If you’re considering a hair transplant, it’s important to understand how many grafts you’ll need for the results you want. The number of hair grafts that you need depends on your level of hair loss according to the Norwood Scale (for male pattern baldness) or the Ludwig Scale (for female pattern hair loss).
In cases where hair loss is due to other causes, your surgeon will still assess the size of the thinning area and your available donor hair to determine how many grafts you’ll need. But that’s not the only thing your surgeon will account for — an experienced surgeon will also consider your hair type, donor hair supply, age and other factors.
In this article, we will look at what you can expect from a 4000-graft hair transplant, the cost of a hair transplant of this size, the coverage 4,000 grafts provide, the recovery process and the results to expect.
Key takeaways
Hair grafts are clusters of hair follicles that have been removed from a healthy donor area of the scalp, in order to be implanted into the balding area. Once the hair grafts have been implanted, new hair will start to grow after 3-4 months, eventually filling the affected area with healthy hair.
Depending on how many grafts are needed for your transplant, the cost and hair transplant recovery time will vary. More severe hair loss will require more grafts.
According to the most recent International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) census, only 5% of patients required a transplant of 4000 grafts or more to achieve their desired result with their first procedure. For subsequent procedures, it was just 0.6% [1].
If you have male pattern baldness and have been told that you will need a 4000 graft hair transplant, you are likely at Norwood stage 5 to 7. Norwood stage 7 is the most advanced stage of hair loss on the scale.
At stage 5-7, you are likely experiencing substantial crown and temple hair loss and possibly near baldness on top. With around 4,000 grafts, it’s often possible to create a natural-looking result, especially for rebuilding the hairline and filling in the mid-scalp. However, expecting full, thick coverage from front to crown in a single session may not always be realistic.
The results you can get from a 4000 graft transplant depend on many factors, including your:
The images above show an example of what can be achieved by a skilled surgeon for someone at Norwood stage 6. This transgender patient had a 4100 graft FUT transplant at the Wimpole Clinic, and the photo on the right shows results after 12 months.
A lot depends on your donor hair supply (the hair at the back and sides of your head). If you have strong donor density, your surgeon can often harvest enough grafts for good coverage.
But if your donor hair is more limited, your surgeon may recommend staging the treatment into two sessions to protect the health of your donor site and avoid overharvesting. In some cases, full coverage may not be achievable and your surgeon will work with you to design a hairline that makes you feel more confident without using up too much donor hair.
Above, you can see roughly how many grafts are needed to provide good coverage for each area of the scalp. This will differ from person to person; for example, thick, curly hair tends to provide better coverage than fine, straight hair [2-3].
A 4000 graft hair transplant will be able to fill in your crown and temples, establishing a natural-looking hairline. Here, you can see some previous Wimpole Clinic hair transplant patients’ before and after photos:
With 4000-4500 hair grafts implanted in a hairline transplant and crown hair transplant, you’ll see increased hair density across your scalp. Once these implanted hair follicles produce new and fuller growth, you will also be able to try out a variety of different hairstyles.
While the images above show transplants for male pattern baldness, many women choose to have a 4000 graft hair transplant if they see substantial hair loss across the scalp. See below how female androgenetic alopecia causes hair loss, measured using the Ludwig scale:
For type 3 female pattern hair loss, a 4000 graft hair transplant may be necessary to restore your desired hair density across the top of the scalp.
The average graft is made up of around 2-5 hair follicles, meaning that there could be 8,000-20,000 hairs in 4000 grafts, although it’s unlikely you’d have as many as 20,000 because grafts with 5 follicles are rare. This still probably seems like a lot, and some people may be concerned that retrieving this amount of hair from the donor area is dangerous.
However, research suggests that you can transplant up to 6000 grafts without significantly affecting the donor area [4]. However, a reputable hair transplant surgeon should not extract more than 25% of the follicular units from the donor area during a single hair transplant procedure, so be wary of clinics that offer 6000+ graft transplants [5].
There is a ‘safe donor area’ that surgeons use to ensure that they can avoid hair transplant overharvesting and other hair transplant complications. Research suggests that your donor area can decrease in size as you age, so your surgeon should keep this in mind [6].
While most people tend to opt for an FUE hair transplant, some people find that an FUT transplant works best for them. There are a few FUT and FUE differences in terms of invasiveness, cost, time, and hair transplant scarring, and your surgeon will help you decide which may be right for you.
The FUE technique is a more modern approach. It’s less invasive than the FUT technique and tends to cost slightly less. FUT hair transplant surgery is more invasive and can cause visible scarring at the back of the scalp, but it can help preserve the donor area and may be the better choice for larger procedures.
When it comes to graft numbers, there is very little difference between the two in terms of the number of hair grafts, although some research states that the transection rate is higher in an FUE transplant, therefore graft survival may be lower [7]. The transection rate refers to the percentage of hair follicles accidentally cut or damaged during extraction.
When a follicle is transected, it can’t regrow hair effectively once transplanted. A higher transection rate means more follicles are damaged and fewer survive, which can reduce the overall success of the transplant. However, the hair transplant success rate for FUE is incredibly high and any effects from a higher transection rate are minimal.
The average UK hair transplant costs £3.25 per graft, so a 4000 graft transplant should come up at around £13,000. Of course, this depends on the surgeon and the clinic.
Prospective patients should be wary of clinics that majorly undercharge for services. See what prices you should expect with our UK hair transplant cost analysis.
The cost of a hair transplant usually depends on three things:
It can be tempting to look for cheap hair transplant procedures but sometimes, very low-cost clinics offer unqualified surgeons or unsafe facilities. This is a particular issue with cheap hair transplant clinics in Turkey and other countries where medical tourism is popular.
According to the ISHRS (2025), surgeons reported that an average of 10% of hair transplant repair cases were due to black-market transplants [1]. So, while saving money on a hair transplant may seem like a good idea at the time, you may spend more money in the long run due to lower success rates and a higher risk of hair transplant infection and aesthetic issues.
Recovering from a 4000-graft hair transplant is similar to a standard hair transplant recovery timeline, although certain aspects may take slightly longer as a 4000-graft transplant is on the larger side.
For example, Dr Dayah shares that the larger the surgery, the more swelling you may experience. Treatment area also affects visible swelling; if the front of the scalp is treated, post-surgical inflammation can track down into the face, making the swelling appear more noticeable. Hair transplant swelling typically starts 2-3 days post-op, peaks by day 4, and resolves within a week.
You’ll also experience hair transplant scabs in the early days post-op. Scabs usually fall off within 7-14 days if you follow your surgeon’s washing instructions. If they remain after two weeks, check in with your clinic. This is often harmless, but in some cases it may suggest slower healing.
Finally, shock loss (the shedding of transplanted and native hairs) is a very common side effect of hair transplants. It usually starts 2-6 weeks after surgery, and full recovery is almost always seen within 3-4 months [5].
It’s best to avoid strenuous exercise after a hair transplant in the early stages of healing, as increased blood pressure, sweating, and physical strain may worsen swelling or disturb newly implanted grafts. Light to moderate activity is usually safe after the first few weeks, but guidance can differ, so always follow your surgeon’s specific instructions. Learn more here about hair transplant aftercare.
Surgeon experience and high-quality aftercare are two of the biggest factors that influence the outcome of your hair transplant. Here’s how we ensure top-quality standards at the Wimpole Clinic and have secured our spot as the number one hair transplant clinic in the UK.
Our clinic is CQC-registered and has been rated “Good” (this includes safety and infection-control standards). That means audited processes for cleanliness, risk management, medicines, and staff training.
We work with some of the best hair transplant surgeons in the UK, and all Wimpole Clinic doctors are General Medical Council (GMC)-registered. Our medical director, Dr Michael May, is a founder member of the ISHRS, former president of the British Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons (BSHRS), and current president of the European Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons (ESHRS).
When choosing a hair transplant clinic, you should always be given a named surgeon before your procedure. Ask about their previous experience, before and after photos of their hair transplants, and their registration with recognised medical bodies (such as the GMC, BAHRS, or ISHRS).
If you’ve already had a 4000 graft hair transplant, you may have already used a significant portion of your donor hair. That doesn’t mean you’re out of options, but your surgeon will need to plan strategically. Here’s how an experienced surgeon may achieve greater density without compromising your donor site.
Staging further treatment helps protect your donor area by giving it time to heal and regrow between sessions. Instead of removing too many grafts at once, your surgeon spreads out the harvesting to avoid depleting the donor zone.
This approach lowers the risk of visible thinning at the back and sides and keeps more options open for future procedures. It also allows your surgeon to assess how well the first transplant has grown before planning the next one.
If you’re running low on donor hair, your surgeon may help you adjust your expectations and focus on the areas that will make the biggest difference to your appearance. Instead of aiming for full coverage across the whole scalp, your surgeon may prioritise creating a natural, age-appropriate hairline and adding density in the mid-scalp.
If you’ve only had FUE so far, your surgeon may also consider a FUT procedure. This can provide extra grafts while preserving what’s left in your donor zone. In some cases, beard or body hair transplants can be used to supplement scalp grafts, although these will retain their original characteristics and may not be a perfect match for scalp hair [8].
Your specialist may advise treating the crown more lightly if you don’t have enough donor supply to cover your whole scalp. This strategy helps use your donor hair more efficiently, gives the illusion of fuller coverage, and makes sure your results look balanced and natural in the long term.
If you’ve already used a large portion of your donor hair, your surgeon may suggest complementary treatments to maintain and improve your hair growth. Medications that block dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or support new growth, such as finasteride or minoxidil, can help slow further hair loss and boost hair density and growth [9]. Other options like scalp micropigmentation (SMP) can create the illusion of thicker hair using pigment to mimic natural follicles.
If you are concerned about your hair health or are experiencing hair loss, we’re here to help. The Wimpole Clinic, awarded best hair transplant clinic for 4 years running, has more than 50 years of experience in delivering exceptional hair restoration services in scalp hair, eyebrow, and beard transplant procedures.
We’re experts at performing 4000 graft transplants and have the results to prove it. Check out our before and after gallery and hair transplant reviews from our happy customers. See more reviews on our Trustpilot page, which has over 1400 reviews. In 96% of them, customers rate us 5 stars.
Our expert team of trichologists and surgeons is on hand to guide you in the best direction for your hair journey. Our team will examine your hair loss and provide you with a quote for the number of grafts needed, as well as discuss the best procedure for you.
Book your free consultation to get started. Before you talk to a hair loss specialist, find out more about the questions to ask before your hair transplant to get the most value out of your consultation.
A 4000-graft hair transplant takes anywhere between 6-10 hours if completed in one session, including rest breaks. FUE hair transplants usually take a little longer than FUT transplants because grafts are harvested individually, rather than in a single strip [7].
Our Turkish hair transplant cost analysis revealed that, on average, the price per graft is £0.55 in Turkish clinics. This means that a 4000 graft Turkish hair transplant costs £2,200 on average, though prices can vary.
This is significantly cheaper than the average UK cost for a transplant of the same size, but be wary. Cheap clinics in Turkey are notorious for inflating the number of grafts needed for a hair transplant to create the perception of greater value, which can lead to overharvesting.
Donor hair does not grow back after a hair transplant because the follicles are permanently removed from the donor area. However, surrounding hair continues to grow normally, often making the extraction sites unnoticeable. Experienced surgeons space extractions evenly to maintain natural density and minimise the risk of visible thinning in the donor area.
The best country for a hair transplant is usually the one you live in. Choosing a reputable UK clinic offers easier consultations, regulated medical standards, and direct access to aftercare. Staying local also reduces travel risks, ensures continuity with your surgeon, and can offer peace of mind throughout the hair transplant recovery process.
Wimpole Clinic Services:
Hair Transplants, Beard Transplants & Eyebrow Transplants.
Talk to a specialist
Dr Ahmad Moussa is an experienced surgeon. His qualifications include a Master of Science degree in General Surgery, Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Doctorate degree in Neurosurgery and Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Neurosurgery. He is a member of the British Medical Association and the Society of British Neurological Surgeons. Dr Moussa has over 15 years’ experience working in neurosurgery and is a GMC and Royal College of Surgeons certified Neurosurgeon.
His training and subsequent work as a consultant neurosurgeon in the NHS has included performing intricate brain surgery while patients are fully awake to be able to safely resect complex brain tumours. This level of skill, expertise and familiarity with the scalp has allowed Dr Moussa to successfully step into the rewarding world of hair transplant surgery.
Dr Moussa is trained in FUT and FUE hair transplant techniques including combining the two techniques together when required to achieve the appropriate number of grafts without overharvesting. He successfully carries out hair transplant surgery for both scalp and beard hair loss. Registered Number: 6065705
