As more and more people are opting for hair transplants in Istanbul to restore their receding hairline or deal with more severe cases of balding, a few common questions are being raised on a regular basis. Some of the biggest ones are related to the donor hair – where it comes from, how it is prepared, and how much of it is needed for a successful procedure.
We will go over all the key details to help answer all these questions and give those considering the operation peace of mind.
Where Do the Doctors Get the Donor Hair?
First of all, it’s important to note that the hair must come from the same person who is getting hair transplant surgery, and cannot be from someone else, as the immune system would reject foreign tissue, and it simply wouldn’t work.
As for the donor site, it is chosen based on where the hair is most resilient to thinning and falling out. The back of the head is the perfect option, as plenty of hair grows there even in later stages of male pattern baldness, and the follicles in the donor area usually remain thick, long, and strong throughout a person’s life.
How Does the Donor Hair Extraction Process Work?
Modern methods like Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUE) involve extracting each individual hair graft using a micro-punch tool to make a small circular cut in the scalp. This will leave a large number of tiny hole-shaped wounds, and this area is bandaged to limit bleeding and start the healing process.
The hairs are then carefully grafted under a microscope and preserved in a petri dish with a special solution that is kept refrigerated. This helps keep the grafts alive for up to 24 hours, allowing the surgeon to start making thin incisions in the recipient area where these will later be implanted.
The whole procedure lasts 5 to 8 hours, and over 95% of the follicles survive and take root in their new position on the scalp. This method works well for a high number of hair grafts, up to 6,000, which is enough to restore a full head of hair to men at stages 4 to 6 on the Norwood scale.
In the DHI technique, the previously prepared donor hair is placed in a Choi Pen, which has a syringe-like tip that allows surgeons to make smaller punctures in the scalp and simultaneously implant grafts.
Healing After the Procedure
There will be some swelling, itchiness, and light bleeding in the donor area after a hair transplant, but this is completely normal and will go away within the next four to five days. Scabs will also form, but they generally fall off on their own within two weeks after the surgery, though light washing with lukewarm water and gentle dabbing can help speed up the process.
The patient is left with a number of tiny circular scars in the donor area, with a diameter of less than 1 mm, but these can easily be covered up when the hair grows back out, even if it is just a few millimeters long.
Can a Hair Transplant Be Performed if the Person is Completely Bald?
Men with extensive hair loss, where there are very few thin hairs left at the sides and the back of the head, or who have gone completely bald, simply don’t have enough hair follicles in their donor areas to work with.
Overharvesting is another issue you want to avoid – that is when too many grafts are taken early on and there are none left for follow-up procedures that may be needed as the balding pattern progresses with age. A good doctor will know how to carefully approach each situation to ensure the best long-term results on a case-by-case basis.
People often ask about the potential use of beard and body hair in cases where the head is completely bald, but these options, while possible, are not advised as they provide poor results. The hairs in different areas of the body have different growth cycles, thickness, structure, and growth patterns, so they would look out of place on the top of the head.
For example, beard hair goes through the growth, regression, and resting phases more quickly, going through the whole cycle in a few months, while the hair on the top of the head takes years to complete the cycle. Beard hairs are also thick and dry, and grow more slowly.
What is Scalp Micropigmentation?
This is a possible alternative for those with large bald areas and not enough transplantation donor follicles for a full hair restoration. The goal is to achieve a super-short full buzz cut look by tattooing thousands of tiny dots across the scalp. The way this works is that a needle pierces deep into the second layer of the skin, which is not prone to shedding, where it deposits a small amount of pigment.
The whole process must be done slowly and methodically, placing one dot at a time with proper spacing and being careful to trace a realistic hairline, so the whole process takes a few hours to complete. There will be some initial swelling and irritation, and the tattoo artist will advise you on the proper aftercare.
After a week, everything should be fully healed, and the final results become visible after one or two months.
Who Can I Contact for More Information About Hair Transplants?
If you are interested in getting a high-quality hair transplant procedure and want to know more about whether you have enough donor hair and how many grafts it would take for the best results, you can contact the experienced doctors at the Asli Tarcan clinic.
You can get a free initial assessment through the contact form by sending several pictures of your hair and providing some basic personal information. This is the best way to get all the answers you need and to decide what steps you want to take in the future.