Thinning hair is a problem affecting millions of men and women around the world. The most common cause of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia, so-called pattern baldness. This reduces both the number of healthy hair follicles and the diameter of the remaining hair. To combat this, thousands of patients choose to undergo a hair transplant in Turkey.
Hair transplants offer the only truly permanent solution for thinning hair and hair loss. But just how effective are they in providing natural-looking, dense coverage? To answer that, we need to first discuss how hair density is measured, and what levels are expected.
Natural Hair Density
A full, healthy head of hair will typically contain anywhere from 70-120 hairs per cm2. Hair density from 50-80/cm2 is often barely perceptible or unnoticed, whereas below 50/cm2 is considered to be noticeably thinning hair. These numbers can vary greatly from person to person due to several factors including hair texture, length, and hair/skin contrast.
Hair Transplant Density
Typically, the minimum coverage provided by hair transplant will be no lower than 40 grafts per cm2, however, it is far more common to plan for 60-70 hair grafts per cm2. A single hair graft will commonly contain multiple hairs – up to four follicular units per graft, with two being a good average. More hairs per graft are often used at the crown of the head, whereas single hair grafts are used for the hairline.
What Factors Impact Density?
The density and results of a hair transplant are affected by many factors. The most common are:
- Hair Color – More specifically, the contrast between a patient’s hair and skin color. Those with light hair/skin or dark hair/skin will see better results with fewer grafts.
- Age – Patients whose hair loss has stabilised over the years are going to see the best long-term results. For this reason, it is advised that hair transplant recipients be at least 25 years of age, and have seen no new hair loss for the last few years.
- Existing Hair Density – Transplanted follicular units are removed from a donor area, commonly at the back of the head. If this area has a high density, more hairs may be removed without affecting the overall appearance.
How dense of coverage any patient can expect can only be determined by a consultation with a hair restoration surgeon.
The Highest Hair Transplant Density
At the Dr Serkan Aygin Clinic, we specialise in both Sapphire FUE and DHI hair transplants.
FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) transplants require the creation of thousands of millimeter-sized channels into which the extracted hairs are placed. Traditionally, this was done using a conventional steel scalpel, however, Dr Aygin has pioneered the use of special sapphire blades in this procedure. This allows for the creation of finer, denser channels while minimising risks of bleeding or scarring.
DHI (Direct Hair Implantation) is a slightly modified version of the FUE technique where the extracted hairs are implanted directly into the recipient area with the use of a Choi Implanter Pen, allowing for more precise placement of implanted hair grafts.
Even with these advancements, it is typically not possible to transplant more than 60 grafts per cm2. The reason for this is that placing too many grafts in one area runs the risk of necrosis of the scalp, causing the hairs to die from a lack of blood and nutrient supply. A typical hair transplant operation may require anywhere from 3,000-6,000 grafts.
Achieve great density at he Dr Serkan Aygin Clinic
Located in the heart of Istanbul and named La Razon’s 2019 “Best Medical Tourism Facility”, the Dr Serkan Aygin clinic is a leading destination for international patients. With more than 25 years of experience, Dr Aygin has helped more than 15,000 patients and has a hair regrowth rate of 98%. Our clinic offers all-inclusive hair transplant packages that cover every aspect of your care, both before and after your operation. Contact us today to schedule your full, free consultation with one of our hair restoration experts.
