Retouching vs. second transplant: what is the difference?

A touch-up is a small procedure performed to increase the density in some area or to reimplant some follicular units that may have been lost. A second transplant is a new complete hair transplant operation. Some patients need it when the bald area to be covered is very large and cannot be performed in a single procedure. Other patients request modification of the frontal hairline performed in the first surgery. The touch-up is included as part of the transplant for those patients who need it, at the discretion of their specialist. On the contrary, the second transplant is a complete new intervention. In both cases, the second intervention (either retouching or new transplant) must be performed one year after the first one.

What is a transplant touch-up?

On rare occasions, some areas of the hair transplant may require an additional touch-up session to increase density, reimplanting some follicular units , if your doctor considers that the objectives set with the procedure have not been met. It is a quicker procedure than the main transplant session, and must be performed one year after the first procedure. A touch-up is different from a second transplant: some patients need two interventions in order to cover all their baldness, or to modify the frontal hairline.

What happens if I am not satisfied with my transplant?

At Clínica Arencibia we are committed to achieving natural, safe and lasting results for our patients. Your physician will explain to you at the consultation what is the reasonable expectation of results that can be achieved, depending on your diagnosis. These are the results we are targeting. These are the results you can expect to obtain one year after your procedure. The doctor will also show you cases similar to yours. After your transplant, in case you need to increase some follicular units in certain areas, our specialists can indicate a touch-up session. In no case is it possible to perform a second hair transplant within twelve months of the first transplant and without prior indication from your doctor.

Why don't you say how many follicular units are grafted in the transplant?

Although many hair transplant clinics intensively advertise the number of follicular units they implant as a lure for patients, there are two serious problems with this approach: Follicular units and follicles are often used alternatively, as if they were equivalent concepts. But they are not. This only manages to confuse patients, to give them the feeling that they are going to have a very large amount of hair implanted. The important thing in a hair transplant is not the number of UF's that are implanted in a fixed way. Each patient is different and needs a different number of follicular units. Depending on your baldness, the area to be covered, the capacity of your donor area... If we depopulate a patient's donor site to implant a promised number of UF's, we could be creating a new problem where there was none. By focusing on the amount of hair to be implanted, many clinics seem to sell transplants 'by weight'. They forget that this is an aesthetic intervention, where the important thing is to achieve a satisfactory, safe, natural and lasting result for the patient, today and in the future.

What does the price of a hair transplant depend on?

The price of the hair transplant depends on the needs of each patient: state of baldness, area to be covered, follicular units that need to be extracted and implanted, if the patient requires a transplant without shaving... It also depends on the quality of the medical team and the facilities, equipment and materials with which the transplant is performed to obtain the best results.

Why isn't there a fixed transplant price like in other clinics?

Clínica Arencibia is a private medical centre. We specialise in the comprehensive treatment of hair problems and high quality hair transplantation. Our medical professionals analyse each patient's problem on a completely individual basis using various tools, such as a personal interview and trichoscopy. The objective is to issue a correct diagnosis and recommend treatment alternatives, with a corresponding budget. In some cases, certain preliminary tests (analytical tests, biopsies, etc.) are necessary, which determine the final treatment budget. Each hair transplant operation is planned according to these needs and has different characteristics depending on the stage of baldness, the area to be covered, availability of hair in the donor area... It is a medical-surgical procedure tailored to each individual.

What is the price of a hair transplant at Clínica Arencibia?

Clínica Arencibia is a medical centre specialised in the treatment of baldness and high quality hair transplants. Our medical professionals analyse each case on a completely individual basis, to determine the needs of each patient, issue a diagnosis and recommend treatment alternatives, with their corresponding budget. Each hair transplant operation is planned according to these needs and has different characteristics depending on the stage of baldness, the area to be covered, availability of hair in the donor area... It is a medical-surgical procedure tailored to each individual.

Why do you charge for consultations at Clínica Arencibia?

Clínica Arencibia is a private medical centre, specialised in the treatment of hair problems and hair transplants. Our team is made up of doctors who consult, make a diagnosis and recommend different treatment options to our patients, inside or outside our clinic. Both the consultations and the treatments available to our patients have an economic cost. The same applies to any other private medical service.