Hair transplant cost cannot be measured in monetary terms alone – losing their hair can often have more than a physical effect on a person, it’s also often accompanied by a loss in confidence and a drop in self-esteem as the person comes to terms with an unwelcome change in their personal appearance and, perhaps, an acceptance of their ageing years.
When people think of hair loss or baldness, most automatically think of it applying to men because of genetic male pattern baldness, but it’s also a condition that affects women too. The cause of the hair loss can vary between patient to patient – stress, illness, or an imbalance of hormones can all be the cause, or it can sometimes be simply because of genetic inheritance. Hair transplantation surgery can help in many of these cases to hide the balding scalp, and give the patient back not only their hair, but often their confidence too.
Should I consider hair transplant surgery?
Before exploring the feasibility of hair transplant surgery, you should be aware that often, if the hair loss is a result of a medical condition, then growth could return if this condition is successfully treated. As such, your first point of call should be your family physicians who will be able to diagnose the cause of the hair loss, and suggest an appropriate treatment. Sometimes, if hair loss isn’t too pronounced, a course of hair growth vitamins may be the best treatment to consider.
How is the procedure performed?
The surgeon will harvest strips, hair grafts, or plugs of hair from elsewhere on the patient’s body, and then use this to fill in areas of baldness on the scalp. There are a number of techniques for transplanting the hair; the most commonly used today being FUT and FUE micrografts.
Hair naturally grows in three to four strands to a follicle, and the treatment will aim to transplant these follicles as a whole unit to promote stronger hair growth in the future. The first Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) technique is called Strip Harvesting, and will involve the surgeon removing a small strip of the scalp where hair is still present to harvest follicles, before it being re-grafted to a bald area on the patient’s scalp.
The less invasive process is called Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). Under a local anaesthetic the surgeon will use a micro-punch to remove the hair follicles from a donor area, and a micro-blade to reinsert it into the scalp.
Are there any side-effects, drawbacks to the treatment?
Whilst all medical procedures have an inherent risk, hair transplant surgery is relatively safe. You should, of course, always satisfy yourself that the surgeon is qualified and experienced in the procedure. The procedure will result in some scarring on the scalp, but once the hair starts to re-grow this should become less obvious to the point of being hidden. The application of an antibiotic cream will help prevent scaring, and also infection. Post-op, the scalp area will be tender and the patient will experience mild discomfort as the area heals.
What is the average cost of hair transplant surgery?
The average hair restoration cost using transplant surgery is in the range of $5,000. But this can vary considerably. As with all medical procedures, the cost will be decided by the medical team during initial assessment based on their examination of the patient. Each patient will have different requirements as to the area of scalp that requires treatment. As a rule the FUT procedure is less expensive that FUE, but the patient must take into account the benefits of the less invasive FUE approach in making their decision. Often, though, the true hair transplant cost can’t be measured in monetary terms alone and has to include the improvements in the patients confidence and inner happiness too.