Do You Need a Referral for DHI Hair Transplant?

DHI, or direct hair implantation, is a hair-restoration technique in which follicular grafts are placed into planned recipient areas. A consultation should first explore the pattern and cause of hair loss, the condition of the scalp, the available donor hair, and the result you hope to achieve. A referral can provide useful medical history, but it does not replace the specialist’s examination or confirm that transplantation is suitable.

Ask the clinic whether you may self-book with its trichology or hair-restoration team. Check whether your plan or employer arrangement has a separate referral or authorisation rule. Prepare a list of medicines, previous scalp treatments, illnesses, and the time course of shedding. Bring details of any family pattern of hair loss and avoid judging suitability from a promotional image; the donor area and diagnosis determine the clinical plan.

Seek medical assessment before arranging a transplant if hair loss is sudden, occurs in sharply defined patches, follows scalp inflammation, or comes with pain, scaling, sores, or marked itching. These findings can point to an active scalp problem that needs diagnosis and treatment. A transplant is generally considered only after the underlying cause and scalp health have been reviewed.

Ask what is causing the hair loss, whether the donor area can support the proposed design, who performs each stage, and what recovery involves. Discuss likely density, future thinning, medication options, and how complications such as infection, scarring, or poor graft growth would be managed.