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The different hair transplant techniques.

The current market for hair transplantation is characterized by a wide range of different hair transplant techniques. To help you, in this article we briefly describe the available hair transplant methods, including the advantages and disadvantages of each method.  

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FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) 

FUE is a hair transplant technique in which individual grafts are harvested from the hair ring at the back of the head with a miniscule drill and then transferred to the balding parts of the head.

The FUE technology offers numerous benefits, making it possible, for instance, to harvest and transfer large quantities of grafts in a relatively short time. Also, the miniscule holes that remain after extraction of the follicles will, depending on the skills of the surgeon, usually heal quickly and will not be visible or hardly visible after a few weeks. Due to these advantages the FUE method is used by many clinics nowadays, but that does not alter the fact that this method also has a number of disadvantages.

Disadvantages FUE method

One of the biggest disadvantages of the FUE hair transplant method is that it uses the smallest drill sizes to harvest large numbers of single grafts, i.e. hair follicles containing only one hair. The many thousands of holes that are made in this process (both when removing the grafts and when creating the channels into which they are subsequently reinserted) place an enormous burden on the scalp, while there is also the risk of damage to existing hair. The success or failure of the procedure is strongly dependent on the skills of the specialist who performs the treatment. He must be able to sense exactly how far he can go without causing trauma or irreparable damage. If you are treated by an inexperienced hair transplant specialist, this can certainly be risky.

When large numbers of single grafts are transplanted, this also means that in many cases the density of the transplanted hair and thus the result of the treatment will not be optimal, so that several sessions are often required to achieve the desired result.

Another major disadvantage of the FUE technique is that only standard protocol is used. One standard treatment method that is applied in all cases, and where, for example, no account is taken of whether the client is a man or a woman. Or that there may be scalp problems in the form of eczema or dermatitis, or that the client has already been treated and the donor area is depleted. Neither does the FUE method take into account the fact that the blood circulation in the skin can vary per person, so that the optimum depth at which the grafts must be placed can also vary. If the blood circulation in the skin is weaker, the hair transplanted with the FUE method will not grow optimally, so that the result of the treatment will often be disappointing.

Despite the disadvantages mentioned, good results can still be achieved with the FUE technique. Certainly if there is a healthy donor area that has never been treated before. According to our clinic experience, the success rate of the FUE technique is around 30%. The FUE CT technique, on the other hand, has a success rate of no less than 97%. Underneath we will explain why this difference is so great.

FUT (Follicular Unit Transplant) 

Although the FUT technique is very outdated and rarely ever used these days, for completeness sake, we still describe it here.

FUT is a technique whereby a long thin strip of scalp is removed from the back of the head, after which the scalp is sewn together again. Under a microscope, the strip is divided into separate hair follicles, which are then inserted into the balding parts of the head.

Disadvantages of the FUT method 

The biggest disadvantage of the FUT technique is that it only produces marginal results. The reason for this is that only a limited number of grafts can be harvested and transplanted from the removed scalp strip. Therefore, multiple sessions will always be needed to achieve an acceptable level of density of the transplanted hair.

In addition, treatments performed with this method are experienced as very stressful. The painful wound that remains on the back of the head after the procedure has a long, painful recovery period, after which a considerable, unsightly scar remains that runs the entire width of the back of the head and which will always be clearly visible under short hair. For many men this alone is sufficient reason to never opt for this method.

FUE Sapphire

Sapphire is, after diamond, the second hardest gem and as a material ideal for use in hair transplants. Sapphire drills are therefore widely used by all hair transplantation institutions to open the channels in which the grafts are transplanted.

The FUE-Sapphire method uses the thinnest channel openers in the market. This allows large numbers of channels to be opened on a small area, while also making it possible to create channels between existing hairs without damaging them.

In specific circumstances, the use of sapphire drills can certainly be the right choice, for example when treating someone who has very thin hair or a very weak donor area. But to use exclusively sapphire drills and then to call that the Sapphire method is undoubtedly a handy move from a marketing point of view, but in many cases this will be more detrimental than advantageous.

Disadvantages FUE Sapphire method

One of the main disadvantages of the FUE Sapphire method is that through the exclusive use of ultra-thin drills mainly single grafts can be harvested. As a result, even with a very extensive session, optimum density of the transplanted hair will rarely be achieved in one go, as a consequence of which people often have to be treated several times with the Sapphire method to achieve the desired result.

In addition, for the Sapphire method only one protocol is followed, with all the resulting adverse consequences as described in the FUE method (link to “Disadvantages of the FUE method”). Do you have thin hair or a weak donor area, or is your donor area depleted because you have had multiple transplants? Then working with ultra-thin drills is definitely the way to go, as also described in the FUE CT method used by Hairworld Istanbul (link). But in all other cases, the Sapphire method will bring you a disadvantage rather than an advantage. Because only a limited number of hairs can be transferred, you may have to undergo several treatments to achieve the desired result. And if the specialist who performs the treatment does not have the required experience and skills to know how to handle the ultra-thin drills, as with the FUE method, you also run an increased risk of a traumatized scalp or damage to your existing hair.

The FUE Sapphire method is in fact a variant of the standard FUE method, the only difference being that sapphire drills are used. So, as is also the case with standard FUE, good results can also be achieved using the FUE Sapphire technique. Especially if the donor area is healthy and has never been treated before. But again, according to our clinic experience, the success rate of FUE Sapphire does not exceed 30%, while that of the FUE CT method is no less than 97%. You can read more about this later.

FUE DHI

With the FUE DHI method, the harvested grafts are not placed in pre-opened channels, but “pricked” in the area to be treated with a so-called DHI pen. When a very thin pin is used for this purpose, the grafts can be placed at a very small distance from each other, of course with the aim of achieving an optimum density of the transplanted hairs. Under certain circumstances, using a DHI pen is a perfect solution, for example when the goal is to compact the hair or when grafts need to be implanted in between existing hairs. But, as is also the case with the FUE Sapphire method where only sapphire drills are used, working exclusively with the DHI pins has a considerable number of disadvantages that need to be taken into account.

Disadvantages FUE DHI

Firstly, placing the grafts with the help of a DHI pen is a very time-consuming job. If a few thousand holes have to be punctured in the scalp, and this job needs to be done at a fast pace (which is always the case with a hair transplant, because the harvested grafts have to be replaced as quickly as possible), many medical staff will have to be deployed to run a race against the clock, with an increased risk of damage to the grafts.

A second disadvantage occurs when triple grafts are also harvested with the FUE DHI method. After all, these will then have to be implanted with a thicker pin with which, firstly, fewer grafts can be placed and where there is also an increased risk of visible scarring. For this reason, the FUE DHI method mainly implies the use of single grafts, so that in many cases multiple treatments will be required to achieve the desired density.

Moreover, the use of the DHI pens can offer a number of other problems. For example, the direction of growth of the transplanted hair follicles can often not be well-matched, so that the result looks messy. And also, the hair follicles are often placed too far apart, so that the density of the transplanted hair can ultimately be disappointing.

According to our clinic experience, the success rate of the FUE DHI technology is again around 30%. For some people this will be acceptable. Most people, however, prefer to opt for a treatment with a higher proven success rate. Such as that of the FUE CT method of Hairworld Istanbul, which is no less than 97%.

FUE CT 

The FUE CT technique applied by Hairworld Istanbul distinguishes itself from the other techniques available in the market on a number of important points.

The first important distinction is that FUE CT is in all cases based on 100% customization. While the standard FUE technique, like most other methods, is based on one standard approach, within the FUE CT technique there are no less than 30 different, unique protocols. All of these offer surefire solutions for the various problems that we have encountered over time, such as scalp problems, weak donor hairs, problems with the blood circulation of the scalp, an exhausted donor area and a wide range of other health problems. We use all available state-of-the-art techniques and equipment currently available in the market. So yes, at Hairworld Istanbul we certainly also use sapphire drills, when we are dealing with thin hair or a weak donor area. And in certain cases we will also choose to use DHI pens. But we only use these types of technology if there is a specific reason to do so.

When you choose us, you can rest assured that we will always select the right protocol, regardless of your situation. And on the basis of that, we will perform a perfect treatment tailored to your specific needs, custom-made and accurate. The fact that we go much further than all other institutions in this respect is borne out by the fact that we are even able to carry out recovery operations for customers who have already had three or four transplants and who are often at their wits’ end.

A second important point on which the FUE CT method distinguishes itself from all other techniques in the market is the optimum result of our treatments: with us you are usually ready in one go. Only in rare cases where large parts of the head are bald and need to be covered will two treatments be necessary, but usually we will achieve the desired result for you in just one session. The main reason for this is that we can harvest up to 70% multi-grafts, assuming you have a healthy donor area (which has never been treated before and which does not involve genetically determined thin hairs or low density). This is mainly due to the knowledge and expertise of our experienced FUE CT specialists who have made daily practice of harvesting large quantities of multigrafts. Their skills and the use of micro FUE CT drills ensure that the donor area will recover quickly after treatment and that only minimal traces will remain after the transplant.

A third important difference and also a big plus of the FUE-CT treatment is CTS, or Circulation Treatment Stimulators, a unique, balanced formula of specific biological minerals and stimulants that are introduced into the scalp after the treatment in the correct dosage and that stimulate blood flow.

CTS has been specially developed by and for Hairworld Istanbul on the basis of a secret formula of which only we know the composition. The active substances in CTS are produced exclusively for Hairworld Istanbul in Europe and CTS also has an official injectable certificate that is only in the name of Hairworld Istanbul.

Thanks to the use of CTS, clients with weak blood circulation in the scalp can now also achieve good results, while CTS also ensures that the hair loss of existing hairs is curbed.

As the fourth and final point at which we distinguish ourselves from all other institutions in the market, we would like to mention the hair transplant experts who work at Hairworld Istanbul. They certainly make the difference, because they have co-developed the FUE CT method, and are better able than anyone else to implement it. During the thousands of operations they have carried out over the past years, they have built up the experience and skills that enable them to achieve the best possible results for our clients, time and time again. So also for you!

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