Have you ever had a mate go from the very edge of bald-guy boulevard with a receding hairline to hairy hunk over night? We've seen it happen; seemingly out of nowhere some dude seems to have reversed the whole men's hair loss thing and are suddenly flaunting a brand new ‘do that exhibits none of the balding warning signs they used to have. There are two main things that may have caused this sudden sprout;

• They’ve made a deal with the Hair Fairies, a secretive race of helpful creatures that restore hair while you sleep using dew drops and moonbeams, or…
• They’ve had a hair transplant.

Now I’m under very strict instructions not to discuss the Hair Fairy kingdom, but what we can talk about is hair transplants, what they are exactly, how they work, what they cost and if they’re worth it.

So do I need a donor?

You absolutely do not, thankfully, the only donor in a hair transplant is you. There are two types of Hair Transplant surgery, and buckle up because they both sound pretty barbaric from the outside.

FUE or Follicular Unit Extraction is a process where the doc cuts individual follicles (each containing just a hair or two) out of the back of your head where you haven’t begun balding, then pops them into tiny incisions made on the parts of your head that are balding. The rest of the hair from the donor site covers up the missing follicles, while the transplanted follicles continue to kill it, growing as strong as they always have.

FUSS / FUT or Follicular Unit Strip Surgery / Follicular Unit Transplantation is only slightly different – instead of going hair by hair which, if we’re being honest, sounds like a bit of a mission, they’ll remove a strip of hair from one of those donor regions, sew it back up and then cut that strip into separate follicles. Instead of thousands of tiny cuts, you get one big quick one. After that, it continues along the same lines as the FUE procedure. This process is a little quicker, but does have the potential to leave a scar across the back of your head. Upside, it's always going to be somewhere where the hair will cover it, plus chicks dig scars.

Does it work?

Largely, yes. To be more specific, a transplant will put hair back on your head; hair that will grow, feel and look just like all the rest of the hair on your head. It doesn’t need special treatment, it won’t look out of place or grow at the wrong speed or anything like that. If you’re reading this and you’re imagining the classic 80’s hair plugs that could be spotted at a mile, then worry not – we’re lightyears away from that now. Also the 80’s were basically 40 years ago, how mental is that? Anyways, the only inherent issue with a hair transplant is that the new hair is only as strong as the follicle. If the follicles at your donor site start to bald as well, then you’re back at square one. You can always do more transplantations, but it’s only going to work as long as you’ve got the hair to donate – once it’s gone, it’s gone.

How much does it cost?

In short? Lots. In long? Looooots. In Aus, prices for FUE Treatments can range from $10,000 up to over $20,000, depending on how much hair is going to be moved around. FUSS/FUT is a little cheaper on account of there being less actual surgery; where an FUE treatment may be $8-$10 per follicle, FUT/FUSS skews closer to $6-$8. To put that in context, even the most basic hair transplants are going to involve rehoming several thousand follicles, so a new head of hair is setting you back about as much as a small car at this point. Of course, if you’re a thrill seeker that enjoys putting it all on the line, Hair Transplant procedures are significantly cheaper abroad, countries like India and Turkey are more than willing to help you out, in some cases they’ll even throw in tour guides and accommodation to sweeten the deal.

So if you’re in the market for hair (on your head that is, not just loose hair… that’d be pretty weird), but don’t have the patience to let the hair restoring procedures such as ours do their thing and also have tens of thousands of dollars just sitting in a literal pile in your vault, then hair transplants may be just what you need. The process has never been safer, more permanent or more effective, but it’s still a chunk of change to get that handsome head of hair firing.

Of course, if you’re looking for a solution that is 100% free, fast-acting, works perfectly every time and guarantees a full head of luscious hair at the end, just let me know! I’d be happy to put in a good word with the Hair Fairies on your behalf.

If you're not keen on spending $20k on hair transplants we are currently kicking you your first month free for new fellas that jump on board with joebloe, click below and get some! 

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The views expressed in this article intend to highlight alternative studies and induce conversation. They are the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of joebloe, and are for informational purposes only, even if and to the extent that this article features the advice of physicians and medical practitioners. This article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice.