Much like ‘Turkey Teeth’, ‘Turkey Hair’ has seen a mass surge in popularity over the past two years, as Aussies plan their overseas trips around the hair transplant surgery known as Follicular Unit Extension (FUE).

In fact, the Forbes Advisor Cosmetic Tourism Report named ‘Hair Transplant’ in Turkey as the most searched for cosmetic procedure in 2022.

“Many Australians are taking what we call ‘cosmetic holidays’ to Turkey in order to have major hair transplantation sessions,” says Dr Wen-Shan Sung, cosmetic physician and medical director of the R Clinic.

“More and more practitioners are offering their services here in Australia, which benefits people who no longer have to travel overseas to access minimally invasive techniques.”

Until now, Canberrans, in particular, have needed to budget for some form of travel when seeking the hair loss treatment, whether that be overseas or interstate.

This is what led Dr Wen to forming the first medical aesthetic clinic offering FUE in Canberra.

“We can now provide the service right here, saving Canberrans the time and expense of travelling,” says Dr Wen.

R Clinic opened in January this year, among the hub of shops and restaurants below the sleek residential towers of Grazier Lane, Belconnen.

With extensive experience in aesthetic medicine and general dermatology, Dr Wen integrates mainstream medicine into the delivery of minimally invasive and advanced cosmetic procedures.

“Hair transplantations are one part of the services offered at the R Clinic,” says Dr Wen.

“We’re an integrated medical aesthetic clinic, incorporating four institutes – varicose veins, women’s health, hair loss treatments, and other skin treatments.”

Dr Wen explains that much of the allure of having hair transplants done overseas lies in the increased robotisation of FUE.

“There are many different methods of doing FUE procedures, some manual, some more advanced,” says Dr Wen. “Overseas, they do have fully automatic robotic hair transplant machines.”

The myriad benefits of state-of-the-art hair transplant technology is what drove Dr Wen’s decision to introduce NeoGraft Hair Restoration at R Clinic, bringing the innnovation to the ACT for the first time. 

“The NeoGraft hair restoration device is relatively new technology, particularly in Australia,” says Dr Wen. “It’s what we call a semi-automatic machine.

“It helps us to streamline the process, providing more predictable and reproducible results every time.”

How hair transplant technology has evolved

Hair transplants have come a long way since the Strip Excisions that were popular 40 years ago.

Dr Wen explains, “Strip hair transplants are the traditional method of transplantation, in which a strip of skin is cut from the back of the patient’s scalp.

“While a lot of practitioners still utilise this method, we are now seeing a shift away from traditional techniques, which we know are more aggressive, require more downtime, and are more at risk for complications.

“In this newer method of FUE, we utilise devices to make micro skin biopsies in the back of the scalp. It’s less painful and involves a quicker recovery, often less than two weeks,” says Dr Wen.

“With strip transplants, patients sometimes develop numbness around the large linear scar tissue. Whereas with FUE, we extract each follicular unit individually, and by doing so, create tiny, nearly undetectable scarring, meaning patients are still able to wear their hair short,” he says.

“While traditional techniques relied on hand dexterity, the NeoGraft leaves less room for error.”

What to expect when undergoing FUE

When you think about how long it took to grow your current head of hair, it won’t come as a surprise that growing a brand-new mane takes patience. However, it may not take as long as you think. Dr Wen walks us through the hair transplantation journey.

“We find that after a week, patients can go back to their day-to-day activities, while avoiding anything too strenuous,” says Dr Wen. “They usually have less swelling, less pain, and less discomfort.

“One month after the transplantation is when we reach the awkward phase. Patients tend to see some shedding, and patches of their hair may be growing unevenly. They usually notice that has evened out three to four months later,” Dr Wen says.

“Then in nine to 12 months, they see their final result.”

Dr Wen emphasises it is important to note that for anyone who suffers from hair loss, “surgery is likely not your only option”.

He estimates that 80 per cent of his patients who come for an initial consultation have non-surgical options they can explore before being suitable candidates for hair transplants.

“Not everyone will benefit from transplantations. It’s important that we are thorough and selective in what we can offer each individual patient,” says Dr Wen.

Non-surgical hair loss treatments available at R Clinic include:

• Growth Factor Injection, also known as Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)
• Low Level Light Therapy (LLLT)
• Medication Therapy

To find out how the R Clinic can help you, call 5119 3898 or email [email protected] to make an appointment.