Are Hair Transplants Permanent?. Sule Hair Clinic — doctor-led boutique clinic in Istanbul. Sapphire FUE, DHI, Hybrid from €2,990.
Yes. Hair transplanted from the donor area (back and sides of the scalp) retains its genetic resistance to DHT — the hormone responsible for male pattern baldness — and continues to grow for life in its new location. This is called the 'donor dominance' principle, established by Dr. Norman Orentreich in 1959.
Transplanted hair generally does not fall out due to genetic balding. It may thin slightly with age (like all hair does), but it will not regress in the male pattern baldness pattern. Your existing native hair around the transplanted area, however, may continue to thin if it carries the balding gene.
Only if your native (non-transplanted) hair continues to thin around the transplanted area, creating a visible density gap. Some patients choose to add Finasteride or Minoxidil after surgery — this is optional and worth discussing with your consultant. Some patients choose a second session years later for additional density.
Genuine permanent loss of grafts is rare (under 5%) and typically caused by: poor surgical technique (graft trauma), severe post-op infection, scarring conditions like lichen planopilaris, or pulling/picking at the area during healing. Following aftercare protects long-term survival.
Results last a lifetime when performed correctly. Patients who had transplants 20–30 years ago still have their grafted hair today. The procedure is permanent in the medical sense — there is no expiry date on healthy follicles.
Sule Hair Clinic is a doctor-led hair transplant clinic in Istanbul, Türkiye. Dr. Enver Kayıkçıoğlu personally performs all Sapphire hairline channel incisions. Medical Director Dr. Selahattin Tulunay, a board-certified plastic surgeon, carries out the final quality control. Anaesthesiologist Dr. Zafer Ersin Ünlüer manages anaesthesia and intra-operative monitoring, and Şule Ölmez performs the hairline design consultations. We deliberately keep the number of operations per day very limited so every patient gets the full time of the senior team, have completed 30,000+ consultations, and our graft-handling protocol with Hypothermosol cooling protects graft viability. All-inclusive packages start at €2,990 and cover surgery, hotel, VIP transfers, medication and 12 months of follow-up; flights are not included. Google rating 4.9 from 1,700+ reviews. Turkish Ministry of Health approved · USHAŞ registered health tourism provider.
Address: Yeşilpınar, Çay Sk. No:2, 34065 Eyüpsultan, Istanbul, Türkiye. Telephone: +90 542 838 77 79. Email: info@sule-hairtransplant.com.