Hair Transplant Costs

Hair transplant surgery can seem expensive, but when you consider the accumulative cost of years on certain drugs or other options on the market, it can actually be a cheaper option as well as the most effective and permanent. However, it is also true that going on price alone is not the best way of judging between surgeons and clinics. Relative cheapness or expensiveness of one clinic compared to another does not necessarily indicate the quality of their treatment.  Here is a rundown of factors affecting the cost of hair transplants.

Type of Transplant

Generally the hair transplant clinic will determine the total cost of surgery either by charging a single price per session, or setting a cost per transplanted hair follicle unit. They are more likely to use the first method if your chosen transplant technique is strip harvesting, the more established but scar-producing technique in which a strip of hair is removed for transplantation.

The newer and more precise, less intrusive technique of follicular unit extraction (FUE) involves extracting hair follicles in their natural units; this means that a large number of extractions are necessary. In this case the clinic may charge something in the region of $3 to $10 per unit, with the average about $6. This costing system can be difficult as the surgeon may not be able to accurately determine the exact number of required extractions. They will either estimate, or simplify their costing into one figure based on an estimated number of extractions.

Costs related to the procedure

You should always check which costs are included in the quoted price. If the cost is for a whole procedure, does this also comprise related costs or are they separate? These costs include the surgeon’s fee, facility fee, anesthesia, use of a recovery room if you require one, and any costs related to the procedure or post-operative care. Find out exactly which costs, if any, are not quoted in the clinic’s price, so that you have a full understanding of the expenses. For FUE procedures, where surgeons regularly charge per graft, they may quote you an additional price for these costs.

Special Procedures

If your hairline or areas of baldness are shaped or situated unusually, or you require rarer surgery, this necessitates special procedures different from standard sessions. For example, eyebrow transplants are practiced by fewer clinics and therefore these facilities can charge more due to the expertise of their surgeon. Fewer surgeons can treat hair loss due to burns, though your medical insurance may well cover this special procedure.

Surgeon and Clinic factors

The reputation of a surgeon can increase their price because their services are in demand. Similarly, if your chosen clinic lies in an area without much competition, the prices can rise. Supply and demand dictates that the more competing clinics in an area, the lower the prices will drop. Therefore it is always worth shopping around. Funding of the clinic can also be important, as a large advertising budget or number of staff means that they need to charge more to recuperate their costs. This may also be true for clinics in expensive buildings and affluent areas.