TOP 3 Things You Need to Know about Hair Transplant Package Offers in Turkey!
written by Matt Dominance
If you are new to my website, make sure you read Medical Disclaimer before you continue reading this article.
In this post you’ll find out:
- Normal FUE vs Sapphire FUE vs DHI – which one to choose?
- Why you should always go with Packages with Doctor Performed Incisions!
- Why technicians are going to do 80%-100% of the job by most of the Turkish clinics offering package deals!
You can also Fill out the Contact Form below this Article for Finding out the best Clinic in Turkey for your Budget!
1. Normal FUE vs Sapphire FUE vs DHI - which one to choose?
Hair transplant clinics like to ”confuse” patients by offering different all-inclusive packages (hotel, airport transfers, PRP sessions, surgery, etc.) for a fixed price.
Often times, however patients have trouble choosing the right type of package because of different implantation method being offered.
Sapphire FUE, normal FUE, DHI, etc.
One of the most frequently asked questions I get form guys who are interested in a hair transplant in Turkey is: Which method should I choose Matt?
Turkish hair transplant clinics are unfortunately the most influential factor which is responsible for recent confusion around the hair transplant techniques over the last 5 years.
ISHRS (the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery) differentiates only between 2 main techniques: FUE and FUT.
This distinction is originates in different ways of harvesting the hair follicles from the donor area.
Is there a best Implantation Technique to minimize scarring, maximize transplanted hair density and healing?
After multiple years of researching hair transplants, seeing thousands of hair transplant results and talking to multiple doctors who use different implantation methods incl. DHI, sapphire FUE, normal FUE utilizing blades vs needles vs stick&place method), I realized that the skill of the doctor ultimately trumps the implantation method used.
Look at the skill of the doctor with this or that implantation method before deciding to get a hair transplant.
“‘Techniques” like FUE Sapphire, Perkutan FUE, DHI (dull vs sharp implanter), stick and place FUE are just different ways of placing the harvested hair follicles onto patient’s recipient area.
In theory, each implantation method can have its advantages against the other method, but ultimately it always comes down to how many years a doctor has spent learning and mastering a particular implantation method.
If the doctor is experienced, only then patients can benefit from the full utility of a particular implantation method.
The implantation technique will always matter less as long as the doctor performing the incision-making/implantation is able to:
- Properly control the depth and direction of the incision
- Control excessive bleeding during the surgery which enables faster heeling
- Is accustomed to one particular implantation technique which enables him to be efficient and precise, and place follicular units in higher densities
Some of the TOP FUE doctors who use DHI as an implantation method:
Dr. Couto, Dr. Lorenzo, or Dr. de Freitas, Eugenix.
Another great FUE doctors who don’t use DHI:
Dr. Bisanga, Dr. Feriduni, Dr. Heitmann, Dr. Devroye, Dr. Mwamba, Dr. Lam.
This only confirms that it is all about devoting years of practice to one or the other implantation method rather than about the method itself.
By looking at the results of these doctors you will find out that all of them are able to produce consistent results of high naturalness, and high density.
DHI and Sapphire FUE - Marketing or Not?
Many clinics in Turkey actually use DHI as a Marketing Tactic to make patients spend more money but is there an additional benefit for you as a patient?
This clinic in Turkey uses DHI as the ”most popular” option. Is it really true? Who knows! But for some reason, they want patients to select this option. Is it only to make more money or to help the patient get a better result?
DHI cost are higher than normal FUE
Utilizing DHI as a hair transplant clinic means additional cost for implanter needles (which are disposable and thus can’t be re-used by another patient) as well as cost for additional 1 or 2 assistants for loading the implanter pens with grafts.
More staff and higher material cost make DHI more expensive compared to normal FUE utilizing needles or blades for recipient sites creation.
But why not stick to the normal FUE?
It is true that with normal FUE implantation (using needles or blades), the incisions (recipient sites) need to be done a little bit wider initially, because the hair follicles won’t be placed inside of them until all of the recipient sites had been created. Incision making can take from 30-60 minutes based on how many graft/hair follicles will be implanted.
The incisions start to shrink over time and that’s why their openings need to be made wider initially. This can in theory mean more trauma and more scarring to the recipient area unlike with DHI or stick&place.
With DHI or stick&place implantation methods, incision and graft placement occurs simultaneously. This enables the incisions (openings into the recipient area skin) to be made at the ideal size (just wide enough to accommodate the placed graft/hair follicle).
Sapphire FUE - What does the study say?
In this study on Sapphire FUE they tried to mathematically check the tissue trauma (injury) caused by different shapes of the blades at varying angles during recipient sites creation. Check the study here.
The results of the study on Sapphire FUE speak for itself. It is not about the blade material e.g sapphire, but rather about the angle of insertion.
2. Always go with Packages with Doctor Performed Incisions!
Doctor who performs the incisions himself is more likely to:
- Care about the end result than a technician whose name is not representing the clinic. Technicians can come and leave the clinic whenever they want but it’s the doctor’s name, which is tied to the clinic’s website and marketing.
- Properly estimate the blade/needle/implanter size before starting the incision making process and thus avoids unnecessary scarring, graft popping as a result of recipient sites being done too tight, etc.
- Create an artistic and natural hairline design instead of mechanically going through the motions from patient to patient
- Properly execute the angles of the incisions in order to minimize wounding to the skin as well as achieving the most natural result possible
In this example it would be probably the safest to choose the VIP DHI SAPPHIRE package where the doctor is likely to perform the incisions himself. But please, don’t see this as a direct recommendation either!!
3. Technicians are going to do 80%-100% of the job!
If you’re about to book a hair transplant package offer in Turkey, be sure that the technician involvement will be higher compared to a boutique type of clinic where doctor performs one surgery a day with his team on a regular basis.
Clinics who are able to perform multiple surgeries per day are known for outsourcing and building systems. One one hand, it makes them better business men, but on the other hand extreme outsourcing can lead to poor quality.
You want to make sure that the clinic employs experienced technicians, as they are likely going to be responsible for 80% and more of your whole surgery!
How to make sure that the technicians are skilled enough to perform an excellent surgery?
- The clinic should have one main or more than one doctors who have medical license and have extensive training and experience in hair restoration. This generally sets higher demands on technicians who apply for the job at the particular clinic, because hair transplant doctors have higher requirements for a quality technician workers.
- Ask the clinic about how many years have their technicians been working for the clinic?
- Who are their most recent technicians they have accepted to work for their clinic and what is their experience, how many years?
At the end of the day guys who go to hair transplant clinics offering packages and performing 5,10 or even more surgeries per day, need to accept a slight risk of not being able to know it all – especially by clinics that employ more than 15-20 technicians.
In such a case, the clinic itself may not be even able to correctly answer your questions about the experience of each of their workers. And even if they tell you a number, it is more likely to be incorrect compared to a clinic which employs one doctor who has only 1 team that has been working with him ever since.
That’s the risk, one needs to accept for getting a better hair transplant deal in Turkey.
How much risk you are willing to accept for a better price is up to you, but make sure you do a proper research, measure twice but cut only once!