City Medical Centre · hair transplant clinicOpen 24/7

City Medical Centre

Hair Transplant in
Dortmund: FUE & DHI

FUE · DHI

from $2,200

Advice, then the price — $0.

Real patient

Hair transplant: photo of a patient before the operation and 12 months later

original

12 months since

FUE: no incisions, no stitches. Graft count and forecast counted without any fee — before you decide.

Message us on WhatsApp

Free online consultation · Reply within 15 minutes

Find out your price and number of
grafts

Nothing to pay, no surgery booking required

Message our coordinator

Free online consultation · Reply within 15 minutes

Message us on Telegram

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Hair transplant (hair restoration) in Dortmund: price and key facts

Hair transplant for patients from Dortmund at City Medical Centre starts at €2,000 (from $2,200). The first online consultation is free; the doctor names the final price and it is fixed in the contract.

Price
€2,000 (from $2,200)
Performed by
Anastasia A. Kolesnik, hair transplant doctor
Anesthesia
local
Stay
one day at the clinic
Final result
12–18 months after surgery
How it works
Send photos on WhatsApp or Telegram, get a free doctor assessment and the price, then confirm the plan and dates before anything is booked.

How it works · Hair transplant prices

Information current as of 5 November 2026

Free online consultation on WhatsApp and Telegram

results

This is how hair looks
8–12 months later

All cases: real City Medical Centre patients.

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 2800 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

2,800 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3500 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,500 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 2600 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

2,600 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3000 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,000 grafts

FUE method

Beard transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 2700 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

2,700 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3300 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,300 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 2900 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

2,900 grafts

FUE method

Beard transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 2500 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

2,500 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3400 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,400 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 2500 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

2,500 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3100 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,100 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3600 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,600 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 4000 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

4,000 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3200 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,200 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3000 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,000 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3700 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,700 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 2700 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

2,700 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3800 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,800 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3300 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,300 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 2800 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

2,800 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 2500 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

2,500 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3900 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,900 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3500 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,500 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3800 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,800 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 2900 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

2,900 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3600 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,600 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 2600 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

2,600 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 2700 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

2,700 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3700 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,700 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3200 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,200 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3000 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,000 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 2800 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

2,800 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 4000 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

4,000 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3400 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,400 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 2900 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

2,900 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3100 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,100 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 2600 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

2,600 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3300 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,300 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3900 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,900 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3500 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,500 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 2700 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

2,700 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3800 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,800 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3200 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,200 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3000 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,000 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 2800 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

2,800 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3100 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,100 grafts

FUE method

Scalp hair transplant: photo before and 12 months later, 3600 grafts, FUE method

original

12 months since

3,600 grafts

FUE method

Comparison

Hair transplant methods
FUE and DHI

Our work relies on three graft transfer technologies: classic FUE, suture-free DHI and a combined protocol. Compare implantation technique, tissue trauma and graft survival, then choose knowingly.

FUE

Classic technique without incisions or stitches

Hair transplant with the FUE method
Discount until the end of November

$2,200

$2,700

Graft implantation technique

Forceps

Graft trauma

Minimal

A natural angle for hair

Natural

Graft survival

98–100%

Suitable for

Androgenetic alopecia

DHI

Stitch-free implantation with a Choi pen

Hair transplant with the DHI method
Discount until the end of November

$2,500

$2,900

Graft implantation technique

DHI pen (Choi implanter)

Graft trauma

Minimal

A natural angle for hair

Natural

Graft survival

98–100%

Suitable for

Densification

Combined DHI/FUE

FUE extraction, DHI pen implant

Combined DHI and FUE protocol
Discount until the end of November

$2,700

$2,900

Graft implantation technique

FUE extraction + DHI implantation

Graft trauma

Minimal

A natural angle for hair

Natural

Graft survival

98–100%

Suitable for

Androgenetic alopecia and densification

Survival and trauma figures are method averages and only a guide: the exact numbers depend on the transplant area and the patient's individual features, and the doctor clarifies them at the consultation.

Book your assessment

How a hair transplant really goes, told from both sides

Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 1
Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 2
Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 3
Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 4
Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 5
Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 6
Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 7
Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 8
Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 9
Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 10
Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 11
Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 12
Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 13
Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 14
Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 16
Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 17
Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 18
Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 19
Video about hair transplants at City Medical Centre, clip 20
Book your assessment

about the clinic

A spot where you
will be at ease

Modern equipment, cosy rooms, attentive staff

The City Medical Centre team with a patient after a hair transplant

Drop us a line in any way you like

All your questions get answered and a convenient consultation time is found

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Who this operation cannot help

If your case can be solved without surgery, the doctor will tell you right at the consultation — and you will not waste your money. Below are the cases in which a transplant works.

A man with thinning hair at a consultation: a case where a hair transplant helps

When grafts make sense

  • Androgenetic or diffuse alopecia
  • A receding hairline
  • A high hairline
  • Insufficient hair density
  • Genetic side of hair growth
  • Consequences of an injury or a burn
  • Shedding post-illness
  • Shedding from a hormonal imbalance

No idea if this applies to you?

Send your number - a coordinator requests photos in a messenger, the doctor replies whether a transplant helps. Free, no booking.

A doctor looking at a photo of a thinning area on a phone
Could this work for me?

services

You learn the price
before the surgery

The free consultation produces a graft count and a price, and both are reflected in the contract.

Discount until the end of November

FUE method

suture-free graft extraction

Hair transplant with the FUE method — operating room at City Medical Centre

$2,200$2,700

Advice, then the price — $0.

Freeze your quote
Discount until the end of November

DHI method

implantation without channels

Hair transplant with the DHI method and a Choi pen — operating room at City Medical Centre

$2,500$2,900

Advice, then the price — $0.

Freeze your quote
Discount until the end of November

DHI+FUE combo method

combined technique

Combined DHI and FUE hair transplant — operating room at City Medical Centre

$2,700$2,900

Advice, then the price — $0.

Freeze your quote
Discount until the end of November

Other help too

Where it all beginsFree
Eyebrow transplant, FUE$1,700$1,600
Beard transplant, FUE$3,000$2,800
Hair trichopigmentation$2,000$1,700
PRP therapy / session$200
Freeze your quote

all included

What is included
in $2,200

The pre-op stage plus 12 months of follow-up checks.

Lifelong growth, guaranteed

No surprise costs on the day of the surgery.

two more areas

Beard and eyebrow
transplants

Transplants are not limited to the scalp: the same grafts from the back of the head, the same FUE method, only the area changes.

Beard transplant

FUE method, no incisions or stitches

A surgeon marking the beard line before a transplant at City Medical Centre

The grafts are taken from the donor area at the back of the head and moved through micro-punctures of about 1 mm, leaving no scars. Before the operation the doctor discusses the shape with you, taking your facial features into account. Transplanted hair grows for life: the beard is trimmed and styled as usual.

$2,800$3,000

Advice, then the price — $0.

Freeze your quote

Eyebrow transplant

FUE method, no incisions or stitches

A surgeon marking the eyebrow shape before a transplant at City Medical Centre

The first appointment is when the surgeon draws the brow contour, compares references with you and matches the design to your facial proportions. Each hair takes the natural growth angle, giving brows that hold up to a close look. It also helps where years of plucking stopped growth.

$1,600$1,700

an outpatient session under a local anaesthetic

Freeze your quote

Find out your grafts and your price

Before anything else the donor zone is inspected and the grafts counted, and a realistic outcome is shown. After that, the cost is named and the contract makes it final.

Operating room at City Medical Centre

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Free online consultation · Reply within 15 minutes

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Process

One day in the clinic —
and home you go

From consultation to going home — all in one day

Where it all begins — hair transplant at City Medical Centre
1

Where it all begins

Patients in Dortmund start with a free consultation, where the doctor explains the FUE and DHI methods, answers questions, and builds a personalized surgical plan.

Setting a date for it
2

Setting a date for it

A deposit paid by card — whether at the clinic or online — secures the surgery date, with the details set out in a medical services contract.

The week before your operation — hair transplant at City Medical Centre
3

The week before your operation

This step is dedicated to pre-surgery preparation: completing the tests the clinic lists, following its instructions closely.

Anaesthesia – comfort right through the op — hair transplant at City Medical Centre
4

Anaesthesia – comfort right through the op

The treatment area is numbed with local anaesthesia, so the entire surgery is pain-free.

Freeing each follicle from the donor scalp — hair transplant at City Medical Centre
5

Freeing each follicle from the donor scalp

The back of the head or the temples serve as the donor area, from which grafts are collected without stitches.

Implanting the grafts — hair transplant at City Medical Centre
6

Implanting the grafts

Implantation takes place here, with the grafts placed into the area of hair loss.

Coming through those first few weeks — hair transplant at City Medical Centre
7

Coming through those first few weeks

This is the recovery stage, supported by full supplies and complete instructions from the clinic.

Healing after a hair transplant, 0-10 days
8

0-10 days — Recovery

The scabs shed, the swelling fades out, the skin returns to normal

Shedding of the transplanted hairs after a hair transplant, 2-4 weeks
9

2-4 weeks — Shedding of the implanted hairs

The follicles stay; only the hair shafts fall out

Growth begins after a hair transplant, 3-4 months
10

3-4 months — First regrowth

New hairs surface gradually, the result shows

Visible density after a hair transplant, 6-9 months
11

6-9 months — Looks fuller now

Fullness comes through, with the volume and hairline visible

Final result after a hair transplant, 12-18 months
12

12-18 months — Final stage

The hair reaches its full volume and a natural edge

At the consultation the doctor will say how many grafts you personally need and explain how the transplant will go

A doctor's appointment at City Medical Centre

Free, before surgery, with no commitment.

Book your assessment

doctors

Our doctors

Kristina A. Tropina, assistant

Kristina A. Tropina

Assistant

9 years of experience

You talk at the consultation with the doctor who will operate.

Examination of the donor zone, calculation of the grafts, and an explanation of the outcome.

Book your assessment

coordinators

The clinic's helpers

One named coordinator works with you from the moment you write until recovery is over.

Svetlana, patient care specialist

Svetlana

Patient support lead

Will be with you before and after surgery

Sees your papers through and books slots

Ekaterina, patient care specialist

Ekaterina

Patient support lead

Will be with you before and after surgery

Sees your papers through and books slots

Maria, patient care specialist

Maria

Patient support lead

Will be with you before and after surgery

Sees your papers through and books slots

Yulia, patient care specialist

Yulia

Patient support lead

Will be with you before and after surgery

Sees your papers through and books slots

How it actually
happens

How a hair transplant goes, clip 1
How a hair transplant goes, clip 2
A City Medical Centre patient story
A City Medical Centre patient story
A City Medical Centre patient story
A City Medical Centre patient story
A City Medical Centre patient story
A City Medical Centre patient story
A City Medical Centre patient story
A City Medical Centre patient story
A City Medical Centre patient story
A City Medical Centre patient story
A City Medical Centre patient story

Want the same — get a free consultation

All your questions get answered and a convenient consultation time is found

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Reviews

Patient reviews

  • ★★★★★
    Sang Tran
    I was having trouble with my hair. I came here and got a hair transplant. The results was awesome thank you

    Review on Google

  • ★★★★★
    Илья Вячеславович
    І experienced hair loss due to COVID and turned to this clinic; they helped me and performed a hair transplant, moving hair from the back of my head to my temples. Thank you.

    Review on Google

  • ★★★★★
    ilya svyatoslavovich
    I traveled to City Medical Centre, where they helped me overcome hair loss through a transplant to the balding areas of my scalp. I am grateful to the doctors for performing the procedure painlessly.

    Review on Google

  • ★★★★★
    Мансур Касанбаев
    I am sharing my experience, because before the operation I went through a pile of reviews myself and was looking for real stories. I had a beard transplant six months ago. Honestly, in the first days after the procedure I felt a little jittery: my face looked unfamiliar, there was slight swelling and small scabs. In the first couple of months the hair partly fell out, as the doctor had warned. But now the result truly makes me very happy) From about the 4th month active, even growth began. The transplanted hair took very well, the beard now looks as natural as possible, no bald patches are left. The beard became much thicker and denser, with the shape I had thought about for a long time. All in all, I recommend the clinic, the doctor was polite and explained everything 👍 The result is definitely worth it!

    Review on Google

  • ★★★★★
    Dinh Nguyen
    I traveled to this clinic and do hair transplant, very good quality and cheap. Good doctors

    Review on Google

  • ★★★★★
    Hải Cao
    I do hair transplant here very good doctors!!

    Review on Google

Things people ask

We tell what people
ask before booking

People often say hair implants, but no artificial hair is used. In a hair transplant the doctor moves your own follicles (grafts) from the donor area to thinning or bald areas using FUE or DHI.

City Medical Centre doctors

Yes — patients from other cities and countries are welcome, and you can start with a free online consultation.

FUE costs $2,200 (≈ €2,000), DHI costs $2,500 (≈ €2,250), and the combined DHI+FUE method costs $2,700 (≈ €2,450). The exact amount is confirmed at a free consultation after your grafts are counted, and it is fixed in the contract.

The procedure is completed within a single day, after which you head home.

It helps with stable pattern hair loss and a receding hairline when there are enough donor grafts. Some types of alopecia need treatment first; the doctor checks this at the consultation.

No pain during the procedure, thanks to local anaesthesia.

FUE is cut-free graft extraction by tweezer. DHI is direct implantation with a Choi pen, skipping channel-making. The combined technique takes grafts by FUE and places them using the DHI method.

A doctor determines the graft number at a free consultation, looking at your donor area's capacity.

Healing takes 0–10 days. Transplanted hair sheds at 2–4 weeks, which is normal. New growth starts at 3–4 months, with noticeable density at 6–9 months and the final result at 12–18 months.

You get a lifetime hair growth guarantee, written into the contract.

All of it can be checked
before you pay

The clinic runs on a medical licence, care follows the standards and clinical guidelines

per Ministry of Health.

Diploma of a City Medical Centre doctor
Certificate of a City Medical Centre doctor

Diplomas and certificates of the doctors who will operate

Look at the papers

AKC POMOSHCH LLC

the clinic's legal name

1057746096924

OGRN

7728536872

INN

Thinking about a hair transplant in Dortmund?

A hair transplant by FUE or DHI works for a resident of Dortmund exactly as it does for anyone else: no cuts, no stitches, local anaesthesia, one day. Graft survival reaches 98-100 %, and a price from $2,200 (≈ €2,000) is written into the contract after a free graft count.

Nothing is signed and nothing is paid at the start in Dortmund. The online consultation is free: the doctor sees pictures of the affected zone and tells you if a transplant helps. The clinic is in touch 24/7.

Skin settles over 0-10 days. Then come 2-4 weeks, when the transplanted hairs drop out - normal, expected, and no reason to worry. Growth resumes at 3-4 months, slowly at first and then in earnest.

Hair Transplant in Dortmund: price and what is included

Prices are in US dollars; the amount in brackets is an approximate conversion to EUR at the rate of 02.10.2026. The final price is fixed in your contract.

By messaging us, you agree to our Privacy Policy

Written by Anastasia A. Kolesnik, plastic surgeon, hair transplant doctor

Medically reviewed by Ellina V. Goncharova, dermatovenereologist, trichologist, surgeon. Review date:

Sources and further reading

  1. NHS — Hair transplant
  2. American Academy of Dermatology — Hair loss: hair transplants
  3. International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) — Treatments for hair loss
  4. PubMed / NCBI — Follicular Unit Extraction for Hair Transplantation: An Update (Actas Dermosifiliogr, 2017)
  5. PubMed / NCBI — Donor site healing in follicular unit extraction hair transplantation (Cell Mol Biol, 2025)

How we prepare and review medical content · Medical disclaimer

Stories of well-known people

Well-known people who spoke openly about this operation, in their own words.

All stories about this operation →

What a first message from Dortmund should contain

At the end of 2025 Dortmund had 600,880 residents (city). In whatever district you live, a transplant plan opens with a talk held on your phone. The online consultation is free and binds you to nothing. A coordinator is on WhatsApp and Telegram night and day, and the clinic undertakes to answer within 15 minutes.

The doctor needs pictures more than adjectives. Photograph the crown, the top, the front and each temple in plain daylight, and add the nape and the sides, where donor hair is gathered. Keep the hair dry and unstyled. A message with five or six sharp pictures gets a firmer answer than a message with one blurred selfie.

Under the pictures write four things. When the thinning began. Whether it moved steadily or in bursts. Whether anyone in the family has the same pattern. Whether an illness, a hormonal change or an injury came before it. The doctor asks about the last two because the cause of the loss changes the advice.

Add your health background without trimming it: regular medicines, long-term conditions, past operations, any earlier reaction to an anaesthetic. The operation uses local anaesthesia, so that last detail has practical weight. If your own physician has given a diagnosis, quote it with the date.

Finish with two or three questions of your own. What number of grafts does the doctor foresee? Why is one technique suggested for your scalp rather than another? Which appointments after surgery are written into the plan? The graft figure follows only after the doctor has studied the donor zone, so be wary of anyone who quotes it from a form.

Three ways to move a follicle, explained for a layperson

With FUE the doctor lifts follicular units singly, using forceps, and neither cuts nor stitches are involved. The clinic reports minimal harm to each unit, hairs that lie at their natural angle, and androgenetic alopecia as the typical indication.

DHI relies on a Choi implanter pen. Each graft is placed directly, so the earlier step of cutting channels disappears, and again nothing is sewn. The clinic suggests it where the aim is more density in a thinning area.

The third option extracts by FUE and implants with the DHI pen; the clinic presents it as a way of thickening zones affected by androgenetic alopecia. The three routes differ, so ask the doctor to write down why one fits you better than the others.

Each method comes with survival and trauma percentages given as averages for orientation. What happens on your own head depends on the treated area and your personal features, which the doctor sets out in the consultation. A general percentage is not a forecast.

Donor hair is collected at the nape and sides or at the temples by a technique that leaves no scars, and beard and eyebrow work follows the same FUE approach. If your interest extends beyond the scalp, mention that at the outset so that the sequence is planned in one go.

Doctors' chamber, register search, and a note on money

Dortmund sits in the administrative region of Arnsberg. According to the Federal Chamber of Physicians, the Westfalen-Lippe chamber covers the regions of Arnsberg, Detmold and Münster, offers an online physician search, and runs a joint patient advice service. The Ärztekammer Westfalen-Lippe describes itself as a public-law corporation seated in Münster that represents the physicians of its area, and its site includes an Arztsuche for patients.

Make practical use of that tool: get the doctor's complete name from the clinic, enter it in the search, and keep a dated screenshot with your documents. Should it not appear, ask the clinic to explain in writing how the qualifications can be confirmed another way.

Specialty deserves a separate question. The clinic's published team lists a plastic surgeon as well as a dermatovenereologist who also practises as trichologist and surgeon. The clinic also stresses continuity: whoever examines you at the consultation is meant to work on operation day. Ask for that in writing, with a name next to it.

On money, whether any insurer contributes to a transplant chosen for appearance is a question for your own insurer, so ask in writing before you decide.

The total is fixed once the grafts have been counted and recorded in the contract; a surgery date is held when the deposit arrives. Study each sentence about the deposit, and about moving the date, before you pay.

Who is a fair candidate, and who should wait

The clinic is frank that a transplant does not fit every case, and promises that the doctor tells you when it would not help. Typical grounds for going ahead are androgenetic or diffuse alopecia, as well as bald stretches that have advanced from the front.

The cautions run long. They gather infections (HIV or AIDS, hepatitis B or C), severe heart disease or a pacemaker, diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, a past pulmonary embolism, cancer and intolerance of anaesthetics, together with trichotillomania, body dysmorphic disorder and being a minor. Whatever applies to you belongs on the first line of your message.

If, after a free consultation, you decide against the operation, nothing has been booked and nothing is owed. Expect the doctor to say plainly if another path suits you better, and treat that frankness as part of the service rather than a reason for doubt.

A second opinion is a normal step. Place the two proposals next to each other in a table: technique, graft number, who operates, which visits follow. Where the lines differ, ask each doctor to explain the difference in writing and judge by the quality of the reasoning, not by the confidence of the tone.

What the year after the operation looks like

The operation fits into one day and uses local anaesthesia; afterwards you are free to go home. Over the first ten days the crusts loosen and the swelling recedes. Around the second to fourth week the implanted hairs fall out, as expected, because the follicles themselves stay put.

New hair starts to appear about three or four months after surgery. Fullness returns somewhere in months six to nine, and the clinic expects the completed look, including a natural edge, in the twelfth to eighteenth month. Mark these windows in a diary right after the operation.

Its package, as the clinic itemises it, covers dressings, healing checks, separate care plans for the receiving and the donor zones, tips on washing, sleeping and covering the scalp, a timetable for sport and hair care, and a coordinator you can send photographs to, plus visits at one, three, six, nine and twelve months. Tick every item against the contract.

Take a monthly photograph on a fixed day, in constant light and from constant angles, and send the set to your coordinator. Shedding is the phase that unsettles people most, so decide in advance whom you will write to when it starts.

Treat the answers you receive as a record. Keep the consultation reply, the contract draft and each coordinator message in one place, dated. If you later seek a second opinion, a tidy record lets another doctor see what was proposed, and it lets you spot any change of wording between the first message and the signed paper.

Which chamber covers Dortmund for a physician search?

According to the Federal Chamber of Physicians, the Westfalen-Lippe chamber covers the regions of Arnsberg, Detmold and Münster, and Dortmund lies in Arnsberg. The chamber offers an online physician search.

What kind of body is the Ärztekammer Westfalen-Lippe?

It describes itself as a public-law corporation seated in Münster that represents the physicians of Westfalen-Lippe, with an Arztsuche for patients.

Should I ask my insurer before I decide?

Yes. A transplant chosen for appearance is a question to put to your own insurer in writing before you decide. The clinic sets the total after the graft count and records it in the contract.

What should I send in my first message from Dortmund?

Daylight photographs of the crown, top, front, temples, nape and sides, the start of the thinning, family history, regular medicines and long-term conditions.

Can I request the doctor's name and specialty in writing?

Yes. Ask for the doctor's name and specialty, plus confirmation that this is the person you meet at the consultation.

What happens if I decide not to go ahead after the consultation?

Nothing is owed. The consultation is free and carries no obligation, and nothing is booked until you agree to a plan.

Which papers should I keep while I decide in Dortmund?

The doctor's full name and specialty, a dated screenshot of the chamber search, the consultation reply with the graft count and method, the draft contract and the list of inclusions.