Both trans men and women can undergo hair transplants to help with gender dysphoria. Male-to-female (MtF) transgender women can undergo a hair transplant to address prior hair loss from androgenetic alopecia.
Also, female-to-male (FtM) transgender men can have hair restoration surgery for facial feminisation. Furthermore, they can undergo facial and body hair transplants to align their appearance with their gender identity.
In this guide, you’ll learn more about why and how transgender hair transplants are performed, as well as how much they might cost.
What Are The Different Types Of Transgender Hair Transplants?
Depending on the needs of the patients, the following can be done:
Female-to-Male Hair Transplant
FtM hair transplants might be performed to address androgenetic alopecia resulting from hormone therapy, as well as to transplant hair to the beard area or other parts of the body.
According to research published in 2023, patients receiving masculinising “gender-affirming hormone therapy” had a greater risk of developing androgenetic alopecia or male pattern baldness in comparison to cisgender women.
A byproduct of testosterone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is believed to play a crucial role in this type of hair loss, causing miniaturisation (shrinking) of hair follicles and permanent baldness. A hair transplant, in this case, can help in the restoration of the hairline and cover any bald spots forming at the top and crown areas of the scalp.
For the face, FtM patients can also choose to undergo a beard and eyebrow hair transplant — provided there’s enough hair in the donor area of the scalp, as that is typically used for transplantation. Additionally, if you desire body hair in the pubic region or your chest, hair transplants are done in these areas as well.
Male-to-Female Hair Transplant
MtF hair transplants can commonly involve feminisation of the hairline. As noted in a study published in 2021, males have a “high frontal and M-shaped hairline,” while females have a “round” hairline that is proportionate to the “middle and lower parts” of their face. Keeping this in mind, transgender women might seek this surgery for the feminisation of their face.
Additionally, they can get a hair transplant to improve the overall density of their hair or get coverage in bald areas due to male pattern baldness before the hormonal changes.
Male-to-female patients patients can also seek eyebrow transplant and pubic hair transplants to achieve the appearance they desire.
How Is A Transgender Hair Transplant Done?
A transgender hair transplant can be done using the following hair transplantation techniques:
- Follicular unit transplantation (FUT): Also known as strip harvesting, FUT surgery involves the removal of a piece of skin from the back of the scalp. From that, hair grafts are extracted from implantation into the target areas. While the surgery can give good results, it does leave a relatively noticeable linear scar behind.
- Follicular unit extraction (FUE): It is the latest hair transplantation technique, which avoids skin excision by extracting grafts directly from the scalp using a punch tool. Though it also leaves scars, they’re smaller and less noticeable, and this procedure also doesn’t require stitches.
How Much Do Transgender Hair Transplants Cost?
Hair transplants for transgenders in the UK cost about the same as for anyone else, which is around £5,000. It is common for clinics to charge for each graft, which is £4 on average, therefore, the final price can vary widely. In contrast, a similar hair transplant in Turkey can be cheaper, costing around £2,000 to £2,500, due to the lower cost of living and favourable exchange rate.
Interested In A Hair Transplant?
Whether you’re a male-to-female transgender woman or a female-to-male transgender man, if you’re seeking a hair transplant to achieve a certain aesthetic, do not hesitate to get in touch with Longevita’s team. We’re more than happy to help!
Dr Cagla
Dr Cagla earned her medical degree at Trakya University’s Faculty of Medicine in Bulgaria and has almost 6 years of hair transplantation experience. She is a specialist in FUE, DHI and Sapphire hair transplants of the scalp, eyebrows and beard and has performed over 6,000 surgeries. Dr Cagla is multilingual, with fluency in English, Bulgarian and Turkish.
