Is Hair Transplant Safe in Istanbul?

Author : isturkeysafe

10/4/2018

Last Update : 10/28/2018

Every year, people spend billions of dollars to look more beautiful. In the past, women only were queuing for plastic surgery; now both men and women are on the same queue. There are no limits to the aesthetic world of women. Men on the other hand, usually focus on one subject, hair transplant. Each year, more than $5 billion is spent for hair transplant on the world. In Turkey (particularly in Istanbul), hundreds of hospitals and clinics are serving for hair transplant. Every year, tens of thousands of men visit Istanbul to plant hair. As a result of the intensive demand of Turkish men and hair transplant tourists in recent years, many plastic surgeons have specialized in this field. After the great devaluation of the Turkish lira against the world currencies in 2018, hair transplant became economically more attractive in Istanbul. Is hair transplant safe in Istanbul? By appropriate methods, when done by right doctor, hair transplant process is safe. One of the most critical issues here is the right doctor and clinic selection. You can find a few tips about choosing the right hair transplant clinic in istanbul below:

CHOOSING THE RIGHT HAIR TRANSPLANT CLINIC IN ISTANBUL

Several hospitals and hair transplant clinics have been opened in recent years in Istanbul. Unfortunately, these hair transplant clinics are not adequately checked by local authorities.

The most widely used method for searching a hair transplant clinic in Turkey from abroad is web. Hair transplant clinics are also aware of this situation. When checked from the Google AdWords application, it was observed that the advertisements made with “Istanbul Hair Transplant’ keywords were very intense. Sometimes, clinics can give up to $10 only to get a single click. The success of the advertising and the site in your research on the web usually shows the success of web designer and the advertising budget in this field, does not show the success of the hair transplant doctor or clinic.

The most valuable information that you can access from the web is the comments and reviews. Of course if you can reach the truth! The information you find on web in this billion-dollar sector where competition is so intense may not be so reliable. If you are reading hundreds of positive comments about a hair transplant doctor, think about it, what is the motivation of hundreds of people to write so many comments? How much of the commentators really had hair transplant in Istanbul? Likewise, while reading the negative comments, keep in mind that there are too many companies in the industry and that clinics can make bad comments about others in order to show themselves well. If possible, try to find people who have had hair transplant, get their face-to-face comments.

There is not a branch of medicine called 'Hair Transplant Specialist' in Turkey, plastic surgeons are doing this job. If a doctor is introduced to you as a 'Hair Transplant Specialist', there is a problem (or marketing lie) there. You can question the doctor's diploma.

Some hair transplant clinics want you to sign a contract that you will not make any negative comments on social media by considering the post - operative medical risks. Ask at the beginning of the process whether the clinic has such a policy (And ask yourself, why do they want you to sign it; why should you require to sign it?).

There are many intermediary companies and people in the market. The main purpose of these agents is to bring the patient together with the hair transplant clinic and get commission. With limited medical information, these people and companies can give you surreal promise. Always contact the hair transplant clinic and hair transplant doctor directly where possible. Request video call if necessary.

Remember, hair transplant is a medical operation and there is always a risk of complications. And you will be asked to sign a contract that you agree to the risk of many complications before the operation, no matter what is promised during the sale. Therefore, learn all the risks before entering into monetary transactions. For example, there are too many patients who have lost their scalp feeling for months after the operation.

Many clinics serve in mass production in hair transplant. During this operation, which lasts 8 - 10 hours, nurses can perform the procedure although the whole operation should be managed by the doctor. In this way, the doctor is able to treat several patients at the same time in order to increase the number of patients(and hence the profit). As we mentioned before, this is a medical operation and all stages should include a doctor, not only a nurse. Be sure that the process will work this way before you pay.

COST OF HAIR TRANSPLANT IN TURKEY

What about the cost of hair transplant in Turkey? It's hard to say an exact price. The doctor, method, number of grafts and additional services are the factors affecting the total price of hair transplant. Basically the price per graft varies from $0.2 to $1 in Turkey. Assuming that if your have so much hair loss (where you require a maximum of 4000 grafts), the total price of hair transplant in Turkey will be $800 - $4,000. You should deeply investigate if the price you are given is far below that; hair transplant may be performed by someone who does not have a medical education. On the other hand, there are doctors who make hair transplant much more than this price, as the reputation of the doctor increases, the price increases; there is no upper limit determined by the government.

OK, assume you find the right clinic for you. Then what? You can find the information about methods of hair transplant in Turkey, advantages and disadvantages of methods and the post-plantation processes below.

HAIR TRANSPLANT METHODS IN TURKEY

There are 2 basic hair transplant methods used in Turkey, FUT (Follicular Unit transplant) and FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction). The main point where the two methods are separated is the method of extracting hair follicles. Methods other than these two (DHI, Robotic Fue, etc.) are use of these methods with different medical devices or medical applications.

FUT (Follicular Unit transplant) Hair Transplant Method

FUT was one of the most frequently used hair transplant methods at 90s and at the beginning of 2000s. After the discovery of the FUE method, doctors in Turkey began to give it up. In the FUT method, the grafts are collected together with a skin layer from the nape area. A 3 cm2 upper skin layer is cut out from the nape area. The hair roots in this piece are extracted with the help of nurses and made ready for planting. After the grafts are collected, the area is stitched. After the FUT hair transplant surgery, recovery time is longer mainly because of these stitches. Also after a period of hair transplant, the patient should go to his doctor again for removal of stitches. The healing process is usually 2-3 weeks in this method. In the FUT method, stitch marks are left in the nape area.

FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) Hair Transplant Method

The FUE method led to great advances in hair transplant in the last 15 years. FUE is the most common method of hair transplant in Turkey. Again it is all about how grafts are collected. In FUE method, graft extraction in the nape area is performed by removing the grafts together with the follicles. This can be done with a manual punch or a micromotor device. There are no cuts and stitches in FUE hair transplant method. So a short while after the hair transplant operation, there exists no trace of the operation in the nape area. In the FUE method, which is based on the principle of individual hair follicle extraction and preparation, the duration of operation depends on the number of hair follicles to be planted. During FUE hair transplant process, the hair follicles in the nape area which are durable to spillage are used. The hair follicles taken for transplant from the nape area must be properly separated according to their length and direction. It is very important that the hair follicles taken during the entire procedure are not damaged in any way. Following the completion of the separation of the hair grafts taken for transplant, the channels are begin to be opened for hair follicles in the region where hair transplant is planned. Separated hair roots are placed one by one into these opened channels. The most important stage of hair transplant is in this section. A surgeon who is expert in his field can achieve successful results with natural look. For natural look after hair transplant, the front line of the hair, the intensity of the hair at hair plantation area and the direction of the hair follicle must be properly arranged.

THE IMPORTANCE OF FRONT HAIRLINE IN HAIR TRANSPLANT

The front hairline should be designed according to the person's face shape and head structure. Natural looking hair transplant is the most important process that determines the success of the operation. Since head structure differs from person to person, hair design should be specific to person. In addition to the head structure of the person, the age, gender, facial features, forehead muscle and the width of the region to be transplanted are also important for the front hairline design. Front hairline design is done by doctor with contribution of the patient.

FUT or FUE, WHICH HAIR TRANSPLANT METHOD IS THE BEST?

There is no clear answer to this question. A common term used among doctors is as follows: 'Treat the patient, not the disease'. Even if the diseases are the same, each patient's condition is different. This also applies to the method of hair transplant. Although it is claimed that FUT hair transplant method is worse compared to FUE method, FUT method may be more advantageous than FUE regarding to patient's head and hair structure. Claims made without examination of your head are irrelevant. The hair root structure and the baldness area vary from person to person. Expectation and hair structure should be taken into account on method selection. The best decision for choosing FUE - FUT hair transplant method is made after your doctor has examined your scalp.
For patients coming to Turkey for hair transplant, FUE method is usually preferred when the recovery time is taken into account. So we will focus on this method in our article.

HAIR EXTRACTION METHODS

What is hair extraction in FUE method? Hair extraction means the collection of grafts to be planted. 2 methods are used for extraction; manual punch and micromotor. You can find information about both methods below.

HAIR EXTRACTION WITH MANUAL PUNCH

On this method, hair extraction is done with the help of a medical device called manual punch. Manuel punch is a medical device with sharp tiny tips that helps create small holes around the hair follicles. This method has been replaced by micromotor which makes the same process much faster today, even if it is used frequently in the first periods of FUE. Different sizes of punches are used according to the structure of hair strands. Manual punch is not electrically operated, manually operated.

HAIR EXTRACTION WITH MICROMOTOR

Micromotor emerged with the development of manuel punch. The micromotor is an automatic device with different revolutions which works with electricity. In the same way as the manual punch, the micromotor collects the hair individually. It is used with different sizes of headings according to the structure of hair strands.

DHI HAIR TRANSPLANT METHOD, AN IMPROVED VERSION OF FUE

DHI hair transplant method is a further development of FUE hair transplant method. The grafts that are taken from the nape area (rarely beard or chest) are planted in the reqired areas with the help of micro motors as in the same classic FUE method. The difference of DHI hair transplant method from other methods starts from this point. The main difference in the application of this method is the use of improved hair transplant device. Grafts taken with a surgical device ranging between 0.6 mm and 1 mm are implanted directly in the recipient area. This method, which requires more attention, precision and effort than other methods, offers many advantages to hair transplant patients. You can find advantages and disadvantages below.

ADVANTAGES OF DHI FUE METHOD

The direction of hair growth can be determined as desired. Thus it is much more possible to give the hair a more natural look.
It is not necessary to open channels in the area where hair will be planted.
Since no holes are drilled in the area where hair transplant is performed, the healing process becomes much shorter.
Since no shaving is needed, the patient can return daily routine after the surgery without any interruption.

DISADVANTAGES OF DHI FUE METHOD

The operation generally takes longer compared to the classic FUE. For example, an FUE operation of 4,000 grafts can be completed in an average of 6 hours, whereas with DHI method it can be completed in 2 days since 2 sessions needed.
The method requires extreme attention because it is a very sensitive process. This increases the cost of the method.

POST HAIR TRANSPLANT PERIOD

The hair transplanted is totaly lost in about a month . This is expected and perfectly normal. After loosing all in 1 month, the new hair appears approximately in 6 months. According to the technique used, the yield may come up to 90%. In some cases you may have to wait up to 1 year to reach the final result. However, shortening of this period is up to the patient. Post-hair transplant processes are very important for the success of hair transplant. During the first 10-day period, special care must be taken, washing lotions and shampoo prescribed should be used. During this time, since the whole are is sensetive, the patient should be careful not to take any impact on his head. During this period, the area can be damaged even by the pillow. After 10 days, the crusts on skin begin to fall. After 10 days, the person can easily return to normal life.
To summarize, hair transplant is a serious business. It's a surgical operation. It is safe in Turkey if you find the right clinic for you. Just a note, you can be more handsome with wavy hair; but do not forget that Bruce Willis doesn't look bad either.