Hair transplants are increasingly popular as the technologies and processes involved have continued to improve into hair restoration we see today—which is a robust hair loss solution that works well for both men and women with thinning hair or loss of hair.
Why Do Hair Transplants Matter?
Your hair is one of the first things people notice about you, like it or not, people are and will continue noticing your hair. This is true whether you are fully bald or have luscious locks. For those considering getting a hair transplant, there are several factors which push them in that direction, including:
- Hair Transplants Are Effective: Hair transplants are highly effective for increased hair growth and help with male pattern baldness. When hair transplant procedures are performed by experienced surgeons like those at Jae Pak MD Medical, hair re-growth rates can be up to 80% or higher. This means that the vast majority of the hair transplanted in your procedure will be begin growing on its own within three-to-four months.
- Hair Transplants Are Permanent: Who wants to wear a hairpiece all the time? Having to put a wig on every morning and then having to limit your movements (because you don’t want to risk it flying off) is a major hassle. Hair transplants, on the other hand, are permanent hair loss solutions that you don’t have to think about on a day-to-day basis. Why? Because hair transplants are your real hair! Hair transplants also mean that even if other parts of your head begin to bald, the transplants should be perfectly fine and will not fall out.
- Hair Transplant Procedures Are Fairly Simple: While hair transplant surgery takes time, it is very safe and does not require a long recovery time. In most cases, regardless of the specific type of hair transplant you choose, you should be okay to return to your work and life as soon as the next day.
- Hair Transplants Look Real: Perhaps the biggest reason people choose hair transplants over other hair-loss solutions is that hair transplants look great. Hair transplants look real because they are real! A hair transplant is a result of taking hair from one part of your head and “seeding” it into another. The new hair is literally your own.
What Are the Types of Hair Transplants?
“There are two types of hair transplants,” said Dr. Pak of the Jae Pak MD Medical, “Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT). Both procedures are highly effective, but they have slightly different use cases, so which one I recommend depends on the specific needs of the individual patient.”
About Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT)
In a FUT procedure, tissue strips are removed from a donor area, usually on the back of the head. This tissue is then cut into tiny individual follicular “units,” which are grafted onto the balding or receding area of the scalp.
Pros of FUT
- FUT hair usually grows better than FUE hair.
- FUT typically results in less hair follicle damage.
- No head-shaving is necessary.
- FUT procedures are usually less expensive than FUE procedures.
Cons of FUT
- FUT surgery will leave a linear scar on your scalp, which means you cannot keep the hair on the back of your head very short. The scar will not be visible with longer hair.
- Post-operative may be greater for a FUT Surgery than it is for a FUE procedure.
About Follicular Unit Extraction
FUE procedures are becoming increasingly popular as they leave no scarring. In an FUE procedure, individual hair is taken from a donor hair area of the scalp and seeded directly into the balding area by your surgeon one-by-one.
FUE Pros
- No linear strip scarring
- Less painful post-op
- Usually a quicker healing time
FUE Cons
- May have a patchy look to the hair on the back of your neck or head if you leave your hair very short.
- More transection than FUT.
- FUE hair has a slightly lower growth rate than FUT surgery
- FUE hair has less lifetime yield when compared to FUT hair
- You usually have to shave the back and the side of your head in preparation for the surgery
- FUE is more expensive than FUT surgery.
Hair Transplant Recovery
One thing about hair transplant surgery is that some people don’t realize the transplanted hair will fall out within a few weeks. The key is that FUE and FUT procedures “seed” your hair follicles so that within a few months, your real hair will naturally begin to grow back. It is not an overnight process, but it is permanent, and the dramatic results are worth it.
Hair Transplant Costs
The cost of a hair transplant is highly variable and typically ranges anywhere from $4,000 to $20,000. These hair restoration costs are often entirely out of pocket. Most insurance companies consider a hair transplant a cosmetic procedure.
Specifically, at Jae Pak MD Medical, FUT surgical procedures cost $6 per graft, and FUE procedures cost $8 per graft.
A number of factors impact the cost of hair transplants, including:
- Location: Where you live plays a big role in the cost of your surgery to get a full head of hair. Cosmetic and other surgeries are more expensive in certain parts of the country—like in major cities—for a variety of reasons. This includes the fact that many of the most skilled and experienced doctors and hair transplant surgeons set up shop in these areas.
- The Specific Procedure: FUE and FUT hair procedures vary in price. FUE procedures are typically more expensive.
- Your Surgeon’s Skill: A surgeon like Dr. Pak is considered among the best in the world. Accordingly, he and other skilled doctors at the Jae Pak MD Medical can reasonably charge more than those with less experience. The thing to understand about hair transplants in-particular is the artistry involved. Because the ultimate appearance of your hair is so highly dependent on the skill of your surgeon, focusing on quality is highly recommended.
- Among Hair Being Transplanted: As you might expect it depends on the number of grafts. If you only have a small bald patch or an otherwise minor amount of hair that needs to be transplanted, the procedure will be far cheaper than what it costs to replace an entire scalp’s worth of hair.
- Travel: The costs of travel is something that not many hair transplant candidates consider . But if you are coming from out of town or an otherwise distant location and will need to get a hotel to stay a night or two, you should make sure to factor those costs in when calculating your hair transplant budget.
Now you know what a hair transplant costs as well as some of the pros and cons of the popular FUE and FUT hair transplant surgeries.
