HAIR TRANSPLANTS are the latest craze among balding men, and nowadays, most celebrities are making use of this technique to hide their baldness. Hair transplants can stimulate hair growth by transplanting healthy follicles to thinning or balding areas of the head.
Hair transplants are performed 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. The first transplant was performed in 1939 in Japan with single scalp hairs. In the following decades, physicians developed the “plug” technique, which involves transplanting large tufts of hair. Over time, surgeons began using mini- and micro-grafts to minimise the appearance of transplanted hair on the scalp.
Do hair transplants work?
Hair transplants are typically more successful than over-the-counter hair restoration products.
- Anywhere from 10 to 80% of transplanted hair will fully grow back in an estimated 3 to 4 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 transplant.
Hair transplants don’t work for everyone. They are mainly used to restore hair if you’re balding or thinning naturally or have lost hair due to an injury.
How hair transplant is performed?
There are two methods of performing hair transplant
1 Follicular unit transplantation (FUT)
To perform FUT procedure, surgeon follows these steps
- Using a scalpel, the surgeon removes a piece of your scalp, usually from back of head. The strip size is typically about 6 to 10 inches long but can stretch from ear to ear.
- They close the area where the scalp was removed with stitches.
- Then the scalp strip is separated into smaller pieces with scalpel. Surgeon may split the piece into as many 2000 smaller fragments, called grafts. Some of these grafts may contain only one hair each.
- Using a needle or blade, the surgeon makes small holes in your scalp where hair will be transplanted.
- The surgeon inserts hair from the removed piece of scalp into punctured holes. This step is called grafting.
2 Follicular Unit extraction (FUE)
To perform FUE procedure, surgeon takes these steps
- They shave off hair on the back of your head.
- The surgeon then takes individual follicles out of scalp skin.
- As with the FUT procedure, the surgeon makes small holes in your scalp and graft hair follicles into the holes.
- Then cover the surgical site with bandage or gauze.
Recovering from a hair transplant procedure
You’ll likely feel pain or soreness at the transplant site. For the next few days, surgeon may prescribe- pain relievers, antibiotic to prevent infection, anti-inflammatories, and medicines to help stimulate hair growth. Your surgeon will also inform you about dos and don’ts which has to be followed for certain amount of times after the transplant.
Hair transplant side effects
A common side effect is scarring, and this can not be avoided with either procedure. Other side effects may include
- Unusual physical sensations in the affected area.
- Infections, crust or pus drainage around surgical sites.
- Scalp pain, itching and swelling. Inflammation of follicles, bleeding.
- Visible areas of hair that don’t match the surrounding hair or are noticeably thinner.
Cost of hair transplant in India
The cost of hair transplant in Mumbai varies significantly depending on the number of grafts needed and the technique uses (FUT or FUE). The cost can vary from Rs 100,000 to Rs 200,000.
Factors influencing cost
- Number of grafts- more grafts mean a higher overall cost, as you are paying per graft. For example , 2500-3000 grafts might cost between Rs 90,000 to Rs 110,000.
- FUE technique is often more expensive than FUT.
In general
- Mild Baldness (1000-1500 grafts) will cost Rs 50,000 to Rs 90,000.
- Moderate Baldness (2000-3000 grafts)-Rs 90,000 to Rs 150,000.
- Severe Baldness (3000+ grafts) Rs 150,000+.
In the end hair transplant is generally safe procedure, but as with any type of operation there is always a small risk of bleeding, infection, and an allergic reaction to the anaesthesia.
Waiting your feedback on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
28th May 2025