Studies have shown that men are more likely to experience hair loss than women, essentially because of hormones and genetic predisposition. Nevertheless, women also suffer from hair thinning, and no less demoralizing. It’s often easy to overlook the importance of having a head full of hair, not until its gone. But that’s no longer an issue as there are procedures that can solve hair loss problems. If you are a victim of hair loss, you may want to consider undergoing a hair restoration procedure. And to make an informed treatment decision, there are few factors you need to understand fully, and they include but not limited to the cost of a hair transplant, types of hair transplant procedures, the duration, potential complications, recovery, and expectations.
1. Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Follicular Unit Strip Surgery (FUSS)
Hair transplant is a hair replacement surgery that removes some of your hair follicles and “plants” them in an area on your head that has little or no hair. These are the balding areas. There are two widely used hair transplant procedures you need to know.
It’s also known as strip harvesting, and it’s a hair procedure that involves the removal of a strip of skin from your head, especially in an area rich with follicles, and creating follicular grafts that will later be used for transplanting.
This is another common technique, and unlike in FUSS transplant, this procedure involves the removal of individual follicular unit one by one, preparing of hair graft and inserting it in one of the slits. Although this procedure takes more time than FUSS transplant, it’s highly recommended as it doesn’t leave any scars behind. It’s also a great option if you’d want to pull a short haircut.
2. Treatment Cost
The cost of a hair transplant will be based on factors like hair characteristics and how complex the case is in regards to how much transplant is needed for best results. But generally, the price can range from anywhere in $3,000 to $ 20,000. Also, note that not all insurance covers this sort of treatment.
With so many clinics offering hair restoration services, it’s important you enquire on the cost details to find a quality solution with reasonable pricing.
3. Procedure Duration and Recovery Time
A typical FUE procedure takes between 8 to 12 hours, which is usually determined by the number of grafts in each procedure. The treatment is conducted under light sedation. When it comes to healing and recovery time, will again depend on your skin type, though the average time you can expect the redness to fade is five days. After a month or two, that’s when you’ll be fully healed and it’s when you’ll start to observe signs of new growth.
4. Risks and complications
Like any other treatments, hair transplant also has its own risks although they are very minimum. Some of the common side effects patients have reported include scarring, pain, numbness, and soreness, which can be easily managed with medications.
Ultimately, the choice you’ll make will be based on the cost of a hair transplant and the benefits the procedure offers. If you are not fully convinced about hair replacement procedures, you should know that several other hair loss treatments can help improve your condition. Some of them include nutrition, lifestyle and medications.