Hair transplants are a lot different these days compared to the early "plug" days. With current micrografting techniques, you can't tell if someone has had a hair transplant! More and more men and even women are having hair transplants, and the results are fantastic.
Hair loss can be caused by a number of things, but the most common causes are male pattern alopecia and female pattern alopecia. Hundreds of drugs on the market promise to grow new hair, but only 2 are FDA apporoved: minoxidil (Rogaine) and finasteride (eg Propecia.) However, sometimes the medications are not enough and a hair transplant is warranted.
The entire procedure is usually performed in an office setting under light sedation or local anesthesia only. Plan on spending most the day in the office because the procedure is technically demanding and it may take several hours to dissect out the hair follicles under the microscopes. The hair grafts are placed individually, and the recovery is pretty easy.
As far as the cost goes, shop around. Be sure to get all of the information and look for any hidden costs. If you're interested in a hair transplant procedure, you can find before and after pictures as well as more in-depth info at www.ChesapeakeHair.com.
This gentleman desired more hair on the front part of his scalp. These are his before and after pictures 1 year after Dr. Schreiber performed a 2,000 graft hair transplant.