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7 Factors that Affect the Total Cost of Hair Transplant in Sydney

7 Factors that Affect the Total Cost of Hair Transplant in Sydney

Hair transplant cost in Sydney is one of the many factors that can determine whether a person would go for the drastic step of surgery or opt for other options instead. If you are mulling over your budget and how you may be able to afford a procedure such as this, it is important to also be knowledgeable of the details that come into play. There is a good reason why surgical hair restoration comes at a cost, and here are 7 reasons which explain why it is so.

 

1. Consultation Fee

Expect to pay a fee for your preliminary hair transplant consultation. In Sydney, the cost varies between surgeons and where the clinic is located.

 

2. Size of the Area that Requires Treatment

Every patient who comes in presents various levels of baldness. Through a personal consultation, a surgeon can properly assess the problem and the extent of work that needs to be done. So, you should expect that there is no cookie-cutter treatment plan especially if you go with a good surgeon because they will customize their approach to your needs. The cost will vary depending on the amount of work that needs to be done based on the area that must be covered.

 

3. The Type of Sessions

Some surgeons will perform “megasessions”, while in some cases, a patient’s surgery may be divided into two sessions.

Megasessions

These are surgical sessions in hair transplant where approximately 3,000-5,000 grafts are used. It requires enormous amounts of time, quality control, and organization ability. This approximately takes about 12 hours to perform. This is considered a significant leap in surgical technology.

The advantages of megasessions include:

  1. Fewer surgeries, hence there will be less scarring on the back of the head
  2. The convenience of doing a single session instead of several sessions
  3. Results that are faster to achieve
  4. Overall cost savings for the patient

Despite the advantages these kinds of sessions were able to produce, only a few surgeons are able to perform it successfully.

Multiple Sessions

There are also chances that you may require multiple sessions for your hair transplant surgery. Hair transplant surgery is performed to cover the bald areas by harvesting the hair from donor areas and transplanting them to recipient sites. If the bald areas are not covered completely in one session, the surgeon will ask for multiple sessions. Individuals with advanced form of hair loss are most likely to require several grafts which means several sessions.

The type of approach also plays a role. If you opt for a Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), then you can expect several sessions to achieve the results you want. Young patients may require more than one hair transplant sessions because baldness is a progressive condition which would call on additional coverage in the future. The surgeon will discuss this with you in detail during your consultation.

 

4. Number of Grafts Needed

Each patient comes with their own concerns and desired aesthetics. These play a part in determining the number of grafts needed. You also have to factor in the very delicate extraction process which takes skill and expertise to avoid resection and ensure graft survival. Expectedly, the more grafts that are needed the more you must pay for your surgery. This can only be determined after a surgeon has evaluated your case.

 

5. Technique Used

There are two techniques used in hair transplant surgery, the FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation) and FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction). The two comes in varying levels of expertise and difficulty which also determines the cost.

FUT, or the strip method, is the traditional approach in hair transplant surgery. This involves creating an incision across the back of the scalp to remove a strip of skin which contains the donor grafts. Since the extraction process of the hair grafts are done microscopically, this is relatively easier to perform. It allows the hair technician better control and less chances of resection. The cost per graft in an FUT approach is around 7 AUD for the first 500 grafts, and it can go as low as 5.50 AUD per graft if more coverage is needed.

FUE costs more than FUT because the donor grafts are removed directly from its original location using a special punch-like tool. The results have better aesthetics since it doesn’t involve a linear scar across your scalp, but it has a high risk for resection, making it more challenging than FUT. The cost per graft is around 12 AUD to 18 AUD per graft.

 

6. Surgeon’s Fee

A surgeon’s professional fee will expectedly vary depending on the region where he is practicing, his expertise, and even his reputation. The professional fee for surgeons in Sydney may differ from that in Adelaide or Melbourne.

Surgeons will put a premium on their work, which explains why a hair transplant procedure doesn’t come cheap. So, if you ever come across someone who will market their services at a significantly lower price than the usual in your region, should already be a red flag for you. Always remember that the thousands you are paying envelopes the training, experience, expertise, and your doctor’s reputation. You just can’t ask any surgeon to perform a hair transplant on you since expertise is demanded of this procedure.

On another note, just because the surgeon charges high, doesn’t automatically mean that they offer quality results. Remember to take other factors into consideration, such the doctor’s portfolio, his aesthetics, and his reputation.

 

7. Anaesthesiologist and Aneaesthesia Fees

Typically, the anaesthesia fees are between the hospital charges and surgeon’s fees. Anaesthesiologists are paid similarly or more than the surgeon per case.  Also, the type of anaesthesia will also affect the total cost. This will be determined on the kind of surgery you will have. Generally, a hair transplant is done under local anaesthesia, which allows a patient to go home immediately after surgery. Aside from the fact that it has lesser side effects, local anaesthetics are also relatively cheaper than being put through general anaesthesia.

 

A Quick Reminder

You can find out clinics that offer hair transplant surgery in Sydney through the ISHRS (International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery) website. This is the best organization that will help you along when finding surgeons who keep themselves abreast of the recent technologies and advances in the field.

You may also send in your questions here and let Dr. Daood of the Sydney Hair Transplant Clinic help you with your hair loss concerns.

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