Q: What are the costs of a Bosley Hair Transplantation procedure? #2

Last week I wrote an entry detailing the financial Cost of a Bosley Hair Transplantation.  There’s no doubt that Bosley is an investment, and for some of us a major financial decision.

While doing my research, I looked at some of the other hair restoration options and the cost implications.  For example, if I ordered Scalpmed from their website, it would cost me $178 for 6 months. That’s $10,680 for 30 years of product – which is about the same price for a Bosley procedure, except the payments are spread out over 30 years.  However, I would have to apply it twice a day, every day, for the rest of my life – or else I would lose all the hair that it may have helped me grow. Rogaine is potentially a little bit cheaper, but it’s the same deal. I tried Rogaine before, and hated it – it dried out my scalp, it burned, and I didn’t like having to apply it twice a day.  Plus, if I ever decided to stop using it (or for some reason they were to go out of business), the money would be wasted and the hair would be gone.

The other option is medication. Propecia is fairly expensive – usually about $60 per month.  There’s a newer option, Proscar, which is quite a bit less expensive (about $150 a year).  Bosley often recommends that their clients use one of these medications as a way to keep the hair they have, and potentially grow some new hair in the “back” or “crown” area of the head (new hair growth is a rare, but possible, bonus of Propecia). Again, I can only speak for myself – and while I’m not opposed to using one of these medications, for now I’m resistant because I want to have children in the near future, and have some fears about the sexual side effects.  They say that you can always just stop taking the medication and the side effects go away, but I’d rather not take the chance of messing with my “genetic material,” as it were, until I’m done with it.

Then, of course, there’s the toupee/hair weave option.  I’ve actually heard that weaves can look good.  A female friend of mine once dated a guy who had been to Hair Club for Men, and she didn’t even know it until he told her.  However, as I understand it you need to go in for regular “maintenance” visits (about 4 times a year).  And there’s an annual “reconditioning” – which as far as I can tell means that you’ve got to get a new weave put in.  This is certainly how it works for women, so I’m assuming it’s the same for men.  Actually, if anyone out there can tell me more about this process, I’d welcome the information.  The fact that it’s hard to get a straight answer from these folks without committing to the process seems to me like a bad sign, but I don’t have all the info.  As for toupees, my level of hair loss didn’t warrant that.  And personally this is not something I would consider.

Now, I want to make clear that I support all of my brothers and sisters as they Battle Against Bald.  I say kudos to those that embrace the “Bald Is Beautiful” idea.  As I said before, it really comes down to your personal goals and preferences.  For me, a one-time permanent solution was the best choice.

Comments

[Michael G.]

I have been a Hairclub member for 5 years and it is a real pain in the butt. Not to mention expensive. It cost me almost $300 per month, plus I have to drive 3.5 hours each way, which is another lost day not to mention the gas cost. Yes, you go back every 4-6 weeks for "maintenance" and you get "new" hair 5 times a year. Mine looks very good MOST of the time, but it is a real hassle as you have to replace the front adhesive every 7-10 days. For what I have spent in 5 years on HC, I could have done the Bosley deal and probably will now. HC is very good about NOT telling you everything upfront. But, you get hooked in and it is hard to go back to NO HAIR!.

[CT]

Bosley is too expensive.