If you find yourself among the roughly 50% of the population that will experience hair loss at some point in their lifetime–and even if you’re not–you’re probably aware that there have been remarkable advances in the area of hair restoration in recent years. But cutting-edge medical treatments like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or the revolutionary NeoGraft might sound expensive to you. This leaves many people wondering, how much does a hair transplant cost? At Palms Wellington Plastic Surgery in Wellington, Florida, we’re here to help answer that and more of your hair transplant questions.
How Much Does a Hair Transplant Cost?
While asking how much a hair transplant costs might sound like a fairly straightforward question, it actually is more complicated than one might think. For example, there are many different treatment options when it comes to hair transplants alone, and those do not include the many more treatments available for non-transplantation hair restoration generally. Second, every individual’s situation is unique. Some have experienced a greater degree of hair loss than others prior to seeking intervention, and no two bodies respond the exact same way to any treatment.
Depending on what treatment regimen you decide on, the total cost of a hair restoration regimen can run from hundreds of dollars into the thousands. Thus, to answer the question of how much a transplant costs, we must first explore the various treatment options available. Which treatment option is right for your situation and how much that treatment will cost varies widely depending on numerous factors.
What Is a Hair Transplant?
A hair transplant is just one of the many kinds of hair restoration treatments available today. Since hair transplantation surgery first began in Japan in the 1930s, it has undergone remarkable advancements, but the central premise remains the same.
As the name suggests, a hair transplant involves removing hairs and/or hair follicles from one part of the body–often referred to as the “donor area”–and literally transplanting them to the area in which the patient has been experiencing hair loss or thinning.
How Is a Hair Transplant Different from Other Hair Restoration Treatments?
Whereas many other hair restoration treatments involve using different substances and methods to stimulate hair growth, hair transplantation actually uses your own healthy hair, moving it from areas where you have plenty to areas where you wish you had more.
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)
One example of a non-transplant hair restoration treatment that we offer at Palms Wellington Plastic Surgery is an injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP). While you might have heard of PRP treatments in the media in relation to top athletes seeking to speed up their recovery from injury or to extend their primes, PRP injections have become a popular and effective treatment for a wide range of physical ailments, including hair loss.
One of the unique and beneficial aspects of PRP injections is that they utilize growth factors found in platelets contained in your own blood. That’s right: PRP injections utilize only substances already found inside your own body. Our highly trained staff begins by extracting a small amount of your blood, which then is spun in a high-speed centrifuge, causing the blood to separate. During the process, the platelets form into their own strip within the vial, and these isolated platelets are then placed back into a syringe and strategically re-injected into the target area, such as the scalp.
What Are the Different Kinds of Hair Transplants?
Just like virtually every other aspect of our society, the technology of hair transplantation has undergone dramatic advancements in recent years. This has spawned some remarkable new hair transplantation techniques for both men and women, producing better results with greater ease and comfort than ever before.
Hair Transplants for Men and Women
Before we go any further, we would just like to take a moment to acknowledge that, while our society may stereotypically view hair loss as mostly a male problem, roughly 30 million women suffer from hair loss each year, as well. At Palms Wellington Plastic Surgery, we take pride in helping everyone look and feel their best by providing individually tailored hair restoration treatments.
While some of the technology and treatments used in hair restoration are the same for men and women, there are important biological differences between the sexes, as well as among individuals, that we strive to take into account when developing the most effective hair restoration regimen possible.
NeoGraft
A premier example of the cutting-edge hair restoration technology we deliver to our clients is NeoGraft, a revolutionary treatment that has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) method of hair transplantation. NeoGraft offers one of the least invasive hair transplantation procedures available today.
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
One of the latest developments in hair transplantation technology, follicular unit extraction (FUE) has been heralded as a huge leap for a number of reasons. First, it offers the possibility of eliminating the visible scarring of the donor area associated with earlier hair transplant techniques.
Having come onto the market in just the past decade, FUE amazingly involves the extraction of an intact follicular unit from the donor area and its implantation in the target area. FUE technology is so precise that it leaves no scarring visible to the naked eye.
NeoGraft Uses FUE
Representing one of the latest advancements in the still cutting-edge technique of follicular unit extraction (FUE), NeoGraft painlessly extracts hair follicles from the back of the scalp where hair typically is thicker in both men and women. It then implants the graft into areas where the hair is thinning.
No Painful Pulling or Tugging
NeoGraft is specifically designed to remove intact hair follicles slowly and painlessly, eliminating any painful tugging or pulling sensations. And, because NeoGraft involves no cutting, there is little recovery time. Each follicle tends to heal completely within three to seven days of NeoGraft treatment.
No Cutting Means No Scarring
Because NeoGraft works by slowly and painlessly extracting intact hair follicles from the donor area, it involves no cutting, which means none of the scarring that sometimes is visible in the donor area of patients who have undergone other forms of hair transplantation. This means more natural-looking results.
NeoGraft Is Non-Surgical
Unlike some other forms of hair transplantation, NeoGraft is a non-surgical treatment, meaning less invasiveness and less recovery time. In fact, despite utilizing the latest in cutting-edge hair restoration technology, NeoGraft treatments are relatively simple and do not cause pain or discomfort. They can be performed on an outpatient basis.
The NeoGraft Treatment
A typical NeoGraft hair transplantation begins with one of our highly trained practitioners applying a mild anesthetic to the donor area, typically on the back of the scalp. Though NeoGraft is designed to remove hair follicles so slowly that the patient experiences no discomfort, and this anesthetic provides an extra layer of protection ensuring that the patient’s experience is a pleasant one.
The Extraction Phase
The NeoGraft treatment consists of two phases which are conducted back-to-back. First, in a process that typically takes two to four hours, NeoGraft delicately and precisely extracts intact hair follicles from the donor area in groups ranging from one to four follicles. After the extraction process is complete, the client is able to take a break to move around and enjoy lunch or a snack before beginning the second phase.
The Implantation Phase
Once the hair follicles have been extracted, it is time for NeoGraft to implant the intact particles into the areas of the scalp where the hair is thinning. As with follicle extraction, this process typically takes two to four hours depending on the individual patient and the number of follicles being transplanted.
The Recovery Process
Because it is a minimally invasive, non-surgical treatment, the recovery period from NeoGraft typically is nonexistent. However, it is recommended that those who have undergone a NeoGraft treatment take care not to disturb the recently transplanted hairs for a couple of weeks.
Who Is a Good Candidate for NeoGraft?
Men and women who are in good health and who have a suitable donor area are the best candidates for hair transplantation with NeoGraft. Typically, the donor area is located on the back of the scalp, with most men and women experiencing hair loss or thinning on the top of the head.
As with all hair restoration treatments, NeoGraft generally achieves the best results in patients who are experiencing milder hair loss symptoms, which means that it is important to address thinning hair as soon as you notice it.
How Much Does NeoGraft Cost?
The cost of NeoGraft hair transplantation can vary widely based on the number of intact hair follicles transplanted and the number of sessions necessary. The best way to find out whether state-of-the-art NeoGraft hair restoration technology is right for you, including whether it fits into your budget, is to contact us at Palms Wellington Plastic Surgery today for a personal consultation!
Hair Transplantation Via Strip Grafting
Another option for hair transplantation is a technique known as skin grafting. Unlike NeoGraft, which uses follicular unit extraction (FUE) to remove and implant individual hair follicles, skin grafting involves the transplantation of entire sections of hair-containing skin. For some patients, such as those experiencing more severe hair loss, strip grafting may achieve better results than FUE.
For More Severe Cases
Strip grafting typically is viewed as an option for patients that are not strong candidates for hair transplantation with NeoGraft or other non-invasive treatments. This usually includes individuals suffering from more severe cases of hair loss.
A Surgical Procedure
Unlike NeoGraft, strip grafting is an actual surgical procedure that must be performed by a licensed healthcare professional. For an unlicensed individual to perform such a procedure is not only illegal, but also puts patients at great risk! If you are a candidate for hair transplantation with strip grafting, make sure that you go with a trained and licensed professional like those at Palms Wellington Plastic Surgery.
Most patients can choose to either remain conscious or be put to sleep during the strip grafting procedures, and a mild anesthetic is utilized in order to minimize discomfort. Patients typically recover fully in only about one week’s time.
How Much Does Strip Grafting Cost?
As with NeoGraft, the cost of a strip graft procedure can vary a great deal depending on the individual patient and the severity of the condition. That’s why the best way to find out about hair transplant cost is to contact us directly at Palms Wellington Plastic Surgery for a personal consultation.
Contact the Hair Restoration Specialists
The true cost of hair transplantation is difficult if not impossible to determine without knowing your individual situation. And, as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. Would you rather go with a cut-rate hair transplantation that leaves you dissatisfied with the results, wishing you had never undergone the treatment in the first place, or would you rather go with the pros and get the results you want?
That’s why the only way to really know how much hair transplantation will cost you is by having a consultation with a trained and experienced professional. Contact Palms Wellington Plastic Surgery in Wellington, Florida today for a consultation and take the first step to bring back the old you!