Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions about hair transplants.

Specialties

Hair transplant: has become very popular thanks to the FUE technique
Hairline lowering: hair transplant is a good way to change face proportions by relocating hairline
Revisions and repairs: in case of failed hair transplant, it is sometimes possible to reorganize the grafts transplanted in the recipient area, to achieve a natural result and better density
Afro hair : requires special skills with the punch, when extracting grafts with FUE technique
Beard - Mustache : hair to beard, or beard to beard, is a very common and successful surgery with FUE technique
Eyebrows: can be densified or restored with scalp hair, which will need regular trimming after transplantation
Eyelashes: a few doctors have the skills to restore eyelashes with FUE technique
Body hair transplant : beard hair or body hair are used when scalp hair is not available in the required quantities, usually for large baldness
TrichoLab Studio : best scanning system of donor area
DNA test for hair loss : brings accurate analysis of hair loss, and helps prescribing the adequate medical treatment
Hair systems : a great option when donor area is not available in the required quantities

Patient Type

Men : Hair transplantation is mainly carried out on men, because these are the most frequent cases, and men more easily accept the hair** shaving **required by the FUE technique.
Women : However, women are also interested in the FUE technique (with invisible shaving) because it allows them to fill or densify the areas affected by androgenetic alopecia (central parting, frontal line), or to recreate or densify eyebrows, or even eyelashes. Women can also resort to a hair transplant for traction alopecia (mainly related to afro hairstyles) or to** lower a frontal line**.
Transgender patients : they need doctors who can design a hairline that matches the new style they are looking for.

Surgical methods

Donor area : All methods have in common that hair follicles (grafts) are transplanted from the occipital area (donor area, never affected by androgenetic alopecia) to the areas of hair loss (recipient area, frontal, gulfs, vertex, mainly), where these follicles behave like in the occipital area, so they last throughout life. The rate of grafts regrowth is not linked to the technique itself, but rather to the quality and experience of the medical team. It is important to keep a safety reserve of follicles in the donor area for** future surgeries **when hair loss has further progressed.
Recipient area : the re-implantation of the grafts in the recipient area is done with one variation (incisions and placement, or direct implantation with a Choi implanter).
Extraction: with FUE method the follicles are extracted one by one, using a punch either manual (manual FUE), or a motorized punch (general case), or a robotic punch (ARTAS , which can only sample grafts from the back and sides). FUT method (or strip method) is rarely used anymore because it is very invasive (cutting of the scalp).
Shaving or not shaving : The hair is generally shaved but "FUE long hair" is becoming popular because it produces an immediately visible result.

Surgical methods: zoom

Direct hair implantation with a Choi implanter (DHI) is particularly effective for obtaining a natural result on the frontal lines, and for implanting in sparse areas, between the primary hairs. This is why some clinics use both techniques (FUE with incisions and DHI with implanter) on the same patient.
Manual punch : The extraction of follicular units (grafts) with a manual punch (manual FUE) is considered the most effective for preserving the grafts from a trans-section, guaranteeing good regrowth and therefore obtaining optimal density.
Long hair FUE is an elegant technique not only for the aesthetic result, but also because it allows the harvest of grafts to be well distributed in the donor area, without shaving.

Hair type

Afro hair should be essentially distinguished from** Caucasian and Asian hair**, because afro hair has a curved root under the scalp, which requires a special gesture when extracting with a punch.
Furthermore, the design of the frontal lines can vary depending on the type of hair.

Medical tourism

Pros : Some clinics are specifically organized to cater for** international patients**. Their teams are multilingual, they offer video consultations, and they have a very** precise protocol **before the patient's arrival (prior medical treatment in certain cases), during the stay (consultations before and after the surgery, Post-op kit and instructions), and after the stay for post op follow-up. Airport pick-up, transfers to hotel and clinic are usually included.
Cons : However, medical tourism does not only have advantages, compared to local clinics, which are more easily accessible for physical consultations, trichological diagnoses, preparatory treatments, and for post-operative follow-up.

Hair color

Hair color influences the appearance of density, and the contrast with the color of the scalp.- Dark hair is often thicker than blonde hair. The clinic will therefore also take hair color into account to calculate the number of grafts necessary to achieve a natural result (appearance of density).
**White or gray hair **may require dark dyeing to facilitate extraction at the time of surgery.

Treatment areas

In men, hereditary hair loss usually begins with the temporal gulfs and front hairline. It moves backwards, on the upper part. It can also in certain cases start with the vertex (or tonsure).
Hair loss stops at the crown that borders the back and sides of the head (the donor area, where hair never falls out).
Hair loss is often characterized by a** decrease in density (thinning hair)**.

Hair loss pattern

Male androgenetic hair loss develops in a different pattern than female hair loss. For men, the Norwood classification is used (stage 1 to 7).
For women, the classification by Ludwig only includes 3 levels because alopecia mainly affects the central part, with 3 levels of severity.

Medical treatments

Medication to fight hair loss : the most effective treatment to stop the progression of hair loss in young men (20 to 40 years old) is medication.
Finasteride or Dutasteride (with a doctor's prescription), and Minoxidil (without a prescription), to be taken orally or as a lotion, give the best results, but must be taken over the long term for their effects to be permanent. In some cases, the side effects of Finasteride discourage its use, and Minoxidil is preferred.
Drug treatment in preparation for a transplant is requested by certain clinics to guarantee good graft regrowth. Other clinics consider that it is simpler to plan successive transplants, at each stage of hair loss, and thus do without medication.
Mesotherapy and light therapy are effective scalp stimulants.
Regenerative medicine uses** PRP, Regenera, Nanofat**, which are autologous treatments to achieve hair density.

Clinics Categories

Budget Clinics are the most affordable, they usually propose (in Turkey and in some other countries) a flat rate for maximum number of grafts needed by each patient. Economy clinics are in the price range 1 - 2 euros per graft, and in many case the doctor will personally do the incisions or DHI.. Premium clinics offer a wide range or treatments and are usually run by a doctor much involved in the surgery (2 - 3 euros / graft). Exclusive clinics are more costly (3+ euros per graft) and their doctor is usually a top hair transplant surgeon with international reputation.

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