FUE — follicular unit extraction
Individual follicles are punched out and re-implanted. No strip of skin is removed, so there is no linear scar; the trade-off is that the donor area is shaved and healing takes a few days.
Hair restoration
Hair Transplant in Istanbul (FUE)
Hair follicles are moved from the back of the scalp — where they are resistant to hair loss — into the areas that have thinned. The result is your own hair, growing where it no longer did.
- Procedure time
- 6–9 h
- At the clinic
- 1 day
- Final result
- 12–18 months
Who is a good candidate
The limiting factor is not how much hair is missing, but how much donor hair is available at the back and sides, and how stable the loss has been.
- Hair loss that has been stable for roughly a year, not falling week by week
- Enough density in the donor area for the number of grafts the bald area needs
- Receding hairline, temple loss, or thinning on the crown
- Realistic expectations: density improves, but a bald area is never restored to teenage density
If the loss is still active, treating it first — medically — protects the result. A transplant moves hair; it does not stop the hair you still have from thinning later.
How the hair is taken and placed
The method is chosen by the donor density, the size of the area and the hairstyle you want to keep.
DHI — direct hair implantation
Follicles are placed with a single-use implanter pen, which allows tight control of angle and depth in the hairline. Slower, so fewer grafts per session.
Hairline design
The line is drawn with you, sitting and standing, before anything is cut: it has to survive ageing and further loss, which is why it is placed conservatively rather than low.
From consultation to the final result
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Assessment
Donor density is measured, the hairline is designed, and blood tests are arranged. Photographs are taken from five angles for later comparison.
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The day itself
Local anaesthesia with light sedation; you are awake and can eat. The session is long — six to nine hours — and is broken by short rests.
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First ten days
Small scabs form and are washed off gently from the second day. Swelling across the forehead is common and settles within a week.
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Weeks 3–12
Most of the transplanted hair sheds — this is expected and does not mean failure. New growth starts around month three.
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Month 12 onward
Density and thickness continue to improve until 12–18 months. A second session to add density, if wanted, is planned no earlier than 12 months.
What can go wrong
A transplant is a real operation with real limits. These are the ones worth knowing before booking.
- Swelling, redness and scabbing in the first week, and temporary numbness of the scalp
- Follicle survival is never 100%; a proportion of grafts does not grow
- Patchy or thin coverage if the planned graft count is not matched by donor supply
- Folliculitis — small infected spots in the recipient area, usually treatable
- An unnatural hairline if the design is too low or too dense for the donor area
Choose the plan by graft count and donor quality, not by the lowest price: a cheap session that over-harvests the donor area cannot be undone.
Questions patients ask
Is it painful?
The injections sting for a few seconds; after that the scalp is numb and the procedure is mostly boring rather than painful. The first night is tender and settles with ordinary pain relief.
Will there be a scar?
FUE leaves tiny circular marks in the donor area that fade to near-invisible at normal hair length. Strip surgery leaves a fine line across the back of the scalp.
When can I go back to work?
Desk work after two to three days, once the swelling has settled. Heavy exercise, saunas and swimming wait about two weeks.
Does the new hair last?
Transplanted follicles keep the behaviour of the donor area and are generally permanent. The hair around them can still thin, which is why medical treatment is often continued.
Send your photographs for a first opinion
Photos of the hairline, the crown and the donor area are enough to say whether a transplant is sensible, roughly how many grafts, and what it would cost.
General information, not medical advice. Suitability can only be judged after examining the scalp and the medical history; results vary between patients.
