Hair of Istanbul guide says scalp assessment matters in Afro-textured hair transplants

Hair of Istanbul has published an educational guide on planning follicular unit excision for Afro-textured hair, arguing that scalp thickness, firmness and donor-area mapping can matter as much as visible curl. The guide ties those points to a 2023 study in Dermatologic Surgery and says individualized testing can help reduce extraction risk.

Why it matters: - Afro-textured hair can curve below the skin in ways that are not obvious from the visible curl pattern. - That makes donor-area assessment a key part of follicular unit excision, or FUE, planning. - Better assessment can help surgeons adjust extraction settings to the individual patient and reduce the risk of follicle transection.

What happened: - Hair of Istanbul published an educational guide on Afro-textured hair transplant planning. - The guide reviews published research on follicle curvature, scalp characteristics and donor-area assessment. - The guide is medically reviewed by Dr. Ahmet Dilber. - The full guide is available here.

The details: - The guide says visible curl does not fully reveal the path of the follicle beneath the scalp. - The guide highlights scalp thickness, skin firmness and donor capacity as factors that can affect extraction difficulty. - The guide says donor mapping and small test extractions can help the treating team evaluate how a donor area responds before broader harvesting begins. - The guide says instrument selection, entry angle and extraction depth may need to change based on the donor area. - The guide says planning should also consider the cause and stability of hair loss, donor availability and scalp health. - The guide frames these points as educational context for individual consultation.

Between the lines: - The guide is building its message around a 2023 study in Dermatologic Surgery that examined a skin-responsive FUE technique in 64 patients of African descent across seven clinics. - In that study, skin thickness and firmness had a greater effect on maximum graft transection rate than hair curliness. - The findings support looking beyond curl alone, but they do not prove that curvature is irrelevant or that one technique fits every patient. - The research studied a specific device and technique, not all FUE methods. - Lead author Sanusi Umar disclosed financial and patent interests tied to the device, which matters when weighing the findings. - Transection means cutting across a follicle during extraction and is different from later graft survival and growth.

What's next: - Patients considering FUE will likely see more emphasis on donor mapping, test extractions and individualized extraction settings. - Hair of Istanbul positions the guide as a consultation tool rather than a report of its own clinical outcomes. - The company says the guide is part of its broader patient education around hair restoration procedures, assessment and aftercare.

The bottom line: - For Afro-textured hair transplants, the visible curl is only one part of the decision. - Scalp characteristics and donor-area testing can shape how safely and effectively surgeons plan extraction.