Sapphire FUE Hair Transplant
Advantages of FUE hair transplant compared to FUT
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) technique is the most common hair transplant method nowadays. It is a significant improvement compared to Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) technique.
In both of the techniques, donor area is back of the head. The main difference is how the hair grafts are taken. In FUT technique, a strip of the scalp is taken for grafts. In FUE, grafts are taken individually. Accordingly:
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FUT is a more invasive technique. It takes more time to heal
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As strips are taken from the scalp, visible scars remain after FUT. Patients might prefer to have long hair so that scars can't be seen
We perform only FUE and DHI (Choi pens) methods, which are preferred for natural results and more comfortable operation and healing processes.
Maximum Number of Grafts with FUE
At most 5000-5500 grafts can be transplanted in one hair transplant session.
Number of grafts that can be transplanted depends on a number of factors:
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Size of the hair loss area
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Natural density of hair
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Hair type (straight, curly etc.)
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Whether another transplant has been done before
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Gender and age
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Availability of donor
If desired, more grafts can be transplanted in another session. These 2 sessions must be separated by 6 months at least.
Using Sapphire Blades in the Transplant
Standard approach in FUE is to use steel blades for making cuts on the scalp during the operation. Still, even better results can be achieved via using Sapphire blades instead of steel ones.
Sapphire is a precious gemstone. It has antibacterial properties; scalp tissue infection risk is minimized.
Moreover, with Sapphire blades, it is possible to make finer cuts in target (transplant) area. This results in less bleeding, smaller scars and faster healing. This also means that scalp will be smoother after the healing period.
Donors are taken from back of the head between 2 ears. For exceptional cases when there are not sufficient grafts in the scalp, facial or chest hair can be used as donors.
Direct Hair Implant (DHI)
What Makes DHI Different?
DHI is also known as Choi technique due to the special equipment used. It can be described as a refinement of FUE technique. The difference in FUE and DHI is how the grafts are transplanted.
In DHI technique, specialized Choi pens are used, and extracted hair follicles are directly transplanted into target area without making channel incisions. DHI has advantages in certain cases:
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It is possible to not shave hair transplant area (Donor area is still shaved as FUE)
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Dense transplant is easier, especially for the front area
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Direction and angle of transplanted graft can be adjusted. This is an advantage for front area
DHI is always is preferred for transplants for women. Men can have it as well.
From surgeons’ perspective, DHI is harder to perform. It requires more attention. Related to this, it is more costly.
Not all cases are suitable for DHI. Please contact us and send your pictures so that we can assess your case.
DHI or Sapphire FUE?
Both Sapphire FUE and DHI are among the most advanced hair transplant techniques. They have similar success rates. Each has its own advantages. As each hair loss case is unique, it is always necessary to make a detailed assessment to determine number of grafts and the preferred technique.
Therefore, what matters is that the appropriate technique for your case is chosen.
Second Hair Transplant
You had a hair transplant in the past and now you want to have once more? Now, this is totally possible.
Hair transplant operation can be performed more than once, and satisfactory results are achieved. Both DHI and FUE techniques can be applied, depending on the case. There must be at least 6 months between two transplants.
Since part of the grafts (from back of head) are used in the first transplant, there will be fewer available for the second one. Thus, we don’t take excessive number of grafts from a small area. Instead, a wider area is used as donor. Sometimes beard or chest are considered as donor areas as well.
Beard and Mustache Transplant
Facial hair transplants are also possible. Back of head between 2 ears is the donor area. Scalp hair and facial hair have very similar properties. Thus, totally natural results are achieved.
Both partial and full beard transplants are possible. In case of a full beard transplant, up to 4000 grafts can be transplanted.
Unshaven Hair Transplant
Unshaven hair transplant is possible, thanks to DHI technique. Only donor area (back of head between 2 ears) is shaved. Front and top is not shaved.
All women prefer unshaven hair transplant. Of course, men can choose to have so. If you want to have an unshaven transplant, please inform us during the initial assessment.
Results are not different between shaved and unshaved hair transplants. Unshaven option is for patients that want to keep their hair for visual purposes.