Quick answer
Before hair transplant surgery, stop blood thinners as directed, avoid alcohol and nicotine for about one week, eat breakfast on procedure day, and wear a button-front shirt. Tell the clinic every medication and medical condition so anesthesia and antibiotics can be planned safely.
Quick Numbers
| Pre-op abstinence | Alcohol/nicotine ~7 days |
|---|---|
| Blood thinners | Stop aspirin ~3 days (MD order) |
| Procedure day | Light breakfast + button shirt |
| Medication list | Full disclosure required |
Key Takeaways
| Health disclosure before sedation beats same-day surprises. |
| Button-front shirts protect grafts when dressing. |
| Green tea and caffeine count. Follow the written pre-op list. |
| Your prescribing doctor must clear surgery if you take chronic meds. |
Instructions Before the Operation:
1. You should not forget. Guidelines for smoking before and after the hair restoration by hair transplant surgeons usually recommend that patients abstain from smoking about one week before the surgery and one week after the hair transplant procedure.
2. Before Operation: Alcohol, cigarettes, green tea, hookah, caffeine should not be drunk or consumed 1 week before and 1 week after. Aspirin also should not be taken 3 days before the operation. It is all for the perfect result.
3. Do not forget to have breakfast in the morning of the operation.
4. You must wear a shirt that has no risk of touching and dislodging grafts on the operation day.
TO BEGIN WITH
Before the operation starts, you should let us know explicitly whether or not you have any medical problems and if so what kind of medications you are using. This is very important to proceed before the hair transplantation takes place.
Apart from that, if you are going through any medical problems, please kindly consult your doctor and get permission for your hair transplant surgery. Health is our first priority.
MEDICATIONS YOU TAKE
Dr. Caymaz Insight
| In my clinic the cases that struggle on day one are rarely “surgical”. They are preparation gaps: undisclosed anticoagulants, skipped breakfast, or tight pullovers over fresh grafts. A ten-minute medication review prevents most of that. |
Once you have cleared out the situation with your doctor, stop taking any medications that may thin your blood and increase the possibility of bleeding during surgery. We need to let our doctors know if you have any new medical conditions or you have been taking any new medications since your initial consultation with the doctor. This will help the doctor choose the most suitable medications during your hair transplant surgery that will not interact with your existing medications.
Like we said before, your health is our first priority.
SEVEN DAYS BEFORE SAPPHIRE FUE (DHI)
Avoid Alcohol - Please refrain from drinking alcohol 7 days before the actual operation starts. This is because alcohol poses an adverse reaction to the medications you will be taking during the surgery.
Therefore, it is very crucial to stop drinking alcohol at least three days before the hair transplant surgery.
Avoid Smoking - We know that it is difficult to stop smoking especially if you have an addiction. But cigarettes, too, have an adverse effect on your health when combined with the medications you take during the operation. Technically speaking, smoking causes blood vessels to constrict and thereby decrease the blood flow to the scalp. In addition to that, you should also keep yourself away from smoking for at least seven days after the hair transplant operation.
Hair Care - You will not need any special hair preparation before the actual operation takes place. Your hair on the donor area, which is basically the back of your head, will be trimmed with a clipper to the length of 1mm on the day of the surgery. This trimming will allow our team to have the best access as well as easy removal and replacement of the grafts. It is better to trim the entire scalp which makes it easier to harvest and place the grafts.
THE DAY OF OPERATION
Dress Comfortably - It is vital to have a comfortable dress on you during the operation day because the operation may take about 8 to 13 hours depending on the number of grafts that will be placed on your head. Therefore, you must dress very comfortably. Please avoid any kind of dress that may touch the grafts. For this reason, we recommend you to put on a shirt that has no risk of touching and dislodging the grafts.
Take Shower - You can take a shower and wash your hair during the morning or the previous day before going to the hospital. Use your regular shampoo and avoid using gels and materials as such.
Breakfast - Please enjoy your breakfast at the Hotel in the morning of the operation day. We will also provide you with lunch at the hospital. However, it is important to note that anything related to coffee should be avoided before the operation since they have an adverse effect on the sedations you will have during the hair transplant surgery.
Family and Friends - You can of course take one or two family members or friends with you to the hospital. However, please note that they cannot enter the operation room due to the rules of the hospital/clinic. They can wait for you in the waiting room and can see you for a short time if allowed.
NOTES:
- Before the operation we will make a blood test at the hospital/clinic for specific illnesses (HIV, Hepatitis B-C Etc.) – If you have these illnesses the price will be doubled.
- We will take the operation fee as cash just before starting the operation at the hospital or you can send it via a bank 7 days prior to your arrival or you can send us the operation cost via Western Union.
- We don’t accept credit or any card.
- Flight tickets and visas are not included.
- Hotel Check-in (14:00) Check-out (12:00 mid-day) time.
- Please make a reservation at least two weeks from arrival.
- Consultation will be at the hospital before the operation and it will start on the same day. Normally the operation will take one day and one session.
The Operation consist of three steps:
On the operation day, Doctor Erkam CAYMAZ will draw your hairline with a laser and do the consultation and the incision step.
1 - Extraction of grafts from donor areas (2-4 Hours)
2 - Opening of micro-channels with Sapphire Blade/Incision (1,5-2,5 hours)
3 - Implantation of grafts into newly opened micro-channels (3-5 hours)
*The most important step is the second step: (Opening of micro channels process/Incision)* Doctor Caymaz will open your micro-channels directly with his own hands. *For other steps* (Step 1 and Step 3) Our medical team will perform these steps. This is because the operation is a teamwork and one man can not do every step. Steps 1 and 2 can be displaced.
But during operation times Doctor will supervise the operation. He will be waiting from 16:00-17:00 every day and our customer service (his assistants) and his team will explain everything. Also the Doctor's steps finish in the morning. (Generally the operation will end between 19:00-21:00)
*We are only doing 1-2 operations per day! It's really important as there are clinics that do many hair transplants a day, at least between 5-10, so it's impossible for them to operate and deal with a real Doctor.
*Firstly, local anesthesia is applied with a painless anesthesia device. Pain is reduced by 70%. If there are areas where the pain is felt with a needle, more local anesthesia is applied.
| Item | Typical window |
|---|---|
| Alcohol / nicotine | ~7 days before & after |
| Aspirin / blood thinners | Per physician (often 3–7 days) |
| Breakfast | Morning of surgery |
| Clothing | Button-front shirt |
Sources & clinical references
Most surgeons advise stopping nicotine for about one week before and after FUE to support healing and graft perfusion.
Aspirin and other blood thinners increase bleeding risk. Stop only on explicit instructions from your prescribing doctor and the transplant team.
Yes, have a light breakfast unless the clinic gives fasting instructions for sedation.
A button-front shirt avoids pulling garments over the donor and recipient areas when you dress.
Anesthesia, antibiotics, and post-op drugs must not interact with your current prescriptions or conditions.
Hair Transplant Procedure — Frequently Asked Questions
Expert Answers by Dr. Erkam Caymaz, Istanbul