All The Questions That You Want To Ask About Hair Transplant

What is hair transplantation? For how long it is applied in the world and Turkey?

Hair transplant is the process of transplanting existing healthy hair to the bald regions in people whose hair loss problem progressed so much that they don't respond to any other treatment. Today, hair transplant, which had been performed with experimental methods since the early 1900s, became a very popular health service with the advanced medical techniques.

What are the methods used in hair transplant procedures?

The old method called FUT or the new method called FUE can be preferred. Since it is a more comfortable procedure both for the patient and the operation team, we recommend FUE method to the patients. This method doesn't have the risk of leaving scar on the back of the neck, the patient suffers less from pain, there is no bleeding and most importantly the donor area recovers much faster.

Who can have hair transplant surgery? Who should perform this surgery? And where should they perform it?

Hair transplant should only be performed to patients approved by the specialists. The opinions of the patients are not enough by themselves. As a result of the HAIR ANALYSIS conducted in appropriate hospitals, the patients can be determined with more scientific methods. The operation should definitely be performed in the operating room of a hospital by an expert, experienced team with team spirit. The team should consist of a specialist and adequate number of nurses. And anesthetists should be ready to step in at the required moment. These conditions can only be ensured in an operating room of a hospital.

Is everyone, who has hair loss problem, suitable for hair transplant operation?

Unfortunately not… It would be good to inform our readers about the fact that we may reject some patients if their physical examination and hair analysis doesn’t support this decision. We mainly recommend medical treatments such as hair mesotherapy, thermotherapy, and home care products to these patients. Sometimes we add the medical shampoo that is most appropriate for the patient's condition to this list of recommendations.

What are the things that the patients should be careful about after they decided to have hair transplant surgery?

The patients should do a detailed research, and select the right place and the right time. After doing the required research, the patients should go to the doctor for primary examination. If the conditions are appropriate for hair transplant, the patients should share this idea with their families and friends. Especially taking the approval of parents, spouses and children can be comforting for the patients. The patients should visit their doctor regularly after the operation and act in line with the recommendations of their doctor.

Can hair transplant surgery performed on women?

Of course, it can. One of each 10 patients, who go through hair transplant surgery, is women. And today with a special method applied for the first time in the world, hair transplant can be performed on women without shortening their hair, using FUE method.

Can you inform us about the hair transplant process?

In the morning, the blood tests of the patient are made. The front hairline is determined and pictures are taken. The patient, whose pictures are taken after shortening the hair, is taken to a special room reserved for this operation. The patient, who puts on the surgery gown, is taken to the operating room. Pre-medication is performed. The drugs that will prevent possible infections, pain and edema are given with serum. The tissue removal procedure that will take approximately 3 hours starts. After tissue removal, the patient is taken to the room and the patient rests in the room for 15 minutes. Then the patient is taken back to the operating room and the opening channel, graft implantation procedures start. At the end of these procedures that approximately take 1.5 hours, the patient is sent home after explaining the prescription. After one day, the hair of the patient who comes to the hospital is washed. In the following period, the patient should wait patiently for the hair to grow.

What are things that the patients have to be careful about after the surgery?

At the night of the operation and the next day, the patient should rest at home in lying position. The ice that you will apply to the forehead and the area around the eyes will remove the risk of swelling. The patients should avoid the contact of the recipient area to any place. They need to wear hat outdoors for approximately two weeks.

Do patients feel any pain?

The operation is performed with local anesthesia. By this way, patients don't feel any pain. Patients may use pain killers after the surgery. The pain will be relieved after few hours.

Will there be any scar or thinning on the back of the neck after tissue is removed?

The operations performed with FUT method was leaving scar on the back of the neck. But, there won’t be any problem with this new FUE method. Since the roots are removed at a specific ratio in this method, the thinning of the hair will be unnoticeable.

When the implanted hair starts to grow, is the implanted hair permanent?

The first two weeks following the hair transplant operation, the patients should wash their hair every day. At the end of the second week, the hair strands split, fall by leaving their roots inside the scalp. Approximately at the beginning of the 3rd month, the hair strands start to grow and become visible. 40% of the hair strands grow between the 4th and 6th months, 60% grow between 6th and 8th months, and 90% grow between 8th and 10th months. It will approximately take 1 year for the patient to witness full hair growth.

Are the existing hair strands of the patient affected during transplant?

Unfortunately there is such a risk in incompetent places. But in hospitals, the staff is very careful in this subject as in all the other.

What are the factors affecting the success of hair transplant?

Right patient and right place... If you perform hair transplant surgery on a patient that won’t benefit from hair transplant, the results won’t be good. And if you perform the operation in a place that doesn’t have the appropriate conditions and competent team, the results won’t be good. Right patient, right team, right place...

Recently, health tourism gained ground in Turkey. Are you engaged in health tourism in the subject of hair transplant?

The ratio of the patient who came from foreign countries is 64%. We are leading the way by offering transfer, accommodation and guidance services to patients coming from Germany, Netherlands, and Belgium. The most important reasons why patients prefer Turkey are the facts that such procedures are really expensive in Europe and that these procedures are performed with really advanced technologies in Turkey. Because of both cost and advanced medicine, Turkey is far more successful than other European countries in respect of hair transplant and hair health.

Dr. Hamid AYDIN
info@estetistanbul.com