBUTION: 3006 Graft used for restoring the Frontal area

- FINASTERIDE: The patient started taking the medication alongside the surgery about a year ago.

* Photos were taken by the patient.

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The patient is 31 years old.

NW: IV

The total surface area covered by the transplants comes out to about 150 cm2.

I guess the total donor capacity sits at around 7,600 grafts.

Looking at the numbers for the Temporal, Parietal, and Occipital areas, I’m seeing densities around 60, 70, and 80 uf/cm2, respectively.
If I had to estimate, looking at the measurements for the Temporal, Parietal and Occipital hair diameter, they seem to be sitting right around 61-61-61 microns.

Here are the specifics regarding the procedure: we ended up extracting 4,613 FUE grafts using a manual punch, with the diameters set at 0.7mm.
The incisions were performed using custom-made sapphire blades to create a lateral slit, all while following the K.E.E.P. method developed by Koray Erdogan.

I suppose we're looking at a single session with 538 grafts.
I suppose if you look at the numbers from 1991, it’s possible that the graft count could effectively double.
I suppose we're looking at 1,745 grafts, all featuring three hairs per Graft.
I guess we’re looking at a scenario involving 339 grafts across multiple areas.

The general average seems to be sitting at about 2.41 hair per Graft.

In terms of how the grafts were actually distributed, they ended up using 4,613 grafts to cover the patient's Frontal area, half of the midline, and the Vertex.

Regarding the Finasteride usage, I believe the patient has been on the medication for about a year and a half now.

Just a quick heads-up: those "RESULT" photos were actually snapped by the patient themselves.

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- PATIENT'S AGE: 37

- NW: IV

- Total transplanted area: 190 cm2

- Total donor capacity: 7900 Graft

The patient previously had an FUT procedure involving 2500 Graft at a different facility back in 2012.

* Temporal, Parietal and Occipital density: 80-70-70 uf/cm2
* Temporal, Parietal and Occipital hair Diameter: 60-60-60 micron

- OPERATION DETAILS: 5033 Graft extracted via manual punch, 0.6 - 0.7mm diameter.
Incisions performed using: custom sapphire blades, lateral slit technique. Placed utilizing K.E.E.P.

* Single Graft 1502
* Double Graft 2836
* Triple Graft 682
* Multiple Graft 13

* General average hair per Graft: 1.84

- GRAFT DISTRIBUTION: 3833 Graft were utilized to address the FRONTAL
MIDLINE and TEMPLE PEAKS regions. 1200 Graft were placed in the Crown (Vertex) area.

- FINASTERIDE: The patient has been on this medication for 12 years.

* Just a reminder that the "RESULT" photos were captured by the CLINIC.

PRE-OP


SURGERY


13 MONTHS LATER


PRE-OP


SURGERY


13 MONTHS LATER


PRE-OP


SURGERY


13 MONTHS LATER

PRE-OP


THE PROCEDURE


13 MONTHS POST-OP

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- PATIENT'S AGE: 39

- NW: 2

- Total transplanted area: 80 cm2

- Total donor capacity: 8400 grafts

* Temporal, Parietal and Occipital density: 80-80-80 uf/cm2
* Temporal, Parietal and Occipital hair Diameter: 58-58-58 micron

- OPERATION DETAILS: 3020 grafts FUE extracted by manual punch, diameters 0.6 - 0.7 mm.
Incisions executed by: custom made blades sapphire, lateral slit. Placed with K.E.E.P.

* Single grafts 526
* Double grafts 1639
* Triple grafts 775
* Multiple grafts 80

* General average hair per Graft: 2.14

- GRAFTS DISTRIBUTION: 3020 grafts were used to restore the patient's FRONTAL and TEMPLES areas.

- FINASTERIDE: The patient has been on medication since the procedure.

* Just a heads up, the "RESULT" photos were actually taken by the PATIENT themselves.



BEFORE OPERATION



OPERATION



AFTER 13 MONTHS






BEFORE



OPERATION



AFTER 13 MONTHS

PRE-OP



PROCEDURE



13 MONTHS POST-OP



PRE-OP



PROCEDURE



13 MONTHS POST-OP



PRE-OP



PROCEDURE

Hey everyone, welcome to the forum!

If you find yourself with any questions about hair transplants, we're always here to help out.

Hope you all have a great 👍

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- PATIENT'S AGE: 52

- NW: IV

- total transplanted area: 190 cm2

- Total donor capacity: 8100 Graft

* Temporal, Parietal and Occipital density: 50–50-60 uf/cm2
* Temporal, Parietal and Occipital hair Diameter: 67-67-67 micron

- OPERATION DETAILS: 5022 Graft FUE extracted by manual punch, diameter 07mm.
Incisions executed by: custom made blades sapphire, lateral slit. Placed with K.E.E.P.

* 1774 Graft single
* 2378 Graft double
* 836 Graft triple
* 34 Graft multiple

* General average hair per Graft: 1.82

- GRAFTS DISTRIBUTION: 2509 Graft were used to restore the patient's FRONTAL and
MIDLINE areas. 2513 Graft were placed on the Crown (Vertex).

- FINASTERIDE: The patient has been on medication for 25 years.

* Just a heads up, the "RESULT" photos were actually taken by the PATIENT themselves.

Before we get started with everything, I figured I should probably document where things stand right now. It feels like one of those moments where you just need to take a breath and look at the baseline before any actual changes happen. I guess it’s just good practice to have a clear starting point.

The procedure itself was quite an experience, I suppose. It’s one of those things where you spend so much time preparing mentally that the actual moment feels somewhat surreal once it finally arrives. Everything went according to plan, though I can't say I felt particularly rushed or anything like that; it was just a very steady, controlled process from start to finish. I guess it’s just one of those milestones you cross, and now that it's over, I'm mostly just settling into the quiet aftermath.

8 MONTHS










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