How long does a hair transplant take?
How long does a FUE hair transplant procedure take?
With preparation, consultation and everything an FUE operation takes between 6-8 hours in general. FUE technique is the most applied hair transplant method around the world. It starts with extraction of hair follicles from the back of the head with a micromotor device. After the grafts are taken out the implantation process begins. Small channels which have 0.8 to 1 mm diameters are opened on the scalp either with metal or sapphire slits for placing the extracted grafts manually.
If the balding area is not too large, one session of FUE procedure may well be enough for the patient. In case the patient needs more hair, another procedure can be performed after the donor area heals, with the condition that there are enough grafts left for extraction.
How long does a DHI hair transplant procedure take?
DHI (Direct Hair Implantation), also known as unshaven hair transplant, is a modification of FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) method that has become very popular due to the advantages it provides.
It is actually a variation of FUE hair transplantation technique. The extraction process of the hair grafts are exactly the same but the difference starts to kick in when the implantation process begins. In regular FUE hair transplant procedure the hair grafts are extracted from the donor area(back of the head) either with the help of a micro-motor or manually. Afterwards cuts are open with slits on the recipient area and extracted grafts are manually placed inside those cuts with help of specially designed tweezers. In DHI hair transplant procedure, extraction is carried out the same but during the implantation phase special equipment called Choi pen comes to the scene.
In DHI operations both the extraction and implantation is done directly by the expert. Thus if the patient needs more than 3000 grafts the operation is performed in two consecutive days and each day takes around 5 hours on average.
How long does hair transplant take to grow?
Results after a hair transplant operation can be seen gradually. 10 days after your hair transplant operation the redness goes away and the graft tissue that stays on the outer surface of the scalp gets dry, thus they need to be removed gently latest on the 10th day after the procedure is performed.
In the 1st month you may experience what we call the “shock loss” process. Some of the hair follicles that were implanted may fall out but the tissue stays alive under the scalp. Until the 3rd month mark you may not see a lot of improvement because follicles need to adapt to the area. Between 3rd to 6th month, around 60-70% of the hairs grow but they still may appear weak depending on how good they are taken care of.
After the 1st year you will start to notice that the majority of the hairs implanted have grown and started to look more natural and thicker. Hair transplant is a surgical procedure that needs patience to see the real result but it is a permanent solution for those who suffer from androgenetic alopecia.
Hair Shedding After Hair Transplant - Can Transplanted Hair Fall out?
Another question medical experts receive very often is; does the implanted hair fall out? Is hair shedding after hair transplant possible?
Grafts that are taken from the back of the head(donor area) are insensitive to DHT hormone, which is the essential reason for the baldness problem. Those insensitive hair follicles stay solid on the scalp for a life-time unless the patient has a chronic disease or an unexpected accident.
As we mentioned above, hair transplant is a gradual process when it comes to seeing the result and one needs to remember that he will need to follow his surgeon’s recommendations for aftercare and take good care of his new baby hairs.
