Dr. Gökay Bilgin, hair transplant surgeon in Istanbul

Written by Dr. Gökay Bilgin, MDHair transplant surgeon · Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine · Co-founder of Smile Hair Clinic (2018) · 5,000+ proceduresLast updated: November 2026 · More about me

Key Takeaways

✓Hair transplant treatments go well beyond the scalp: the same FUE principles restore the beard, moustache, sideburns and eyebrows.
✓Facial areas need single-hair grafts placed at very low angles. A few hundred well-placed grafts matter more than a high number.
✓Women and patients with Afro hair need a different diagnosis and a different extraction approach, not just the same operation.
✓Where hair is thinning but follicles are still alive, non-surgical treatment such as mesotherapy or PRP comes first or alongside surgery.
✓Your donor area is limited, so every area you treat, now or later, is planned from the same graft budget.

When patients hear “hair transplant”, most think of a receding hairline. In my practice, the operation is a family of treatments. On a single day I may rebuild a beard for one patient, design eyebrows for another and restore the temples of a woman with traction hair loss for a third. The principles are the same; the details are completely different.

This page is my guide to the treatments I perform. I explain which treatment fits which goal, what makes facial hair transplants different from the scalp, why women and patients with Afro hair need a tailored approach, when a non-surgical treatment is the better first step, how several areas can be combined, and what each costs. Each treatment has its own detailed page, linked below. If your goal is the scalp itself, start with my hair transplant guide.

Hair Transplant Treatments at a Glance

These are the treatments I perform, grouped by area and by patient:

FacialBeard TransplantFills patchy areas, defines the cheek line or builds a full beard with single-hair grafts from the scalp.Read more →
FacialMoustache TransplantRestores a thin, patchy or scarred moustache, with hairs angled almost flat and pointing outwards.Read more →
FacialSideburn TransplantationRebuilds sideburns lost to ageing, a facelift or scarring, and links the hairline to the beard.Read more →
FacialEyebrow TransplantRestores over-plucked, thin or scarred brows with single hairs designed for your face.Read more →
Special patientsFemale Hair TransplantFor women with a stable, well-diagnosed hair loss, usually without shaving the head.Read more →
Special patientsAfro Hair TransplantFor tightly curled hair, with adapted punches and a hairline that respects the natural curl.Read more →
Non-surgicalHair MesotherapyMicro-injections that support thinning hair, alone or before and after a transplant.Read more →
Non-surgicalAll Hair Loss TreatmentsPRP, exosomes, mesotherapy, ozone and medication: which works for which cause.Read more →

Which Hair Transplant Treatment Fits Your Goal?

Most patients come to me with a goal, not a procedure name. This table matches the goal to the treatment:

A patchy or thin beardTreatmentBeard transplantWhat matters mostSingle hairs from the back of the scalp; very low angles.
A thin or scarred moustacheTreatmentMoustache transplantWhat matters mostThe upper lip is the most visible facial area; precision matters most.
Missing or short sideburnsTreatmentSideburn transplantationWhat matters mostMust connect naturally to both the hairline and the beard.
Thin, over-plucked or scarred browsTreatmentEyebrow transplantWhat matters mostOnly single hairs; direction changes along the brow.
Thinning on top, as a womanTreatmentFemale hair transplantWhat matters mostDiagnosis first; not every pattern is suitable for surgery.
Hair loss with tightly curled hairTreatmentAfro hair transplantWhat matters mostCurved follicles need adapted punches and careful extraction.
Thinning but still-living hairTreatmentMesotherapy, PRP or exosomesWhat matters mostStrengthens existing hair; does not replace lost follicles.
A receding hairline or crownTreatmentHair transplantWhat matters mostThe classic scalp operation, with the technique chosen for your hair.

The final choice is made at the consultation, after I examine your hair, skin and donor area.

In this podcast I talk through hair, beard and eyebrow transplants, what patients usually ask and what decides a natural result.

Video: Dr. Gökay Bilgin on hair, beard and eyebrow transplants.

Facial Hair Transplant: Beard, Moustache, Sideburns and Eyebrows

A facial hair transplant moves follicles, usually from the back of the scalp, into the face. The method is FUE, which I compare with other hair transplant techniques, but the craft is different from the scalp. Facial hair grows almost flat to the skin, changes direction across a few centimetres and is seen from every angle in conversation. A graft placed a few degrees too steep looks like a stubble spike; a two-hair graft in the wrong spot looks clumped. That is why I place every facial graft myself.

Eyebrows (both)Typical grafts50–700Graft type and donorSingle hairs only, often from behind the ears or the napeAngle and directionDirection changes along the brow; hairs lie almost flat
MoustacheTypical grafts300–600Graft type and donorSingle hairs from the scalp; beard hair in some casesAngle and directionVery low angle, pointing down and outwards
Sideburns (each side)Typical grafts150–300Graft type and donorSingle hairsAngle and directionDownward and slightly backward, joining the beard
Cheeks or patchy beardTypical grafts500–2,000Graft type and donorSingle hairs at the line, some two-hair grafts insideAngle and directionAlmost flat to the skin
Full beardTypical grafts2,500–4,000Graft type and donorMostly single hairsAngle and directionChanges zone by zone

Typical ranges from my practice. Your own number depends on the area, existing hair and the result you want.

Beard transplant

The most requested facial treatment. Some patients need only a defined cheek line or a filled goatee; others want a full beard. I design the shape with you before surgery and match it to your face, age and existing hair. Read more on my beard transplant page.

Moustache transplant

A small area with no room for error, right in the centre of the face. Single hairs are placed at a very low angle along the natural growth pattern of the upper lip. It is often combined with the goatee. Read more on my moustache transplant page.

Sideburn transplantation

Sideburns frame the face and link the scalp to the beard. They can thin with age, disappear after a facelift or be lost to scarring. Before surgery I check for causes such as frontal fibrosing alopecia, which can affect the sideburns early. Read more on my sideburn transplantation page.

Eyebrow transplant

Eyebrows need the finest work of all: single hairs only, chosen from fine donor hair, and a design that suits your face. Because scalp hair keeps growing, transplanted brows need regular trimming. Read more on my eyebrow transplant page.

Where the scalp donor area is weak, beard and body hair can also be used as donor hair. I explain when that makes sense on my body hair transplant page.

Video: Dr. Gökay Bilgin explains beard transplant.

Female Hair Transplant: Diagnosis Before Surgery

Women lose hair differently from men. The loss is usually diffuse on top and along the parting, the hairline often stays intact, and the causes are wider: hormones, iron and thyroid problems, traction from hairstyles, and scarring conditions. Some patterns respond well to a transplant; others need medical treatment first, or are not suitable for surgery at all.

  • Good candidates: stable pattern hair loss with a strong donor area, traction alopecia at the edges, a high forehead, or scars.
  • Not suitable while active: diffuse shedding, alopecia areata or a scarring alopecia that has not been controlled.
  • How it is done: most women need 1,200–3,500 grafts, and I usually work without shaving the head, so the change is discreet from the first day.

Read more on my female hair transplant page, and see how an unshaven hair transplant works.

Afro Hair Transplant: Adapted for Curled Follicles

In tightly curled hair, the follicle itself curves under the skin. A standard straight punch can cut through it, which is why Afro hair was once considered difficult to transplant. With adapted punches, careful scoring and experience, extraction is reliable. The curl also works in your favour: the same number of grafts usually looks fuller than in straight hair.

  • Traction alopecia at the edges and temples is the most common reason, especially in women. The tension must stop before surgery.
  • Skin type matters: I check for a tendency to keloid scarring and for central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA) before planning.
  • Typical ranges: about 800–1,500 grafts for the edges and temples, 1,500–2,500 for a hairline in men.

Read more on my Afro hair transplant page.

Surgical or Non-Surgical Treatment?

A hair transplant moves follicles; it cannot create new ones, and it does not stop hair loss in the hair around it. Non-surgical treatments work the other way round: they strengthen hair that is still alive but cannot bring back an area that is completely bald. Choosing correctly between them is the most important decision in your plan.

Choose non-surgical firstDiffuse thinning with hair still present, active shedding, early pattern hair loss, or when you are not yet ready for surgery.
Choose a transplantBald or near-bald areas, a receded hairline, missing facial hair, or scars, with a good donor area.
Use bothMost patients with pattern hair loss: a transplant where hair is gone, and treatment to protect the hair that remains.

Of the non-surgical treatments, hair mesotherapy delivers vitamins, amino acids and other active ingredients into the scalp. PRP hair treatment has the strongest evidence among in-clinic options, and exosome hair therapy is a promising newer support. I compare them all, with medication, on my hair loss treatments page.

Included with surgeryPRP and exosome treatment are already included in my Diamond package around surgery, so transplant patients receive this support without an extra course.

Combining Treatments in One Plan

Many patients want more than one area restored: a hairline and a beard, a moustache and a goatee, or the scalp and the eyebrows. Often this is possible in one operation. The limit is not the operation; it is your donor area.

One donor budgetThe back and sides of the scalp hold a limited number of permanent follicles. Every graft used for the beard is a graft not available for the crown later.
PrioritiesI plan the most visible and most important area first, and keep a reserve for the future, especially in younger patients whose hair loss may progress.
Session lengthTwo areas in one day are common. Very large combined cases may be better split into two sessions.
Other donor sourcesBeard and body hair can add grafts where the scalp donor is limited.

Before any combination, I examine your donor density with a dermatoscope and explain the number of grafts I would use for each area. You can read how grafts are counted on my hair transplant graft cost page.

Who Performs Your Treatment

In any hair transplant treatment, the natural look is decided by the design, the angle of each channel and the placement of each graft. Those are the steps I do myself, in every area:

Consultation and diagnosisMe
Design: hairline, beard, brows, sideburnsMe, with you
Opening the channelsMe
Extraction of graftsMy trained team, under my supervision
Implantation of every graftMe
Aftercare and follow-upMe and my team

I am a hair transplant surgeon and I operate only in my Diamond package, so you know exactly who is responsible for your result. You can read about my training and experience on my about me page.

Recovery by Treatment Area

ScalpWhat to expectSmall crusts come away by about day 10. Most transplanted hairs shed in weeks 2–6. New growth from month 3; the full result at 12–18 months.
Beard, moustache, sideburnsWhat to expectMild swelling for a few days; crusts gone by days 7–10. Scissors only for the first weeks; you can usually shave again from about week 4.
EyebrowsWhat to expectMild swelling around the eyes for a few days; crusts gone by days 7–14. Brow make-up can usually restart from about 4 weeks. Regular trimming once hairs grow.
Female, unshavenWhat to expectYour own hair covers the donor area and the grafts. Most women return to office work within a few days.

Shedding of transplanted hairs in the first weeks is normal in every area; the follicles stay under the skin and regrow. Each treatment page has a detailed, day-by-day timeline, and my patient guide covers travel and preparation.

What the Research Shows About Hair Transplant Treatments

Review · 700+ procedures · 2024What makes facial hair look naturalA review in Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America (Epstein, 2024), based on more than 700 beard transplants, named three keys: one- and two-hair grafts with very little surrounding skin, very low angles and the right direction.What it means: Facial results depend on graft type and angle more than on graft numbers.
Case series · 352 patients · 2019Single hairs give natural browsA series in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (Jiang and colleagues, 2019) followed patients for four years after single-follicle eyebrow transplants. In 91%, the hair grew well with a satisfactory direction and appearance.What it means: Single hairs are the standard for eyebrows.
Retrospective study · 195 women · 2024Most women are satisfiedA study in the Annals of Dermatology (Yun and colleagues, 2024) reviewed 195 women treated with hair transplants for pattern hair loss. 88% reported more than 75% satisfaction.What it means: With the right diagnosis, women do well after a transplant.
Multicentre study · 64 patients · 2023Afro hair can be extracted reliablyA study in Dermatologic Surgery (Umar and colleagues, 2023) looked at FUE in 64 patients of African descent across seven clinics. With an adapted punch, the average transection rate was 3–6%.What it means: Adapted instruments make FUE a reliable option for Afro hair.
My viewEvery one of these treatments uses the same tools, but none of them is a routine operation. A beard needs a different hand from a hairline, eyebrows a different eye from the crown, and Afro hair a different extraction from straight hair. What I tell every patient is this: the right treatment starts with the right question, which is not “how many grafts?” but “what exactly is missing, why, and how will it look in ten years?” When I can answer that honestly, I recommend surgery. When I can’t, I recommend treatment first, or nothing at all.

Cost of Hair Transplant Treatments

Costs vary by country, clinic and how the price is set: per graft, per area or as a fixed package. These are typical market ranges:

Scalp hair transplantTurkey$2,350–$5,900 (€2,000–€5,000)United Kingdom£1,995–£15,000 (€2,390–€17,940)United States$6,000–$15,000+ (€5,080–€12,710+)
Beard and facial hair transplantTurkey$2,000–$4,150 (€1,700–€3,500)United Kingdom£3,000–£7,000+ (€3,590–€8,370+)United States$5,000–$15,000+ (€4,240–€12,710+)

Typical market ranges. In the US, clinics often charge about $4–$8 per graft. Euro prices converted at €1 = $1.18 = £0.84 and rounded.

With me in IstanbulMy Diamond package is €5,790 ($6,840 · £4,840) at a fixed price, whatever the number of grafts, the technique, and whether we treat the scalp, the beard, the eyebrows or several areas in one operation. I do the consultation, design, channel opening and implantation myself. It includes 3 nights in a 5-star hotel, VIP transfers, blood tests, PRP, exosome treatment, medication and a 3-month hair care kit. All packages are compared on my hair transplant Turkey packages page.

For a full breakdown of what drives the price, see my hair transplant cost in Turkey page. If you are deciding where to have treatment, my hair transplant Turkey guide explains safety, travel and how to choose a clinic.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hair Transplant Treatments

What types of hair transplant treatments are there?

By area: scalp, beard, moustache, sideburns and eyebrows. By patient: men, women and patients with Afro hair. By technique: FUE variants such as Sapphire FUE and DHI. The area and your hair decide the approach; I compare the methods on my techniques page.

What is a facial hair transplant?

A procedure that moves hair follicles, usually from the back of the scalp, into the beard, moustache, sideburns or eyebrows, to fill gaps, define a shape or cover scars.

Is a facial hair transplant permanent?

Yes. Transplanted follicles keep the characteristics of the donor area, which is resistant to pattern hair loss. They grow, can be shaved and trimmed, and last for life in most patients.

Can I have a beard and hair transplant at the same time?

Often, yes. It depends on your donor area and the total number of grafts. I plan both from the same donor budget and may suggest two sessions for very large cases.

Can women have a hair transplant?

Yes, when the cause of hair loss is diagnosed and stable and the donor area is strong. Women with active diffuse shedding or an uncontrolled scarring condition need medical treatment first.

Is a hair transplant possible with Afro hair?

Yes. Curved follicles need adapted punches and an experienced surgeon, but results are reliable, and the curl often makes the same number of grafts look fuller.

Should I try mesotherapy or PRP before a transplant?

If your hair is thinning but still present, yes, a non-surgical treatment is a reasonable first step. If an area is bald, only a transplant brings hair back, and the treatments then support the result.

How many grafts does a beard or eyebrow transplant need?

Eyebrows usually need 50–700 grafts for both brows, a moustache 300–600, sideburns 150–300 per side, and a full beard 2,500–4,000.

Is a facial hair transplant painful?

The procedure is done under local anaesthesia, so you feel the first injections and then pressure rather than pain. Mild tenderness and swelling for a few days afterwards is normal.

Which treatment is right for me?

The one that matches the cause and the area of your hair loss. Send me photos and I will tell you which treatment, or combination, makes sense.

One Face, One Plan: Let’s Design Yours

Send me clear photos of the area you want to restore and the back of your head, and tell me what you would like to change. I will tell you which treatment fits, how many grafts it needs and whether several areas can be combined.Get a Free Consultation