Does Hair Transplant Work? Effectiveness, Side Effects, and Photos (2024)

Hair transplants can produce hair growth by transplanting healthy follicles to a thinning or blending section of the head. They can be costly, depending on how many grafts are needed.

Hair transplants are done to add more hair to an area on your head that may be thinning or balding. It’s done by taking hair from thicker parts of the scalp, or other parts of the body, and grafting it to the thinning or balding section of the scalp.

Worldwide, about 60 percent of men and 50 percent of women experience some form of hair loss. To address this, people often use over-the-counter products, including topical treatments like minoxidil (Rogaine).

Hair transplant is another restoration method. The first transplant was performed in 1939 in Japan with single scalp hairs. In the following decades, physicians developed the “plug” technique. This involves transplanting large tufts of hair.

Over time, surgeons began using mini- and micro-grafts to minimize the appearance of transplanted hair on the scalp.

Hair transplants are typically more successful than over-the-counter hair restoration products. But there are some factors to consider:

  • Anywhere from 10 to 80 percent of transplanted hair will fully grow back in an estimated three to four months.
  • Like regular hair, transplanted hair will thin over time.
  • People with dormant hair follicles (sacs that usually contain hair beneath the skin but no longer grow hair) may have less effective transplants, but a 2016 study suggests that plasma therapy can help up to 75 percent or more of the transplanted hairs fully grow back.

Hair transplants don’t work for everyone. They’re mainly used to restore hair if you’re balding or thinning naturally or have lost hair due to an injury.

Most transplants are done with your existing hair, so they’re not as effective for treating people with:

  • widespread thinning and baldness
  • hair loss due to chemotherapy or other medications
  • thick scalp scars from injuries

Hair transplants can range from about $4,000 to $15,000 per session.

Final costs may depend on the:

  • extent of the transplant procedure
  • availability of surgeons in your area
  • experience of the surgeon
  • surgical technique chosen

Because hair transplants are cosmetic procedures, health insurance won’t pay for the procedure.

Aftercare medications may also add to the final cost.

Simply put, a hair transplant takes hair you have and transfers it to an area where you don’t have hair. It’s typically taken from the back of your head, but can also be taken from other parts of your body.

Before starting a transplant, your surgeon sterilizes the area where the hair will be removed and numbs it with a local anesthetic. You can also request sedation in order to stay asleep for the procedure.

Your surgeon then performs one of two transplant methods: FUT or FUE.

Follicular unit transplantation (FUT)

FUT is sometimes known as follicular unit strip surgery (FUSS). To perform a FUT procedure, your surgeon follows these steps:

  1. Using a scalpel, the surgeon removes a piece of your scalp, usually from the back of your head. The strip size is typically about 6 to 10 inches long but can stretch from ear to ear.
  2. They close the area where the scalp was removed with stitches.
  3. Your surgeon and their assistants separate the scalp strip into smaller pieces with a scalpel. They may split the piece up into as many as 2,000 smaller fragments, called grafts. Some of these grafts may contain only one hair each.
  4. Using a needle or blade, the surgeon makes small holes in your scalp where hair will be transplanted.
  5. The surgeon inserts hairs from the removed piece of scalp into the puncture holes. This step is called grafting.
  6. They then cover the surgical sites with bandages or gauze.

The specific number of grafts you receive depends on the:

  • type of hair you have
  • size of transplant site
  • quality (including thickness) of hair
  • hair color

Follicular unit extraction (FUE)

To perform a FUE procedure, your surgeon takes these steps:

  1. They shave off hair on the back of your head.
  2. The surgeon then takes individual follicles out of the scalp skin. You’ll see tiny marks where each follicle was removed.
  3. As with the FUT procedure, the surgeon makes small holes in your scalp and grafts hair follicles into the holes.
  4. They then cover the surgical site with bandages or gauze.

FUT and FUE may each take several hours to several days to complete. In part, this depends on the amount of work performed by the surgeon. You will go home the same day of the procedure.

Once the surgery is done, your surgeon carefully removes any bandages. The area may be swollen, so your surgeon might inject triamcinolone into the area to keep the swelling down.

You’ll likely feel pain or soreness at the transplant site as well as in the area where hair was taken from. For the next few days, your surgeon may prescribe:

  • pain medications, such as ibuprofen (Advil)
  • antibiotics to prevent infections
  • anti-inflammatories, such as an oral steroid, to relieve swelling
  • medications such as finasteride (Propecia) or minoxidil (Rogaine) to help stimulate hair growth

Here are some aftercare tips for hair transplant surgery:

  • Wait a few days after the surgery to wash your hair. Only use mild shampoos for the first few weeks.
  • You should be able to return to work or normal activities in about 3 days.
  • Don’t press a brush or comb down over the new grafts for about 3 weeks.
  • Don’t wear any hats or pullover shirts and jackets until your doctor say it’s OK.
  • Don’t exercise for about a week.

Don’t worry if some hairs fall out. This is part of the process. Transplanted hair may not grow much or seamlessly match the hair around it for a few months.

The most common side effect is scarring, and this cannot be avoided with any procedure.

Other potential side effects include:

  • infections
  • crust or pus drainage around the surgical sites
  • scalp pain, itching, and swelling
  • inflammation of hair follicles (folliculitis)
  • bleeding
  • losing sensation around the surgical sites
  • visible areas of hair that don’t match the surrounding hair or are noticeably thinner
  • continuing to lose hair if your hair is still balding

Minoxidil and Propecia can also have side effects, such as:

  • irritated scalp
  • dizziness
  • chest pain
  • headaches
  • irregular heart rate
  • hand, foot, or breast swelling
  • sexual dysfunction

Visit the American Academy of Plastic Surgeons website for a reference to surgeons near you who perform hair transplants.

Here are some tips for when you’re looking for a hair transplant surgeon:

  • Select only a licensed, certified surgeon.
  • Confirm a record of successful transplant procedures — ask to see a portfolio.
  • Read reviews about them.

Talk to your doctor or a transplant surgeon before you decide to get either hair transplant procedure.

Understand that neither procedure is guaranteed to be successful but that scarring is a risk. You may also not be eligible for either procedure based on your hair volume or quality.

Does Hair Transplant Work? Effectiveness, Side Effects, and Photos (2024)

FAQs

Does Hair Transplant Work? Effectiveness, Side Effects, and Photos? ›

Hair transplants are typically more successful than over-the-counter hair restoration products. But there are some factors to consider: Anywhere from 10 to 80 percent of transplanted hair will fully grow back in an estimated three to four months. Like regular hair, transplanted hair will thin over time.

Do hair transplants actually work? ›

Most hair transplants are successful, although it can take up to nine months before the hair takes root and begins to fill in. It is not uncommon for the transplanted hair to fall out after several months and then regrow.

What is the success rate of hair transplant? ›

An experienced medical professional can provide FUT transplants with success rates are as high as 95-98%. Keep in mind that it is normal for transplanted follicles to fall out before regrowing permanent follicles—this is part of your hair's natural lifecycle and transplant process.

What happens 10 years after a hair transplant? ›

After 10 years the transplanted hair will (or should) still be present and growing strong. The length results will last depend on factors like surgeon expertise, and if you followed the post-operative instructions.

Can you still go bald after a hair transplant? ›

Generally, a patient cannot experience pattern baldness again after hair transplant surgery. This is due to the nature of the harvested hair follicles, which are unlikely to fall out since they are taken from the back and sides of the head. However, it is possible for the transplanted hair to thin over time.

Why hair transplants aren t worth it? ›

Hair transplants won't work for everyone, especially for anyone who has advanced hair loss or who has very thin hair in the donor area. Hair transplant surgery also will not prevent future hair loss. Although the newly transplanted hair may be more long term, the hair surrounding it may later start to thin or fall out.

What is the best age for hair transplant? ›

Therefore, it is better to wait till the age of 25 to undergo the hair transplant procedure. -Healthy hair follicles are limited in number. If one gets a hair transplant before the age of 25 one may run out of healthy hair follicles that may be required for transplantation at the age of 40.

How common are failed hair transplants? ›

This percentage is typically far less than five percent, and hair transplant doctors work with diligence and precision to ensure that the greatest percentage of follicles is successfully transplanted and not going to fail and to form a natural-looking hair restoration.

What makes a hair transplant fail? ›

A diverse range of factors can cause hair transplants fail including graft rejection, eligibility for hair transplant, non-realistic expectations, poor post-hair transplant care, and inexperienced clinic.

Who is a bad candidate for hair transplant? ›

If there are not enough hair follicles on the nape or if the hair is too thin, there may be no donor site to draw hairs from. If the patient has chronic telogen effluvium or alopecia areata, they are also unlikely to be recommended hair transplants.

Can hair transplants go wrong? ›

A hair transplant is generally a safe procedure, but as with any type of operation there's always a small risk of: bleeding. infection. an allergic reaction to the anaesthetic.

Can hair transplant cause health problems? ›

Hair transplant side effects

infections. crust or pus drainage around the surgical sites. scalp pain, itching, and swelling. inflammation of hair follicles (folliculitis)

Do you have to take finasteride forever after a hair transplant? ›

As we have mentioned, finasteride or Propecia should be used consistently to show its effect. This might mean that you will have to use Propecia as long as you want to keep your natural hair. Therefore, if you want to prevent your hair loss throughout your life, you will have to take finasteride forever.

What happens 20 years after a hair transplant? ›

Transplanted hair follicles generally continue to grow throughout a person's lifetime.” With proper care of your scalp and hair post-surgery, your hair transplant should still look good after 2 decades. However, it's important to note that natural aging processes can cause changes in your hair transplant's appearance.

Can a hair follicle come back to life? ›

Hair follicles can be dead due to many different reasons, when the hair follicle is dead it usually cannot be restored. Now lifestyle changes can help you reduce the risk of more hair follicles dying, causing hair loss leading to baldness.

How long do hair transplants actually last? ›

About six months after a hair transplant session, the transplanted hairs begin to take on a natural appearance and will continue to grow for a lifetime. The donor site from which the hair was taken shrinks to a small, barely noticeable incision line that is completely hidden in the surrounding hair.

How much does 1500 hair grafts cost? ›

1500 hair transplant grafts may cost around $4,000-$8,000 in the US. However, it's important to note that these prices may vary depending on the clinic's location, surgeon's expertise, and method utilized for the procedure.

Do hair transplants ever look natural? ›

In time, the hair plugs became quite noticeable. Improvements in creating the hairline and placing the hairs in the thinning areas also help create natural-looking results. Thanks to these advances, the results can look so natural that a barber or stylist cannot tell you've had anything done.

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