Those who consider a hair transplant usually compares different methods to see which one might be right for them. As people compare different hair transplant methods they often notice that an FUE is considerably more expensive than other hair transplant methods, such as the Strip procedure. There are several reasons why an FUE is more expensive.
An FUE procedure means that each hair will be individually removed from the scalp. The doctor will extract hair follicles one by one from the donor area. This means that FUE grafts take a long time to harvest. The follicular units are removed in a difficult process called “direct extraction”. This procedure is technically demanding, requires an exceptional level of caution, and thereby becomes very time consuming. After the hair follicles have been separately removed from the donor area, they are placed directly into the recipient area. This makes an FUE much more labor intensive and thereby more expensive than other methods. In comparison, a Strip procedure can harvest a large number of hair follicles by simply removing a strip of skin from where after hair follicles will be dissected. Strip grafts are not individually removed from the scalp, which saves time and makes it less expensive. An FUE is not as time efficient, takes longer and is therefore more expensive than a Strip.
Overall, an FUE procedure is very labor intensive and requires a highly skilled team who specializes in FUE’s. A typical strip surgery takes about 3 to 4 hours, while a typical FUE procedure takes much longer, up to 8 to 12 hours, and the doctor and his staff must be compensated for this extra labor.
The cost of an FUE hair transplant procedure varies from one clinic to another, though an FUE can often be twice as expensive as a Strip. Though each clinic has their own fees, it is not uncommon for an FUE to run close to $10 dollars per graft, while the cost for a Strip procedure is about $5 dollars per graft. The price per graft sometimes reduces if the client chooses to transplant a large number of grafts. Due to time constraints, there is often a limit to how many hairs can be transplanted with an FUE procedure. Price is also determined by the total number of grafts needed. The exact price of an FUE is unique to each doctor who performs it, which means the price changes depending on the doctor you choose, as some doctors are more expensive then others. That being said, FUE prices are more expensive in the US and Europe than the rest of the world.
Though an FUE hair transplant procedure is more expensive than other methods, and often requires more sessions, clients who choose this method are usually very satisfied with their choice.
A hair transplant is generally a low risk procedure, but as with any other surgery, there is always a small risk that there can be some kind of complication. The likeliness of any small problems is highly dependent on many different factors, such as the exact method chosen and the skill of the doctor who will be performing the procedure. The reason why the method chosen makes a difference is because the two major hair transplant methods, the FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) method and the Strip surgery, have clear differences, for instance, one involves the removal of a strip of skin which will add a few additional risks.
