Hair transplants are done to add more hair to an area on your head that may be thinning or balding. It’s done by taking hair from thicker parts of the scalp, or other parts of the body, and grafting it to the thinning or balding section of the scalp.
Worldwide, about 60 percent of men and 50 percent of women Trusted Source experience some form of hair loss. To address this, people often use over-the-counter products, including topical treatments like minoxidil (Rogaine).
Hair transplant is another restoration method. The first transplant was performed in 1939 in Japan with single scalp hairs. In the following decades, physicians developed the “plug” technique. This involves transplanting large tufts of hair.
Over time, surgeons began using mini- and micro-grafts to minimize the appearance of transplanted hair on the scalp.
Do hair transplants work?
Hair transplants are typically more successful than over-the-counter hair restoration products. But there are some factors to consider:
- Anywhere from 10 to 80 percent of transplanted hairTrusted Source will fully grow back in an estimated three to four months.
- Like regular hair, transplanted hair will thin over time.
- People with dormant hair follicles (sacs that usually contain hair beneath the skin but no longer grow hair) may have less effective transplants, but a 2016 studyTrusted Source suggests that plasma therapy can help up to 75 percent or more of the transplanted hairs fully grow back.
- Hair transplants don’t work for everyone. They’re mainly used to restore hair if you’re balding or thinning naturally or have lost hair due to an injury.
Most transplants are done with your existing hair, so they’re not as effective for treating people with:
- Widespread thinning and baldness
- Hair loss due to chemotherapy or other medications
- Thick scalp scars from injuries
Advantages of Hair Transplant in Istanbul Turkey
Istanbul in Turkey is one of the top choices in the world for hair transplant operations. Turkey can be considered as the best country for hair transplant in the world. The very reasonable prices, quality of service in its world-class clinics with the latest technology, quality, and affordable healthcare make Istanbul and Turkey a superb choice for medical tourists searching for the best hair transplant trip plan.
Majority of the hair transplant clinics in Turkey are located in Istanbul, and so hair transplant Turkey has recently become one of the top choices in the world. Than comes Ankara and Izmir. In addition, many hair transplant surgeons also perform hair transplant operations under favorable conditions in the many contracted high level private hospitals.
Things To Avoid
- Having a hair transplant performed by a doctor who is not a surgeon. Doctors who are not board-certified surgeons, have not had any formal surgical training.
- Clinics that sell the FUE procedure as if it is a “one-size fits all” option. Some clinics prefer selling the FUE procedure because it is often performed by someone other than a doctor and doesn’t require a qualified surgical team.
- Doctors who perform procedures with the naked eye verses surgeons like ours who perform procedure under magnification.
Clinics whose surgical techs do not use microscopes for the dissection of the hair follicles. - Inadequately trained physicians. Many physicians who enter this field are “burned out” and feel this may be an “easy job”. Be sure they have obtained adequate knowledge into the science of hair growth.
- Clinics who are not upfront about their prices.
- Clinics that do not have an adequate number of patients to maintain skills.
- Clinics that are more concerned about how you will look in one year than in twenty or thirty years. Remember you must have a transplant that will look natural as you age.
- Clinics that try and sell you alternative hair and scalp products to financially “lock” you into their clinic. Remember Rogaine®, Propecia®and Laser Hair Therapy are the only FDA approved hair loss solutions proven to retard hair loss or regrow hair.
Clinics that place more emphasis on their marketing than on the experience and credentials of the physician that would be performing the procedures. - Clinic owners or consultants that wear hairpieces or have no hair loss but tell potential patients their hair is the result of a hair transplant.
- Avoid turning to the Yellow Pages when seeking a hair transplant surgeon.
- Avoid referrals from your dermatologist or family practitioner.
- While your family doctor or dermatologist might mean well, the fact is that most physicians in this country know very little about the scope and pitfalls of this demanding cosmetic procedure. Unless your doctor has personal experience with the hair transplant physician he is recommending, our advice would be to say thanks, but no thanks.
- Avoid referrals from your hair stylist. In some cases, hair stylists may receive compensation from hair transplant surgeons for referrals. Be careful.
- Avoid large hair transplant groups or practices that employ or contract physicians to perform hair transplantation under a common umbrella.
- Avoid practices advertising on television infomercials. While these larger groups have the ability to buy public opinion through expensive and flashy television, print, and radio marketing, this may not equate to superior surgical results.
- Finally, remember, just because a “company” or “practice” claims to be one of the largest does not mean that they are one of the best.
