5 years ago I started out with the idea of having possibly having a hair transplant. I met up with a UK company in Leeds to discuss prices ect. With them being a UK based practice, the price was extortionate to say the least - This, at the time, stopped my plan in it's tracks!! All hopes seemed lost and I would just have to get on with it?! After the birth of our second child a year ago, my hair loss seemed to step up a considerable notch! After feeling depressed with seeing the amount of loose hairs after a bath, my wife made the suggestion of revisiting the transplant idea, but looking overseas. And am I glad she did!!! (NOTE: This review will be fairly in depth and lengthy. I found the in depth reviews to be a real deal maker in my decision making. So If I can help somebody else, It's a good deed done for the day :-) After scrolling the internet for what felt like months, a company (and more in-particular) a surgeon, kept cropping up in my searches, Dr. Ilker at Get hair. I found it hard to find any bad reviews on Dr. Ilkers work, many people where keen to shout about how natural his work looks and how happy they are with the outcome of surgery under his leadership. Not only that, It was clear to see that after a little research into Dr. Ilker and his profession, he's a very well qualified man in his field. The decision was made, date was set, flight booked! The lead up to departure day was made exceptionally smooth by the help of Zak Atdhe (Get hair's UK Patient advisor). Zak is great in his role and was able to answer any questions I had in a comprehensive, and professional manner. This made me feel at ease and cemented feelings in that I'd made the right choice in Get hair, as a company. The collection from the airport to the hotel is a breeze with a transfer driver waiting for you on your arrival. A nice touch was that the diver handed me a phone shortly after we set off to where I was welcomed to the city by one of Dr. Ilkers assistants. Let me tell you gents, It's the closest to felling like James Bond I've ever felt... I'm sure they didn't intend this, and it's probs just the way my immature mind works, but it felt good!! The Modus hotel is clean, bright and welcoming. The rooms are what you would expect from a 4* Turkish hotel, so no problems there. The staff where very helpful and polite. During the phone call you're instructed of a meeting time the following day, in the reception of the hotel. OP day: I met up with Dr. Ilkers assistant, Zeynep, in reception for 9:30am. Zeynep was incredibly friendly and helpful, and made me feel real at ease. The hospital is a 2 min walk from the hotel, it's literally next door! On arrival you have the standard forms of consent to fill out, after this they take you upstarts to the operating room, The room is big, bright and clean. x2 assistants work alongside the surgeon who take care of most of the operating of the room. They made me feel at ease and had me in a gown with a shaven donor area within the first 10 mins. They give you Xanax to help relax during the operation - although this feels a bit like 'oookaay' at the time, trust me it's fantastic and administered for a good reason! The surgeon then introduces himself and discusses the desired look that you're after. He carefully maps out the boundary with a pen and shows this for your approval before continuing. At first when I was shown the ink line, I wasn't 100% in how it looked, I kept from saying anything as a though quickly came over me that said 'chill, he's the expert, he's the one you've researched for hours and been happy enough to fly all the way to Istanbul for'!!! So I listened to my better behaved devil and proceeded with the outline mapped by Dr. Ilker. Before the rest of your head is shaved, the aesthetic is administered. This (for me) was the only painful part of the whole op. I wouldn't so much call it painful, more just uncomfortable. Certain areas of your scalp are more sensitive than others (watch out for those!) The surgeon then performs all of the tiny incisions in your recipient area. This was a part that I wasn't ready for, not that it was uncomfortable, it was just weird! As the incisions are being made in your head, you can hear each cut through your ears internally (the same you would if you grind your teeth). This was nothing but a strange sensation, but one I thought I'd share as it stood out. I had a little over 2900 grafts in the end, this took approx 1 to 1.5 hrs to map out with little incisions. (I was quoted and paid for 2700 grafts - But on the day the surgeon deemed more to be needed, these were added totally FOC). Once this is done, you flip over to your front for the harvesting part. This part understandably, takes a long time. Should you feel any discomfort in this part - tell the nurses. I experienced parts where the aesthetic hadn't quite spread as far as they were harvesting from - each extraction hurt a little more than the other, the further out the nurse was getting. They're more than happy for your feedback though as of course, they need you to shout up should anything feel uncomfortable. After all grafts are taken it's time for lunch. If you're anything like me and not fussy in the slightest, lunch is just something to fill a hole, don't expect much from it. The implantation process for me, was much more enjoyable as you can have time on your phone with films / family etc. Being face down for 3-4 hours is a bit of a bore! The implantation process takes around 4 hours for 2900 grafts. The nurses perform most of this labour intensive part, and happily chat amongst themselves while pruning away at your scalp. This does become a little tedious towards the latter end, but nothing other than getting a bit of rear end ache form all the sitting!!! After the surgery is complete you're told to steadily sit upright and take some pain killers. The nurses continue with a bandage for the donor area and the common black band for your head. After being discharged, you're escorted back to the hotel by the assistant. The thought of the hotel room and being in a place of comfort is a very welcoming after 9 hours on a bed, let me tell you!! For me, room service was a gem in this hotel, as I really didn't feel up to sitting in the restaurant, or venturing out for food. There's a large meal selection on the room service, not just snacks. Let me pre-warn - Sleeping is a pain in the arse for the first 6-9 days post-surgery. I didn't find much documented online about this, so thought it good to add into my review. Before travelling out, make sure you buy one of the travel neck pillows that keeps your head upright. I failed to do this until the flight home. On night 1 after surgery, I fashioned a pillow area with 4 pillows, a rolled up bath towel and 2 belts joined together to brace the pillows from sliding apart thought the night!! Basically, the recipient area cannot be touched fore the first 5 or so days, I didn't want to risk rolling over in the night and ruin £££ worth of work!!! As an aid to help sleep - the clinic provide you with a further Xanax tablet to take with you, which really helped me nod off. The next day you make your way up to the clinic for an examination and your first hair wash. You're provided with a pack to take home with you. You're also provided with medicated shampoo and a spray for the recipient area, with a detailed plan on when to use and how often. The meeting is over in 15 mins but within that time, you're loaded with all you need to know from here on. The transfer back to the hotel is just as smooth as the collection. First of all, thanks for anyone who sat though this listening to me blab on! I did pre-warn you and hope that it wasn't too boring at times!! :-) All in all, I would highly recommend Get hair to anyone out there who felt the same as I did. The company are a delight to deal with and all areas of the whole process where fluid, simple and a breeze to undertake. The support with Zak is 24/7 and no question is a silly question! I do not regret my decision into undergoing surgery and am 100% happy with the work that Dr. Ilker and the team at Get hair did for me. I'm at day 24 post surgery, and am currently going through the shedding phase. Before shedding, I am 100% delighted with how dense the surgeon packed the recipient area. Should a good percentage of these grafts take (fingers crossed), my new hairs will be full and natural looking. Pics attached are weeks 1, 2 and 3. Thanks :-)