A Choi implanter pen opens the channel and places the follicle in one movement. That buys control of angle and depth, and the ability to work without shaving. It also buys fewer grafts per hour, which is the honest reason for the price.
FUE opens recipient channels first and places grafts into them afterwards. DHI loads each graft into a Choi implanter pen that opens the channel and places the follicle in a single movement.Everything else is the same: extraction, anaesthesia, aftercare, the twelve-month curve.
Two things follow from that one difference. The pen controls angle and depth per follicle, and the graft spends less time outside the body. Both matter, and neither is magic.
The implanter diameter is chosen from your graft thickness, not from a price list. Most DHI cases use three sizes:0.6 mmfor single-hair grafts along the hairline,0.7 mmfor two-hair units in the mid-scalp,0.9 mmfor the thickest three-hair units further back.
The needle must match the graft it carries. Too narrow and the follicle is crushed during loading. Too wide and the channel stays open, which invites bleeding and lets the graft shift in the first hours.
A hairline built with 0.9 mm implanters reads as planted from two metres away, because each opening leaves a visible ring of scalp around the shaft. Along the first two or three rows we use 0.6 mm pens loaded with single-hair grafts only, keeping the channel close to the diameter of a natural follicular opening. It is slower work and fewer grafts per hour, and that is the honest reason DHI is priced above sapphire FUE here.
Precision and unshaven cases. The pen controls angle and depth per follicle, which matters most on the frontal line and for women who cannot shave. Grafts also spend less time outside the body.
Large areas. Channels opened in a controlled sequence let the surgeon plan density across a whole region and place four thousand or more grafts efficiently in one day. For a Norwood 4 to 5 covering hairline and crown, FUE is the pragmatic choice.
What we actually recommend for most men is a hybrid:Sapphire FUE across the field with DHI on the frontal hairline only.Density where it is needed, precision where it shows. For women, and for anyone who cannot shave, DHI throughout.
Unshaven DHI is real, and it is not for everyone. It works when the recipient area is small enough that existing hair can be parted around it and the donor can be harvested from a narrow strip that longer hair covers. It stops working as the graft count climbs, because neither the extraction nor the placement can be hidden.
Out-of-body time is the variable that actually decides how many follicles live, and it is the one no marketing page mentions. A graft sitting in solution is losing viability from the moment it leaves the scalp.
This is where the pen earns its keep: DHI shortens that interval because the graft goes from pen to scalp without waiting for a channel to be cut. It is also why a session should be staffed and sequenced rather than rushed, and why we would rather plan two clean sessions than one heroic one.
Most patients need between 2,500 and 4,500 grafts. A receding hairline usually takes 2,000-3,000; hairline plus crown 3,500-4,500. The exact number depends on your donor density and the area to be covered. Send two photos and our specialists give you a graft plan free of charge.
Sapphire FUE opens micro-channels with sapphire blades, then places grafts. It covers large areas densely in one session and is the standard choice for most male cases. DHI Choi implants each follicle directly with a pen, giving maximum control of angle and depth; it suits hairline detail, women’s cases and unshaven treatment.
Yes, when it is done in a licensed hospital by a specialist team. Swedish Clinic holds Temos international accreditation and a Health Tourism Authorisation Certificate from the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Health. Transplanted follicles come from the permanent donor zone, so they keep growing for life. We back this with a lifetime growth guarantee.
The procedure is performed under local anaesthesia. You are awake, comfortable and can watch a film or talk with the team. Only the first injections are felt. Most patients describe mild tightness for two or three days afterwards, managed with simple painkillers.
Transplanted hairs shed in weeks 2-6. This is normal. New growth starts around month 3, becomes visible at months 6-8, and the final density arrives at 12-15 months. Every before/after photo on this page was taken 9-15 months after the operation.
Plan 3 days: arrival and analysis on day one, the operation on day two, the first wash and aftercare briefing on day three. The operation itself is outpatient, no hospital stay, and you can fly home the same evening on day three.
Lower running costs, favourable exchange rates and very high volume, not lower quality. Our surgeons perform hair transplants daily, use the same sapphire blades and Choi implanters as European clinics, and work under international accreditation.
Yes. VIP airport transfers, a translator in your language and help with hotel booking are included, so you can focus on the treatment, and enjoy Istanbul between appointments.
Beginning, middle and end of one twelve-month course. The middle frame is the one that is normally left out.
The full twelve-frame sequence, including the weeks he looked worse than before he started, is on the hair page.
Your country code fills itself in. A surgeon reads them and replies with what is realistic, including when the answer is no.
