What is the duration of hair transplant?

[jaquelinefernandes]

With the increasing age and because of my genes, my hair are very thin and I don't like them much and it is taking a toll on my mental health, due to this I am always low on energy and confidence. Please can somebody tell how much does the process take time, what is the cost and how reliable is the process.

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[MillerWong76]

I'll answer your question from my own experience. But firstly, I should emphasize to you that more important than the overall length of the surgery is the involvement of the surgeon in key phases of the actual surgical procedure. For instance, most surgeons will make pre-made slits all at once for your recipient grafts. Nothing inherently wrong with that. However, it requires a meticulous approach to make those slits in random natural order which will achieve the most natural result. If you have a 10 hour procedure, and your surgeon is only actively involved with surgical instrument in hand for 2 of those 10 hours, and the remaining 8 hours of the surgical procedure the technicians are placing the grafts, good chance you will end up with a not so natural looking result. However, that may vary depending on what country and what clinic you are getting your surgery done in. Some countries allow techs to perform excisions, saving the surgeon from doing it. Provided those techs are highly skilled, you will be fine. But look for a clinic that does more than just show before/after pictures. Look for immediate post op pictures of both the donor and the recipient area. Then look at the results. Hair transplants really are about the journey and not the destination, especially when picking a surgeon/clinic. Although, I do feel high percentage of surgeon involvement is better in most cases. There are exceptions. Do your research.

As for how long the surgery lasts, think of it as an all day event no matter the size of your procedure. My own 2300 graft procedure was scheduled for 12 hours. It ran 14 hours. Also, you'll be out of commission for about 10-14 days till the scabs come out. You really don't want to be venturing outside during those times with your head looking all bloody. Also, after that, you will look horrible as those grafts fall out before they start regrowing. This is called the ugly duckling stage and happens between 30 days and the 4th month if you an early grower as you rebound from the surgery. 6 months if you are a typical grower. The whole journey is a good 12 month process, sometimes an 18 month process.

$8 USD per graft and higher is the cost for more expensive US-based clinics. $4-$5 is the mid-range and is about the general cost for mid-range US-based clinics and the going rate for most of the rest of the world. $2 USD is the lowest price out there; at this price, you must choose wisely. Depending on your Norwood level, just do the math on these numbers to get yourself a rough estimate:

NW2 - up to 1500
NW3 - up to 2500-3000 grafts
NW4 - 3000-4000 grafts
NW5 - 4000-5000 grafts
NW6 - 5000+ grafts
NW7 - realistically, shaven head life is in the cards here

Another thing to consider is depending on your NW level, you probably don't want to go for a single mega session as blood supply will be a factor in yield. Keep it to 3000 grafts per session and approach the whole journey in phases.