If you're considering a more drastic permanent measure to solve your hair loss problem or baldness you'll want to read this article so you fully understand the cost of a hair transplant, also called hair restoration surgery and the risks involved.

In the past, hair transplants have been expensive and the quality of the grafts wasn't of the better quality available today. But prices for these grafts have come down, partly due to the competitive nature of the hair loss market. Many hair transplant clinics have opened up. With more clinics available and easy access to the Internet these prices may continue to come down even more.

With this competition has also come an improvement in the hair transplants so they are thicker and may appear fuller. One good factor is that the sessions today are longer than they used to be. At that time they were charging about $15 per graft and would only do a few hundred grafts in a small session.

To determine exactly the number of grafts you'd need would require a consultation by one of the doctors at one of the hair transplant clinics. Make sure to visit more than one clinic so you can compare prices and surgical procedures. Some of the clinics offer monthly financing. The cost can be based by graft or by session.

Hair transplant prices usually range from $3.50 to $7 for each graft. (Some people call them hair transplant implants.) Most of the clinics charge about $5 per graft. If you're going to have the longer surgical session then the price will drop as it increases. It's not likely you'll find or want cheap hair transplants. If you decide to go ahead take some time to find a center that is more affordable.

How does hair transplantation compare to costs of other hair loss treatments? Hair transplant surgery is expensive. It should look natural and last a life time. However you want to make sure you understand all the risks involved.

Ask a lot of questions when you get a consultation. For example: "Do people have allergic reactions to the grafts or chemicals used during the restoration procedure?" and "Do people ever have to have the grafts removed?" If there are complications after surgery you may end up paying for some health issues which drives up the cost of the implants. Find out how this is handled.

It's not likely that your health insurance will pay for a hair transplant or any complication health care from it.

So make sure you go armed with questions and look at the risk side carefully. Ask for photos and get testimonials from other hair transplant patients. Ask if you can talk to some of their patients.

Your final hair grafting cost will be dependent on how much hair restoration you want and on which clinic you decide on. There is likely to be more competition in larger cities like New York City and Chicago, thus cheaper prices. So if you're considering hair transplantation it's important to seek out several hair transplant consultations, these are almost always free. Compare the costs, quality of the work and experience of the hair transplant surgeons.