Is Propecia Better than Hair Transplants? | Hair Loss & Hair Transplant Surgery Guide


Propecia is a medication that is used to treat hair loss but there are other options besides medication to treat this condition. The alternative to medication is hair transplantation which is a surgical procedure in which hair follicles from another part of your body are transplanted into the area that is experiencing hair loss. These new follicles should then start growing in this area, making up for the lack of hair that was growing beforehand.

Hair transplantation may involve just one surgery or a couple, depending on the amount of hair that needs to be transplanted. This can take a long time, as you need to wait between 9-12 months after a surgery before you can have the next transplant. After that, you just have to wait for the hair to start growing in its new environment. There is also the risk of infection as there is with any surgery undertaken. Propecia on the other hand, has to be taken once a day, every day in order to maintain its effects. A hair transplant will inevitably cause some pain, although the areas are anesthetized before hand so it should only cause some discomfort. Propecia, however, is completely pain free.

A big difference between these two treatments is that hair transplantation won't actually prevent hair loss. It hides the area that has experience hair loss with new hair but it will not prevent other parts of your hair from falling out. Propecia on the other hand will prevent hair loss but it will not always promote hair regrowth. There are a number of cases in which it does but hair regrowth is not always a constant outcome. The areas in which the treatments successfully treat also differ. Propecia works best on the hair loss at the crown of the head but has no effect on the temple area whereas hair transplants work best at the front of the head.

It is hard to compare the price of these treatments, as one of the treatments is short term and the other is long term. Hair transplantation is quite an expensive procedure depending on the amount of hair transplanted. It can cost around £2000. Therefore it is expensive in the short term. However, Propecia has to be taken once a day every day and once you stop taking the medication, your hair reverts back to its hair loss. Therefore, you must take Propecia constantly in order to maintain its results. This can be expensive in the long term as a three months supply can cost around £154.

It is important to understand the pros and cons of both treatments in order to find the right treatment for you. A doctor will help you decide what is the best course of action due to the fact that Propecia may not be successful for some people. Doctors will also need to decide if hair transplantation is the right treatment for you and it is not usually prescribed to younger people experiencing hair loss.

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