In my early 20s, I found myself bald and feeling old. Like so many others, I went to a local surgeon who promised me 1200 grafts for $3000. Six months later, I had 50 grafts left on my head and looked worse than before I had the surgery. The reason? I didn’t know the first rule of hair transplant surgery: don’t let the cost make the decision for you. The results aren’t worth it.
In this article I want to talk about why you want to spend the money to get a quality result, and the truth when it comes to hair transplant cost.
Only so Much Hair
So many times, I have seen patients who went to other clinics and then visit us for a repair procedure. They have had a hair transplant and now are left with an unnatural and horrible cosmetic result. This leaves them depressed and upset, and now their only option is to spend more money to get the mistake fixed. They thought they were saving money when they made the choice, but they really weren’t. Plus, now they have to undergo a second surgical procedure.
A key factor in hair transplant surgery is that the supply of donor hair is limited. Many believe that the hair will grow back after harvesting, but this is not true. Once the hair is gone, you can never get it back. For someone who has already suffered balding, it is important that as much donor hair be preserved as possible.
Reasons for the Cost
First and foremost, understand that hair transplant surgery is a cosmetic procedure that requires a great deal of experience and skill to perform successfully. It is a time-consuming process to carefully harvest donor hair without damaging the follicle, and then plant it precisely at the right angulations and density.
Highly trained specialists in the field of cosmetic surgery and hair transplants are few in number and in high demand, so they can expect to receive a higher salary. The time a skilled hair transplant surgeon and team spend on one hair transplant is about ten to fourteen hours. Add in the expense of medications and equipment, and you can see quickly where costs come from.
Out of hundreds of hair transplant clinics, there is only a small handful that provide this level of skill and dedication to giving you the best results – a natural looking and undetectable transplant.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is this: there are simply no shortcuts when to getting the best results with a hair transplant. Trying to save money by going to a cheaper clinic does not really save you money – you end up spending more when you have to go to a top quality clinic for repair. It’s a losing proposition.
And finally, let me say this: you are worth it. When hair loss has had a negative impact on your life, the way it had on mine, you deserve to have the best results possible.
