Hair transplants have become increasingly popular in recent years as a remedy for hair loss. The procedure involves surgically taking hair follicles from one part of the head or body where hair is more voluminous and putting them onto a part of the head where hair is thinner.
Hair systems are also becoming more popular. They’re often confused for wigs, but are different. Like a wig, they use synthetic or natural hairs to create something that goes on your head to recreate the appearance of a full head of hair. The key difference is that they are glued to the head using non-toxic adhesives, allowing you to have a full head of hair and not have to worry about it falling off.
So if you are struggling with hair loss and want to do something about it, which is the better option?
The big benefit of a hair transplant is that, once the operation is completed, the moved hair should stay in its new location for good. In theory, there’s no need for ongoing upkeep to retain the new, altered head of hair. It should be a one-time operation and therefore one-off investment.
This is a good thing because one of the big drawbacks with hair transplants is their expense. They generally cost around $30k to $40k, depending on the provider. You can get it cheaper internationally – people often go to Turkey to get them – but let’s not forget that travelling overseas comes with its own costs too.
The main reason to be cautious about hair transplants, though, is the fact that the efficacy of the operation is largely dependent on your situation. For instance, it should only require just one operation, but that’s if you lucky. Many people have required further surgical operations to fix and maintain the transplant. In essence, the supposed benefit that you’re getting for a once-and-for-all solution to your hair loss may be flimsy at best.
You will also need to have an area of dense hair on your head or body which can be used for the transplant. For many people this isn’t a problem, but if you’re at a later stage of hair loss, a hair transplant isn’t really a viable option for you.
The operation also takes a while to take effect – the follicles are being moved, but the hair may not actually grow properly for about a year, meaning you’re waiting months for any of the benefits to come to actual fruition.
Then there’s the fact that you’re going to be undergoing a surgical operation. Surgery always comes with risks – there’s the chance of infection and the downtime recovery period following the operation.
A hair transplant could be the right option for you, but you should be aware of all these sizable caveats and the financial cost.
Compared to hair transplants, the downside to hair systems is the fact that you’ll need to get a new head of hair glued to your head every three or four months, ideally in a professional salon. They are a cheaper option than transplants, but not without some cost. A salon will typically charge between $250 and $350 for each system installation, totaling a cost of over $1000 a year.
However, the flipside to this is that because hair systems are so quick to install and easy to remove – they’ll come off within three to four months – you’re not committing to the lump sum investment that you need to make to do a transplant.
There are other benefits too. Firstly, the installation takes only an hour so to complete, so you can tell pretty quickly whether it’s for you. You can choose the system that is right for you – whether that’s by color, density or waviness – and the hair quality is basically guaranteed. Compare this to transplanted hair which may suffer from the same underlying issues that were causing your hair loss in the first place, and it feels a no brainer to choose a hair system.
There are challenges with a hair system. Not everyone is a fan of the tapes or liquid adhesives that are used to affix them to the head, though you should note that the adhesives used are non-toxic and there are variants that use fewer chemicals. The systems need to be managed as well, so as to align and fade into the color of the rest of your hair (like your eyebrows, for example).
The good thing about using a salon is that they can effectively look after all of this for you as part of the package you’re buying. Indeed, your regular visit to a salon will become as much a part of your life as going to a hairdresser is for a person who doesn’t experience hair loss.
In our view, it’s an easy decision as to which one to choose. That’s not to say that a hair transplant isn’t the right option for everyone, particularly if you have $30k hanging around.
But for a less risky, more affordable life with a more convincing and enjoyable head of hair, investing in hair systems is a no-brainer.
Changing lives since 2022.