The majority of men and more than half of women experience hair loss as they age.

Several medical conditions can lead to hair loss, but the most common cause is androgenetic alopecia, more commonly known as male or female pattern hair loss.

Hair transplantations are surgeries that take hair follicles from one part of your scalp, usually from the back or sides, and implant them into balding areas.

The results of these surgeries have improved significantly since they were first performed in 1939.

The two most common techniques of hair transplantation are called follicular unit transplantation (FUT) and follicular unit excision (FUE). Both have the potential to deliver natural-looking and aesthetically pleasing results.

NeoGraft is a semi-automated version of FUE and one of the most modern hair implantations techniques. It’s touted to be more effective than other FUE techniques by removing some human error associated with the surgery.

Let’s look at the potential benefits and risks associated with NeoGraft hair transplants. We’ll also compare it to other hair loss restoration techniques and take a look at the cost.

NeoGraft is one of the newest and most advanced hair transplantation techniques. It’s a semi-automated version of the FUE technique that uses technology owned by Venus Treatments.

During FUE hair transplantation, a surgeon removes individual hair follicles manually either from the back or sides of your head.

They then make a series of incisions in the balding sections of your scalp before implanting the new hairs.

When using the NeoGraft technique, hair follicles are removed with a wand that extracts them with suction.

The surgeon doesn’t need to make an incision for new hair follicles and can instead use a special tool that makes the incisions and implants the follicles at the same time.

Reduced hair follicle damage

The NeoGraft system may reduce trauma and damage to hair follicles compared to traditional FUE and FUT surgeries. It’s thought this reduction of trauma can improve the survival rate of transplanted hairs.

Fewer complications

Since this technique is minimally invasive, it may have a lower chance of surgical complication, especially compared to FUT surgery that involves cutting a strip of skin from your scalp.

NeoGraft doesn’t require any stitches or staples and the automation helps remove human error that could cause damage to nerves or blood vessels.

Quicker than FUE

NeoGraft surgery is also quicker than traditional FUE, which can take multiple days for a large number of grafts. According to Venus Treatments, a NeoGraft transplant usually takes between 4 and 10 hours.

A 2018 study lists the main drawbacks of NeoGraft as the steep learning curve for surgeons and the cost of the machine.

The surgery itself is generally considered safe and rarely causes serious complications. Some potential side effects include:

Moth-eaten appearance at donor site

If the donor site is overharvested, it can lead to a moth-eaten appearance where there’s noticeable hair loss.

Both NeoGraft and traditional FUE can lead to overharvesting if a surgeon removes too many follicles from one area.

Tiny scars

Unlike the FUT technique, FUE and NeoGraft don’t leave a long, thin scar.

However, they can cause pinpoint scarring where follicles are removed. Most of the time these scars aren’t noticeable, but they may be visible if you shave your head or wear your hair very short.

Unnatural hair line

If follicles aren’t implanted at an angle that matches your hairline, your results might not look natural. An unnatural hairline is a potential complication of any type of hair implantation surgery.

Shock hair loss

Some people experience shock loss, also known as postoperative effluvium, days or weeks after their surgery.

Shock loss is a temporary loss of implanted hair. Most of the time, the condition is temporary, and the hair grows back within 3 to 4 months.

Other complications

Other general complications of hair transplant surgeries include:

Here’s an example of the before and after results of NeoGraft:

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These photos show an example of the results of a NeoGraft hair transplant. Dr. Gregory Turowski.

Here’s what you can expect during a NeoGraft procedure:

  1. Your surgeon will shave either your entire head or the section of scalp from which hair follicles will be donated.
  2. They will then apply a local anesthetic to your scalp. They may offer you a mild sedative to help you relax during the procedure.
  3. They will then extract your hair follicles with a special wand that uses pneumonic pressure.
  4. The surgeon will then implant the hair follicles to the balding parts of your scalp using a specialized tool.
  5. The surgeon may apply a dressing to the donor site and the implantation site to help manage bleeding.

Even though there isn’t any medical benefit to hair transplantation surgery, it may help you feel more confident about your appearance if you’re self-conscious about your hairline.

Hair transplantation surgeries generally work best for people with androgenic alopecia, also known as male or female pattern hair loss.

Candidates for hair transplantation typically:

  • are free of conditions that may affect surgery, such as high blood pressure, unmanaged diabetes, and conditions that affect blood clotting
  • are older than 25 years old
  • have thick hair fibers
  • have hair loss along the hairline
  • have a hair color close to their skin color
  • have hair loss that isn’t caused by stress or medication

NeoGraft, FUT, and FUE follow similar procedures, and all three can provide you with aesthetically pleasing results.

During FUT surgery, a surgeon will cut a strip of hair from the back or side of your head before removing individual hair follicles.

This surgery is generally cheaper than FUE and NeoGraft, but it leaves a linear scar at the donation site. The scar may be noticeable if you wear your hair short.

FUE and the NeoGraft follow the same procedure, except NeoGraft is semi-automated.

During traditional FUE, a surgeon manually removes and hair follicles.

During NeoGraft surgery, hair follicles are harvested using suction instead of manual extraction and implanted using a specialized tool that controls the depth of insertion.

NeoGraft becomes more expensive when you have more follicles transplanted.

A number of clinics in the United States list their price between $5 to $9 per hair graft. For a typical surgery that transplants 1,000 to 2,000 follicles, this would equate to $5,000 to $18,000.

The price varies based on factors like the:

  • experience and skill of your surgeon
  • amount of hair being transplanted
  • cost of living in your area

Additionally, you may need to budget travel expenses if you’re traveling for the surgery.

Your insurance is unlikely to cover NeoGraft surgery since it’s usually considered a cosmetic surgery. You can ask your provider if they offer payment plans.

NeoGraft is less invasive than FUT and traditional FUE surgery since the automated system controls the depth of incisions.

According to Venus Treatments, the implants should heal within about a week and most people return to their usual routine within 2 weeks. Many people return to their jobs days after the surgery.

Your surgeon can give you specific expectations and recommendations about how to take care of your grafts post-surgery.

NeoGraft is a semi-automated variation of the FUE hair transplantation technique.

It’s one of the newest and most advanced hair restoration techniques in the world. It’s considered safe and can be effective for restoring hair loss when performed properly.