One of the most widely preferred hair transplant techniques around the world is the FUE hair transplant technique. Since this method has many advantages, it is a little more in the foreground than other methods. Thanks to no incision being made on the scalp, there is no problem such as an incision scar after the operation.
FUE, which stands for Follicular Unit Extraction, is known the process dates back to 1988. This technique, which was first applied in Japan, became famous worldwide in 2002.
A hair follicle is a tube-like mini organ which has found in mammals and humans as a general characteristic. Hair follicles are found in the superficial and middle layers of the skin. Humans have around 5 million follicles in the body and nearly 80.000-150.000 in the scalp region.
There are two types of hairs in our body:
Hair growing is like a cycle that has 3 phases. In healthy conditions 85-90% of scalp hairs are in anagen (growing phase), 1% hairs in catagen (transition phase), and 10-15% telogen (resting phase). When you lose 100-200 hairs per day it is accepted as a “normal physiologic condition”. The growing speed of hair strands is near “1cm/month” in normal conditions.
When people have abnormal conditions or genetic predisposition terminal hair start to fall. To the condition, we say hair loss. Hair loss can be reversible or permanent. Here are the types of hair loss:
• Male Pattern Hair Loss
Male pattern hair loss usually begins with a stagnation in the temples or a thinning hair image on the crown, and in some cases progresses to a thinning, followed by a complete loss of the upper part. The hair in the nape and over the ear area is rarely shed, but men over seventy may lose hair in the nape. Both the Hamilton and Norwood scales classify Androgenetic hair loss in men. There are three causative factors for androgenic hair loss: genetic predisposition, the presence of androgen testosterone, and the age of the patient. It causes genetically programmed hairs (in the scale regions) to produce thinner and shorter hairs at each new hair cycle. Testosterone reaches the target organ, in which case the hair follicle testosterone, the enzyme 5α-reductase, converts the testosterone into the high-power di-hydro testosterone hormone that causes the above effects and triggers hair loss.
• Female Pattern Hair Loss
Female pattern hair loss shows scattered thinning in the anterior and crown area of the scalp (Ludwig model) and rarely in the neck and sides. The cavities appear wider and the scalp is more pronounced at the front and midpoint of the head.This is a slow and gradual process and rarely covers the area completely.Androgenetic hair loss in women usually begins with puberty, pregnancy or postmenopausal hormone changes and is quite common in women over 80 years of age. Although there is normally no hair loss recognized by this type of hair loss, there are long-term cases of excessive telogen effluvium. Androgenetic hair loss has three causal factors: age, heredity and the presence of testosterone. Postmenopausal thinning is related to estrogen reduction.
• Telogen Stage Hair Loss (Symptomatic, Reflective Hairloss)
The most common type of hair loss in women is acute telogen effluvium (ATE), but when prolonged it is called chronic telogen effluvium (CTE).
• Acute Telogen Stage Hair Loss
Acute telogen effluvium presents a sudden excessive hair loss with a diffuse scattered distribution across the scalp. A large amount of bristles will be seen in the brush and comb, especially when the hair is shampooed and softened. Many hairs will appear small in the examination of the scalp. Also, there will be very short re-growing conical hairs of similar length along the scalp; The length of the bristles depends on the duration of the condition.
• Chronic Telogen Stage Hair Loss
Telogen hair loss is called Chronic if it lasts more than nine months. Chronic telogen effluvium usually begins with a sudden spill caused by trauma, but can sometimes have a gradual onset and a seemingly ambiguous cause. In particular, there is a loss of hair density in longer hair and lengths, and there is also a diffuse thinning of the hair separations. Hair does not reach the usual length, and there are conical hairs that extend again in different lengths along the head. Re-growth with chronic telogen hair loss is still available, but different lengths. Mostly longer hairs will fall, but shorter hairs are also noticeable. The hair will not grow because the growth length is shortened.
• Anagen Stage Hair Loss
Anagen effluvium is a severe hair loss caused by poisoning due to a direct toxic effect in the cells that rapidly divide the hair follicles immediately after chemotherapy or poisoning. Causes hair loss shortly after chemotherapy, but most people grow again soon after stopping treatment.
• Seborrheic Dermatitis
Seborrheic eczema is a chronic relapsing inflammatory scalp condition that occurs in the seborrheic areas (where more sebaceous glands are present). Despite its name, oily skin is not necessarily required. It presents different signs of excessive exfoliation and scabbing of dried exudation on a red and moist scalp, ranging from mild pruritic scaling to erythema. and pustulation together with secondary infections. Seborrheic eczema is rare in childhood. It begins during or after puberty and lasts for life.
• Contact Dermatitis
Irritant dermatitis is caused by a substance that can cause cell damage when strong concentrations, ie, bleach, relaxant (sodium hydroxide) are applied. Weak concentrations of sequential applications may also occur when shampoo is used. This substance is called a primary irritant. The causative reaction may be inflammatory, but not an allergic reaction. The primary irritants that can cause non-allergic reactions include hair cosmetics such as shampoos, hair conditioners, lotion adjustment or allowed lotions, coarse dyes on black hair and muscle relaxants. Plants and metals can create similar problems.
• Allergic Dermatitis
Allergic dermatitis is a life-threatening reaction to a substance previously used on the skin. The reaction takes place after a while. Allergic reaction creates an extremely irritating reaction that occurs after the application of a substance to the skin.A few hours or even days after the application of the substance, the affected skin may be swollen, red and fluffy or dry and crusted. The area in contact with the substance is often affected, but when the scalp is affected, the reaction can spread to the eyes and face, and sometimes swollen lymph nodes and secondary infection. It may be anaphylactic shock with respiratory restriction. . It causes allergic dermatitis, intense itching and burning.
• Psoriasis
Psoriasis often begins on the scalp or elbows is distinctly different from the normal colored skin in which the color is normally adjacent. These areas are covered with dry white, sticky silver scales, which can sometimes be quite dense. These scales are not easily removed, but when they are, rough lined skin with bleeding points underneath can be seen. Other areas that may be affected are the knees, elbows. Nails and toenails can be affected by thimble cupping. Hard and painful joints can accompany psoriasis.The cause of psoriasis is unknown, but it seems to be a familial feature. Two percent of Caucasians are known to suffer from discomfort more often seen between the ages of ten and thirty.The situation is triggered by stress, skin damage, disease and bacterial infection. Itching to an adjacent region usually refers to the extension of the condition.
• Folliculitis
Folliculitis is an inflammation and infection of the hair follicle, which mostly affects black young men. Symptoms of folliculitis are pustules and follicular inflammation along the scalp, but they can often involve raised nodules and keloidal scars that affect the skin, as well as the occipital area. Symptoms may include prolonged intense itching and may occur in any hairy body area.
• Necrotic Acne
Acne necrotica milliarias present yellow pustules that are extremely itchy. They are located at the point where the hair follicles open to the skin. The pustules have a cone-shaped shell on a moist base and are pin-head in size. Four or five of these small lesions can be found scattered throughout the scalp. They tend to affect the top of the scalp, and when they are healed, they form small scars that may result in loss of pattern on the hair, which may result in scarring.
• Hair Fungus
It is a superficial fungal infection of the scalp that mostly affects children. A gray scale and erythema with irregular hair loss that shows fragile hairs and broken hairs. The patch or patches are circular and show dry, dull-broken hairs, which differ from the surrounding non-infected hair. The bristles tend to lie at different angles relative to each other.
• Alopecia Areata.
Alopecia areata, which is often the hardest type of hair loss, offers a range of circularly bald areas. They sometimes combine with other bald areas. Alopecia areata, which is often the hardest type of hair loss, offers a range of circularly bald areas. They sometimes combine with other bald areas. The hair follicles are clearly visible, and the earliest bald area usually extends again, often with white hairs in the center of baldness. When hair loss covers the entire scalp, it is called alopecia totalis. Alopecia universalis is called when the whole body is affected.
• Ophiasis
Ophiasic areata is a marginal presentation of alopecia areata and may affect the neck and front and sides of the scalp. This type of alopecia areata may be more permanent.
• Traumatic Alopecia
Traumatic alopecia is often seen in the upper ears of the scalp and sometimes shows hair loss in the crown area as irregular bald areas. In this region, bristle and short-growing hairs will grow again. It is caused by excessive chemical, thermal or physical trauma as well as scalp scratching. Traumatic alopecia is common in Afro-type hair when exposed to any or all of the above hair styling methods for extended periods of time.
• Traumatic Hair Loss
Trichotillomania is a form of self-injurious physical trauma and a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. They are very common in children and usually grow with habit. However, it is a much more difficult habit to break in adults.
• Scarrıng Alopecia
Scarring alopecia often presents as an irregular, bright, irregular area of the skin, which may be a darker or lighter color than the surrounding itself. Hair follicles are absent and the skin may be atrophic, even elevated and thickened (Keloid). A wound occurs when a wound heals itself after deep tissue damage. The structure of the scar tissue is different from normal skin and does not support normal hair growth. There are three main causes of scarring: chemical causes, infection and autoimmune disease.
Hair follicles are taken one by one from the part determined as the donor area and fixed to the part where hair transplantation is desired. During planting, just as during harvesting, Grafts are carried out one by one. In this way, the surgeon is aimed to take the least damage to the hair follicles. Otherwise, if it was done in bulk, many living hair follicles could be damaged during the process. This is one of the advantageous aspects of the process.
It is a process that requires a little more time compared to other applications. The reason for this is that each hair root is taken care of one by one. This hair transplantation technique, which was performed using a Biopsy punch a few years ago, is now applied much more practically and successfully with special microsurgical devices.
Apart from these, the FUE hair transplantation technique has been chosen as the gold standard by the ISHRS Association, which shows how important and reliable the procedure is.
In the Clinista FUE hair transplantation technique is applied to individuals coming from abroad with a success rate of very close to 100%. For this, photos of their hair are requested from patients who reach the clinic using any kind of communication way (social media, the contact information on the clinic’s website, etc.).
In this way, a preliminary examination is made. The individual is informed about how to apply a transaction and the price. If there are details that he or she is curious about, he or she also asks about them.
If the individual wishes to have a hair transplant with Clinista, he or she must inform the clinic 2 weeks in advance and set the appointment date. At this stage, a small amount of deposit is taken from the individual to replace the promise. Then, procedures such as accommodation, pick-up from the airport with a VIP vehicle, and flight tickets are handled by the clinic staff.
When the patient comes to Turkey, he or she is taken by VIP vehicle and transported to his or her hotel. After staying at the hotel for the first night, he or she goes to the clinic the next day and undergoes a re-examination process. All procedures are carried out by specialist physicians who have received med- school training. During the examination process, some procedures such as PCR test, blood tests and anamnesis are carried out to check beforehand whether the health conditions of the individual are suitable for the procedure.
If there is no health disability, the individual is hospitalized a few hours before the FUE technique application. In the meantime, her or his hair should be cut. Otherwise, some complications may develop as the hair will produce bacteria. In order to prevent this, haircut is important.
Then channels are opened on the donor area and hair follicles are collected during the procedure. Hair follicles are placed in a container with a special solution. Then, the hair is planted one by one on the area to be transplanted.
The next day, the individual is given post-opreative care. After all health conditions stabilize, the individual is discharged and accompanied to the airport by VIP vehicle transfer.
In the FUE hair transplant technique, there are some issues that the individual should pay attention to so that the procedure process is more comfortable and the risk of complications is minimized.
