Your hairline is designed on the morning of surgery at the Turkish clinic, drawn directly on your forehead by the surgeon using a surgical marker during a face-to-face consultation. This is arguably the most important step of the entire hair transplant process because it determines the shape, density, and long-term naturalness of your results. Getting this step right requires preparation on your part and honest communication with your surgical team.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.
How the Hairline Design Consultation Works
At most Turkish clinics, the hairline design session happens on the morning of your procedure, typically as the first appointment of the day. If you arrived the night before using the clinic's VIP airport transfer, you will be picked up from your hotel and brought to the clinic early.
The surgeon will examine your scalp in person, assess your donor area density, and discuss your expectations. This is your first in-person meeting with the surgeon, though you will have already had a virtual consultation during the booking process.
The Drawing Process
The surgeon uses a white or purple surgical marker to draw the proposed hairline directly on your skin. Here is what happens step by step:
- Your hair is pulled back and the forehead is cleaned so markings are visible
- The surgeon identifies your natural hairline position by asking you to raise your eyebrows (the highest forehead crease indicates the top of the frontalis muscle)
- A baseline is drawn, typically 7-9 cm above the midpoint between your eyebrows
- Temple points are mapped to frame the face proportionally
- The surgeon adds micro-irregularities to the line so it does not look artificially straight
- You review the design in a mirror and discuss any changes
This process takes 15-30 minutes. Do not rush it.
Factors That Determine Your Hairline Placement
| Factor | How It Affects Design |
|---|---|
| Age | Younger patients (25-30) may receive a slightly more conservative line to allow for future recession |
| Degree of loss | Higher Norwood stages require strategic graft allocation across a larger area |
| Donor supply | Limited donor density may mean a slightly higher hairline to preserve grafts for density |
| Facial shape | Round faces benefit from a slightly peaked or M-shaped line; longer faces suit a flatter design |
| Ethnicity | Hairline shape varies by ethnic background and the surgeon should respect natural patterns |
| Patient preference | Your input is factored in but balanced against long-term sustainability |
What Makes a Natural-Looking Hairline
The biggest mistake in hair transplant surgery is creating a hairline that looks artificial. A natural hairline is never a perfectly straight line. It has gradual density transitions and subtle irregularity that mimic how hair grows naturally.
Single-Hair Grafts at the Front
The very front row of a well-designed hairline uses exclusively single-hair follicular units. These create a soft, feathered transition rather than an abrupt wall of hair. Behind this front row, double and triple-hair grafts are placed in increasing density to build fullness.
Turkish clinics performing FUE at high volume have extensive experience with this technique. During your consultation, ask specifically how many single-hair grafts will be placed along the hairline border. A typical answer is 200-400 single-hair grafts across the front 1-2 rows.
Temple Point Reconstruction
Temple points (the small triangular hair patches in front of your ears) frame the face and contribute significantly to a natural appearance. Not all clinics include temple point reconstruction in the standard plan, so ask about this during your design consultation.
Well-reconstructed temple points should:
- Taper to a natural point
- Use fine single-hair grafts
- Angle downward and slightly forward to match natural growth direction
- Blend seamlessly into sideburn hair
Age-Appropriate Placement
A 28-year-old Norwood 3 does not need the same hairline as a 45-year-old Norwood 5. Placing the hairline too low in a young patient creates a maintenance burden. As hair loss progresses, the area behind a low hairline thins, creating an island effect that may require additional procedures.
A conservative rule is that the hairline should sit at least 7 cm above the glabella (the flat area between the eyebrows) for most adults. Surgeons at experienced Turkish clinics will explain this during the consultation and may push back if you request a placement they consider too aggressive.
How to Prepare Before Your Design Consultation
You will get better results from the design consultation if you arrive prepared.
Bring Reference Photos
Collect 5-10 photos of hairlines you find appealing. These can be from celebrity photos, hair transplant before/after galleries, or previous photos of yourself before hair loss began. Your surgeon will use these as reference points to understand your aesthetic goals.
Keep in mind that your surgeon may explain why certain reference photos are not achievable given your donor supply, head shape, or degree of loss. This is not a rejection of your input. It is experienced guidance.
Know Your Non-Negotiables
Before the consultation, decide which elements matter most to you:
- Overall height of the hairline
- Temple point reconstruction
- Degree of density at the front vs. the crown
- Straight vs. slightly rounded shape
- Whether you want a subtle widow's peak or a flat line
Ask These Questions
During the design session, ask:
- How many grafts will go into the hairline zone vs. the midscalp and crown?
- Are you using single-hair grafts at the front border?
- How will this design hold up if I continue to lose hair behind the transplanted area?
- Will I need a second procedure in the future?
- Can you show me before/after photos of patients with a similar loss pattern?
Common Hairline Design Mistakes to Avoid
Requesting an Unrealistically Low Hairline
A hairline placed at 5-6 cm above the brow line will look unnatural in most adult men, especially as aging changes facial proportions. If your surgeon advises a higher placement, consider their reasoning seriously.
Ignoring the Crown
Patients focused entirely on the hairline sometimes allocate too many grafts to the front, leaving nothing for the crown or midscalp. Your surgeon should present a whole-head plan that distributes grafts strategically.
Not Speaking Up During the Design
If you feel the proposed design is not what you want, say so before surgery begins. Once graft extraction starts, the plan is set. The design consultation is your window to make changes. Do not assume the surgeon will know your preferences without clear communication.
What Happens After the Design Is Approved
Once you approve the hairline design, the team photographs the markings from multiple angles for the surgical record. These photos serve as a reference during the procedure and for your follow-up appointments via WhatsApp or video call.
The surgeon then discusses graft distribution. For example, a 3,500-graft FUE might allocate 1,200 grafts to the hairline and frontal zone, 1,000 to the midscalp, and 1,300 to the crown. These numbers depend on your specific pattern and goals.
After signing consent forms, local anesthesia is administered and the procedure begins with donor extraction from the back and sides of the head.
For a detailed breakdown of what Turkish packages include beyond the procedure, see our Turkey vs USA cost comparison. To understand the technical differences between extraction methods commonly offered at Turkish clinics, read our FUE vs FUT comparison.
Want to know your current hair loss stage and how it affects hairline design options? Get a free AI analysis at myhairline.ai/analyze for a personalized assessment of your graft requirements and hairline restoration potential.