HAIR TRANSPLANT
CONSULTATION SINCE 2004

   

Hair transplant cost and price

Andreas Krämer Hair4life

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ANDREAS KRÄMER

Hair loss sufferer, consultant since 2004, co-author of the book “Hair Transplantation Guidebook” by Alliance4Hair, founder of Propatient with lawyer Chr. Bomke, co-founder of the HTTC training center for doctors. Known from SWR, SAT 1, ZDF, Spiegel and many others. About Us
Hair Transplant Cost Germany Western Europe
What does a hair transplant cost?

Cost of a Hair Transplantation in Germany and Western Europe

The only effective solution that allows hair to grow again on areas that have previously become light or bald is a hair transplant. Even celebrities such as Jürgen Klopp have already resorted to a transplant. You can find out more about the cost of hair transplantation in Germany and Western Europe here!

For people who are considering a hair transplant, it is understandable that the costs often play a major role when choosing a provider.

However, a hair transplant is a medical procedure. Unlike normal products in life, a failed transplant cannot be exchanged “just like that”. Botched hair transplants can not only lead to disfiguring results in the recipient area/hairline/front (see also these articles about botched hair transplants), but also to completely decimated donor areas with a moth-eaten look and very negative experiences, which then first have to be corrected at great expense.

Necessary corrective surgeries by renowned hair surgeons are, however, usually much more expensive than the “disfiguring” initial intervention, usually by a cheap operation. In addition to unnecessary corrective surgery and “having to dig deep into your pocket”, you also get annoyance, frustration, disappointment and a lot of lost time.


“Many of the illegal clinics have fancy websites with references and testimonials that look very professional. However, the reality is that the hair transplant may be performed by someone who has no medical training.”

Read more about the ISHRS.org “Fight The Fight” campaign

Campaign against illegal “black market clinics” World Association for Hair Surgery ISHRS.org


Difference in surgery costs between a cheap clinic or a reputable and experienced hair surgeon in Ger and Western Europe

One should be aware that high quality also costs more money.

Mass production in cheap hair factories, such as in the case of an FUE method with graft numbers of 4000 grafts and more in one day and delegation of important surgical steps to untrained personnel, is consequently reflected in a significantly lower price, which, however, is associated with significantly higher risks in many cases.

Many low-cost providers are also often a “black box”, without patients knowing in advance what will ultimately happen on site.

Patients suddenly find themselves in a different situation on site at the clinic and they do not find what they were promised beforehand. Suddenly, other, unknown and previously unmentioned doctors appear and important surgical steps are delegated to inadequately trained staff. It can even happen that the doctor with whom you booked the operation was not even present during the treatment.

In addition to the delegation of important surgical steps to untrained staff and the fact that the booked doctor may not even have been present during the operation, there are also points such as too rapid removal of the grafts, use of unsuitable FUE micromotors/removal instruments, lack of know-how regarding removal and insertion, which can lead to very negative experiences, unsightly results and decimated hair crowns/donor areas.

Therefore, take the necessary time, inform yourself thoroughly before the hair transplantation and choose your hair surgeon with care in order to avoid a bad – negative experience if possible!

Hair transplant costs: Regardless of whether an operation with FUE single removal or with the FUT strip technique, the required number of grafts is decisive!

Basically, the majority of doctors/clinics charge according to the number of grafts required for a hair transplant surgery, whether with the FUE hair transplant method or with the FUT strip technique. In the end, the number of grafts needed and transplanted is decisive for the total costs of the surgery, which you will find out during a consultation at Hairforlife.

An important factor for the number of grafts needed is the size of the area!

The number of grafts depends on the following points, among others:

  • What goals have I set for myself?
  • How high/low do I want my new hairline to be?
  • How large is the area that is to receive new hair?
  • What density should be achieved with the surgical procedure?

The exact number of grafts to be “transplanted” also depends:

  • On the characteristics of the donor hair (rim of hair). This means the density of the “band of hair”, the diameter of the hair shaft, the colour of the hair (the contrast between the scalp and the hair) and whether the hair is curly, wavy or straight.

Do you want to be socially fit again quickly after your hair transplant?

Read more about Unshaven surgery for women and men!


The cost of a Hair transplantation varies greatly in different countries

However, the hair transplant costs of the individual “grafts” can vary greatly from one doctor/clinic to another and from country to country. This often has to do with the number of grafts needed and the technique chosen for the procedure. The price also depends on whether a cancellation date could be used or whether, for example, the clinic/doctor has agreed to use your image material (without face/without recognition value). In addition, to a certain extent, different personnel/expenses become noticeable when it comes to doctors/clinics for hair transplant abroad and overseas and where, in contrast to German-speaking countries, strongly differing maintenance costs come into play and hair transplantations can be offered at significantly lower prices.

First of all: HFL offers worldwide renowned doctors/clinics with proven results!

As already mentioned above, quality usually has its price in hair transplantation, especially if it is an surgery in countries with high living costs like as example a hair transplant in Switzerland in Zurich!

The below-mentioned graphs and price examples are from reputable hair surgeons with many years of experience and sufficient know-how and experience, personally checked by me, Andreas Krämer, owner of Hairforlife, and proven with sufficient results. These are not cheap operations!

What you will NOT find on HFL: Offers from cheap factory Clinics of 4000 grafts for 2000 euros

If you are looking for offers such as 4000 – 5000 grafts for 2000 Euros in Turkey, including travel arrangements, flight, VIP taxi service and massage, you will NOT find them here!

Why Hairforlife does not work with so-called cheap hair factories and why you should be very careful especially when transplanting your own hair, read in the chapter risks and read more about the possible negative consequences/experiences of a failed hair transplant.

transplantation costs and example graft prices at HFL cooperation doctors/clinics

In the following tables some examples concerning the graft prices for a hair transplantation at Hairforlife doctors/clinics (no cheap surgeries).

Costs FUT strip techniqueSwitzerland, Austria, GER, Western EuropeCountries like Turkey, Cyprus
Per graftfrom 3,50 Euro per graftfrom 1,80 Euro per graft
Treatment costs FUT technique
Costs FUE (single removal) Switzerland, Austria, GER, Western EuropeCountries like Turkey, Cyprus
Per graftfrom 4 Euro per graftfrom 1,95 Euro per graft
Hair transplantation costs with FUE

Rough estimate of the treatment costs depending on the number of grafts

The following scheme serves as a first estimate of the costs depending on the number of grafts.

Norwood scale II and IIa (typical receding hairline):

Hair Transplantation cost of a NORWOOD SCALE II AND IIA (TYPICAL RECEDING HAIRLINE)

Possible number of grafts: 1500

FUE (FUE & FUI) At 2900 Euro – 7500 Euro depending on whether for example in CH, AT, GER, or Western Europe and depending on the respective doctor

FUT (Strip & FUI) At 2250 Euro – 5250 Euro depending on whether for example in CH, AT, GER, or Western Europe and depending on the respective doctor

Norwood scale III , IIIa and III Vertex (larger receding hairline and possible clearing of the tonsure):

Kosten und Preise einer Haartransplantation bei NWIII_ IIIa_III Vertex
Possible number of grafts: 2250 – 3000

FUE (FUE & FUI) At 4387 Euro – 15000 Euro depending on whether for example in CH, AT, GER, or Western Europe and depending on the respective doctor

FUT (strip & FUI) 4050 Euro – 10.500 Euro depending on whether in CH, AT, GER, or Western Europe and depending on the respective doctor

Norwood scale IV and IVa:

Cost of the hair restoration surgery with a IV AND IVA status

Possible number of grafts: 3000 – 4000

FUE (FUE & FUI) At 5,850 Euro – 20,000 Euro depending on whether for example in CH, AT, GER, or Western Europe and depending on the respective doctor

FUT (strip & FUI) At 5400 Euro – 14.000 Euro depending if for example in CH, AT, GER, or Western Europe and depending on the respective doctor

Norwood scale Va:

Hair transplantation surgery cost of   VA baldness

Possible number of grafts: 4000 – 6000

FUE (FUE & FUI) At 7,800 Euro – 30,000 Euro depending on whether for example in CH, AT, GER, or Western Europe and depending on the respective doctor

FUT (strip & FUI) At 7,200 Euro – 21,000 Euro depending on whether for example in CH, AT, GER, or Western Europe and depending on the respective doctor

Norwood scale VI:

Cost of a hair transplant for a NW VI situation

Possible number of grafts: > 6000

FUE (FUE & FUI) At 11,700 Euro – 30,000 Euro depending on whether for example in CH, AT, GER or Western Europe and depending on the respective doctor

FUT (Strip & FUI) 10.800 Euro – 21.000 Euro depending if for example in CH, AT, GER, or Western Europe and depending on the respective doctor

Please ask Hairforlife about the exact prices and doctors in question for your individual case, whether receding hairline, or larger existing areas up to baldness. More about the Hairforlife online consultation for hair loss sufferers.


I have not regretted the step to FUE surgery in Zurich – Switzerland for a second and I am still very satisfied with the result.

Songwriter/DJ/ J.J. Hansen


Does health insurance cover the costs of a transplantation?

Unfortunately, health insurance does not usually cover the costs of a transplantation!

Especially regarding Turkey

Doctors from Turkey – or other countries with low-cost structures for staff, rent, medication are certainly much cheaper compared to hair surgeons in other countries.

Before undergoing hair restoration surgery, you should always inform yourself thoroughly! Especially in Turkey, with several hundred providers and more!

On the internet, you can find a number of cheap “hair factories”, where the costs for an FUE hair transplant are often much lower, but often it is pure mass processing with high risks.

Hair transplant with low cost, but bad result and a thinned out donor area
Patient with a very negative experience after an FUE procedure in a hair factory on the Bosporus: Decimated and thinned out donor with very few options for correction!
Favourable cost of the fue surgery, but a poor growth rate
Patient with negative experience: The hair transplant cost was favourable, but only a poor growth rate was achieved

The risk of choosing the wrong provider, of a failed result and a negative experience, be it with a decimated donor, a poor growth rate or an unnatural hairline, is high. The possibilities for correction after a botched FUE surgery with a decimated donor and thinned donor are unfortunately limited.

As mentioned above, the costs for hair transplantation in the hair factories are low, but it is very often only mass processing and caution is advised. For example, clinics/doctors in Western Europe often remove 1000 – 2500 grafts a day using the FUE technique via manual graft removal. In Turkey, however, many clinics no longer remove the grafts manually, but with so-called micromotors and 4000 grafts daily or even considerably more.

As a result, with such a “mass concept” the hair transplant prices can be massively lowered and thus a lower price can be offered without the clinic turning over less money. For example, 1000 grafts x 4 Euros per graft result in 4000 Euros daily income for the clinic and 4000 grafts x 1 Euro per graft per day also result in 4000 Euros daily income for the clinic. However, this income is often not enough, as 3-4 patients may be treated at the same time in such a mass processing clinic. Of course, the chances of winning the customer for the operation are much higher at such low prices, since the customer can ultimately save many thousands of euros, which is certainly only too tempting.

However, this is exactly where caution should be exercised. The hair transplant costs are significantly lower, but – as already mentioned above – the quality can suffer greatly with such mass processing. The risk of grafts not being taken out intact/damaged, or other things being done incorrectly and the grafts not growing well (only a poor growth rate is achieved), or mistakes being made in the placement (such as incorrect insertion of the growth direction, linear hairline etc.) and it looking unnatural as a result, or the crown of hair being severely damaged due to incorrect handling, increases greatly. Here is an example of a botched extraction from a clinic in Turkey with FUE micromotor and subsequent window optic and moth-eaten donor.

Low prices, but the hair transplant result shows moth-eaten and window optic in the band of hair-donor area
Result of a botched FUE and negative experience: The prices are low, but moth-eaten and window-optics in the band of hair/donor area

Read also the Spiegel article regarding whiskers on the head and charlatans1.

More detailed information with results (negative as well as positive) can be found in the article Hair Transplantation in Turkey.


Find out more about the media appearances of Andreas Krämer Hairforlife on ZDF, SWR, SAT 1, Spiegel Online, Schweizer Fernsehen Manager Magazin…

Media appearances of Andreas Krämer and Hairforlife

Even a specialist title does not guarantee the best result in a hair transplant!

Those who have read the above sentences about the low surgery costs but also the significantly higher risks of a hair transplant in Turkey will possibly think about having a transplant in CH, AT or GER, not shying away from costs and preferring to spend more money in order to be on the safe side.

However: There is no specialist title for hair surgery there! Therefore, high costs for the hair transplant and a general “specialist title” which has nothing to do with hair surgery do not automatically guarantee the best result!

It is true that for a hair transplant in many countries like Switzerland, Austria, GER, UK, USA etc. , the prices are considerably higher. However, those who expect the best transplantation can be bitterly disappointed!

Because what many people interested in a transplant do not know: In contrast to other subject areas, the subject of “hair surgery” is not taught in any university in GER, neither in further training to become a plastic surgeon, nor in further training on other subjects. At most, basic knowledge about it is covered in the subject of dermatology!

Of course, some people may be reassured by the fact that they have chosen a provider with high prices, true to the motto “good quality also has its price”, and they feel they are on the safe side when it comes to an operation with high costs. In many cases this is certainly the case, but there are often exceptions in the case of hair transplantation (hair surgery is basically a “special” field, as already mentioned in other places on Hairforlife). Quite a few patients of hair surgeries with bad results had to dig deep into their wallets and were even “botched” despite having a specialist title.

You can read more detailed and important information about this in the article “A specialist title is by no means a carte blanche for hair transplants“.

Review of clinics by HFL: Avoid negative experiences and high costs for a repair procedure

This important task makes up a considerable part of the activities of Hairforlife/Andreas Krämer. It is about your health and avoiding as far as possible negative experiences with hair transplantation and unnecessary costs for repair interventions. Therefore, it is essential that all clinics and doctors recommended by Hairforlife are regularly subjected to close scrutiny.

As a free consultant, I am not bound to any exclusivity, so it is very important to me to ensure your first class care by visiting the clinics/doctors on a regular basis. Discussions with the doctors on the latest techniques and methods, attending operations and many other details such as results, know-how, instruments, procedures, hygiene and experience are checked, discussed and clarified. This ensures that I can always offer you a detailed consultation according to the very latest standards and that only renowned experts are available to carry out the work.

Please note: Each hair situation requires a doctor who is explicitly experienced in your situation, as well as an appropriate method!

Each individual patient case is highly individual. As a result, you will have to consider very carefully which specialist with which techniques should be recommended for your best possible care. Since I work as a freelance consultant and am not contractually bound to any clinic or doctor, I have the possibility to always recommend to you exactly the doctor who is explicitly specialised in your requirements for carrying out your hair transplantation from among the numerous cooperation partners that I always check up to date.


Sources/References/Author

1 https://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-131463502.html

Author

Andreas Krämer/Hairforlife Expert Editorial Team