1. What is the process for having a hair transplant procedure in Budapest, Hungary?

  • From your very first e-mail contact with BeautyHungary, you will be in direct communication with your very own patient care coordinator.   This is a member of Dr. Mantse’s team who will be with you through each step of the process.
  • You are welcome to a free consultation with Dr. Mantse at his private ProHAIR clinic at any time before scheduling your procedure.  Some patients, however, will choose to travel to Budapest, Hungary just prior to their procedure.  In this case, your patient coordinator will arrange your first consultation appointment with Dr. Mantse on the day you arrive in Budapest or on the morning of your scheduled hair transplant procedure.
  • Your patient coordinator will pick you up in a private car from the airport in Budapest, Hungary & escort you to your accommodation & Dr. Mantse’s private ProHAIR clinic.  Dr. Mantse will discuss the details of your hair transplantation procedure with you & the nursing staff.  Dr. Mantse will also review all your questions about the outcome you can expect from your hair transplant.
  • Your patient care coordinator will continue following the results of your hair transplantation procedure through Skype, e-mail, & phone contact.   

2. What is included in the cost of the hair transplantation procedure?

  • Free airport, hotel, & clinic transfers
  • Skilled professional nursing staff
  • All medication as needed during the hair transplant procedure

Meals & drinks while at Dr. Mantse’s ProHAIR clinic

3. What are Dr. Mantse’s accreditations?

Dr. Mantse is a board certified hair transplant surgeon & a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS ), the European Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ESHRS), the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS), the Hungarian Medical Association, & the Hungarian Dermatological Society.   

BeautyHungary is approved for Code of Practice for Medical Tourism by Treatment Abroad

4. How long does it take Dr. Mantse to perform the FUE/FUT hair transplantation procedure?

  • A typical hair transplant procedure takes approximately 7 hours, during which time patients watch movies, listen to music, talk with Dr. Mantse & the nursing staff while resting comfortably under a local anesthesia.  If Dr. Mantse requires more than 10 hours to perform the hair transplant, then he will continue the following day.
  • Dr. Mantse’s exclusive No Look Hair Transplant procedure takes the same amount of time as the FUE/FUT hair transplantation procedure.

5. HOW A FUE HAIR TRANSPLANT IS PERFORMED?

During the Follicular Unit Extraction or FUE procedure follicular units are excised one at a time using a tiny 0.8mm-1.0mm punch. Typically the patient's hair in the donor area where these follicular units are being removed is shaved so that the physician is able to see the patient's scalp. The follicular units are extracted using a multiple step process. First a small sharp punch outlines the skin around a follicular unit. Then a small dull punch is used to go deeper into the soft tissue surrounding the follicular unit. Since the direction and angle of the follicular units beneath the skin can't be seen and can often differ from the direction of the hair on the surface, a sharp punch if used below the surface of the skin will most of the time transect or severe the underlying follicular units. Once the underlying follicular units is separated from the surrounding tissues it can then be extracted, often by a forceps gripping the hair above the surface. The small hole left behind after the follicle is extracted then heals over the next few days. This tiny wound contracts as it heals making the resulting round scar smaller and less noticeable. The FUE patient typically ends up with hundreds of small round white scars,if performed correctly, which are normally not detectable to the naked eye once the patient's hair grows out

THE SURGICAL EXPERIENCE

The procedure may be long, but for the patient the time goes by quickly. You are lightly sedated so that you can sleep if you desire. Most patients choose to watch TV or movies for at least part of the time. We try to make your experience enjoyable so that the actual time the surgery takes is transparent. Some patients may choose to be fully awake the entire procedure.

Usually the patient sleeps for a few hours, watches a movie or two, chats with the doctor and nurses doing the work. A relaxed and informal atmosphere is encouraged so that the day stands out as one of the better, more pleasurable experiences ever encountered. The patient takes a series of breaks, to the bathroom, to eat lunch or to just stretch and move around. Not infrequently, patients tell us that the experience of being the center focus of the day's activities is wonderful, and they further report that watching all of those people working on them was like watching an orchestra playing beautiful music, while having people catering to their every need!

LOCAL ANESTHESIA

After preparatory medication is given orally, the actual anesthesia begins. We use a combination of Lidocaine (Xylocaine) which you have probably been given by your dentist, and a longer acting local anesthetic called Marcaine. Injections around the perimeter of the scalp (called a ring block) will make your entire scalp numb. With this technique, there is no need to use anesthesia directly in the area that is being transplanted. Once anesthetization is complete, there is generally no pain or discomfort during the remainder of the procedure. If you do require more, it will be given before the first wears off.

THE SURGICAL TEAM


The procedures can be long, and during the initial period when the donor hair is removed, the surgical team must work without stopping. The team must prepare the grafts according to the surgeon's exacting specifications. The preparation of 2,000 or more follicular units and placing them into the recipient area may take a team hours of intensive, concentrated work. Care must be taken to keep the surgical team free of stress. Just as the patient needs a break, so do team members. At our Transplant Clinic we focus on the needs of our staff as well as the patient to ensure that the best-trained staff in the world is always operating at peak performance.

LENGTH OF THE PROCEDURE

Your Follicular Unit Transplant may require many hours of work by a team of professionals. Some of the longest procedures (between 2000-2500+ follicular units) may take hours of surgery and during that time, many highly trained nurses will participate in the process. The work must be organized efficiently so that the total length of the procedure for the patient will be minimized. On average, a procedure of 1000 follicular units would last about 6 hours.

6. Do's and don'ts before the procedure

Before the Procedure

In order for us to provide you with the highest quality medical care, the following instructions are important for you to follow:

If you are older than 45 years of age, we will require to receive your ECG (not older than two weeks) around two weeks before the date you're booked for.

  • 14 days before your scheduled procedure do NOT take Aspirin or any other anti-inflammatory medications (Ibuprofen, Nurofen etc.) as they will increase bleeding.
  • 14 days before your scheduled do NOT take tricyclic antidepressants, MAO inhibitors (Isocarboxazid, Marplan, phenelzine (Nardil, Nardelzine) tranylcypromine (Parnate, Sicoton), Deprenyl, selegiline hydrochloride, 5 HTP, Amitriptyline, Prozac, Wellbutrin, Buropion, Buropion HCL, Fluoxetin, EFFEXOR® XR, etc..), beta blockers(Propanolol, etc..), blood thinners.
  • 14 days before your scheduled procedure do NOT take any multivitamins including vitamin E and vitamin B, any food supplements and herbal products (Gingko, etc.) as they will increase bleeding.
  • 7 days before your scheduled procedure STOP using Minoxidil (Regaine, Rogaine)
  • 7 days before your scheduled procedure try to avoid any drinking of alcoholic beverages
  • 24 hours before your scheduled procedure try to avoid any smoking of tobacco products as smoking will slow down healing.
  • The morning of your procedure take a bath or shower and wash your hair thoroughly using regular shampoo. After shampooing, please rinse thoroughly and use a fresh clean towel to dry your hair.
  • The morning of your procedure do NOT apply sprays or gels to your hair. If you wear a hairpiece or a hair system, please make sure it's removed prior to your morning shower and not replaced before your procedure.
  • The morning of your procedure eat something light for breakfast, but do NOT drink any coffee or any other cafeinated beverages.
  • The morning of your procedure you're advised to wear a shirt that unbuttons or other clothing that is loose enough around the neck, to avoid accidentally touching your head while putting your clothes back on after the procedure

 

7. Do's and don'ts after the procedure

Caring for your  hair transplantation


It is essential that patients comply with the following instructions to ensure a succesfull result of the HT and a fast return to daily routines.

The patient is encouraged to take a low-pressure shower 2-3 times following the last day of the operation. This helps the scabs go away and speeds up the process of making the operation un-noticeable. 
The patient should sleep using two pillows for the first two nights. In case of grafts implanted into the lower crown or a strip-scar the patient should sleep on the side for the first two nights. 
No aspirin, smoking, bending over or exertion for first 72 hours following FUE
Mild exertion (jogging, bicycling and mild weight lifting) may be resumed after 10 days. No body contact
No violent activity (hockey, soccer) or body contact for first two weeks.

8. What to do after your hair transplant surgery?

The night of the surgery, and for the next few nights afterwards, you are encouraged to sleep with your head elevated on pillows. You will be given medication to help you sleep if needed. 

The next day after the surgery, you will come back for hair washing and you will be instructed how to shower and gently clean the transplanted area. For the remainder of the week, you should shower twice a day. When showering, you will be instructed to gently clean the transplanted area with a special shampoo.  The follicular unit grafts are made to fit snugly in the recipient site and will not be dislodged in the shower provided you follow the instruction given to you. After your first shower, no further bandages are required.

Although you must be very gentle for the first week after hair loss surgery, normal shampooing, brushing and hair care can be resumed after ten days since, by this time, the grafts are firmly in place. You can also have a haircut at this point. You are able to dye your hair, if you choose, four weeks after the hair transplant

If the post-operative instructions are followed carefully, in most patients the transplant is barely detectable after a few days and practically undetectable after the first week. 

We will give you medication for swelling, but in spite of this, some patients experience swelling of the forehead that settles around the bridge of the nose over the course of the next several days. If this occurs, it is almost always gone in the 5th day after the surgery and should not be a cause for concern.

Frequently, the newly transplanted follicular units can be made less noticeable by minor changes in hair style to cover the area. Makeup consultants in large drug stores and department stores can help you choose the appropriate shade and type of makeup. Any problem of visibility can also be minimized by altering the appearance of your face. If you do not shave for a while, most people will focus upon your new beard, not on your head. If you have a mustache or a beard, consider taking it off for the first few weeks and then letting it grow back

You should avoid alcohol for three days following your hair replacement procedure and abstain from smoking for two weeks. When in strong sunlight, you should wear a hat. After two weeks you may use a sunscreen with a SPF of 30+.

Generally patients can resume normal daily routine almost immediately. Limited exercise can be started in the first week. You should avoid strenuous exercise for several weeks following hair restoration surgery, depending upon the type of donor incision and the laxity of your scalp.

9. Following days,weeks, month

What to expect after the FUE Hair Transplant?

The below representation of the period following FUE HT operation should serve as a general guidance only. A considerable variation can be observed. Some hairloss patients may experience few of the issues for a very short while others may experience all of them for a longer period. Some may have a rather visible cosmetic change after only 4-5 months, while other patients may see growth setting in after 10-12 months.

During the operation and the following days: 

How to sleep?

The night of the surgery, and for the next few nights afterwards, you are encouraged to sleep with your head elevated on pillows. 

You will be given medication to help you sleep if needed. 

 
Swellling

We will give you medication for swelling, but in spite of this, some patients experience swelling of the forehead that settles around the bridge of the nose over the course of the next several days. If this occurs, it is almost always gone in the 5th day after the surgery and should not be a cause for concern. 

1 day after the surgery:

The next day after the surgery, you will come back for hair washing and you will be instructed how to shower and gently clean the transplanted area. The follicular unit grafts are made to fit snugly in the recipient site and will not be dislodged in the shower provided you follow the instruction given to you. If the post-operative instructions are followed carefully, in most patients the transplant is barely detectable after a few days and practically undetectable after the first week.

First 2 weeks: You may experience pain from the donor-area. Paracetamol is usually sufficient to treat the pain.

Most patients will have no pain while some may need paracetamol for pain. Only rarely will the pain be more pronounced.

First 12 weeks: Itching, pimples, pop-ups and dry skin are relatively common. Anti-histamins (used for allergic rash), white petroleum (vaseline) or baby oil may be helpful. In larger surgeries numbness may occur specially in the recipient-area. The transplanted hair may shed but the growth centre is left intact in the skin.

3-4 months: Growth starts. Usually the itching, pimples, pop-ups and dry skin is gone. Numbness in recipient-area may persist.

6-8 months: Cosmetic change starts appearing. Numbness is gone in nearly all patients.

1-1.5 years and even upto 2 years: Final results.

Returning to work and social life
If the recipient-area is not bald but only thining most patients will be able to take up normal social activities after 10-14 days without drawing any attention.

If the recipient-area is bald or nearly bald 3-5 weeks may be required before the recipient-area becomes un-noticeable. However, in few cases a light pinkish colour and irritation may persist even beyond 8 weeks.

In far most of the cases of FUE HT with punches less than 1 mm, the donor-area will hardly be visible after two weeks.

Frequently, the newly transplanted follicular units can be made less noticeable by minor changes in hair style to cover the area. Makeup consultants in large drug stores and department stores can help you choose the appropriate shade and type of makeup. 

Any problem of visibility can also be minimized by altering the appearance of your face. If you do not shave for a while, most people will focus upon your new beard, not on your head. If you have a mustache or a beard, consider taking it off for the first few weeks and then letting it grow back.

10. Checkups

he next step is to relax at home, if possible.

At ProHAIR Transplant Clinic Budapest , Hungary  we use two types of suture material, if we use any at all. Absorbable and Non-absorbable sutures. Sutures are used for FUT method only.

 Whenever possible, we at ProHAIR Transplant Clinic, would like to see you in 7 to 10 days, to assess the overall procedure, to remove sutures and to answer any questions that you would like to discuss. Then finally, there is the follow-up consultation after 6 months.

Certainly it is not necessarry and you may leave to home right after the surgery.

11. Are You an Ideal Candidate for Hair Transplant Surgery?

Not being an overly invasive surgical procedure, hair transplantation requires less effort from the body during recovery. Thus almost everyone can opt for a hair transplant procedure who is bothered by the balding in some specific areas of the scalp or the thinning of his or her hair has resulted in an unwanted appearance. However, there may be some cases when your hair transplant specialist will recommend you to postpone surgery or try another treatment.

Hereditary balding is typically a condition that men over 35 have to face, though women can be affected too. Although young men under 30 may experience an unpleasantly high degree of balding, it is not advisable to go on with surgery that early, as the progress and pattern of future hair loss is impossible to predict. Moreover, the transplanted hair in the recipient site will be permanent, and further hair loss behind these areas may result in a very unnatural look, making another surgery necessary.

If your hair transplant specialist at our Transplant Clinic finds during a pre-operative consultation that your hair is shedding and receding according to a certain pattern, FUE or FUT hair transplantation will definitely work for you. If, on the other hand, he or she finds that you are losing hair due to a condition other than heredity, an extremely careful examination has to be performed. Environmental causes such as long-term stress, a change in hormone levels, certain diseases and medications, or even an imbalanced diet can all lead to a shock to hair follicles. In these cases, absent hair follicles are not completely gone, they are just in a resting phase and, if the condition is treated properly, the hair almost always regains its natural appearance. Doctors working at ProHAIR Transplant Clinic are all experts in identifying the different forms of hair loss and their primary goal is to find the most effective remedy for the problems of all patients. Feel free to contact us and take advantage of our free consultation to learn how you can manage your hair loss problems.

12. Planning your operation WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT DURING MY FIRST CONSULTATION AT OUR TRANSPLANT CLINIC?

he typical patient we see at our complimentary consultation is someone who has fully educated themselves on the various types of surgical techniques available for hair restoration surgery.

During your first consultation, the doctor himself will examine your head thoroughly and take a detailed medical history. Let you know if you are a candidate for hair transplantation or not. If you are not a candidate for hair transplantation, you will be explained the reasons for not being a candidate and also explained the medical treatments that are available for your problems, if applicable. The examination of your head should include the use of an instrument called the "Hair Densitometer". This measures your hair density and also allows your doctor to properly evaluate the number of hairs in each of your naturally occurring follicular units and the hair loss pattern you may experience over time if it is applicable to your type of hair loss. This instrument compares fine hair to thick ones, measuring the degree of miniaturization of your hair strands caused by shrinking hair follicles, the progressive diminishing of each hair's diameter and length. The doctor(s) at ProHAIR Transplant Clinic in Budapest, Hungary will also explain the entire hair transplant procedure, including which type of procedure will be used for your hair transplant and any associated risks, and tell you what you can expect in the months following the hair transplant procedure. 

Once you decide to have the surgery performed at our clinic, it is not necessary to bring someone with you for the surgery.

Since most of the time no sutures or staples are used for the surgery, there is no need to come back to the office  to have sutures or staples removed,however we encourage you to come back a day after the surgery for a hair-wash, which will be done by the surgeon.It is often possible to go back to work within the next day after the FUE transplant. With the FUT procedure, depending on the level of pain, more down time is usually required.


13. Will my insurance cover the cost of the hair transplant procedure?