A common misconception of hair transplants is that they are very expensive. However, the reality is that hair transplants vary greatly in cost and are very affordable compared to years past. You can get an affordable hair transplant procedure without spending an outrageous amount of money. Factors that influence the cost of a hair transplant are as follows:

The Type of Procedure

There are generally two types of hair transplant procedures; Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). During an FUT procedure, the surgeon removes a 6-10 inch strip of scalp from your head, which is then divided into tiny grafts each with a few hairs on it. The grafts are then carefully placed back into the scalp.While an FUE procedure, only requires the surgeon to shave the hair at the back of the head and harvest hair follicles one by one. This method requires a more precise skill level to individually harvest the grafts, is more labor intensive, therefore more expensive than FUT. Both procedures share similar implantation methods and hair follicles are placed one by one to balding areas and continue to grow just like any other hair. At the end of the day, many patients select the hair transplant procedure that will not leave a scar on the back of their head.

Quantity of Grafts Needed

The amount of hair grafts needed during a transplant may also affect the overall cost of the procedure. When considering the degree of hair loss the industry standards is the Norwood Classification scale which gives a general guideline as to how many grafts is necessary to achieve optimal results. Thus, larger bald areas require a higher number of hair grafts. Typically, the higher the number of hair follicles needed during a procedure the lower the cost per hair graft. For example, a patient that selects a 1,500 graft hair transplant may have the same cost as that of a patient that needs 750 grafts. Consequently, mega transplantation sessions such as 3000 grafts may have the lowest cost per graft.

Please be aware that each graft contains 1-5 hairs and that the correct way to deliver a honest procedure cost estimate is through charging the patient per graft. Unfortunately, many hair surgery clinics charge hair by the area. A procedure done this way uses a lower number of grafts and patients are rarely pleased with the final results. Usually, additional procedures are required to deliver more density: hence higher cost.

Price Per Graft

Several hair restoration clinics offer hair graft comparison charts with prices as low as $1-$4 per graft while others show prices ranging from $5-$10 per graft depending on the type of procedure offered (FUT or FUE). An average hair transplant surgery in the United States should be in the range of $4,000 to $15,000. Patients who are paying more, even when performing mega sessions, are spending too much. In addition, hair restoration clinics may justify their cost by claiming to have a “superior technology” such as Artas. I am not stating that this is bad technology, just that all results depend on the quality of the surgeon and the team performing the surgery. These factors, rather than the type of technology are vital to your results. The technology does not guarantee the best results.

A common misconception of hair transplants is that they are very expensive. However, the reality is that hair transplants vary greatly in cost and are very affordable compared to years past. You can get an affordable hair transplant procedure without spending an outrageous amount of money. I’m physician assistant Adley DaSilva, I specialize in minimally invasive procedures including hair transplantation. Factors that influence the cost of a hair transplant are as follows:

The Type of Procedure

There are generally two types of hair transplant procedures; Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). During an FUT procedure, the surgeon removes a 6-10 inch strip of scalp from your head, which is then divided into tiny grafts each with a few hairs on it. The grafts are then carefully placed back into the scalp.While an FUE procedure, only requires the surgeon to shave the hair at the back of the head and harvest hair follicles one by one. This method requires a more precise skill level to individually harvest the grafts, is more labor intensive, therefore more expensive than FUT. Both procedures share similar implantation methods and hair follicles are placed one by one to balding areas and continue to grow just like any other hair. At the end of the day, many patients select the hair transplant procedure that will not leave a scar on the back of their head.

Quantity of Grafts Needed

The amount of hair grafts needed during a transplant may also affect the overall cost of the procedure. When considering the degree of hair loss the industry standards is the Norwood Classification scale which gives a general guideline as to how many grafts is necessary to achieve optimal results. Thus, larger bald areas require a higher number of hair grafts. Typically, the higher the number of hair follicles needed during a procedure the lower the cost per hair graft. For example, a patient that selects a 1,500 graft hair transplant may have the same cost as that of a patient that needs 750 grafts. Consequently, mega transplantation sessions such as 3000 grafts may have the lowest cost per graft.

Please be aware that each graft contains 1-5 hairs and that the correct way to deliver a honest procedure cost estimate is through charging the patient per graft. Unfortunately, many hair surgery clinics charge hair by the area. A procedure done this way uses a lower number of grafts and patients are rarely pleased with the final results. Usually, additional procedures are required to deliver more density: hence higher cost.

Price Per Graft

Several hair restoration clinics offer hair graft comparison charts with prices as low as $1-$4 per graft while others show prices ranging from $5-$10 per graft depending on the type of procedure offered (FUT or FUE). An average hair transplant surgery in the United States should be in the range of $4,000 to $15,000. Patients who are paying more, even when performing mega sessions, are spending too much. In addition, hair restoration clinics may justify their cost by claiming to have a “superior technology” such as Artas. I am not stating that this is bad technology, just that all results depend on the quality of the surgeon and the team performing the surgery. These factors, rather than the type of technology are vital to your results. The technology does not guarantee the best results.

Pick the Right Expert Surgeon and Team

Identifying the right clinic with competitive pricing may not be an easy task. Often times reasonable pricing is associated with poor quality. You must be aware that in many cases if a surgeon is offering a very low cost such as $1-$3 per graft for FUE: the practitioner may be new at performing the procedure and willing to offer it for less to obtain patients and to improve their FUE skills. Be aware of technicians with minimal training and those performing the entire procedure without an experienced medical supervisor. Again, I am not stating that using just hair technicians is bad, but emphasizing that fact that the artistry and skill of delivering a natural look may only come with years of experience.

Unfortunately, hair transplants are not covered by your health insurance plan. The health insurance company considers this a cosmetic procedure like plastic surgery and will not cover any costs related to the transplant. There are other allowances you may receive from hair transplant companies such as travel expenses to lower the overall cost. Please be aware that if you are traveling to a foreign country to get a hair transplant to save a few dollars you may not get the best results. The laws and regulations governing these countries are completely different. Countries such as Turkey do not provide any recourse to protect a patient, leaving them without the ability to challenge any malpractice issues. On another note, traveling within the United States is a common practice for many patients wanting to pay less for their hair restoration procedure. We often have clients that live in urban settings such as New York, travel to our clinic because hair transplant costs can escalate to a premium of $20,000-$30,000. Thus, traveling out of state can be extremely attractive for many patients.

Analyzing Opportunity VS. Cost

People may place too much emphasis on the cost of the transplant while ignoring the value. Most people struggling with hair loss spend a lot of money over a long period of time on other hair treatment processes, hair products, lasers and drugs that may not help them achieve their desired look. Investing in a hair transplant can help you save on many of these costs in the long run.

In conclusion, the cost of a hair transplant is not always as expensive as is perceived. Finding out which procedure is right for you, doing a graft cost comparison from different clinics, selecting the right team and deciding on the right quantity of grafts are all important. Anyone can get a great hair transplant result and avoid over spending with a little bit of time and research. Remember that financing is always an option, allowing you to make monthly payments on the total cost of your hair transplant surgery.

Estetigraft is located in Palm Beach and is part of the Estetica Institute Plastic Surgery. Please contact us at 561-776-9555 or estetigraft.com to further explore all the options for hair restoration.

Identifying the right clinic with competitive pricing may not be an easy task. Often times reasonable pricing is associated with poor quality. You must be aware that in many cases if a surgeon is offering a very low cost such as $1-$3 per graft for FUE: the practitioner may be new at performing the procedure and willing to offer it for less to obtain patients and to improve their FUE skills. Be aware of technicians with minimal training and those performing the entire procedure without an experienced medical supervisor. Again, I am not stating that using just hair technicians is bad, but emphasizing that fact that the artistry and skill of delivering a natural look may only come with years of experience.

Unfortunately, hair transplants are not covered by your health insurance plan. The health insurance company considers this a cosmetic procedure like plastic surgery and will not cover any costs related to the transplant. There are other allowances you may receive from hair transplant companies such as travel expenses to lower the overall cost. Please be aware that if you are traveling to a foreign country to get a hair transplant to save a few dollars you may not get the best results. The laws and regulations governing these countries are completely different. Countries such as Turkey do not provide any recourse to protect a patient, leaving them without the ability to challenge any malpractice issues. On another note, traveling within the United States is a common practice for many patients wanting to pay less for their hair restoration procedure. We often have clients that live in urban settings such as New York, travel to our clinic because hair transplant costs can escalate to a premium of $20,000-$30,000. Thus, traveling out of state can be extremely attractive for many patients.

Analyzing Opportunity VS. Cost

People may place too much emphasis on the cost of the transplant while ignoring the value. Most people struggling with hair loss spend a lot of money over a long period of time on other hair treatment processes, hair products, lasers and drugs that may not help them achieve their desired look. Investing in a hair transplant can help you save on many of these costs in the long run.

In conclusion, the cost of a hair transplant is not always as expensive as is perceived. Finding out which procedure is right for you, doing a graft cost comparison from different clinics, selecting the right team and deciding on the right quantity of grafts are all important. Anyone can get a great hair transplant result and avoid over spending with a little bit of time and research. Remember that financing is always an option, allowing you to make monthly payments on the total cost of your hair transplant surgery.

Estetigraft is located in Palm Beach and is part of the Estetica Institute Plastic Surgery. Please contact us at 561-776-9555 or estetigraft.com to further explore all the options for hair restoration.