Cost of Hair Transplants
Hair transplant costs range from $3 - $8 / graft, which could total $5000 - $50,000 for a surgery depending upon the technique employed, and the skill of the doctor and his technicians. Although the first question most hair loss sufferers ask when researching hair transplant clinics is "How much does a hair transplant cost?", there are many other questions which need to be asked first. Why? Because the question is a lot like asking "What does a car cost?". When buying a car, or violin, or a hair transplant, cost is relative. Are you buying a rusted out Volkswagon, or a Bentley? Hair restoration shopping is the same. What method of hair transplantation are you considering? Are you willing to settle for mediocre results and the necessity of more surgery a few years down the road or do you want a surgery that won't require touch-ups or future work? As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.
Costs of Different Types of Hair Transplantation
Follicular Unit Grafting (Strip Surgery) Pricing
The cost of follicular unit hair transplants from $5,000-25,000 USD depending upon how many grafts are being transplanted and the skill of the hair transplant doctor and their technicians. The cost of follicular unit grafting as in other hair transplant methods, is charged by the graft. In follicular unit transplantation, a strip is excised from the back of the head and grafts (groupings of hairs) are removed in their naturally occurring 1,2,3 or 4 hair units. FUT is widely considered the safest, most efficient method with both the highest yield and lowest rate of transection (cutting or damage).
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) Pricing
The cost of FUE hair transplants range from $5,000 - $50,000 USD depending on the number of grafts harvested.The cost of follicular unit extraction is usually twice that of follicular unit transplantation. In follicular unit extraction, a small punch tool is used to extract the naturally occurring hair bundles from the donor area at the back of the head. Grafts are extracted one at a time. The process is done in stages, first a small punch scores the skin surrounding the graft, then a larger punch is used to remove it. At this time, follicular unit extraction technique is a blind procedure, the doctor cannot see the angle and direction of the graft and there is a much higher rate of transection (cutting) of grafts during removal than in follicular unit transplantation. In follicular unit transplantation, transection rates are very low because the doctors score only the perimeter of the donor area and remove follicular units from the donor tissue under high powered microscopes. In FUE, danger of transection exists with each and every graft removed. FUE is labour intensive, slow, and the time it takes for the doctor to do the surgery is reflected in the cost of the hair transplant.
Body Hair Transplant Pricing
The cost of body hair transplantation (BHT) can range from $10,000 - $100,000 USD depending upon the number of hair grafts transplanted. BHT is by far the most expensive and least reliable of hair transplant methods in part because of the number of grafts required. BHT is the very last resort of hair loss sufferers. If a hair loss patient cannot have a transplant via accepted, proven methods (follicular unit transplantation, follicular unit extraction) then body hair transplantation may become an option. However, this procedure, in the opinion of many, is experimental at best and yields often very poor results. The amount of hairs needed to get barely acceptable results is often as high as 30,000 grafts. Body hair is finer, and there are rarely more than two hair grafts available for harvest. BHT employs the same punch tools as FUE, and therefore, there is also a high rate of transection or graft damage produced by this blind procedure.
Hair Transplant Financing
Many clinics work with finance companies so that patients can set up monthly payment plans to pay for hair transplant surgery. Often, accommodations are paid for and a portion of air fare is subtracted from the hair transplant cost.
