Hair loss is incredibly common. In fact, androgenetic alopecia (the most frequently encountered form of hair loss) affects 80% of men by the age of 80 [1] and over 50% of women by the age of 60 [2]. Fortunately, surgical hair restoration is a safe, effective and permanent way to treat it. A 2500-graft hair transplant can be sufficient to achieve good cosmetic density in men with moderate male pattern baldness and women with advanced female pattern baldness.
A 2500-graft hair transplant can often be enough to correct significant hair loss in both men and women. This article explains what kind of coverage you can expect, provides real before-and-after result photos, and shares patients’ experiences with this procedure. It also lets you know what to expect in terms of costs, potential complications and aftercare requirements.
Key takeaways
A 2500-graft hair transplant is a surgical hair restoration treatment which involves harvesting 2500 healthy follicular units (grafts) from your safe donor area and reimplanting them into the thinning parts of your scalp [3].
Your hair transplant donor area is normally located at the back of your head. The hair follicles that grow there are less sensitive to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the male hormone responsible for androgenetic alopecia. So they will not be affected by male or female pattern baldness like the ones in your frontal area, midscalp and crown.
The surgeon will normally use one of two main methods to harvest healthy hair grafts from your donor area: follicular unit extraction (FUE) or follicular unit transplantation (FUT) (to be discussed). Then, they will carefully position them in small slits created in the transplant area, at the same angle, depth and pattern as natural hair growth.
After a period of hair transplant recovery, grafts will start producing new hair, covering the area where they were implanted. However, some patience is required, as it normally takes between 12 and 18 months to see your final results.
A single hair graft can produce between 1 and 4 hair fibres. However, most often, grafts harvested from the scalp produce 2-3 hairs [4]. This means that theoretically, a 2500-graft hair transplant should yield, on average, between 5000 and 6000 new hairs.
When you see a surgeon for a hair transplant consultation, they will do several things that will help them get a correct assessment of how many hair grafts you will need:
Here is how our highly skilled surgeon, Dr Peter Barron, explains the importance of factors such as patient hair type in determining the necessary number of grafts:
Hair type plays a very large part when estimating the number of grafts required. You could perform the exact same procedure on different people and have very different results depending on the qualities of their hair. This can be most evident when estimating graft numbers for individuals with very curly hair such as Afro-Carribean patients. Because the hair curls, it has the chance to overlap with other surrounding hair follicles a lot more readily and therefore reduce the visibility of the scalp. Straight hair overlaps less than curly or wavy hair and so requires more follicles in a given region to reduce scalp visibility. Not all straight hair types are the same as well, Caucasian hair is typically finer compared to Asian hair which is coarser/thicker and will therefore naturally overlap less. Again, some can argue that Caucasian individuals with blonde or grey coloured hair can have subjectively “better” results than people with brown/black hair due to the decreased contrast between the light coloured hair and underlying pale skin types.
If your surgeon recommends a 2500-graft procedure, it means that you are experiencing moderate hair loss. Should you feel like this assessment is inaccurate in any way, do not hesitate to get a second opinion.
2500 hair grafts are often sufficient to cover several parts of your scalp. For example, you could get a hairline transplant and still have enough grafts left over to fix your frontal area and midscalp. Alternatively, you could cover a smaller-sized bald spot on your crown and fix your temple hair loss.
However, if you have a significantly large bald area on the top of your head, 2500 grafts may only be enough to cover your crown and midscalp.
The most surefire way to find out the optimal coverage you can expect to get from 2500 grafts is to get the recommendation of a hair transplant surgeon. That is because many factors can impact this, from your hair texture and thickness to predicted further hair loss.
Normally, in men, a 2500-graft hair transplant is recommended to correct moderate, Norwood stage 4 (or a more advanced stage 3) male pattern baldness. This usually involves an M-shaped hairline, some frontal balding and often a bald spot on the crown.
In women, 2500 grafts are usually reserved for advanced, Ludwig stage 3 female pattern baldness. This usually goes beyond the typical widening of the midline parting. It involves extensive hair shedding on the top of your head, which can include the crown, midscalp, and sometimes even the frontal area.
If you’d like to get an idea of how many hair grafts you need for your particular hair loss extent, you can try using our hair transplant graft calculator. However, while helpful, this tool is meant to provide graft number estimations and cannot replace an expert opinion.
There is only one reliable way to know whether you can benefit from a 2500-graft hair transplant or if you might require a different volume: asking a specialist. Our excellent surgeons here at the Wimpole Clinic would be happy to examine you and recommend the best number of grafts for optimal results. And the best part is that the hair transplant consultation is free, so you can get a professional assessment from a world-class surgeon with no pressure and no strings attached.
Two main types of hair transplant can be used for a 2500 graft hair transplant — follicular unit extraction (FUE) and follicular unit transplantation (FUT). These two methods differ in how hair follicles are harvested from the donor area.
FUE removes individual follicular units using a micro-punch tool. This leaves minimal, near-invisible scarring, but it’s more time-consuming than FUT.
FUT involves removing a strip of skin containing many hair follicles from the donor area. It leaves a fine hair transplant scar at the donor site, which may be visible if you cut your hair short at the back or sides.
However, it allows more hair follicles to be moved in one go than FUE, making the procedure more efficient. Both FUE and FUT can be used for a 2500-graft hair transplant. Learn more here about the differences between FUE and FUT.
At the Wimpole Clinic, we regularly perform 2500-graft hair transplants. Here are some of our outstanding results:
Our male patients will most often get 2500-graft surgeries to cover their crown or frontal area. However, some of them with significant facial hair sparseness will opt for a 2500-graft beard transplant.
This patient received 2500 grafts to fill in a bald spot on his crown caused by Norwood stage 4 androgenetic alopecia. The hair transplant was performed using the FUE method, and the results shown here are 12 months post-op.
Here is another 2500 graft FUE hair transplant for male pattern baldness, this time to treat advanced frontal balding. After just 8 months, you can see this patient’s significantly receding hairline has been reversed, and his frontal scalp has much more even hair coverage.
2500 graft hair transplants aren’t just for scalp hair. They can give excellent results when used for a beard transplant. This patient had sparse facial hair and wanted a fuller look. These images show his beard before and after his transplant.
3 months after his FUE beard transplant, you can see an abundance of new beard hair growing in. By 12 months, this hair will be much thicker, and the transplanted grafts will blend seamlessly with his natural beard.
Hair transplants for women can produce the same excellent results as those for men. Here are some of our success stories of restoring coverage in extensive female pattern baldness, using approximately 2500 hair grafts:
This female patient was able to achieve adequate scalp coverage in advanced androgenetic alopecia. Her results are not yet final, as they are just 8 months into their recovery.
A similar procedure was performed on a different female patient with Ludwig stage 3 female pattern baldness, making a significant difference to her appearance.
However, in some cases, 2500-graft female hair transplants can also be used to lower the hairline in a way that reduces a big forehead.
This patient had a 2400-graft forehead hair transplant, which helped feminise her features and brought her hairline down several centimetres, balancing out her facial features.
Now that you have seen what successful 2500-hair transplants can look like, here are some real patient reviews that let you know what their experience felt like (see more Wimpole Clinic reviews on our Trustpilot profile, to understand how we have earned our 4.9/5 star Trustscore).
Normally, hair transplant costs are calculated per graft. In the UK (as per our research), the average cost per graft is £3.25. Simple math would suggest that you would have to pay approximately £8,125 for your procedure.
However, your graft number does not always tell the full story of how much you can expect to pay for your procedure. Here is a breakdown of the main elements that go into your total 2500-graft hair transplant bottom line:
Hair Transplant Costs UK. (You are allowed to share this image.)
Some of the most important factors that can drive up your surgery expenses are as follows:
Some of these items are entirely optional and can be foregone without much impact on your procedure results. However, for your safety and good outcomes, it is best to invest in a well-reputed clinic that employs experienced surgeons.
There are several things you can try to make your hair restoration surgery more affordable:
Keep in mind one golden rule when it comes to cutting hair transplant costs: if an offer seems too good to be true, it usually is. Some clinics will offer very low prices, but cut corners when it comes to patient health and safety.
The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) warns [5] of unauthorised hair transplant clinics abroad that entice patients with prices well beyond market average. However, they will employ personnel with no medical training or qualifications, resulting in a high number of surgical complications and hair transplants gone wrong.
Our experienced surgeon, Dr Dinesh Patel, has encountered and had to repair many failed hair transplants performed at unethical clinics abroad. This is an account of his experiences and recommendations:
I’ve treated quite a few patients who had their initial hair transplants done in Turkey. While there are definitely some excellent clinics there, I’ve also seen a number of people come back with results that didn’t meet their expectations — often due to the clinic cutting corners or rushing the process.
Turkey does have some excellent clinics with experienced surgeons, but there are also many places that aren’t as careful. Sometimes, clinics will rush the surgery or let unqualified staff do important parts of the procedure. That’s when problems like poor growth, scarring, or unnatural hairlines happen.
So my advice is to look beyond just the price. Do thorough research and pick a clinic based on reputation and surgeon experience — not just on how cheap it is. If you’re going to travel for surgery, make sure you’re choosing a place that offers good care before, during, and after the procedure. At the end of the day, your hair is important, and it’s better to invest in a quality procedure than risk having to fix mistakes later.
If your baldness is very advanced or you have had a previous failed hair transplant, your donor area may be depleted and unable to yield 2500 grafts. However, there are still some things you can try to get good hair restoration surgery results:
There is a surgical method called combined grafting, which involves harvesting body hair grafts to supplement those obtained from your scalp. The beard is the most common source for body to scalp hair transplants, followed by chest and abdomen hair and rarely, the arms and legs [4].
This practice is not without drawbacks, as the hair on your body has a different texture from that on your scalp and can have lower graft survival rates. This means that you need a highly skilled and experienced surgeon to perform the procedure if you want to obtain a natural-looking hair transplant. That is why this type of surgery is rare. However, there are some cases in the relevant literature where it has provided very good results [6].
A highly skilled surgeon can ensure that minimal damage is caused to your hair grafts during harvesting and processing. This can increase the graft survival rate, helping you grow more hair. Moreover, they would also be able to implant your grafts at specific angles and patterns that help create an illusion of greater hair density.
Hair transplants are normally very safe, and complications are rare. However, every surgery carries certain risks. Here are some of the best-known hair transplant side effects that you might expect when getting a 2500-graft procedure [7]:
Normal side effects (usually resolved during the first 7 days after your hair transplant):
Very rare, but potentially serious complications
Normally, you should feel comfortable contacting your surgeon anytime you have a question or concern after your surgery. Here, at the Wimpole Clinic, our team stays in close contact with you, performing daily check-ins for the first 10 days after your hair transplant. This ensures you are recovering well and puts your mind at ease that your healing process is normal.
However, regardless of clinic policy about post-transplant communication, you should always contact your surgeon if you notice any of the following symptoms:
Hair transplant aftercare is no different, regardless of the number of hair grafts you had. So if you want to have a speedy recovery and get the best results for your 2500-graft procedure, you need to follow your surgeon’s instructions carefully. These often include:
If you are looking for more detailed advice, check out our article about hair transplant maintenance.
A hair transplant is permanent, and thus a long-term investment in your appearance and self-confidence. That is why you only want the best and brightest surgeons to perform it. The Wimpole Clinic has been voted Hair Transplant Clinic of the Year for 4 years running (2021-2024) and has a 50-year legacy of hair restoration excellence. Book a consultation with our experienced surgeons and find out first-hand what hair transformation we can provide. In the meantime, check out our hair transplant gallery for more examples of our amazing results.
Find out even more about 2500-graft hair transplants by perusing the answers to these frequently asked questions:
A 2500-graft hair transplant can usually be comfortably performed in a single 4-6 hour session. Most patients are happy to have the surgery done and go home to start recovery the same day.
However, if you prefer to have two shorter sessions, that can usually also be arranged with your surgeon, especially if it involves covering different parts of the scalp. For example, you can fix your hairline using 1000 grafts in one session and top your crown up with 1500 grafts in another.
That depends on the extent of your hair loss and the scalp area that you are planning to cover. Normally, a good surgeon will recommend the right number of grafts to provide adequate cosmetic hair density on the transplant area. This means that your scalp will no longer be visible through your hair. However, this does not mean that you will be able to achieve the natural density your hair used to have before balding. Androgenetic alopecia can reduce your hair density by 50% by the time it becomes noticeable [4], and a hair transplant cannot fully correct this. But it can still restore your head full of hair in mild and moderate alopecia.
The average healthy donor area on your scalp can yield, on average, about 6000 grafts. Normally, if both your hair restoration surgeries are performed by competent surgeons and you practice good hair transplant maintenance, you should be able to have at least another 2500 grafts left. This is often a sufficient number for a second hair transplant.
However, the alopecia can advance around your first transplant and make your donor area decrease in size, reducing the number of follicular units that can be safely harvested. So whether or not you will have enough grafts left for a second procedure after a 2500-graft hair transplant depends on several factors:
Normally, 2500 grafts do not suffice for a hair transplant when you are completely bald. Most people need a high-volume, 4000-graft hair transplant or more to cover their entire scalp. However, that depends on factors such as the size of your scalp, the amount of native hair you have left and your result expectations. If you are happy to have some hair on your head, even if it is sparser or if you just need to top up low-density existing hair, 2500 grafts may still work well for you.
The best thing to do to get an accurate idea of the results 2500 grafts can get in your specific situation is to have a consultation with a surgeon. They will be able to assess the realistic outcomes you can expect and provide you with suitable surgical and non-surgical options.
In most cases, mild to moderate female pattern hair loss can be corrected with an approximately 1000-2000-graft hair transplant. However, severe (Ludwig stage 3) androgenetic alopecia in women may require 2500 grafts or more for full coverage. In this situation, the procedure will surgically restore your entire crown and midscalp.
Wimpole Clinic Services:
Hair Transplants, Beard Transplants & Eyebrow Transplants.
Talk to a specialist
Dr Peter Thomas (GMC 7554440) specialises in FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) hair transplants and has trained with our internationally recognised surgeons at the Wimpole and Mayfair Hair Clinic. His strong artistic background and breadth of surgical experience enable Dr Thomas to excel in combining a keen sense of aesthetics with meticulous attention to detail.
After graduating from St George’s University of London with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, and also earning a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences, Dr Thomas continued his career as a general practitioner. He is a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners, General Medical Council, and an associate member of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS). Dr Thomas gained valuable surgical experience in the NHS, working across general surgery and trauma and orthopaedics. His experience in general practice also provides expertise in women’s health and dermatology.
Focused on achieving natural results, Dr Thomas strives for harmonious designs that complement his patients’ facial features and age. He uses a sapphire blade to create closely packed and precise incisions, achieving high-density, and seamless hair direction and angulation. Additionally, he practices non-surgical hair restoration techniques including platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy.
Dr Thomas understands the significant impact of hair loss on an individual’s self-confidence and well-being, taking the time to listen to his patients’ concerns and aesthetic goals. He is one of the lead surgeons at our prestigious Birmingham clinic and contributes his expertise and experience to the benefit of Wimpole clientele.
