In this informative video from Wimpole Clinic, consultant Matt Devlin discusses the factors that influence the cost of a hair transplant and why understanding the true value of the procedure is essential.
Hi, my name’s Matt Devlin and I’m a hair loss consultant for the Wimpole Clinic in Harley Street, London. And today I’m going to be talking to you about understanding the cost of a hair transplant.
How expensive is a good hair transplant?
So the cost of a hair transplant essentially depends on how many hair follicles need to be extracted and replaced in your head. A typical number to be extracted during a hair transplant might be between 1500 and 2200 follicles. It’s very hard to give an average cost as it’s totally dependent on the individual person and how severe or advanced their hair loss is. But our procedures range from three and a half thousand pounds to seven and a half thousand pounds.
There are no hidden costs-that covers everything from pre-care to after care and the surgery itself. Our initial consultations are free. During that consultation we’ll examine the scalp to establish its condition and the density of the hair follicles.
This is all in the name of being as clear and upfront as possible. We’ll give you an idea of what you can expect if you go ahead with a hair transplant. It’s not a case of instantly having the rejuvenated hair density of a 10 year old; we work with the follicles you have on your head so we want to make sure you totally understand what the procedure involves and what the likely results are.
You see a lot of adverts for cut-price hair transplant clinics, often located abroad. My advice would be to avoid these deals that offer the world at bargain prices. You need expertise for these procedures to truly look natural. This is our world. We understand how sensitive and important hair can be to self-confidence, self-image. So we’ll make sure that you have everything you need to make the right choices and come out feeling fantastic about your decisions and the results.
On average, a UK hair transplant costs £4,820 for a 1,500 graft procedure. But costs vary substantially according to procedure type, number of grafts needed, clinic location, and surgical complexity. At the Wimpole Clinic, our hair transplant prices for FUT and FUE start at £3,499.
Cost is a huge factor for those considering a hair transplant. It’s a big investment, but one that usually pays off — if you choose a clinic with an excellent track record of success. Here, discover the average price for a hair transplant, how to calculate an approximate quote for your graft count, what’s included in a hair transplant package, and the factors that impact the price.
Key takeaways
In this article, Wimpole Clinic surgeons Dr Patel and Dr Barron discuss the costs of hair transplantation in the UK and elsewhere, along with our clinic manager Derek Bailey.
According to our research, the average cost of a hair transplant in the UK is £4,820, with prices ranging from £1,995 to £15,000 for the same procedure.
To discover the cost of a UK hair transplant, we sent the same photograph — a male patient with Norwood stage 2 to Norwood stage 3 hair loss — with the same desired result to 104 clinics around the UK. We wanted to discover the differences in pricing, experience and practice of hair transplant clinics and surgeons.
Here’s what the data shows:
FUE is the more popular technique, as the recovery process is slightly more straightforward and it tends to leave less scarring than FUT. But price differences between the two are complex. Wimpole Clinic practice manager Derek Bailey explains:
“Hair transplant is very skilled, labour-intensive work. FUT is now becoming a rare method of surgery, with very few hair transplant technicians who can perform it. The Wimpole Clinic charges a little more for FUT than FUE due to the complexity of the FUT procedure and the skills required to perform it.”
Most clinics only offer FUE as they don’t have the surgical provision to offer FUT. But some patients are only eligible for FUT, so if you’ve been advised to opt for FUT, it’s important to find a clinic that offers it at a competitive rate.
Our research revealed that the average cost-per-graft for a hair transplant is £3.25. At most clinics, this includes the cost of the procedure, as well as pre- and post-operative care and essential recovery medications.
This figure provides a helpful benchmark for your hair transplant quotes. While cost is just one of several factors to consider when choosing a clinic, it can be helpful to know that your quotes are (approximately) in line with the UK average.
You can also use this figure to determine approximate costs for various graft counts. For example, an 800-graft hair transplant could cost around £2,600, while a 2500-graft hair transplant may be priced at £8,125.
The table below shows the approximate price for a hair transplant at each stage of the Norwood Scale, based on the average cost-per-graft of £3.25 and the approximate mean number of grafts for each Norwood stage [1]:
On average, a London hair transplant costs £5,239. Costs here are driven up by clinics on Harley Street, the UK’s premier medical district, where the average hair transplant cost is £5,694. The Wimpole Clinic is an award-winning hair transplant clinic with headquarters on London’s Harley Street.
As with most goods and services, hair transplants cost more in London than elsewhere in the UK. As a result, clinics here incur higher running costs and overheads. Additionally, top clinics like those on Harley Street are home to many of the best surgeons in the world. These surgeons command high salaries for their skill and expertise, which means clients tend to pay more for their services.
However, this isn’t the full story. When analysing our data, we found very little correlation between a surgeon’s experience and the cost of a hair transplant. But when we excluded 27 lead generation and referral sites from our data — sites that didn’t list a specific surgeon — Harley Street hair transplant prices went from being more than £1,200 higher than the rest of the UK to less than £250 higher. This equates to an average price hike of around 4%, with a 30% increase in experience.
This suggests the importance of going directly to the clinic to get a quote, rather than using third-party sites. Referral sites typically take a cut, so clinics ramp up their charges to cover the costs. But it also means you’re likely to get a more experienced surgeon at a better rate, which could mean better results.
As part of our hair transplant cost analysis, we aimed to discover the regional cost of hair transplantation around the UK. Here are the average costs of a hair transplant in individual UK areas, from most to least expensive:
Some cities have fewer hair transplant clinics than others, which is reflected in these average prices. Portsmouth, for example, is home to just one hair transplant clinic. This may explain why the average cost here is higher than in other towns and cities.
The Wimpole Clinic has hair transplant surgery locations in Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Newcastle, and Nottingham. Our pricing is standardised across our locations, so no matter where you have your surgery, you can be sure of the highest surgical standards and fair pricing.
Unlike hair transplant costs in Turkey, where certain expenses are hidden until your arrival at the clinic, most UK clinics are upfront about what costs are included in your quote. In general, a hair transplant quote covers:
Depending on the type and extent of your hair loss, you may be recommended additional treatments at an extra cost. Minoxidil and finasteride are frequently advised to prevent ongoing hair loss, and platelet-rich plasma hair therapy may be suggested to speed up graft growth [2]. All these treatments are likely to incur an additional cost.
Additionally, it’s important to consider the potential costs of revision surgery. While botched hair transplants are uncommon in the UK, it is possible to need top-up surgery to boost density or address hair loss at a later point. So it’s important to factor in the costs of additional procedures. Discuss this with your clinic at your consultation.
While our research above gives an indication of hair transplant costs for standard cases, some patients have complicating factors that can lead to an increase in hair transplant costs. Here are some of the main complexities that clinics will consider when pricing up your hair transplant.
Scarring — whether from types of scarring alopecia, previous surgeries, or scalp trauma — is an important factor in determining whether you’re eligible for a hair transplant. If it is possible to perform a hair transplant on your scar tissue, you may find that it costs more, as it takes more time and skill to successfully implant grafts into damaged skin.
Hair transplants are more complex on people with Afro, Black, or curly hair types. The curl pattern makes it harder to extract grafts without damaging them, which can reduce follicle survival rates, particularly if your surgeon is inexperienced in performing Afro hair transplants.
For this reason, FUT is often recommended for people with curly hair, as it’s easier to harvest grafts without damaging them. FUT is more invasive and requires specific surgical skill, so it can be more expensive than FUE.
If you don’t have a healthy donor area (due to previous hair transplant surgeries, scarring alopecia, or trauma to the scalp) your hair transplant is likely to be more time-consuming and difficult. As a result, clinics may charge more to operate on patients with depleted donor areas.
It’s clear that cost is a strong indicator of the quality and reputation of a hair transplant clinic. The cost of the procedure should depend on the number of grafts you need and your procedure type, rather than whether or not an affiliate clinic is taking a cut.
That’s why it’s important to consult with multiple clinics. Our study shows that some clinics charge as little as £1,995 or as much as £15,000 for a procedure that costs £4,820 on average. By speaking to multiple clinics, you can get an idea of the average cost for the result you’re looking for.
Ask them the reason behind their recommendations and let them know about quotations from other clinics. Remember, you’re in control. If staff become annoyed by your questioning, this is a tell-tale sign they’re more interested in your money than delivering the desired result.
Don’t necessarily be tempted by the cheapest option — more and more hair transplant clinics are cutting corners (and quality) in an attempt to profit from a growing interest in hair transplant surgery. Dr Barron advises that patients consider certain questions when gathering hair transplant prices:
“I’d say that quality of a hair transplant can be linked with price up to a point. When the cost is too low, you’ve got to be suspicious of how they are managing to cut these costs. Are they reusing equipment? Sacrificing quality of cases performed each day and instead focusing on quantity of cases to recoup money? Are they asking patients to fly to a different country where regulation isn’t as stringent to avoid practices that a UK clinic would have to abide by? Who is performing the procedures?
As price begins to go up, you’d hope that the focus and technical quality of a hair transplant would shift from only caring about moving hair, and instead begin to consider the finer details and artistry of what makes a transplant look natural.”
A clinic that quoted one of the lowest prices turned out to be operating out of a house rather than a surgical environment — a pretty strong warning sign. But equally, you don’t need to spend £15,000+ at a clinic just because they did a celebrity’s hair. Dr Barron elaborates:
“There ultimately comes a point where paying more money won’t bring about a noticeably different result. What may change, however, is the overall experience of the surgical day, such as to include a wider selection of food for lunch, a theatre that may be larger or have a TV, a car arranged to pick you up or drop you off, etc.
Factors such as graft survival, naturalness of outcome or lower revision risk ultimately relies on various factors such as patient demographics, but having an experienced team can minimise the chances of a transplant being unsatisfactory or be able to set realistic expectations. These experienced teams will often work at clinics that have been open for many years, and these practices will likely carry a slight premium because you’re paying for the knowledge and skills they have honed over the years.”
87% of clinics offer a free consultation, so take advantage of this. Make sure you ask about the surgical team’s experience, their aftercare service, and their hair transplant success rate.
As demonstrated above, sites that don’t list a surgeon cost much less than those that do — but you don’t know who will be drafted in to perform your surgery.
Even if they mean well and have positive reviews, there is no guarantee you will get the same surgeon as the person who left the positive review or recommendation.
There’s nothing wrong with a surgeon having a working relationship with a clinic and subcontracting their services out. But from a patient’s perspective, it’s great peace of mind to know that the clinic has a principal surgeon on-hand to make sure all staff are professional and accountable.
It’s also important to be mindful of exaggerations. One affiliate site reported that their surgeon had performed over 3,000 surgeries, while their marketing material suggested it was 4,000. Both these figures are unfeasible given the amount of time the surgeon in question has been practising. Make sure to find out exactly who your surgeon will be, and how long they have been practising, to ensure the claims add up.
Low-priced hair transplants may seem too good to be true — and that probably means they are. Cheap hair transplants are synonymous with affiliate or referral websites that don’t always have the patient’s best interests at heart.
2025 data from the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons shows that the average percentage of repair cases due to a previous black market hair transplant was 10%, up from 6% three years earlier [3]. While the number of members reporting that up to 25% of their cases were repair cases due to previous black market hair transplants was down from 96.4% to 91%, the number of surgeons with a caseload of up to 50% black market repairs has more than doubled (from 2.9% to 6.5%). Additionally, some members are now reporting that up to 100% of cases they treat are black market repairs.
Lower prices from these referral clinics often accompany lower quality procedures, less experience, and a less ethical approach to hair restoration. Each of these attributes can result in a poor quality transplant which isn’t worth the money you’ve saved.
Plus, if your treatment is unsuccessful, there is a danger that future treatment may not be possible. Overharvesting of hair follicles can destroy your donor area, making it more difficult for you to undergo further treatments if they’re needed.
Dr Barron explains the dangers of getting a cheap hair transplant:
“I’d say each doctor at the clinic has seen multiple cases where someone has previously gone for the cheapest possible option and later found out why it was priced that way. It pays to do a hair transplant correctly the first time around rather than the cheapest way. It will only ultimately be more costly from a financial perspective if a patient has had an unsatisfactory first procedure that needs to be followed by a repair at a reputable clinic.
There are some issues that money may not be able to bring a satisfactory fix for after a poor initial transplant — overharvested/poorly managed donor areas spring to mind. You can try and reduce the visual impact of the new area of concern that has been created in the donor region with something simple like scalp micropigmentation, or something costly and complicated like restocking the donor area with beard or body hair.
But nothing will be quite as good as if you just tried to keep enough hair in the donor region to begin with by having planned a procedure properly.”
Reputable clinics will never push to get you into surgery. They know that a hair transplant should be a last resort, and will recommend the right course of action to help you maintain or restore your hair — whether or not that includes surgery.
Many patients who undergo treatment abroad face this pressure since the clinicians know they’re unlikely to see the patient again. That’s why this is one of the key red flags in Turkish hair transplant clinics to watch out for.
All-inclusive hair transplant packages are particularly popular at overseas clinics, and it’s easy to see why some patients are tempted by them. In addition to your procedure, you’ll also get certain travel and accommodation costs included. Some packages even include sightseeing tours and meals. Dr Patel explains why hair transplants in Turkey are so popular:
“In my view, the biggest reason people go to Turkey is the cost. Complete packages often fall between £1,500 and £3,500 — and that includes travel and accommodation. That kind of pricing doesn’t always mean lower quality; it’s more about lower wages, currency advantages, and cheaper overheads.
This makes it possible for people who couldn’t afford it in the UK to get a hair transplant in Turkey — and sometimes they can even get a more extensive procedure done for the same or less money.”
However, the perks come at a cost. You’re much less likely to get comprehensive care before and after your procedure, even at the best overseas clinics. Most patients fly out a day before surgery and leave a day or two later, so you won’t be in the country to access pre-op and aftercare services (if they’re even offered). While transfers and accommodation are nice to have, good aftercare provision is essential, as much of the success of a hair transplant lies in how you look after your hair transplant the first 10-14 days after your procedure.
Derek highlights the risks of getting a hair transplant overseas:
“There have been cases where patients chose lower-cost overseas transplants and ended up paying significantly more for corrective surgery later. Complications such as infections, graft failure, and unnatural-looking results can be costly to fix. It is important for patients to thoroughly research clinics, even if they are considering lower-cost options. Enhancing your features and boosting your self-confidence are capital investments. Every one of those follicles is a little organ which really needs to be looked after very well.”
In the UK, hair transplant packages are less common. Where available, they tend to be premium packages that allow you to elevate your experience from a standard surgery to a more comfortable, stress-free procedure. These packages may include travel within the UK, accommodation, and complementary hair growth treatments, as well as comprehensive pre- and post-operative care.
If you’re considering a hair transplant package abroad, weigh up the combined cost savings against the risk of limited post‑op support once you return home. While more costs are covered in all-inclusive packages, the important things — like accessible aftercare and in-person check-ups — are overlooked. This can put you at greater risk of complications and hair transplant failure.
For those with genetic hair loss, it’s important to understand that balding is unlikely to be fixed with a single hair transplant. While a hair transplant can stimulate hair growth in balding areas, pattern baldness is a lifelong issue that needs continuous management to keep your hair intact. Derek explains:
“For younger patients in their 20s who may require multiple transplants over a lifetime, it is important to approach long-term cost planning by considering the overall cost of multiple procedures. Key decisions early on, such as preserving grafts by choosing a reputable clinic and selecting a conservative hairline design, can affect total lifetime cost.”
When calculating the cost of hair restoration, you should consider the following:
The younger you are, the longer you’ll need to pay for hair loss treatments. Those who are in their 50s or above may get away with paying for a one-off hair transplant, as your hair loss is likely to have stabilised. But if your hairline is receding in your 20s, you’ll need to factor in lifelong costs.
A hair transplant clinic is a good place to get advice on the long-term management of your hair loss. Dr Barron explains:
“This is where finding a reputable, ethical surgeon is valuable. Some patients primarily think about how they will look one year down the line, however a proper doctor will be thinking about what situation the patient will likely be in 20/30/40 years down the line. Going too aggressive with hairline designs (i.e. low and straight) will give an erroneous looking result later in life where some degree of recession is to be expected.
Aggressive hair transplants will also eat into the possible donor area reserve of grafts that may be required later in life should they continue to lose hair. The best, often cheapest, investment individuals can make is to slow down hair loss with medication to try and prevent needing further procedures.”
At the Wimpole Clinic, we specialise in creating hair loss treatment plans that prolong the life of your hair, no matter how old you are.
Hair transplants in the UK are expensive. It’s one of the key reasons people are drawn to cheaper overseas alternatives. Dr Patel explains more:
“Cost is a big drawback in the UK. From what I’ve seen, prices typically range from £4,000 to as much as £10,000, depending on things like the number of grafts and the clinic’s reputation. Clinics in big cities like London tend to be the most expensive.
Since hair transplants are usually considered cosmetic, they’re not covered by the NHS or private insurance — unless there’s a medical reason behind the hair loss. So patients have to cover the full cost themselves, which can be a major factor.”
Because of this, many UK clinics offer hair transplants on finance. These credit arrangements allow you to spread the cost of your hair transplant over several months, rather than making a large payment upfront.
However, it’s important to choose a finance option with a generous interest rate, so you don’t pay over the odds for your hair transplant. At the Wimpole Clinic, our hair transplant finance packages are interest-free for the first 12 months.
At the Wimpole Clinic, our hair transplant prices for FUT and FUE start at £3,499. You’ll pay more for a hair transplant here than at most clinics in Turkey. But in return, you’ll have peace of mind that you’re working with the UK’s longest-running hair transplant clinic, with full pre- and post-operative support available whenever you need it.
Additionally, we make sure to keep our prices fair. You won’t pay over the odds just because we’re well-known for several successful celebrity hair transplants. Our prices are based on your unique hair loss needs. Book a free consultation at your most convenient clinic location and find out how much your Wimpole Clinic hair transplant will cost.
Learn more about hair transplant pricing, costs, and value in these frequently asked questions.
Yes, usually. Robotic hair transplant technology is still fairly new and therefore it costs a lot to purchase and learn to use it. These costs tend to be passed on to the patient.
In the UK, the only aftercare costs you normally need to budget for are the costs of ongoing hair loss prevention treatments like minoxidil, finasteride, and PRP therapy. The amount you should budget depends on which treatment(s) you choose and how long you plan to use them.
At the Wimpole Clinic, PRP prices start at £295 per session, and we normally recommend 3-6 sessions over the course of 3-6 months.
Minoxidil and finasteride are available from online pharmacies. Prices for finasteride start at around £36 for a 3-month supply, while you can buy minoxidil from £57 for a 3-month supply.
Other aftercare costs — like pain relief, anti-swelling medication, dressing changes, and follow-up appointments — are normally included in your hair transplant quote at UK clinics.
Low graft survival rate can mean you need additional procedures, so it can seriously ramp up the actual cost of a hair transplant. Low graft survival rate is uncommon, but when it occurs it’s usually due to poor surgical technique, improper aftercare, post-procedure damage to the transplanted area, or hair transplant infection. That’s why choosing a clinic with excellent safety standards and comprehensive aftercare support is so important. Good clinics usually achieve graft survival rates of 90% or more.
Just one, unless you’ve specifically agreed to undergo multiple hair transplants (for example, if you’re having a combination of FUE and FUT). If this is the case, your contract or agreement will explicitly state this.
Your clinic may offer an additional procedure in good faith under some circumstances, but this is not guaranteed.
It depends on your circumstances. Some clinics provide a warranty for specific hair transplant results, but it’s very difficult to objectively measure whether those results have been achieved. So having a warranty doesn’t automatically mean your clinic will give you another hair transplant free of charge.
Other clinics may offer follow-up procedures as a goodwill gesture if they agree that your results are unsatisfactory. This may be free or at a reduced rate.
However, it’s not always possible to simply redo a hair transplant. Everyone has a limited supply of grafts in their donor region, so whether you can have another transplant depends on your donor hair availability, and whether you’re a good candidate for a further procedure.
This study is intended as a general guide. We acknowledge that there are gaps in the study, particularly created where clinics were not forthcoming in their responses or gave no response.
Of the 104 clinics we surveyed, 8% wouldn’t provide prices or make recommendations on the number of grafts without a free consultation, while 7% would only provide this information in a paid consultation. Two clinics needed to see the patient in person before they could give a quotation. 21 clinics didn’t respond.
We surveyed each of the UK-based clinics and affiliate lead generation websites we could find online. Each clinic was given the opportunity to respond to our survey. As a result, while we acknowledge gaps in our data, we believe this is an accurate reflection of current operations and costs of hair transplants in the UK. Please also note:
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.
