Hair Transplantation

Hair Transplantation

Hair transplantation is a surgical procedure that aims to treat male pattern baldness. In this surgery, the hair transplant surgeons harvests the  hair follicles from a part of the body called the 'donor site' and transfers these to the bald or balding part of the body, known as the 'recipient site'. Hair follicles in the back and the sides of the scalp are genetically resistant to falling out. These follicles are transplanted to the bald scalp. Hair Transplantation can be utilised renovate recover eyelashes, eyebrows and beard hair.There are two techniques to get grafts from the donor area. The classic method, which is called Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), removes a long, thin strip from the donor area. The Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) method however, removes grafts one-by-one from the scalp.

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)

In this new method, follicular units are removed one-by-one directly from the scalp. The follicular units may contain 1-4 hairs. Local anesthesia is used during the procedure. The hair transplant surgeons uses punches of between 0.6 mm to 1.0 mm in diameter to punctures the sites for receiving the grafts. Micro blades are used for this manoeuver. Promoting a realistic hair pattern with a natural anterior hair line is of paramount importance to the Esteday Clinic. The FUE method creates a very natural result. There is neither an incision on the back of the head nor a scar with the FUE method

Post Operative Care

After your hair transplant surgery, you may feel tenderness on your scalp. You may feel minimal pain, for which your surgeon may prescribe pain medications. You will wear a surgical dressing over the scalp 2 days. An antibiotic and anti-inflammatory drug will be prescribed by your surgeon for several days following surgery. Recovery time after the surgery is less than 7 days. The recipient area must be protected from the sun. Hair shampooing may start the day after surgery. Shampooing is very important, because it stops the scabs from adhering to the hair shafts, which otherwise can damage the hair follicles. It is advised to shampoo daily for 10 to 15 days. During the first 15 days all of the transplanted hairs will fall out. This fact is called as "shock loss". After 2-3 months new hair will begin to grow up. The patient's hair will grow normally and continue to thicken through the next 6-9 months.

⇝ Technical Methods

FUE – Follicular Unit Extraction

FUE - Follicular Unit Extraction - is an operation in which hair or hair groups, which we call follicular units, are removed. The hair roots, which are brought to the scalp by a semicircular movement and removed, are then transferred to the desired bald areas. The FUE method was first used in 1988 by Masubi Inaba in Japan. It was first mentioned in the medical literature by William R Rassman and Robert M Bernstein. In order to prevent damage to the roots, extraction needles, also called "micropunch", with different diameters are moved in a certain direction and depth. Although the term "FUE" describes the process of hair root removal, it now represents the hair transplant technique. The FUE operation does not create scars because our body can heal wounds that are smaller than 1 mm without scars. With the FUT technique, on the other hand, incisions are made and seams are used, which leave traces.

In the FUE method, the hair roots are removed by “punch” called sharp tubes with different diameters (between 0.6 and 0.8 mm), by circular incisions around the hair roots. Despite the strong anchoring of the hair roots on the upper layer of the skin, they are only loosely connected to the underlying fat layer.

After the circular cuts, we can use tweezers to perform movements such as traction and rotation, and thus remove the follicular units with ease. Thanks to the experience of the surgeon, the chances of the roots being damaged by the circular cuts of the punch during surgery are very low. The use of standard tube diameters is incorrect because each patient has different hair follicle structures.

The "stick and plant" method used in hair transplantation enables the hair to look natural after the transplantation. This is possible with the surgeon's experience in microsurgery, the manual skills and with an artistic perspective. Our hair grows in the immediate vicinity of the hairline, in contrast to the rear areas, at a much narrower angle. This angle increases the further back you get. The hair grows spirally in the area we call vertex. With careful planning, the right technique and a selfless working style, a natural look of the hairline can be achieved.

FUE with the help of micromotors?

Should the hair roots be removed by hand or with a micromotor? Do micromotors damage the hair roots? Nowadays we hear these questions from our patients very often. The success or failure of an operation depends not only on the devices that are used.

During the root extraction, we make circular cuts with a diameter of 0.6-0.8mm at the points where the follicular units protrude from the skin. Here we try to stay on the surface as possible and not to penetrate deeply into the skin. When we make these small circular cuts manually, we make right and left movements that go counterclockwise. If the process is done with the help of micromotors, we benefit from the continuous circular movements and the power of the same-sized “punch” needles that are attached to the ends of the micromotors.

In both cases it is important to use extraction needles with a fine diameter. It is equally important for the vitality of the roots that it does not penetrate deep into the lower layers of the skin. An important point that should be considered with micromotors is the low fluctuation rate.

Why do we prefer FUE technology?

FUE was developed as an alternative to the previously sought-after FUT technique, which, however, leaves linear scars in the neck area of the patient. Unlike FUT, FUE leaves no scars. Therefore, interest in FUE technology is increasing every day.

We, the Esteday family, only use the FUE technique for our hair transplants. In the first few years after the discovery of FUE technology, it was rarely accepted due to the long duration, the difficulty in removing the roots from the scalp, and the cost. In the past five years, technological developments and experiences have had thinning of the punch diameter responsible for hair root removal helped to overcome some of the drawbacks.

Is a hair transplant a comfortable undertaking?

Hair transplantation (FUE) does not use large incisions and sutures and is therefore a minimally invasive method. Since the method comes into contact with the skin and subcutaneous tissue, it is necessary to work with the utmost care. Sterility and hygiene are particularly important to us.

FUE is an operation in which both hair roots are removed and implanted. The affected regions are anesthetized locally so that the person does not experience any pain during both processes (removal and implantation). We prefer thin needle tips for anesthesia. FUE consists of two phases. In the first phase, the roots are removed from the donor area from the patient, in the second phase they are planted.

The most important thing is to carry out the hair transplant without causing major trauma to the skin. Therefore, the use of microsurgical techniques, the use of small diameter extraction needles, and the use of pointed instruments during implantation are particularly important. These factors reduce the healing time and allow you to return to your work and social life very early. A minor injury to the scalp allows you to spend the night comfortably and painlessly immediately after the operation.

If it is clear early in the planning that the process will take longer, we use local anesthetics with a long action time. The adrenaline level of the scalp is lowered with a serum syringe to make it bleed less. This ensures that we as surgeons can work better and also prevents large scaling of the scalp and ensures a quick recovery after the operation.

Sapphire FUE

The most commonly used technique FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) is a method that is constantly evolving and is widely used with the latest technologies.

As a result of the further development, the Saphir FUE technology emerged.

In addition to the conventional blades, this method uses smaller and more precise blades made of sapphire gemstones with diameters of up to 0.6 millimeters. This leads to fewer and quickly curable scars.

With the sharp Sapphire bells, the channels can be opened faster, the directions can be determined more clearly and precisely. This also has positive consequences for the hair volume and thus shortens the operation time.

The main advantages of Sapphire FUE are hair density, shorter recovery and treatment times.
 

DHI (Direct Hair Implant) and Choi implantation pen

With this method, the grafts are removed from the donor area and stored in a nutrient-rich container. The grafts are then transplanted directly with the Choi pens at a 40-45 degree angle and without opening the canal or shaving.

6-8 Choi pencils are used. This process is carried out step-by-step and achieves optimal results.