FUE Hair Transplant Step by Step
Consultation and preparation before the surgery
Our clinic has many experts and specialists in FUE hair transplantation. Our team is ready to give you any medical advice for your case around the clock. All you need to do is send us pictures of your condition and describe it in as much detail as possible. Our medical team evaluates the case and gives you an assessment, telling you if a medical treatment is better or if hair transplantation is needed.
If you decide to do a micro-FUE hair transplant at our clinic in Istanbul, you will be taken from the airport to your hotel. Before the operation, an interview session is held to examine your case closely while also inquiring more about your medical history.
On the day before the operation, blood tests are carried out. We explain all the steps of the hair transplant operation in detail to you. This way, you are aware of what to expect. Before the operation, the patient’s head hair is shaved, and clothes are changed for sterile purposes.
Fue Hair Transplant Process
The FUE hair transplant in our clinic is carried as of the following stages:
Consultation
The individual patient characteristics are determined by the hair trichologist during the consultation by considering the cause of hair loss, type of hair loss, the likelihood of hair loss progression over future years, hair type (thick or thin), the patient’s expectation, age, gender, and medical history.
During the consultation, the hairline is drawn based on the natural hairline and patient wishes, and the recipient parts are determined with how many grafts are needed at each area and how many grafts can be collected from the donor site.
Preparation
We will perform all the necessary blood tests prior to the transplant. Then we will do the trimming of the hair and sterilization of the head.
Collecting The Grafts
The place where the hair is taken from is called the donor area. Usually this is situated on the back side of the head and on the sides. This area is less affected by hair loss hormones (DHT) so hair is more healthy here and much more resistant.
The transplant begins by applying local anesthesia on the patient’s donor area. As a needle is used, there might be a little pain. It goes on for only a few minutes until anesthesia takes effect. The collection of the hair is done with a micromotor that uses a millimetric punch of 0.7-0.8 mm. One of the advantages of the FUE method is that the holes are small and almost invisible. They heal quickly after the surgery and do not leave any disturbing effects.
During the extraction phase, the patient lays on a special bed on the facedown position, the same position as used during a massage. The extraction of the grafts takes 2 – 2.5 hours, all depending on the number of hair follicles that will be extracted. After the extraction, the worked area is sterilized and covered with a bandage.
The extraction is performed considering two main factors: the density and the space of the donor area. The richer the donor area is, in terms of density, the more grafts can be extracted.
We should not forget that hair follicles are different from each other. We separate them with a microscope into singles, doubles and triples. Lastly we place the follicles in a nutritious material in cold temperature, in order to keep them healthy until they are implanted back.
Drawing The Hair Line
Deciding on the front hairline is among the most important stages for a hair transplantation. Natural line of the hair starts just after the last muscle in the forehead, it can easily be seen if eyebrows are raised. We ask the patient to lift the eyebrows upwards for his natural line to be obvious.
We should be aware that the hairline is very much affected by the muscle layers of the forehead. The muscles of the forehead have a tendency to gradually rise up while aging. This is why we should take it into consideration while choosing a new front line for the hair in order to get the most natural look possible. Our medical staff is aware of this and will seek the best results that satisfy our patients’ desires in getting the most natural and healthy hair.
After we draw the front line, the next step is to mark the other areas where hair loss or poor density is present. Once the patient approves the treatment plan the next step is moving forward to local anesthesia on the recipient area. It takes a maximum of 2-5 minutes to give effect. Bear in mind that the patient does not feel pain after the anesthetic is complete.
Opening Of The Channels
Then we start to open the tiny channels/incisions where the new grafts will be placed. It takes something between 40-90 minutes (depending on the amount of grafts), during which the patient is lying on his/her back. We use Sapphire blades to open the new channels.
The size of the blade will be dependent on the size and length of the extracted grafts.
Things To Be Considered When Opening The Channels
There are two important elements to consider when opening the microscopic channels: the angle on the front line of the hair and the bend angle of the follicle itself. Both are essential, as any mistake in one of these angles makes the hair have a less natural appearance. It is at this phase when the experience of the staff is the key factor for a successful hair transplant.
At our clinic, our skilled medical staff opens the micro-channels by considering the direction of growth of your hair in order to give you the best and most natural results. The channels are opened from left to right and get an exact degree of inclination to match your normal hair growth.
After the angle is verified and the opening of the first channel starts in the left side of the bald area, the channels get opened following the desired hair line.
In the absence of proper expertise in opening the channels, results will not be natural. The hair also, might grow in different directions, making it clear to everyone that an extremely bad hair transplant has been done. Something nobody wants and we never wish for any patient.
Does The Patient Feel Pain?
It is positive to note that the patient does not feel any pain during this stage. Contrary to expectations, while all these steps and stages of the surgery are being done, you can relax.
Planting is the last stage of the hair transplant process with the FUE technique. It takes place with the patient lying on his back. It usually lasts between 2 and 3.5 hours, all depending on the number of hair follicles to be implanted. Once again the expertise of our team is essential to give you the best results in the shortest time. We should not forget that it’s essential that the new extracted follicles do not stay too long outside and to be implanted in the shortest time possible. Otherwise, the survival rate declines.
In order to give you the best natural appearance, we do not recommend to implant in the front line bulbs that have 2-3 hairs. They give the patient an abnormal appearance, making it clear a hair transplantation has been carried. We only use the single hair grafts on the front line. Once the front line is finished, the double and triple hair follicles are put in the upper regions of the head, giving a higher density in these areas.
After finishing the implant of all the follicles, a whole examination and inspection of the area is done from the front line to the back side. This process takes only 15 minutes. Then the head is washed and cleaned with pure sterile water. This is so to remove the effects of the operation. After that the donor area in the back or sides is covered with a sterile gauze. In order not to affect the hair implants the implanted area remains without coverage.
When the hair transplantation is finished, we check some vital signs of the patients like the blood pressure. If everything is OK, the patient will be taken to the hotel to rest from the operation.
