The Latest Hair Transplant Method: Direct Hair Implantation
DHI, Direct Hair Implantation is the most advanced and innovative hair restoration treatment performed with a Choi implanter pen to treat hair loss in men and women painlessly and in a short time. DHI technique is developed upon the basis of graft extraction – transplantation technique (such as in Follicular Unit Extraction) in which hair follicles are harvested from a donor area (a place in the body where hair is extracted, usually the back of the head) and implanted to the recipient area where balding is experienced.
DHI technique is regarded as a breakthrough in hair transplant procedures to achieve the most natural-looking results. The use of the Choi pen makes it possible to implant hair more densely, with very little impact on the integrity of the skin and perform hair transplant without shaving the head completely. Let's have a closer look at this novelty tool:
What is a Choi Implanter?
Developed to be used in DHI hair transplantation, a Choi implanter needle, as well as being very thin, posseses a cylindrical and sharp tip. This cylindrical tipped Choi needle is shaped like a channel and the hair follicles can be placed in the needle by being pushed through the channel.
The hair follicles that were placed in the needle are transplanted to the scalp with the push function of the needle at the angle and direction determined by the doctor. Different sized tips are used depending on the thickness of the patients hair and follicle type. 2 to 6 Choi pens and approximately 15-16 Choi tips can be used throughout the operation.
What are the Advantages of DHI Hair Transplant Compared to FUE Method?
When we make a comparison, such as DHI hair transplant vs FUE, one of the greatest advantages of DHI over classic FUE emerges to be the lack of need to perforate (ie., making incisions to create hair transplant channels where grafts are inserted) the skin in the recipient area. This minimizes the trauma and bleeding while ensuring a faster DHI hair transplant recovery time (around 10 days, as the scabbing falls off) and wound healing.
How is DHI (Choi) Method Performed?
DHI hair transplant operation, as with a standard hair transplant, starts with harvesting eligible hair follicles from the donor area with the help of a micro motor. Then, the harvested follicles are transferred to a sterile environment with surgical forceps. This procedure is called harvesting follicles.
Later, the harvested hair follicles are placed in the Choi implamenter pen one by one. This must be done very carefully in order not to damage the hair follicles. The assistants who are in charge of placing the follicles give the pen to the doctor for transplantation after carefully placing every single follicle. The expert doctor implants the follicles within the implanter with a 40-45 degree angle and in the natural direction of the hairs. Depending on the number of the grafts to be transplanted, the whole hair transplant operation can take 10-12 hours.
After a high density hair transplant applied with the DHI method, a check up is done in the first day after and the washing takes place in the second day.
DHI Hair Transplant Stages
The stages of a DHI Hair Transplant surgery can be summarized under two major parts, namely hair follicle extraction (ie., obtaining hair follicles from a donor area) and hair follicle transplantation (ie., impaling the obtained follicles into the scalp or other areas such as eyebrows, beard, or eyelashes).
Just like the FUE hair transplant, Direct Hair Implantation (DHI) procedure is performed under local anaesthesia to be administered by an anesthesiologist to ensure a smooth and painless hair transplant experience for our patients. At Dr Serkan Aygin Clinic, we also offer soft sedation options for our patients to provide utmost comfort.
1- Hair Follicle Extraction
The following steps are followed during the graft harvest stage of DHI hair transplant / DHI eyebrow hair transplant / DHI Body Hair Transplant at Dr Serkan Aygic Clinic.
- The donor area (back of the head, beard or chest) of the patient is shaved, while the recipient area requires no shaving.
- Donor hair is selected systematically with the best density ratio and with the assistance of a 0,7 mm 0,8 mm or 1,00 mm micro motor punch device or manual punch tool (Note that the tip sizes of these two instruments vary according to the thickness of the hair follicles).
2- Hair Implantation
As the hair implantation in the DHI method does not require any effort to store the grafts or create a recipient site by making incisions, grafts obtained are directly implanted without a delay.
- Grafted hair follicles are very gently inserted in the hollow needle tips of different Choi implanter pens by expert hair transplant technicians.
- The spring mechanism of the implanter pen is triggered by pressing down the plunger. Thus, the sharp tip of the Choi pen loaded with hair follicles pierces through the skin and places a graft under the skin at an angle of 45 degrees for scalp hair.
The Advantages of DHI Choi Technique
By minimizing the amount of time hair follicles spend outside skin, it ensures that the hair transplant process happens in a healthier way. Thus, increases the survival rate of the follicles. As the incision site is smaller, it brings down the possiblility of a bleed to the minimum, in this way it allows for a faster healing rate after the hair transplant operation, which allows the patients to return to their daily lives in a short amount of time without any discomfort.
In classic FUE, grafts obtained need to be sorted and stored in a special solution while a hair transplant surgeon creates channels by making small cuts. However, it is known that the time hair-bearing tissues spend outside the body may negatively influence the survival rate of follicles.
Addressing this problem, in DHI Choi pen hair transplants, once the grafts are obtained from the donor area, they are immediately loaded into the Choi implanter pen. At this point, it should be noted that the use of Choi pens provides better precision and accuracy for the hair transplant surgeon.
Finally, the graft-bearing tip of the pen penetrates the skin to implant the hair follicles under the skin directly without damaging surrounding tissues. Minimizing the time hair follicles spend outside the scalp or any other donor area bolsters up the survival rate of grafts and helps patients achieve successful DHI hair transplant results at Dr. Serkan Aygin Clinic.
| Advantages of DHI Choi Technique | The Disadvantages |
| Increased survival rate of grafts | Limited to 4000 grafts |
| The high success rate of the hair transplant | Higher cost due to: |
| Hair transplant without shaving the donor area (enabling long hair transplants such as hair transplant for women) | Costly equipment |
| Minimal damage to the surrounding tissues | The number of highly experienced specialists needed during the operation |
| Higher density for graft implants | Requires meticulous effort |
| No need for incisions in the recipient area | |
| No problems related to tissue storage after extraction | |
| Quick recovery after surgery |
Is My Hair Type Compatible With DHI/Choi Method?
DHI method was first invented in Kyungpook National University in South Korea. In the research conducted by doctors specialized in hair transplantation further improve this technique, it was found out that Choi implamenter pen was not compatible with every hair type. As an example, especially thin and curly hair follicles were shown to be damaged during the their placement inside the pen and the implamentation process. Research to correct this issue has helped to improve the pen so that it is not only used for Asian hair unique for its straight and thick nature, but is also eligible for use for more generalizedl hair types.
In the light of the scientific and technological improvements, at the point we are today, hair transplant can be done a lot more safely with Choi needle tips with different sizes between 0.64 mm to 1.0 mm width. This way, DHI Choi method has become favorable for hair transplant for patients with different hair types. Still, whether your hair type is suitable for this method or not can only be decided after a consultation with an expert doctor.
Who is Eligible for DHI Hair Transplant?
Most all adult women and men of all ages are eligible for a DHI hair transplant in Turkey. Depending on the hair density and the number of grafts necessary for hair coverage, you can learn if you are an ideal candidate for the DHI hair loss treatment at Dr. Serkan Aygin Clinic.
We should underline that DHI hair transplant without shaving the head completely is possible.
Having to shave down their hair often emerges as a deterrent factor for people who have long hair when they plan to undergo a hair transplant. With the DHI hair transplant method, female hair transplant / long hair transplants are performed by shaving only a small part that can be hidden or covered by the rest of the patient’s hair.
A Complete Pain FREE Method in Hair Transplantation!
Thanks to the use of sedation given under the direct supervision of our anesthesiologist, you feel almost no pain even during the administration of local anesthesia prior to the hair transplant procedure.
This way, you will be having a more comfortable and pain-free hair transplant experience. Even though hair transplants are generally considered as painless procedures, this new method will help our patients who suffer from Trypanophobia (needle phobia), to feel at ease, allowing them to relax during the procedure. This method helps to completely eliminate the already minimal amount of pain involved with the procedure.
What is Sedation?
Sedation is a state of sleep under controlled sedative drug administration without loss of any reflexes, calibrated specifically to the patients needs. The depth of the sedation can be adjusted accordingly.
Do I Have to Receive Sedation?
Safe even for use on younger children, sedation allows for a almost zero discomfort hair transplant. We still offer hair transplant without sedation as an option for patients who prefer not to get sedated at Dr. Serkan Aygin Clinic.
What does an average DHI Hair Transplant Operation Cost?
When compared with the hair implant cost of other hair transplant methods, DHI cost per graft may appear slightly higher due to the intensity of efforts/labour and expertise required for a successful operation. However, though DHI hair transplant price quotations are significantly higher in both European countries and the US, at Dr. Serkan Aygin Clinic we offer affordable and exceedingly high-quality DHI Hair Transplant operations for patients around the world.
