Hair transplant cost in Delhi: Five things you pay for

Nov, 02 2019 | By Dr. Sangay Bhutia (Hair Transplant Specialist in Delhi)

A lot of hair loss patients don’t opt for a hair restoration procedure because it is assumed that it is a very expensive procedure, meant for the uber rich ,celebrities or sports stars. This myth has to be debunked. Hair transplant procedures are affordable and easily accessible. In fact, some financial institutions even offer easy payment plans for hair transplants.

Delhi sees thousands of patients every year travelling for hair transplants owing to the quality of doctors and clinics available in the city. However, the popularity of the procedure has also given rise to a large number of clinics that are offering hair transplant services but don’t have experts performing them. So, it is important that the patient should find an experienced surgeon, who specializes in hair transplants, and a good clinic.

Patients should also not be allured by cheap Hair Transplant offers that some of the new clinics, with not very experienced surgeons, offer. When getting a hair transplant, patients are paying for a good surgeon, an experienced and qualified team, and the quality of the clinic.



Here are the five things that patients pay for while getting a transplant in Delhi:

1. Number of Grafts
Hair transplants are usually done using two techniques: Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT). In both kinds of procedures, the surgeon will either remove a strip of follicles from the donor area of the scalp (in FUT), or remove individual follicular units from the donor areas (in FUE). In FUT, the strip is then divided into individual units, which are placed onto the balding or bald spots; In FUE the individual units are placed as it is onto the bald spots. On an average each graft or follicular unit has about 2.2 hairs. Now depending on the progression of baldness, as measured on the Norwood Scale, the surgeon will decide the number of grafts the patient needs to cover their bald spots satisfactorily. The cost of the procedure is primarily dependent on the number of grafts.

2. Type of procedure
In a FUT procedure, since the surgeon extracts a strip of follicles, and then dissects them into single units, it not only takes more time, it also requires more technicians. Whereas in FUE, the surgeon extracts individual follicular units one by one.

The surgeon is usually the best judge of the kind of hair transplant is best-suited for a patient; usually patients who need a large number of grafts, FUT is preferred as the yield is higher than FUE. FUT also leaves a linear scar on the back of the head, while FUE will leave tiny, circular scars all over the donor area. FUE also may take longer than FUT. Depending on the kind of techniques the surgeon picks, the cost will be different, so the patient is paying for the kind of surgery they are undergoing.

3. Corrective or revision surgery
Corrective hair transplant procedures are for patients who have undergone a procedure that needs revision. Corrective procedures mean that the surgeon will have to redo the procedure, redesign the hairline, and remove the older grafts and plugs. It is a time-consuming process, and requires an experienced surgeon. The surgeon might also face a shortage of grafts, and will have to plan expertly in order to not overharvest, while ensuring the patient gets the desired results using the limited number of grafts available.
In corrective procedures, patients may pay more for the amount of time and effort that the surgeon and their team will spend on each sitting.

4. Body Hair Transplant
Body Hair Transplant or BHT is recommended for patients who don’t have enough donor hair on their scalp. In BHT, the surgeon extracts follicles from other parts of the body like the beard, chest, arms, back, or legs for the transplant. This needs an experienced surgeon, because the procedure is not just time-consuming, but it may also require extraction from different parts of the body. This means that the placing of the grafts will have to be done keeping in mind the nature and characteristics of hair from various parts of the body.

In case of BHT, even if the patient has to choose a slightly more expensive surgeon but better experienced, it is a good decision because it can be a more complicated process than a scalp to scalp transplant.

5. Quality and location of clinic, and experience of the surgeon and the team
It is important that patients, especially those travelling from different cities or countries, find a clinic with a good location, infrastructure, and make sure that it is hygienic and adheres to all health and safety standards. The experience and expertise of the surgeon and their team is equally important. The team is responsible for handling of grafts in between the extraction and placement, which means they have to experts. All of these factors add up to the cost and what the patient is paying for.

In a city like Delhi, which is expensive in terms of real estate, the location can add up to the cost as well. But it is better to be in a well-connected and located clinic, and pay a little more than you would pay for one with a bad location.