Hair Transplants

It used to be that hair transplantation was done by cutting plugs—one in the bald area, another in an area with hair, and then switching them.  There were two main problems with this technique.  First, it wasted hair.  Second, the plugs of hair were often quite visible.  In addition, the sites from which the hair was removed were sometimes visible. 

The modern technique involves cutting out a strip of hair and suturing closed the site of removal. Then the strip of hair is dissected into “follicular units” of one, two, or three hairs.  At the front of the hairline, single-hair grafts are placed into dilated slits or punctures.  Behind this line, two and three-hair grafts are placed.  Local anesthesia is used.  In a long session (most of the day), 500 or more follicular units can be transplanted. Recovery is rapid and painless. 

About 90% of the transplanted hairs will take, and they will grow for as many years as they would have at their original site.  For hair removed from low enough on the scalp, growth should continue the rest of one’s life.  However, hair loss will continue in non-transplanted areas, requiring more transplants over the years.  The art of hair transplantation is to make allowance for this evolution in hair growth.  Thus in a young person who has many more years to lose hair, it would be inappropriate to try to create a hairline too “young,” or hair too dense.

I have recently trained with the best practitioners of hair transplantation and I’m joining the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery.  They publish in the Journal of Dermatologic Surgery, which I have read since 1990.

 

Fees

Due to the variations in the amount of surgery that will be required, it is not possible to provide an estimate of the cost of hair transplants without a consultation.  However, as a rough estimate, most procedures will fall between $2500 and $6000.