What is Hair Transplant?
Hair Transplantation, in its most basic sense, is the extraction of dense and healthy hair follicles under local anesthesia from the donor area, which is the upper nape, between two ears, and placing those follicles (grafts) one by one in the recipient area which is the bald or balding part.
This technique is primarily used to treat male pattern baldness. Hair follicles in the donor area are resistant to shedding. Hair transplantation is a natural and permanent solution to hair loss.
The process of transferring healthy hair follicles to areas where balding occurs using microsurgical methods is called hair transplantation. This is a minor surgical operation; the safest way to do it is in a hospital environment by a hair transplant specialist with an experienced team. The operation plan should be personalized according to the patient’s needs and wants.
With the hair transplant process, the hair follicles that are resistant to shedding, are collected and transplanted into the channels opened in the thinning or completely shedding parts. The aim is to give a permanent and natural look to the patient’s hair with modern medical applications. Hair quality, color, and density are some of the main factors affecting the operation result.
Hair transplant may also be performed for people with a broad forehead and want to have a hairline lowering surgery or for people who are not bald but have thinning hair. Hairline surgery is a way to give them bushier looking hair.
It is also called hair surgery, hair operation, hair growth surgery, hair restoration, hair loss surgery, or hair transplant.
What are Hair Transplantation Methods?
There are a couple of hair transplantation methods; the most common are FUE and FUT.
FUE is the most advanced and preferred method which can give natural results. There are several types of FUE hair surgeries. FUE is a hair transplantation technique developed with modern technologies of hair implantation, providing an untraceable and natural-looking result. It is the most preferred and applied method, especially in hair transplant in Turkey. FUE hair transplantation ensures fewer scars and faster healing after the hair transplant surgery.
FUT is less preferred and older but still effective as a hair transplant method. A strip of skin from the patient’s donor area is cut, and the follicles are extracted from this strip and planted in the recipient area by a specialist.
It is important to use the donor area homogeneously in order to keep a natural-looking donor area even after a big hair operation.
FUE hair transplant surgery has three main sections:
Extraction: Extracting the healthy hair follicles from the donor area.
Channel Opening: Opening channels where the grafts will be implanted.
Implantation: Placing the extracted grafts into the channels.
There are several types of FUE Hair Transplantation:
Classic: Extraction is done by a specialist using a micromotor.
Manual: Extraction is done by a specialist one by one using a manual punch
Robotic: In robotic hair transplant extraction and implantation are done by machines; it is one of the newest hair transplant surgery techniques. It works almost like manual FUE, but the operation is done by robots instead of humans, which is the new hair transplant technology.
DHI: DHI hair transplant, ‘Direct Hair Implantation’ is also called ‘unshaven hair transplant’, ‘long hair FUE’ or ‘unshaved FUE.’ It offers the patient to be more discreet about the operation and gives the specialist performing the operation control of the angle and direction during the implementation. DHI is preferred for smaller areas. Implanter Pens are used within this method. The planting section of the operation takes more time than the extraction.
Sapphire: In this method, sapphire tips are used in the channel opening section of the operation. It allows the specialist to control the angel and the depth of the channel and create a more natural look.
