The Patient Said
Lots of positives and some negatives also. On the positive side, the communication with Clinicana while I was evaluating which clinic to use was very good, very responsive, lots of knowledge to tap into. On arrival, we were met where we were told we would be by the person they said would meet us and with no fuss around a long wait for them while we made our way through a busy customs. Blood tests were done with a stop at the hospital on our way to the hotel, and my confidence grew here because the hospital really is a first class facility, possibly better than any I've been in at home in the UK. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton, which adds a bit of cost, but worth every little bit of it and I cant recommend staying there highly enough, do yourself a favor and come out a few days early if you can to really make use of the beautiful spa / gym / roof top pool (these really are something to behold), I'm kicking myself for not coming out a bit earlier as its not been possible for me to use any of these post op.
We started out early with the procedure, prior to my trip here I had been told I would need 4,400 grafts and nothing was said at all to contradict this on the day. Immediately prior to the procedure we discussed their approach and I was told that they would concentrate on my crown which was the main area that needed attention and then make the front part of my scalp more dense. So with my expectations set I was rather deflated to find out they only did 3,500 grafts and concentrated on the front of my scalp rather than the crown, which we'd agreed and they had said nothing during the procedure to suggest there being any reason for change. When asked about this at the end, I was told that the area at the back of my head from which they could harvest grafts was too thin, which struck me as a bit of an excuse, largely as my wife is a hairdresser and often commented on how rich a crop of hair I had in that area and also because absolutely nothing was said at any stage of the procedure about this.
So having traveled all the way to turkey for a procedure that is pretty hard going it has to be said, I'm left feeling rather deflated that I am unlikely to get the complete result I was hoping for, time will tell.
They are doing a lot of things right here, their organisation is pretty much faultless, they show a high level of care, hygiene is top notch. Where they are going wrong is with communication. My feeling of deflation could easily have been avoided with accurate expectation management, its a big deal to have this procedure done, discomfort, time away from family and work etc. Where obvious significant effort has gone into getting their processes to a very high standard, more ought and effort needs to go into being very clear about what you are getting and what you can expect, and if any change in approach is necessary, it must be discussed and the reasons qualified with the patient.
On balance I feel that I can recommend Clinicana, but be really very clear with them about what you want and make them be really clear with you about exactly what they are going to deliver. There is obviously a bit of a language barrier here, but there are apps that can help to alleviate this so that confusion or misunderstanding can be avoided.
I chose the clinic on a mixture of price, knowledge, responsiveness
