Hair loss that many men and women experience nowadays is very effective to lose their confidentiality and to cause some problems in social life. Because hair affects people’s appearance directly and forms a significant part of social images. For example, people who have lost their hair seem much older than others and they often appear aesthetically inadequate. Hair transplantation plays a major role in obtaining people’s hair.

The primary reason for hair loss is genetic factors, but there are other reasons as well. Inadequate and unbalanced nutrition affects hair quality. In particular, stress damages the whole body health and immune system, and causes hair loss as well. Thyroid irregularities lead to hair loss and hair looks weak, dry and pale. Postpartum period, menopause and post menopause period, diabetes, nutritional disorders, various drugs, anemia (bloodlessness), systemic diseases (cancers, liver diseases, infectious diseases), mechanical treatments (frequent blow-drying, bad brushing, too tight tying up), chemical treatments (some shampoos, hair colors, perms, bleaching treatments), sea water, sun rays, chlorine in pool water are also factors that cause hair loss. Seasonal hair loss increases in spring, especially in fall.

Hair transplantation is a natural and permanent solution for thinning or baldness problems in people who experience hair loss. Hair transplantation is a process used to transplant healthy hair follicles obtained from the donor area, that is, the nape behind the two ears by micro-surgical methods to areas where the hair follicle is no longer active and baldness occurs. A patient’s own healthy hair is transferred to the bald area in hair transplantation. In contrary, hair transplantation is a complicated procedure. The most important point is to remove the hair bundle from its area in a healthy way and place it in its new place in a healthy way. It is important to make the transplanted hair look natural and not to damage the donor area. Therefore, it should be implemented under control of an experienced team or doctors.

Hair transplantation is carried out completely individually. The purpose is transplantation will not be obvious in the head area and get a natural permanent hair look. In hair transplantation, our aim is to obtain a natural hair look for a person in a comfortable way using modern medical tools

What is hair follicle?

Some people get confused using the terms hair follicle and graft. Hair follicle is a structure containing root parts of hair, which is located in fat tissues in a skull and there are hair-producing cells around it.

What are the growth phases at hair follicles?

Growth phases of a hair strand:
The growth of a hair strand in the hair follicle is a constant transformation process. Hair growth phases continue in every hair follicle, so each hair follicle exists in different phases.
1-Anogen Phase: This phase is the growth phase. Approximately 85% of hair follicles are at this phase. The anogen phase is a process of approximately 2 to 6 years. Hair strands can grow about 10 cm per year in this process.

2-Catogen Phase: This process is a transition phase. It is the regression process of the hair follicle, which takes place in a period of 1-3 weeks after the growth process. In this process, the dermal papilla regresses and deteriorates. Approximately 1-2% of hair follicles are in this process.

3-Telogen Phase: Hair follicles rest in this phase and takes approximately 2-3 months. In this process, the dermal papilla does not deteriorate and exists attached to the hair follicle. About 13% of all hair is at this phase. When this process is over, the anogen phase starts again. Dermal papilla and hair follicle reconnect and hair production restarts. New hairs begin to grow instead of lost hairs at this phase.

Graft is the structure obtained from the scalp where the hair follicles are located. There are minimum 1 and maximum 4-5 hair follicles in every graft. Grafts are extracted from the donor area and prepared for the area to be planted. Doctors usually determines how many grafts the patient needs in the transplantation treatment before the transplantation process starts. The number of grafts are changeable for each person. Grafts are usually obtained from the nape area in the hair transplantation treatment method. Grafts may differ in terms of different size, shape and number of hair follicles.

Let us talk about the number of grafts;

The number of grafts may also vary depending on a patient’s condition and suitability of the donor area. If an area is very bald, It is not advisable to plant more hair follicles in that area in terms of this reason, because the blood supply of the scalp may be damaged, and it affects negatively the transplantation process. In addition, if the circulation is impaired, it can lead to complications such as necrosis. Therefore, if more hair follicles are required for the bald area in transplantation, it is recommended to plant twice. This ensures the transplantation to be healthier and more successful.

So How is Hair Transplanted?

Currently, there are some methods produced for it. Main two techniques of them are FUT and FUE. Each technique has its own pros and cons. A person who wants to have hair transplantation should have healthy hairs in their hind head and its sides to be used as a donor area. Other factors such as hair color, hardness degree, being wavy and abundant affect the result of the procedure as well.

Which method to prefer is decided by doctor who will perform the procedure considering the person’s priorities after a detailed examination. Although the FUE method, which does not leave any traces, is mostly preferred, the FUT method can also be applied in some cases. Hair transplant is not just for baldness, it can also be applied to increase hair density in thinned areas.

Hair transplantation using the right technique affects the success rate significantly. You need to choose an experienced doctor and a clinic provided with qualified equipment for a long-lasting and proper hair look.

Hair transplantation procedure can be performed using two different methods. One of them is FUE, or follicular unit extraction and the other method is FUT, that is, follicular unit transplantation. The most important difference between these two methods, which can be identified based on the hair quality of a patient, hair follicle is moved one by one with the help of a motor in the FUE method, while all quality or poor quality hair follicles are moved as a strip from the donor area in the FUT method. A scar remains as a result of the piece moved from the neck in the FUT method. However, these scars do not exist in the FUE method and it does not make uncomfortable view for people. Therefore, the FUE method is used instead of the FUT method which has been implemented at the beginning of the 90s.

Hair transplantation is a surgical procedure that continues 6-8 hours in local anesthesia. Patients can have some food or watch television in surgical operations. Patient do not feel any pain during the procedure. After the hair is transplanted, if medicines prescribed by doctor are used regularly there will be no pain.

According to the preferred method, Hair in bald areas of the person is analyzed based on the preferred method and healthy hair follicles which are suitable are collected one by one after the area to be transplanted is prepared for the procedure. After all the hair follicles are collected, they are separated considering the number of bundles. The second stage is to open a channel. Hair is planned artistically at this stage, their placement angles are identified based on the natural character of hair. At third stage, the procedure is performed to place collected hair follicles. This procedure takes about 3 hours. Meanwhile, the patient is in a sitting position. The patient is allowed to have some food, watch TV and computer. Hair transplantation can also be performed to areas where there is hair loss due to scarring. In addition, hair transplantation can be preferred in beard or eyebrow losses.

Can I Have a Hair Transplant Without Shaving?

Currently, hair transplantation procedures which are called FUE, can be performed unshaven without buzz cutting patients’ hair. Male hair loss usually recede from the forehead. The front hairline disappears, then there is a gradual baldness in the top area, the front side meets with the back side, and the top side begins to be bald. It is not necessary to shave all the hair, especially when the front hairlines are bald. FUE hair transplantation can be implemented without shaving when the thinning is not intense and the hair can be easily planted.

How to determine the hairline?

The hairline is a personal anatomical line. It is identified based on the natural hair limit, age and gender in the area where the forehead tissue ends and the hair tissue starts. The most important point in hair transplantation is to pay attention to the forehead muscle. Hairline can be determined as desired without touching the forehead muscle and damaging the mimic muscles. Hairline can be changed without touching the forehead line in people who have wide foreheads or whose hair is too empty on both sides. Any desired shape can be adjusted according to the patient’s face type, hairstyle, previous hair loss, forehead muscle, and the condition of the balding skin. If patients request a hair type that is not suitable for themselves, they are informed about medical obligations, their face anatomical structure and possible results, and the most suitable front line and hairstyle are determined for them.

Does transplanted hair fall?

Transplanted hair falls during a few weeks following transplantation procedures, however, it is a normal process. Because fallen hair will grow back after 3-4 months. After this temporary fall process, transplanted hair follicles preserve their features and do not fall out. However, the original hair in the same area may continue to fall over time and a new hair transplant may be planned in the future regarding losses in hair density. Post-surgery hair loss may continue progressively. Especially, an extra surgical procedure could be required in future if an unnatural appearance occurs in the new hairline area.

Is Hair Transplantation a Difficult Procedure?

Hair transplantation procedures are completed during a day. As it is performed using local anesthesia, no pain or arche is felt during or after the surgery. Since patients have an opportunity to watch a movie, use notebooks during procedures, this process can be performed much more comfortable than you think.

Whom can hair transplantation be performed to?

Hair transplant operation can be performed to individuals of all age groups, men, and women who have experienced hair loss problems for various reasons since the age of 19-20, no physiological disease that prevents hair transplantation, and have enough hair follicles in the donor area.

Whom is it not performed to?

Oncology patients who want to have a hair transplant should finish their cancer treatments first. Hair transplantation cannot be performed at the same time as cancer treatment continues. Hair transplantation is also required to be more attentive in diabetic patients as well. Hair transplantation is not performed or performed carefully to people who are allergic to ingredients of solutions used to the scalp in the procedure. In addition, hair transplantation may not be performed due to insufficient donor area. Hair transplantation cannot be performed in these patients who do not have healthy hair fascicules that can be transplanted in patients’ hairy area or other parts of the body. Because hair transplantation is a procedure where a person’s own body hair is used in there.

What to do before hair transplantation?

There are some things that should be done before hair transplantation as after hair transplantation. For example, people who are busy with regular sports should stop their sports 1 week before hair transplantation. Since sports activities thin the blood and accelerate its flow, it increases the risk of bleeding in hair transplantation. Therefore, patients should be informed and warned about stopping sports before hair transplantation.

Likewise, sexual intercourse should also be suspended for the same reasons when sport activities are stopped. Sum up, activities that will make people breathless should be avoided a week before hair transplantation. In addition, if medicines for thinning blood are used, they are also suspended.
Quitting smoke and alcohol for 4-5 days before hair transplantation will also have a great positive effect on the surgery.
Medical tests should not be skipped before hair transplantation. Blood tests your doctor will ask are also for the feasibility of the procedure. It will be evident based on the results of these tests whether this procedure is suitable for your health or not?

What will change after hair transplantation? Will a natural appearance be?

The exact result of hair transplantation is observed at the end of the first year. Patients should be in contact with the clinic during this period. You will have natural appearance, thick and dense hair. You can shape your hair how you want after hair transplantation. If hair transplantation is performed by experienced doctors, transplanted hair will grow naturally. Even if patients do not mention, other people cannot understand that they have had a hair transplantation procedure.