The Cost of Hair Transplant Procedures

Hair transplants are among the most expensive cosmetic procedures available today. As patients who've successfully undergone the procedure can attest, hair transplantation is a very meticulous procedure that can yield amazing results. Follicular unit transplantation (FUT) or strip harvesting, transplants naturally growing hair in groupings of 1 to 4 hairs (known as follicular units). Hair can be harvested by using either the strip harvesting method or via follicular unit extraction.

Using the strip harvesting method, strips of scalp tissue are removed under local anesthesia, cut into grafts, and then transplanted into thinning areas on the patient's scalp. On the other hand, follicular unit extraction, or FUE harvesting, harvests each hair individually from the patient's donor area for transplantation.

Assessing the cost of hair transplants is best done with the help of the Hamilton–Norwood scale, which measures the progress of male pattern baldness from stages I to VII. Say FUT grafts per strand costs $3, and FUE grafts per strand cost $9. Hamilton–Norwood Stage II grafts require between 800 to 1,500 strands, with FUT costing between $2,400 to $4,500, while FUEs go between $4,800 to $9,000.

The most complicated transplant level, which is applicable for full mops, is Stage VII, which requires between 4,000 to 9,000 strands. Based on the above rates, Stage VII FUT grafts costs between $13,500 to $21,000; while FUEs can set you back from $27,000 to $42,000.

For more information, talk to a licensed specialist in your area about the associated costs of the procedure.