How much does hairline surgery cost?
Pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia is a permanent condition. It affects both males and females. In men, the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is a major source of hair loss. But it can happen due to a combination of environmental, genetic and hormonal factors. Many women start experiencing signs of pattern baldness after menopause. This could indicate a relationship between hormone levels and hair growth. When over-the-counter remedies for hair loss fail, many people start looking for other treatments, such as PRP therapy or hair transplant. However, the expenses of such procedures remain an important concern. This guide will outline the factors that determine hairline surgery costs.
In males, signs of pattern baldness start showing during puberty. The hormone DHT affects the normal hair growth cycle. The anagen phase (growth) continues to decrease while the telogen phase (resting) continues to increase. This makes the hair weak and prone to breakage. Meanwhile, the size of follicles continues to shrink, also known as miniaturization. It produces thin, vellus hair, in contrast to terminal hair.
How Pattern Baldness Proceeds?
Both genders will observe a thinning of their hair in this condition. If your hair has started to fall out of the blue, then you need to immediately consult a doctor. It might be some other condition such as alopecia areata, fungal infection, nutritional deficiency or hormonal imbalance.
In males, the thinning begins at the crown and the temples. You will soon start to see an “M” shape at the hairline. It is a clear sign of pattern baldness. With time, you will continue to lose your hair. Eventually, you’ll start seeing a clear bald spot at the vertex or centre of your scalp. Mostly, the hair will be left on the back and sides of the head. The presence of this hair makes hair transplant possible. They act as the donor area.
To determine pattern baldness in females, usually, the Ludwig classification system is used. In this study, the evolution of hair loss was observed in 468 female participants. In Type I, hair starts to thin at the crown. Many women try to hide their signs of hair loss by styling their hair in a manner that can camouflage the balding spot. Type II is marked by an increasing loss of hair. Women can see their scalp at this point. In Type III, the crown goes completely bald. However, it is rare for a woman to completely lose her hair.
Ebling and Rook made some slight changes to this model. Unlike in Ludwig’s classification, they show that the hairline of women can also recede as in males. Further research showed that when you part the centre of the head, the hair density decreases in a “Christmas tree” pattern. This is also indicative of pattern baldness.
If you think that you have all these signs of hair loss, then you should get in touch with a professional. They’ll give you a proper diagnosis. You can use some medications as a solution, but they will be temporary. Your hair is likely to fall out as soon as you stop using them. For a receding hairline, you should choose a permanent surgery option. You can find out what affects the hairline surgery cost in the following section.
Factors Affecting Your Hairline Surgery
You can achieve two kinds of hairlines through a hairline transplant surgery: V shape or straight. The former is quite popular among Afro-Americans. Many want to achieve this. With a hairline transplant, there are high chances of attaining one. It differs from a normal procedure in that it requires fewer grafts. However, to choose between the two, you need to consult a professional surgeon. The following factors will affect hairline surgery costs.
- The Shape of Your Face
A facial attraction has persisted for ages. Evolution might make certain faces more attractive to us than others. However, it was the Ancient Greeks who developed the idea of a golden ratio of 1:1.618. To measure this, you can divide the length of your face by its width. If the answer is 1.618, then it indicates a golden ratio symmetry. The length of the face would start from the hairline, which is why a proper one must be drawn.
If there’s an error in this hairline, it might start to look artificial and fake. The application of the golden ratio is common in many clinical surgeries.
- Muscles on Your Forehead
Sometimes patients want to have a lower hairline. However, they need to remember that no way the insertion of grafts can take place in muscles. There are muscles on our forehead, which help with facial movements. They won’t support the growth of your hair in any way. Proper placements of grafts are important for seeing any results. Your transplantation surgery won’t be possible otherwise.
- What Your Age Is
The positioning of your hairline will be determined according to your age. As a person gets older, their skin starts to sag due to decreasing collagen. So, your forehead will move forward. Keeping this in view, people have to choose a higher airline. It might start to look extremely odd otherwise.
All these factors will collectively determine the number of grafts that you’ll need. This has a direct bearing on the cost of hairline surgery. A transplantation surgery will offer you a lifetime solution for hair fall. Moreover, there are many other benefits to it.
Benefits of Having a Hairline Surgery
Many misconceptions surround hairline transplant surgery. They might hamper you from getting your desired procedure. By reading the following, you’ll realise that choosing a transplantation surgery is much more effective and cost-efficient.
- Hairline Transplant Surgery is Affordable
It is true that in many countries you cannot find a cheap hair transplant package. Getting quality surgery can alone cost you £10,000 in the UK. This certainly makes the procedure inaccessible to many. However, the medical tourism industry in countries such as Turkey has made it a possibility for almost anyone. For less than £1,500 you can achieve the same results but for a much lower price. You’ll find that many tourists there have their heads bandaged. It is that common. To ensure the safety of the patients, the government has also taken a lot of steps.
The American Hair Loss Association has stated that, according to The Washington Post, more than $3.5 billion are spent by hair loss sufferers each year in America. If you calculate the cost of these products for a lifetime, you can probably get about more than 10 transplant surgeries in Turkey.
- It’s a Time-Saving Hair Loss Treatment
Many people get worried about the post-op recovery period of a hair transplant. They believe it can take months and months, and this will negatively impact their professional lives. This is not true. It takes only 2 days for people to get a transplantation surgery. Some people return to their work soon after the procedure.
It’s just a one-time, permanent surgery. After this, you won’t be spending hours and hours applying products to your hair.
- It’s Painless and Scarless
You will be given local anaesthesia during the surgery. However, there is a high possibility that you’ll feel pain in the post-op recovery period. It doesn’t last for more than 3-4 days, though. In any case, many clinics provide the necessary medications, including painkillers, to their patients so that they don’t have any problems.
As far as the scarring is concerned, it used to be a big concern in the 90s as the Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) method was used at that time. However, the Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) technique has largely dealt with this complaint. This way, you can have natural-looking results.
- You’ll Find Bespoke Package Plans
Hair transplant clinics understand that each patient has different needs, which is why they offer custom package plans. You can add in a cosmetic procedure with your hairline transplant. Moreover, many have travel agents who will help you plan your itinerary on days most suitable to you.
You will also find that you can make payments in multiple ways. It’s better if you don’t carry a lot of cash in big cities of Turkey like Istanbul as it can put you at risk. Moreover, after you’ve had your surgery make sure that the clinics offer aftercare services. It can take almost a year to see the full results of a normal hair transplant procedure. So, a professional should be there to help you if anything comes up.
Concluding Remarks
As far as the price is concerned, usually the hairline surgery will cost you the same as a normal hair transplant procedure. If you find a clinic in which hairline surgery is cheaper, then they have a higher cost of their normal procedure. This compensates for the lower charges. Both procedures employ the same technique, which is why there’s no cost difference.
If you think you’re losing hair while your hairline keeps pushing back, then get in touch with clinics to find a suitable hairline surgery cost package.
