When you’re considering surgical hair restoration, it’s important to know what your results can look like. Different graft volumes can achieve different coverage depending on hair colour, density, and texture. A 1500-graft hair transplant can be ideal for treating mild to moderate androgenetic alopecia in both men and women. Learn all about what this procedure entails.
This article details everything you need to know about 1500-graft hair transplants. It tells how many new hairs you can expect to grow, what area this graft volume can cover and who the best candidates are for this procedure. It also shares real patients’ 1500-graft surgical hair restoration results, accounts of patient experiences and comparisons with higher-volume procedures. Finally, it transparently presents the risks and costs associated with this type of surgery and offers tips for hair transplant recovery.
Key takeaways
You may have heard friends or acquaintances talk about getting a 1500-graft hair restoration surgery, but weren’t fully sure what that meant. Hair transplants involve harvesting a number of healthy hair follicles from a safe donor area on the back of your head and implanting them into the thinning spots on your scalp. A 1500-graft procedure involves harvesting 1500 such follicular units and transplanting them into your problem areas.
However, this is only one specific hair restoration surgery volume, often used to correct frontal balding in mild to moderate male pattern baldness (e.g. Norwood stage 3). Depending on the extent of your hair loss, you can get from just a few hundred grafts to 4,000-graft hair transplants and rarely, even more (e.g. 6,000-graft hair transplants).
A hair graft is a follicular unit that is harvested from a safe donor area on the back of your head and transplanted to the thinning part of your scalp. Follicular units are naturally occurring clusters of 1-4 hair follicles [1], the tiny organs that produce your hair fibres. If you are getting FUT surgery, an entire strip of skin is harvested from your donor area and then cut up into such grafts. If, however, you opt for FUE, each graft will be removed individually.
When ready for transplantation, the grafts have small hairs growing out of them and a bit of tissue around them, to avoid damage during harvesting and help nourish them until they become securely attached inside their new location. Each of them is carefully inserted in specially created slits on the recipient area, at a precise depth and angle to produce natural-looking results [2].
As a graft can contain between 1 and 4 hair follicles (most often 2 or 3), with perfect survival rates, 1500 grafts should yield around 3300-3500 hairs [3]. However, graft survival rates are typically between 90-98% [4][5][2], depending on surgeon skill, patient physiology and the quality of hair transplant aftercare. This will bring the total number of yielded hairs a little lower.
Moreover, if you need a hairline-lowering transplant, your surgeon will purposefully harvest follicles with smaller, finer, single hairs rather than clusters of 2, 3 or 4 coarser ones. This will create a natural-looking appearance, as your hairline is made of softer vellus hair [2]. However, it will also make the total hair yield smaller.
What you need to remember is that you don’t need a very high graft yield to achieve cosmetic density, where your thinning areas look fuller and your scalp is no longer visible. An experienced surgeon can achieve this effect with only about 50% of your natural, healthy hair density [2]. So if you have researched your surgeon well and trust their skill, you can have faith that the graft requirements estimation they provide is enough to cover your scalp adequately.
Surgeons have several ways of assessing your graft requirements during your pre-hair transplant consultation [2]:
1500-graft hair transplants are typically associated with less advanced stages of androgenetic alopecia. However, many patients with more extensive hair loss opt to get several consecutive hair restoration procedures, and one of them could easily require 1500 grafts, so this volume is often used. Here are the types of patients who can benefit most from it:
Normally, 1500-graft procedures are performed in patients with mild to moderate alopecia. In men, this volume is frequently and successfully used to treat Norwood stage 3 hair loss, affecting their frontal area and temples.
In women, 1500 grafts are typically used to cover the crown in Ludwig stage 2 female pattern hair loss. This involves moderate diffuse hair thinning with a visible widening of the midline parting.
You can use our hair transplant graft calculator to estimate how many grafts you might need, and whether you might be a candidate for a 1500 graft hair transplant.
However, the only one who can tell you for certain whether a 1500-graft hair transplant is the most suitable for your specific hair loss is a surgeon. Fortunately, seeing a professional is easy. Simply book a free, no-strings-attached hair transplant consultation at your most convenient Wimpole Clinic location. Our experienced surgeons will carefully examine your scalp and have a transparent conversation with you about your goals and realistic options. At the end of your appointment, you will have a crystal-clear picture of how many grafts you need to get the best possible results.
It is easier to get an idea of what the outcome of a 1500-graft surgical hair restoration can look like when you see the results achieved by real people. Here are the before and after hair transplant photos of some of our patients who got 1500 grafts:
Here are the results achieved by some of our male patients who had hairline and/or frontal area scalp hair restoration:
Facial hair can also be transformed with a 1500-graft beard transplant. Here are some of the results our beard transplant patients have seen following FUE beard transplantation:
Hair transplants for women can produce as great results as those for men. Here is how 1500 grafts have improved our female patients’ hair fullness on the crown, the hairline and the sides of the head:
Get a better idea of the volume difference between 1000, 1500 and 2000-graft hair transplants by comparing the side-by-side hair transplant results below. However, keep in mind that every patient’s scalp and hair are different and that getting a specific number of grafts won’t bring everyone the same results.
Here are the before and after photos of 3 of our male patients, each of whom had a slightly different volume hair transplant:
1000 grafts, FUE, 12 months post-procedure
1500 grafts, FUT, 6 months post-procedure
2000 grafts, FUE, 9 months post-procedure
The result difference created by these 3 different graft volumes can also be noticed in 3 of our female hair transplant patients:
1000 grafts, FUT, 6 months post-procedure
1500 grafts, FUT, 8 months post-procedure
2000 grafts, FUT, 12 months post-procedure
The photographic evidence alone doesn’t always tell the full story of our patients’ hair transplant journey. So here are the direct, unprompted accounts of their experiences from some of our patients who had 1500-graft hair restoration surgery at the Wimpole Clinic (if you would like to see all our reviews, feel free to access our Trustpilot profile):
There are several factors that come into play when estimating your 1500-graft hair transplant cost. Here is what you need to keep in mind when budgeting for your surgery:
Considering only the UK average price per graft, a 1500-graft hair transplant costs around £4875. However, based on the average procedure prices on Harley Street, it could arrive at approximately £5,692 if you’re interested in a more reputable clinic. This is because you’re paying for the surgical team’s skill, knowledge, and experience, as well as the upkeep of the facilities, which ultimately makes the procedure safer and more successful.
Hair Transplant Costs UK. (You are allowed to share this image.)
At the Wimpole Clinic, we pride ourselves on working with the UK’s most experienced hair transplant surgeons. Our hair restoration surgery prices start at £3,499, but the exact cost will depend on the type of procedure you choose (FUT or FUE), the number of grafts you need, and any additional individual requirements you may have.
So, although you can find cheap hair transplants abroad (and some within the UK), you’re more likely to see results and avoid complications with a reputable clinic.
Now that you know what to expect to pay on average for your 1500-graft procedure, here are the aspects that could cause fluctuations from this norm:
The best way to make the most out of your hair transplant surgery on a limited budget is to have an honest and transparent conversation with a trusted surgeon about cost reduction. They can help you strike the perfect balance between getting good coverage and keeping the costs manageable. For example, whenever possible, they can offer to use visual artifices to make your hair look fuller with fewer grafts than they would normally recommend (though this is not an option for every patient). Or they can tell you whether it is feasible to have 2 or more hair transplant sessions that you can space out over time, to help spread the costs.
Furthermore, most clinics offer service packages and/or discounts to patients who purchase several services at the same time. For example, if you are planning to get hair transplant surgery followed by several PRP sessions, you may be eligible for a discount if you pay for all these procedures at once.
Here at the Wimpole Clinic, we offer a variety of service packages to meet all patient needs and possibilities. And some of them include complimentary amenities and therapies, which spare you some future expenses. For example, by opting for our Premium Package, you will also receive 3 complimentary PRP sessions, 3 complimentary low-level laser therapy sessions, and 3 complimentary head massages for hair growth, as well as 6 months’ supply of complimentary hair loss treatments and other benefits. Contact us to learn more about the cost and services included in each of our packages.
An experienced surgeon will leverage all your natural hair and scalp advantages to help you achieve the expected results with the lowest number of grafts possible. They will place different hair textures strategically, such as saving thicker, curlier strands for your crown and finer, softer ones for your hairline. They will also use specific techniques, such as implanting the grafts at a specific density and angle to cast shadows and prevent your scalp from showing through. Finally, they focus on maximising graft survival by reducing graft trauma during harvesting and implantation (e.g. through careful graft trimming and placement) [2].
The risk of hair transplant complications is the same regardless of the number of grafts you are getting, and they are usually very small. The vast majority of patients heal without any issues. However, rarely, some patients may encounter [6]:
As a rule of thumb, it is good to contact your surgeon whenever you are concerned about a new, worsening or persistent symptom. However, be sure to let them know about the following symptoms as soon as possible:
Once your surgery is complete, your surgeon will provide you with detailed aftercare instructions. They contain information about the medications to be taken after your hair transplant, about how to care for your recipient area and what activities to hold off on until your grafts are securely attached. Here is some of the most common advice [7]:
If you want to know more about the best way to care for your grafts in the short and long term, read all about hair transplant maintenance.
If you are searching for hair transplant excellence, you have come to the right place. The Wimpole Clinic has a 50-year legacy as an industry leader and has been elected Hair Transplant Clinic of the Year for 4 years running (2021-2024). Our experienced and dedicated surgical team will help you get a natural-looking hair transplant that makes the most of each graft.
All you need to do to be on your way to the 1500-graft hair transplant of your dreams is book a free hair transplant consultation with one of our world-class surgeons. They will help you design the best hairline possible and achieve optimal hair coverage.
Find out more about 1500-graft hair transplants by reading the answers to these frequently asked questions:
If you are unhappy with the coverage that a 1500-graft hair transplant provided, you can normally get touch-ups or even a second hair transplant to correct this. However, this is provided that you have sufficient healthy hair left in your donor area. If you do not, you may still be able to harvest more grafts from your beard, chest or back for a body hair transplant.
The number of grafts necessary for a hairline transplant varies from one patient to another. Some can fix a messed-up hairline with as few as a few hundred grafts, while others may need as many as 1500. Factors such as the stage of your hair loss, the natural height of your forehead, the texture of your hair, your gender and the results you expect can influence procedure volume. The best thing you can do is see a surgeon and get personalised recommendations.
Most patients who have around 1500 grafts are in surgery for approximately 5 hours. In addition to surgical time, hair transplant patients will also need to arrive earlier to prepare for surgery and stay for a while after their procedure so the clinic staff can monitor their immediate recovery.
Therefore, you should plan to be at the hair transplant clinic all day. Learn more about how long hair transplant surgery takes.
As previously stated, the scalp volume that a 1500-graft hair transplant can cover differs from one person to another. On average, most patients can get adequate frontal area coverage using 1500 grafts. However, it is best to let an experienced surgeon determine how many grafts you may need to fully cover your frontal area.
Most patients see their final hair transplant results 9-12 months after their procedure. However, some may need to have a little more patience, as it can rarely take as long as 18 months to see your full post-procedure hair growth. The good news is that your hair transplant is permanent, so once your final results have emerged, you will be able to enjoy them forever.
Wimpole Clinic Services:
Hair Transplants, Beard Transplants & Eyebrow Transplants.
Talk to a specialist
Dr. Michael May (GMC No: 1642315) is the Medical Director and Principal Surgeon of the Wimpole Clinic. He has 25 years experience in the field of hair transplant surgery has completed over 10,000 hair transplant procedures, accumulating an unmatched breadth and depth of experience that is exclusively available to Wimpole Clinic patients.
Dr. May entered private practice in 1982 when he first became involved with hair surgery, since then, he has dedicated his career exclusively to the science and practice of hair transplant surgery and hair restoration.
He qualified at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London after which he trained and registered as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. Dr. May was instrumental in developing the revolutionary technique of follicular unit transplant (FUT), and subsequently he also presented papers and lectures in the UK and Europe to professional colleagues. He quickly became recognised by his peers and colleagues as a leader in the field of follicular unit hair transplantation. He specialises in hair restoration surgery covering; FUE, FUT lateral slit, eyebrow, eyelashes, beards, side burns, burns, repairs
As a leading authority in his field, Dr. May became a founder member and past President of the BAHRS and is the current president of the European Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons. In addition, Dr. May is a registered member of The Trichological Society and a Diplomat of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS) in 2002. Dr. Michael May full list of associations are as follows:
Dr. May is available to prospective Wimpole Clinic patients during their consultation and carries out many of the hair transplant procedures at the clinic.
