Hair transplant in Berlin – follicular unit extraction at AS Clinic

FUE or FUT – which technique is used?

AS Clinic works with follicular unit extraction. Each follicular unit is removed individually with a fine punch instead of a strip of skin being cut from the back of the head. That leaves no linear scar and lets you keep your hair short afterwards. What FUE requires in return is patience: the extraction of several thousand units is the part of the day that takes the longest.

• No linear donor scar — short haircuts stay possible
• Healing points under 1 mm, invisible from conversational distance within about a month
• Diffuse extraction, so donor density drops evenly rather than in a patch
• The number that can be taken safely is limited by your donor zone, not by your wishes

More on this: Hair treatments in Berlin

How many grafts will I need?

The honest answer only exists after trichoscopy. As a guide, a receding hairline is typically 1,800–2,500 grafts and a full crown restoration 3,000–4,500. What that number has to cover is decided together with you, because the donor zone is a finite resource that also has to serve any future session.

• Density of the donor zone and hair thickness per follicular unit
• Size of the area to be covered and the contrast between hair and scalp
• How far the loss is likely to progress in the coming years
• Whether the front hairline, the crown or both are the priority
• Whether a second session should be kept in reserve

How is a natural hairline designed?

A hairline is drawn to your facial proportions and to how your forehead actually moves, not to a template or to the hairline you had at twenty. It is deliberately placed where it will still look plausible in fifteen years. Single hairs go into the front row and multi-hair grafts behind them, so the transition is soft rather than a hard line. A slight irregularity is part of the design: a perfectly straight hairline reads as artificial.

• Facial proportions and forehead movement decide the height
• Single-hair grafts in the front row, multi-hair grafts behind
• Angle and direction of growth follow the existing hair
• Temple recessions are shaped rather than filled in completely
• Age and expected progression are built into the design

Am I too young for a hair transplant?

Under 25 the loss is usually stabilised medically first and transplanted afterwards. The reason is arithmetic rather than caution: if the donor zone is spent chasing a hairline that is still moving, there may be too little left for the areas that thin later. That does not rule out a transplant at a younger age — it means the plan has to account for where the loss is heading.

More on this: Hair mesotherapy in Berlin — strengthening existing follicles

Do women have hair transplants here?

Yes — for frontal recession, a widened parting and scars after surgery. In most cases the recipient area does not have to be shaved. What matters beforehand is the cause: diffuse thinning has many possible reasons, and not all of them are treated by transplantation. Where a medical cause is likely, it is clarified first.

Hair transplant, Hair Meso or PRP – what is the difference?

Transplantation moves follicles; mesotherapy and PRP work on the follicles you still have. They address different problems, which is why they are combined rather than weighed against each other.

More on this: PRP hair mesotherapy in Berlin

Can a previous transplant be corrected?

Often yes. Older or poorly planned work can be improved by redistributing the front row, excising visible plug grafts and adding density behind them. What such a correction needs is a longer plan and a realistic view of the remaining donor zone, because part of it has already been used.

Will I still need medication afterwards?

Usually yes, to protect the native hair around the grafts. The transplant does not stop your original pattern of loss: transplanted follicles keep the properties of the donor zone, while the surrounding hair continues to follow its own course. Which medication is appropriate, and whether it is appropriate for you at all, is a medical decision made individually — never one to start or stop on your own.

What happens in the first days and weeks?

Small crusts form around each graft and fall away over roughly the first one to two weeks. Redness in the recipient area fades gradually. The donor zone is fully covered again after about two weeks. Then, between weeks 2 and 6, the transplanted hairs shed — this is expected and is not a failure of the graft: the follicle stays, the shaft is what falls out.

When can I work or exercise again?

Office work is often possible from day 3–4 with a loose cap; client-facing days are more comfortable from about day 10, once the redness has settled. For exercise: walking from day 3, light training from day 10, heavy lifting and swimming from week 4. Direct pressure, friction and sun on the fresh grafts are what should be avoided in the meantime.

When will I see the result?

The timeline is slow and it is worth knowing it in advance: shedding at weeks 2–6, first growth at month 3–4, meaningful density at month 8 and the final result at month 12–15. Judging the outcome at month 4 tells you very little — density is still building, and the hairs that have come through are finer than they will be.

Is the result permanent?

The transplanted follicles come from the donor zone, which is genetically resistant to hormonal thinning, so they behave like donor hair for life. Your native hair around them does not: it continues to follow your original pattern of loss, which is why protecting it is part of the plan rather than an afterthought.

Are there scars?

FUE leaves hundreds of punctate healing points under 1 mm rather than one line. Within about a month these are invisible from conversational distance, and short haircuts remain possible. How conspicuous they are depends on skin type, healing and how much has been extracted.

Risks and possible complications

A hair transplant is a surgical procedure and is not free of risk. Alongside the general risks of surgery, the donor zone, graft survival and the design of the result are what matter most. Possible risks include:

• Swelling of the forehead in the first days
• Redness, crusting and temporary tenderness
• Infection or folliculitis around individual grafts
• Temporary numbness or altered sensation in the donor or recipient area
• Shock loss of native hair around the grafts, usually temporary
• Visible thinning of the donor zone if too much is extracted
• Individual grafts that do not take
• An unnatural result where angle, direction or hairline design were wrong
• The need for a further session

Which symptoms should be checked afterwards?

Severe or rapidly increasing pain, spreading redness, pus, fever, marked one-sided swelling or persistent bleeding should be assessed without delay. Ordinary crusting, mild swelling and the shedding phase between weeks 2 and 6 are expected and are not warning signs.

Who is a hair transplant suitable for?

It can be an option for adults with a sufficient donor zone, a stable or medically stabilised pattern of loss and realistic expectations about coverage and timeline. Taken into account when assessing suitability:

• Donor density and hair thickness
• Extent of the area to be covered
• Age and likely progression of the loss
• Cause of the thinning, where it is not clearly hereditary
• Pre-existing conditions, medication and wound-healing risks
• Willingness to protect the native hair afterwards
• Realistic expectations of density and of the 12–15 month timeline

When might a transplant not be the right step?

Where the donor zone is insufficient for the area to be covered, where loss is advancing rapidly and has not been stabilised, or where the thinning has a cause that transplantation does not treat, another approach makes more sense. Acute scalp conditions, uncontrolled medical risks or unfavourable wound-healing conditions can postpone or rule out surgery. Prescribed medication must never be stopped or paused on your own initiative for an aesthetic procedure.

What does a hair transplant cost in Berlin?

The cost depends on the graft count, and therefore on the area to be covered and your donor density. Because the graft number comes from trichoscopy rather than from a phone call, the specific price is discussed after the personal examination and before the procedure.