Sergey Hilman's hair transplant, described in his own words

Hilman also compared the experience to an earlier hairline procedure that had gone badly: «Viimeksi se sattui niin paljon, että itkin. Tällä kertaa se ei sattunut, kiitos rauhoittavien.» ("Last time it hurt so much that I cried. This time it didn't hurt, thanks to the sedatives.") Seiska noted this was Hilman's third time having his hairline corrected.

That is the full basis for this article. Hilman did not name the clinic or its surgeon, so neither is guessed at here, and his earlier two procedures are mentioned only because he referred to them himself, without any further detail on where or when they took place. Where the text below explains how hair transplants work and what recovery involves, it describes the procedure in general, not his personal treatment.

He said he asked the surgeon to take as little hair as possible from the back of his head, since he expected to be filmed often, and to move the hairline roughly half a centimetre lower than first planned. This article does not comment on his appearance; it reports only what he said about the process.

Needing more than one transplant over time is not unusual. Hair loss is a progressive, usually genetic process, and a single procedure moves a limited number of grafts from a finite donor area, so some patients return for a second or further round years later as thinning continues elsewhere.

• FUE — grafts are extracted through tiny punctures and placed into channels the surgeon prepares beforehand. No linear scar, no stitches.
• DHI — grafts are implanted directly with a specialised pen, without pre-made channels, allowing finer control of each hair's angle and direction, which matters most along a hairline.

A combined FUE-extraction, DHI-implantation approach also exists, priced at $2,700. The right choice, including for a second or third procedure, is decided at a consultation that checks how much donor hair remains.

• a hairline that has moved again since an earlier transplant, the situation Hilman described;
• thinning at the crown or general low density on top;
• hair loss after injury or burns.

There are also contraindications, including patchy (focal) alopecia, age under 18, trichotillomania, body dysmorphic disorder, severe heart disease, diabetes mellitus, epilepsy and intolerance to anaesthetics. For anyone who has already had one or two transplants, the surgeon also checks how much donor hair is left before agreeing to another round.

A final judgement on density and hairline shape is normally made at 12 to 18 months — the same timeline whether it is a first procedure or, as in Hilman's case, a later one.

Current prices start at $2,200 for FUE and $2,500 for DHI, with follow-up appointments at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months and a lifetime guarantee on transplanted hair. More details are on the hair transplant page.

To be clear: City Medical Centre has no connection with Sergey Hilman or his treatment. His account is simply a detailed, widely read example of a man who chose to document a hair transplant openly.

Hair transplant prices in this article are the current offer, valid until 30 November 2026. Regular prices: FUE $2,700, DHI $2,900, combined method $2,900. The price that applies to you is confirmed at the consultation.