I had my hair transplant at Diamond Hair Clinic on December 7th, 2024 led by Dr. Mehmet Demircioglu. In this review, I’ll try to be as honest, open, and detailed as possible about my experience. Before choosing this clinic, I spent a considerable amount of time researching all the possible options. I’ve learned a lot about hair transplants and hair loss over the years, having tried many different treatments in the past. One thing I knew for sure that I wanted to avoid "hair mills," where clinics take in large numbers of patients each day, and you never really know which team of technicians you'll be assigned to. You might get lucky and end up with an S-tier team that usually works on influencers for marketing purposes supervised closely by the actual doctor. Or, you might end up with an F-tier team made up of people who were, quite literally, taxi drivers the week before. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that no clinic is perfect, but in my opinion, it was crucial to reduce risks by choosing a clinic that treats only one patient per day and where the doctor is directly involved and supervises every step of the procedure. So, I focused only on clinics that work with one patient per day. Two things were the deciding factors for me when it came to choosing Hair Diamond Clinic: 1. Their website stood out—it wasn’t filled with marketing gimmicks or just impressive before-and-after hairline pictures like many other clinics. Instead, it focused on educating potential patients. It provided a lot of valuable and practical information to help you understand the entire process before deciding to go through with a hair transplant, and before choosing them specifically. I really appreciated this open and honest approach. 2. The communication was excellent. It was smooth, respectful, and pressure-free. They never tried to push me into a decision or rush the process. There was no sales pitch, no urgency, just clear answers and supportive dialogue, which made the whole interaction feel very professional and genuine. This is when I decided to move forward with the clinic. I initially reached out to them during the summer of 2024, but due to their and mine booked schedule, my surgery was set for December 7th which actually worked out perfectly for me. One thing that really stood out to me was how low pressure the process was. I didn’t have to sign any contracts or pay anything upfront. To reserve the date, all I had to do was send my flight tickets and passport information. The reservation could be canceled by me at any time without any penalties. I paid €6,000 (excluding flight tickets, which were quite affordable since I was traveling from within Europe). This price covered everything: the surgery itself, hotel accommodation, airport transfers, and a full aftercare package which included things like shampoos, vitamins, healing ointments, and other essential post-op supplies. I arrived in Istanbul the day before the surgery. They picked me up from the airport in a spacious car and drove me to the hotel arranged by the clinic. They explained to me that the car was large not for show or marketing purposes, but for a practical reason: after the procedure, it’s important not to bump or touch your head, and a bigger car reduces the risk of accidental contact during transport. Day of the Surgery: They picked me up from the hotel at 7 a.m. and took me to the clinic, where I had a consultation with Dr. Mehmet Demircioglu. The consultation lasted around 2 to 3 hours. We discussed the number of grafts, the hairline design, and our overall goals to ensure that both the doctor and I would be satisfied with the final result. What really impressed me was how committed the doctor was to achieving the best possible outcome. Originally, the plan was to extract 4,500 grafts. However, after a detailed conversation, I explained that I had stabilized my hair loss using topical treatments like minoxidil and pyrilutamide (a topical anti-androgen). Because of that, I asked the doctor to mainly focus on restoring the temples and hairline, while leaving areas with strong existing hair untouched. This would preserve more donor hair for potential future procedures and also make it easier to wear my hair short on the sides and back. I also requested that the hairline not be designed too low or too straight. Instead, I preferred a slightly higher hairline to save grafts and still maintain good density in the transplanted area (was also suggested by the doctor). The doctor spent a significant amount of time carefully designing the hairline, incorporating small irregularities to make it look as natural as possible. This level of attention and customization really showed his experience and dedication to getting the best, most realistic result. The doctor also warned me about a potential risk that if my existing (non-transplanted) hair especially in the mid scalp area that I chose not to reinforce starts to thin or fall out in the future, the final result could look uneven or unnatural. I told him I was fully aware of this possibility. Based on my current hair loss stabilization over the past two years largely thanks to pyrilutamide I was willing to take that risk. I made it clear that the responsibility would be mine if I start losing more native hair in the untreated areas later on. The doctor agreed that exceeding 4,500 grafts could potentially make the transplant noticeable when the hair is cut very short, so together we decided to go with 3,500 grafts instead (2850 grafts for temples, hairline and 750 grafts to increase density on top of my head). This part of the experience was especially important to me. The doctor spoke English fluently, listened carefully, and was able to communicate everything clearly. I felt involved in every decision, and that gave me a lot of confidence moving forward. Surgery Experience: The surgery lasted almost 8 hours and was divided into three main phases. I won’t go into too much detail here, as the overall process has been well documented in other reviews and my experience was quite similar. What I do want to highlight is that the doctor was present for approximately 70% of the time. He also personally performed all the incisions, which is according my research arguably the most critical part of the entire procedure. There was very little pain during the surgery, apart from the initial anesthesia injections. I personally tend to require more anesthesia than average, so during the extraction phase, I occasionally felt pain. However, I immediately let them know, and they responded quickly with an additional dose of anesthesia. This happens to me frequently even during procedures like wisdom tooth removal so it wasn’t anything new and surprising. Post-Surgery: After the surgery, I was thoroughly instructed on aftercare procedures. I was then taken back to the hotel, where I stayed for two more nights. The hardest part of the entire hair transplant process, in my opinion, is the first 1–2 weeks of recovery. You cannot touch your scalp at all during this time to avoid damaging the newly transplanted grafts. You also need to sleep in an upright, elevated position between 45 to 90 degrees using a special neck pillow provided by the clinic. It’s not physically painful, but it does take some getting used to. Two days after the surgery, I was transported to the airport and flew back home. Another great aspect of this clinic is the follow-up. The doctor stays in touch with you through WhatsApp, and he's very responsive, often replying within minutes. You’re asked to send progress photos (initially daily), so the doctor can monitor your healing, check for signs of infection, and guide you through every stage of recovery. Thankfully, my post-op experience went very smoothly, and I didn’t encounter any complications. Current Status & Final Thoughts: I’m now three and a half months post-surgery. Every month, I can see visible progress, more hair and more density. Of course, the full results are expected between 12–18 months, so I still have a long way to go. Overall, I’d describe the experience as exceptional. I didn’t face a single issue, which is quite rare as I was actually expecting something to go wrong at some point, but everything went better than I anticipated. Now I can only hope that the surgery continues to be successful and that I’ll achieve the final outcome I’ve been aiming for. I am adding few pictures of my progress from the surgery up to 3 months post surgery.