The amount of people who suffer from hair loss and baldness problems around the world is vast. Until modern times, people have tried different methods throughout history to fight this substantial problem. And today the advanced technology of modern medicine presents new solutions such as medications, special hair care products, laser therapy and hair transplant operation.

Two of the most innovative methods among these are laser therapy and hair transplant operation. Today in our article, we will compare these two processes. We will discuss the efficiency, cost, side and/or after effects and the results of both methods.

What is the hair transplant operation?

Hair transplant is a minor surgical operation. There is more than one way to conduct the hair transplant procedure. But all of them serve the same purpose. The most common and advanced hair transplant method today is the FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) method. 

The doctors and the technicians in the clinic extract the healthy hair follicles from the donor area (usually the back of the neck). And after the extraction process, implanting these grafts into the target area concludes the hair transplant operation. When the clinic concludes the operation, the patient will have his own hair growing in the desired area.

What is laser therapy?

Laser therapy is a treatment process for preventing hair loss or increasing the number of new hair strands. It is also called red light therapy or low-level laser therapy (LLLT). It is simply the practice of applying photon lights to the hair and the scalp. 

The laser rays go under the scalp and increase the blood flow. Thus, the hair follicles get more nutrition through the veins under the scalp. In theory, this therapy should strengthen the newly growing hair follicles and encourage them to grow more. There is not enough data about how it works or if it really works.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Hair Transplant and Laser Therapy

• Laser therapy is a less severe procedure compared to the hair transplant operation. 
• Although the hair transplant operation is not a major surgery, it still involves some very small cuts and incisions.
• Both of these procedures can be applied together.
• There is no warranty that laser therapy will yield the desired results. It is only a theoretical treatment method. However, the hair transplant operation has a very high success rate if the doctor is qualified, and the clinic is capable of.
• The duration of time you need to take the laser therapy is long. You may take the laser therapy for months and still not see any dramatic results. Hair transplant operation requires less time than this.
• The results of laser therapy are not successful in every patient. The success of the operation is random.
• There is a chance that laser therapy will react with some medications and cause allergic complications.
• The effectiveness of laser therapy is still unproven and requires more research. But the results of the hair transplant operation are apparent and impossible to ignore.
• In the long run, laser therapy is going to cost you more money, especially when you consider the chance of getting no results.
• Hair transplant operation is permanent, but laser therapy requires repetition.