The loss of your hair can have a negative effect on your confidence and self-esteem. A hair restoration procedure may help you to look and feel more like your best self. Often, a hair transplant is the best way to increase hair to an area or add hair where it is lacking.
Before you opt for a hair transplant, however, you should learn all you can about the procedure, including the costs involved. Hair transplant is typically considered a cosmetic treatment, meaning that insurance usually won’t cover it. That means you’ll need to be sure you can afford the procedure, as well as the associated costs, out of your own pocket.
Costs Associated With Specific Procedures
There are two separate hair transplant options available. The first is most commonly referred to as follicular unit transplantation. It involves removing a strip of your scalp, about six to 10 inches in length, where the hair grows more thickly, dividing it into grafts, and transplanting it to the area where the hair is more sparse.
The second procedure involves removing individual follicles from the back of your scalp one by one and then implanting them where you want them. This technique is called follicular unit extraction. It is usually more expensive than FUT because it is more time intensive.
Costs Associated With the Transplant
There are a number of factors that determine how much a doctor will charge for a hair transplant:
- Size of the area where you want the transplant
- Surgeon’s experience and skill
- General cost of living in the area
If goods and services in the area where your surgeon is located tend to be more expensive than in surrounding areas, the price of hair transplant surgery is likely to be higher too. However, the less hair you need transplanted, the less expensive the procedure will be.
Highly skilled surgeons may charge more for their advanced experience, but you should do some independent research beforehand because it doesn’t always follow that the highest-priced surgeons are the most skilled.
Another cost to take into consideration is travel. If you are able to find a suitable hair transplant surgeon in your hometown, this probably won’t be a factor. However, it is not unusual for people to have to travel long distances to find the right specialist.
Costs Associated With Recovery
During recovery from a hair transplant, you will have to take prescription medications. Specifically, you’ll need antibiotics to protect against infection and anti-inflammatories to reduce surgical site swelling, as well as pain medication. The price of these medications should be factored into the overall cost of surgery.
Bottom line: Estimated costs for a hair transplant range from $4,000 to $20,000. However, the boost of confidence you can get may be worth it. Contact a hair transplant surgeon, like Dr. Robin Unger, for more information.
