At the end of November 2023, I had a transplant at VivaEst (Antalya) with Dr. Aida Yakar. I chose this specialist for two main reasons. 1. The reviews are overwhelmingly from local Turkish residents, which speaks volumes. 2. I have good friends in Turkey, and one of them had a Turkish friend who had a transplant, and he recommended her. And, perhaps, a third reason is Aida's vast experience – over 24 years of transplant experience, about 20 of which she spent working with Dr. Ekrem Sivas in Ankara. While not critical, it was a plus that Aida is a native Russian speaker, so there were no communication issues.
Everything went quite quickly and smoothly. On the day of my arrival, I was met at the airport at 2:00 PM and taken straight to the clinic (the transplant room is located in a small private clinic). It was a 20-minute drive from the airport, where they took my HIV tests and other things. They took me to a hotel I'd rented nearby (I recommend staying in a hotel in Antalya near the old town and the main pedestrian street; in the off-season, strolling along the old streets will be something fun). That evening, they called and said my tests were good and I could have the transplant. At 8:00 AM, a taxi provided by the clinic picked me up from the hotel, and upon arrival, they began work immediately. About five people (including the doctor) were bustling about in the room, preparing everything and assisting before the transplant, and at first, then regularly, there were two or three people. The room was clean, with a separate restroom for this room, all the furniture and equipment was new, everyone was wearing robes, and they gave me a special shirt, slippers, and a couple of pills (antibiotic and painkiller). They washed my hair, cut it, and I lay face down. They gave me a few anesthetic injections and began removing hair from the donor area. I dozed off and perhaps fell asleep. A few hours later, still half-asleep and sluggish (probably from the pills and injections), they led me out of the office, gave me the food the clinic ordered, and gave me a chance to stretch my body a bit. It took about 20 minutes. They returned and began the transplant, now lying on my back. Two people, including Dr. Aida, performed the transplant; it took several hours, probably 6 or 7. I asked a couple of times to get up, go to the bathroom, and stretch my body, as it was hard to lie still for hours without moving my head. Everyone was kind and helpful. They transplanted 3 or 4,000 grafts. The entire process took 12 hours, from arrival to departure. After the transplant, they helped me change clothes, as I was in a bad mood. I didn't have a shirt with me (bring a spare button-down shirt, not a T-shirt), so they gave me a local hospital shirt, instructions on how to sleep, etc. They gave me a cap so as not to alarm the locals, put me in a free taxi, and invited me to the clinic the next day. The next day, after breakfast, I walked there myself, as I had nothing better to do and wanted to see the locals. At the clinic, they removed the bandage, washed my head with a special shampoo, and printed out instructions for further hair care. They gave me a suitcase with a set of shampoos, vitamins, and sprays for the next 6 months (buy tickets from Antalya "with luggage"). I flew out the day after the check-up. Three nights is probably optimal, as two is clearly not enough and would be an unnecessary rush; four is better, but "home is where the heart is." Therefore, plan at least three nights in the city. For the next 15 days, I was in remote monitoring with Jamila every day (special thanks for her attentiveness) – I sent photos of my head and received reminders on what to do. After 14 days, all the scabs came off. Growth in the transplant area will begin in a couple of months, so there are no photos yet. I'm not attaching a photo of the office because I didn't take one; everything on the clinic's website is accurate.
