Losing hair is a big issue for a lot of people. People who lose their hair often feel less confident in their day to day life and can feel passed over in life. There are several methods that can be chosen to help slow hair loss. However, once it’s gone, the only real option is a hair transplant.
Hair transplants are a fairly safe cosmetic procedure in which a person will have hair from their body transplanted into a balding area to allow it to grow there. People who get hair transplants often feel much better about themselves afterwards. Hair transplants are not an inexpensive procedure, but many people feel they are worth the cost. This article will focus on various aspects of getting a hair transplant. Features looked at will be the methods used, effectiveness of hair transplants and how much they can come to cost.
The process of a hair transplant isn’t particularly confusing. Hair is going to be taken from elsewhere on the body and placed on a location on the head where it can grow instead. The area where the hair is being taken from has to be numbed. Most people choose to get the extra hair from the back of their head. Sometimes it can come from elsewhere on the body. There are two main processes that can be used.
The FUT (Follicular unit transplantation) involves removing a strip of scalp about 6 to 10 inches long from the back of the head. Sometimes it can be longer. This strip of scalp is separated into smaller pieces. Depending on the scenario it can be made into 2500 or more small grafts that have a single hair. At this point, small parts of the scalp in the area to be transplanted to are removed with the hair then placed into the holes. After this, the area is all bandaged up.
The FUE (follicular unit extraction) FUE method is different. Rather than taking a strip of skin from the back of the head off completely, an area is shaved. The root of the hair is then taken out. After that, it’s similar and the individual hairs will be grafted into small scalp holes. The difference is this hair experience starts much shorter.
In most situations, a hair transplant can be very effective. They take time to provide the ideal look, but tend to get there in the end. It should be noted that if someone is balding, hair transplants will eventually follow the same pattern as well. The hair will also thin out over time as well. Hair that is transplanted from elsewhere will grow back to a certain degree. It can vary quite a bit, but 1 to 8 of 10 hairs transplanted will grow back in time.
Unfortunately, there are some side effects when you get a hair transplant. It’s common for people to suffer from some scarring. It’s often considered a fair tradeoff since the area is intended to be covered with hair. Other side effects include inflammation of follicles, itching or swelling in the scalp, pus buildup, infections and loss of feeling. Other side effects are possible as well.
When it comes to a hair transplant, the cost is not insignificant. Each session required will likely run from $3,500 up to $20,000 in high cases. The cost is affected by several different factors. The most obvious factor when it comes to cost is how large of a region is being targeted. If you are getting hair transplants for a larger area of the head, then you’ll have to pay a lot more. Well regarded and experienced transplant surgeons tend to cost a lot more than surgeons with new practices who are still cutting their teeth in the industry. If there are few surgeons to pick from, then you’ll also likely have to pay more. It should be noted that since this is a cosmetic surgery, there’s no chance insurance will pay for it, which is why pricing can be so high during it.
