Hair Transplantation Techniques
Modern hair transplantation encompasses two methods: FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation) and FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction). Today, the FUE technique is predominantly used worldwide and in our country. In the FUE technique, unlike the FUT technique, no long incision is made and no strip of hair is removed. Hair follicles are harvested from an area extending from one ear to the other, covering the back of the head and the nape of the neck, and then transplanted to the balding area.
Now let’s talk about the types of FUE techniques. Before going into detail, let’s note that there are many hair transplant specialists in our country who apply various techniques of the FUE technique. These techniques show various differences depending on the person’s hair structure and the type of hair loss, and different results are achieved.
First, there are two separate methods of the FUE technique based on how hair follicles are extracted from the donor area (the back of the head). Let’s discuss them:
1. Manual extraction technique: This method involves manually rotating a tool called a punch, which has a pointed tip ranging from 0.4mm to 1mm, to loosen the hair follicles and extract them from the relevant area.
2. Micromotor extraction technique: In this method, a punch, which is used in the manual method, is attached to the tip of an electrically powered device called a piezometer, which has been used by dentists and dental technicians for many years. This device, which can reach specific speeds, allows for faster and easier graft extraction from the donor area compared to manual extraction thanks to its high torque capability.
After discussing techniques for harvesting grafts, or hair follicles, from the donor area, we move on to methods for transplanting hair follicles to the recipient area.
One of three methods is generally used to transplant hair follicles to the recipient area.
1. Slit method: Channels are opened with thin-tipped blades called slits, ranging in thickness from 0.7 mm to 1.5 mm, and the grafts are placed in these channels. The biggest disadvantage of this technique is that the channels must be opened larger than the diameter of the grafts to be placed. The aim here is to tolerate the narrowing that occurs in the channels during the graft placement process. This does not allow for dense transplantation and means more tissue damage in the area where the channels are opened, resulting in slower healing after transplantation. This is the most widely used method in our country; approximately 90% of hair transplant specialists use this method.
2. Needle technique; This technique has two other names with the same meaning: stick and place and percutaneous technique. All three names refer to the same technique.
In this technique, a 5cc syringe needle is generally used to open the channel (the needle of the syringe used for injections into the buttocks). As soon as the practitioner opens the channel with the needle, they place the graft into the channel and press down on it with gauze (sponge). The advantages of this technique include allowing for more frequent transplantation, a fast recovery time, and a natural appearance of the resulting hair. The disadvantage of this technique is that it is quite time-consuming. Compared to the transplantation method described in the first section, it takes approximately three times longer. In our country, the most well-known practitioners of this method are Dr. Muttalip Keser, Dr. Zekeriya Kul, and HLC Clinic.
3. DHI (implanter pen) method: In this technique, grafts taken from the donor area are placed inside a pen-like device and, with a mechanism similar to a click pen, are placed directly into the recipient area with compressed air when pressed. Its biggest advantage is that it allows for dense transplantation due to the narrow and round diameter of the channel it creates. Another advantage is the rapid healing time. The disadvantage is that it is difficult to create channels in the same direction, and there is a high risk of directional problems in inexperienced hands. Another disadvantage is that, like the needle technique, it is a time-consuming method.
In Türkiye, the most renowned practitioner of this technique is Dr. Hakan Doğanay
Some hair transplant centers try to attract the attention of people who are not very knowledgeable about the subject with slogans such as “the latest breakthrough in hair transplantation” and strange names that they claim are so-called hair transplantation methods, and this has become particularly prevalent recently. We often come across these in Facebook and Google ads, but none of these names, which are purely marketing strategies, can possibly be the name of a hair transplantation technique or method.
The method they call icegraft or icefue is the name of the solution in which the grafts taken from the donor area are stored until the transplantation stage. It is named this way because it is effective at low temperatures, so it definitely cannot be the name of a hair transplant technique.
Similarly, goldfue or gold-tipped hair transplantation is not the name of any hair transplantation technique. Some transplantation centers use a slitin with a gold tip during the channel opening process, and since they see this a lot in their patients, it is nothing more than a ploy to get into the patient’s pocket.
Hibernation hair transplant, organic hair transplant, and laser hair transplant do not refer to any hair transplant technique; they are just the names of insignificant and unproven simple procedures performed during or after the application. Hiberbaric hair transplantation: supplying oxygen to the body after hair transplantation; organic hair transplantation: injecting body fat, etc., into the head; laser hair transplantation: holding something resembling red UV light (not laser) to the head for a certain period after the procedure.
While most of these procedures are harmless, their benefits are debatable. However, organic hair transplantation is more likely to cause harm than benefit because it is only practiced in our country, and the truth is that its practice is ambiguous; it is most likely a big lie. There is a high possibility that they promote mesotherapy or PRP as organic hair transplantation.
Also, the slogan “hair transplantation using the stem cell method” is frequently used by transplantation centers, but there is absolutely no such thing. What they mean is nothing other than the PRP procedure. PRP involves centrifuging the person’s own blood and injecting the precipitated platelets into the scalp. Its effect in accelerating healing has been proven, but its effect in promoting hair growth has not been proven. It is claimed that it promotes hair growth by activating stem cells, but no one actually says this because everyone knows it is a complete lie.
Despite all this, the PRP method is quite beneficial when applied correctly because it has a very positive effect on tissue and wound healing. The point to note here is the quality of the PRP kit used when preparing PRP. A quality PRP kit is not very cheap and is not at all suitable for some transplant centers’ three-session free campaign-like advertisements.
It is not possible to find the best hair transplant center by researching the best method for hair transplantation and the latest hair transplant techniques. Furthermore, the most suitable hair transplant method may vary from person to person. Transplant centers that combine the most suitable methods and all the correct details always achieve the best results, and you can find the best examples of this by researching our forum.
