Unshaven Hair Transplant & Costs 2023

Unshaven Hair Transplant : One of the frequently asked questions by patients planning to have hair transplantation surgery is whether hair transplantation can be done without shaving. Unshaven Hair Transplantation is actually a method that people really want to prefer when undergoing hair transplantation operation.

As individuals, we tend to see our hair as a reflection of our identity and even as the way we define ourselves. Therefore, it is not surprising that a person is reluctant to shave his head when thinking about having a hair transplant. Some people don’t even want to admit it when they are told that their head needs to be shaved before a hair transplant.

Hair Scrape

First of all, we will talk about some of the main reasons why patients hesitate to shave their hair:

It can be a traumatic experience for individuals, especially for women who use their hair long

To hide hair transplantation, a shaved head will make hair transplant surgery obvious
Due to the nature of the patient’s work, there will be restrictions especially for those who work in jobs such as representatives

Fortunately, the individual no longer needs to shave their entire head before hair transplantation with the DHI method, because patients are now offered the opportunity to choose from four options;

1.Fully shaved (both donor and recipient area)

The fully shaved hair transplant procedure is the most commonly used method among all options. It is a technique in which both the donor area and the recipient area are shaved.

2.Donor area shave only

The second option is the hair transplantation technique, which requires only the donor area to be shaved.

3.Partially shaving (only a small area on the back of the head that cannot be detected)

4.Completely unshaven

The remaining two options are; Since partially shaved and completely unshaven hair transplantation forms the backbone of this article, we will focus only on the last two methods.

Before proceeding with our article, we would like to clarify and highlight some important points related to our topic. Unfortunately, some clinics mislead people into believing that they will receive certain treatments that do not actually exist or cannot be performed. A clinic that doesn’t actually do unshaven hair transplants may misrepresent that they’re doing it, and when the patient comes to the clinic, they will tend to convince them to do a standard hair transplant by explaining the complications and difficulties associated with the unshaven hair transplant session.

Partially Shaved Hair Transplantation Methods

DHI

DHI is a technique in which the head is shaved ‘partially’ but hidden. The term ‘unshaved’ is used to indicate that a small area in the donor area will be shaved but the fact that it has been shaved will remain ‘undetectable’.

Unshaven Hair Transplantation with DHI Method

Patients with longer hair who need around 2800 grafts or less for a hair transplant may be a good candidate for a ‘partial shaving session’. This procedure, also called linear shaving, is done on the back of the patient’s head or positioned in small lines or square in such a way that the hair above falls out and easily hides the shaved spot.

Since it is important to provide adequate coverage, the doctor may ask the patient to grow the hair a little longer by 6-7 cm length before the hair transplantation procedure.

Advantages of Partial Shave Hair Transplantation

Patients can preserve their original hair in the same style and length during and after the procedure. It allows patients to return to work shortly after treatment, without revealing that they have undergone the procedure.

Since the number of grafts to be transplanted is less, the overall recovery time may be shorter.

The crusts formed in the donor area after the operation will not be visible.

Disadvantages of Partial Shave Hair Transplantation

This procedure can only be applied to patients with long hair. Fewer follicular units are collected during the session. Treatment may require more than one session to achieve the desired result, but there should be an interval of at least 6 months between 2 sessions.

There is a risk of overharvest as the donor area is limited to a small portion.
The overall procedure cost is higher.

Unshaven Hair Transplantation

Completely unshaven hair transplantation is a procedure in which shaving the donor area for the removal of follicles is completely eliminated and the hair remains intact. That is why it is called unshaven hair transplantation.

It is important that the patient is aware of the limitations associated with both ‘unshaven’ sessions and receives consultation from a surgeon who is an expert in the field to determine if he or she is a good candidate to undergo such a procedure.

For example, if the patient has experienced severe hair loss, especially in the crown area, and requires an excessive amount of grafts (about 3,000-4,000 grafts), his head will be completely shaved. This decision is usually made after the patient is examined by the physician during the planning phase of the hair transplantation process.

In cases where the patient’s hair is weak and there is an opportunity to process between the strands of hair, especially if the hair loss is limited to the anterior area or only a small area needs to be harvested, typically 1000 follicular units are enough to cover the hair loss, then the doctor may consider performing a full ‘unshaved’ session.

Advantages of Unshaven Hair Transplantation

In the unshaven hair transplant procedure, during the extraction process, a round-tipped rotary punch with diameters, usually ranging from 0.7-0.95 mm, is used to draw around the hair follicle, and a full repetitive 360-degree cycle is rotated as it penetrates the skin to separate it from all tissue inserts. After the individual follicular units are removed so that the hair remains at its normal length, they are cut to the root. After the hair strands are cut, the implantation process begins by transplanting the grafts into the existing hair, one by one, to the thinned or balding areas of the scalp, using a choi Implanter pen (DHI Technique).

As with all other hair transplant procedures, the patient will continue to experience shock shedding (temporary loss of newly transplanted hair) in the first few weeks after the unshaven session.

Shaving is completely avoided.

The patient needs to have long hair, similar to the partially shaved hair transplant procedure, but the length can be shorter than 6-7 cm.

The crusts and crusts that form in the donor area after surgery will almost never be visible.

Since the number of grafts to be transplanted is less, the overall recovery time may be shorter.

Disadvantages of Unshaven Hair Transplantation

It is a labor-intensive and meticulous procedure that requires the surgeon performing the surgery to have a good education, experience and skills.

In the first version of the DHI hair transplant method, the amount of grafts that could be removed in one session was less compared to the FUE method, but today, thanks to improvements in the technique, it is possible to get higher amounts of grafts by providing patients with the hair density and scope necessary to achieve satisfactory hair transplant results.

Although the patient gets a preliminary view immediately after the procedure, the transplanted grafts will be shed between the 2nd and 4th weeks after surgery.

DHI hair transplantation procedure usually takes longer to complete compared to other hair transplantation methods.
DHI hair transplantation is slightly more expensive than other hair transplantation procedures.

Preference Rate of Unshaven Hair Transplantation

In Hürrem Sultan Hospital, which was opened as a polyclinic in 1998 in Üsküdar and has been serving in a closed area of 4000 square meters as a hospital since 2002, we perform hair transplantation procedures with specialist doctors and the latest technology.

As Hürrem Sultan Hospital, we have followed the evolution of hair transplantation techniques and have proven our expertise in hair transplantation operations over the years by performing surgeries on thousands of patients with the vast experience we have gained throughout this transformation. Contact us to get more information and create an appointment.

Unshaven Hair Transplant