As you grow older, it becomes inevitable to notice your hair thinning, among other signs of aging. This is one condition that is most vexing for many men and women, as baldness is considered to be unattractive in a society that celebrates beauty and vanity. Thankfully, there are ways for you to get your hair back.
What is Hair Restoration?
Hair restoration is a medical treatment of various forms to treat hair loss. The forms of this treatment are divided into two categories – surgical and non-surgical. While hair loss can be caused by many factors, it is most commonly caused by male or female pattern baldness.
Male or female pattern baldness, medically termed as Androgenic alopecia, is a condition in which hair is lost in a well-defined pattern, usually beginning above both temples and at the crown of the head, often leaving a rim of hair around the sides and rear of the head.
Forms of Hair Restoration
Some of the various forms of hair restoration are:
• Medical hair restoration, which includes clinically approved products and medication;
• Non-surgical hair restoration, which includes the method of bridging hair with new hair;
• Follicular unit transplantation (FUT), the gold standard restoration surgery technique, here follicular units are extracted from the back of the head, where hair tends to be more permanent;
• Follicular unit extraction, which is similar to FUT, but here a one millimeter punch is often used to make a small incision in the skin around the upper part of the graft; and,
• Hair transplant surgery, which is the only permanent technique that can move hair from the permanent zone to the balding area.
Advantages of Undergoing Hair Transplant Surgery
While hair transplant surgery can be expensive, it can also be the best value because the results you get are permanent and look 100% natural. If you think about it, having a one-time hair transplant is better than living the rest of your life taking hair loss medication; the latter option may cost more in the long run, too.
Hair Transplant Cost vs. Other Hair Restoration Costs
Hair transplant cost ranges from $3 to $8 per graft (follicular units); normally the price per graft drops as the size of the area needing hair transplant grows bigger. You will have to consult with your doctor to determine the overall cost based on what needs to be carried out.
While hair transplant may cost quite a lot, it has better value compared to getting other hair restoration treatments, as the latter is repeatedly done on you unlike hair transplant, which is only done once. For example, one-month supply of hair loss medication costs at least $13. Multiply it by 12 and you’ll be spending around $156 on medication every year. Then multiply it by the number of years you have left to live (say, 15 years) and you’ll find yourself spending around $2,340. Note that this only calculates expenses for the cheapest form of hair restoration; imagine how much you’ll be spending on other hair restoration methods.
