Hair transplant in Korea: FUE vs FUT, how grafts are priced, and the 12-month timeline

Last updated 17 September 2026

How FUE and FUT differ, why the graft is the unit a quote is built on, who should be doing the extraction, what the first week and the following year look like, and how many nights to plan.

Two ways of harvesting, one way of planting

A hair transplant moves hair from the back and sides of your own scalp, where it tends to be permanent, to the area that has thinned. Planting is much the same either way: grafts are placed one by one into small sites made in the thinning area. The methods differ in how grafts leave the donor area.

Summarised from NHS and ISHRS patient information.
	FUE (follicular unit excision)	FUT (strip method)
How grafts are taken	Follicular units are removed one at a time with a punch of roughly 0.7–1.2 mm	A strip of scalp is removed from the back of the head and divided into grafts
Shaving	The donor area is usually shaved; unshaven FUE exists but takes longer and costs more	No shaving needed; surrounding hair covers the closure
Scarring	No linear scar, though ISHRS is clear that FUE is not scarless; the NHS describes many tiny scars	One linear scar, hidden by hair of moderate length
After surgery	Generally less discomfort and a quicker recovery	Stitches or staples; the NHS gives 10–14 days for removal of non-dissolving stitches
Main caution	Overharvesting, or taking hair from outside the safe donor zone — ISHRS calls both irreversible	The scar limits how short you can wear your hair later

Both are normally day cases under local anaesthetic, often with sedation, and a large case may be split across two days.

Why the graft is the unit of price

Clinics almost everywhere quote by the graft or in bands of grafts, and the British Association of Hair Restoration Surgery tells patients to ask for the price per hair or per follicular unit graft and for every additional cost. A graft is not a hair. The NHS describes each graft as holding one to four hairs, so two quotes for the same graft count can describe different amounts of hair, and a quote that counts hairs will look larger than one that counts grafts.

A bigger number is not automatically a better plan. ISHRS points out that donor hair, once removed, is gone for good, and hair loss usually continues after surgery, so a careful plan keeps some in reserve.

Verify before you rely on this: Hair transplant is on the list of cosmetic services that carry 10% VAT in Korea, it sits outside national health insurance, and clinics set their own fees. There is no official price list for it, so this page gives no range — a number without a checkable source would only be a guess, and figures on agency and clinic marketing sites are not a substitute. The VAT refund scheme for foreign patients ended for services after 31 December 2025, so do not budget for money back; see the VAT guide linked below. Ask for a written quote stating the planned graft count, the price per graft or per band, what happens to the price if fewer grafts are placed than planned, and whether VAT is included.

What a quote usually includes and leaves out

Should be stated: method (FUE, FUT or both), planned graft count, the area to be covered, and how the final count is recorded and reported to you
Usually included: local anaesthetic, the first wash and check at the clinic, a basic aftercare kit
Ask about: sedation, blood tests, unshaven FUE surcharges, medication to slow further loss, add-on scalp care sessions
Usually not covered: a second procedure if density disappoints, treatment of complications elsewhere, extra hotel nights and flight changes

Who actually does the extraction

ISHRS has issued repeated consumer alerts about clinics, in several countries, where the patient is drawn in by a doctor's credentials and the surgery is then carried out by unlicensed technicians. Its position is that evaluation, surgical planning, donor harvesting, hairline design and the making of recipient sites belong to a licensed physician, or a licensed practitioner acting within their scope.

Korean law starts from the same principle. Article 27 of the Medical Service Act says that nobody other than licensed medical personnel may perform medical acts, and that medical personnel may not act outside their licence. How that applies to each step is for Korean regulators, not this page. The practical step: ask the clinic to write down who does the harvesting, who makes the recipient sites and who places the grafts, and what licence each person holds.

Who is told to wait, or told no

The surgeon decides after examining your scalp. In general terms, the American Academy of Dermatology says a candidate needs enough healthy donor hair and a scalp able to grow hair in the thinning area, and that a dermatologist may order blood tests or a scalp biopsy first to find out why the hair is falling out. That matters because not all hair loss is pattern baldness; ISHRS warns that an unqualified assessor can miss a hair disorder or an underlying illness and operate when surgery was never the right answer.

Questions to ask at the consultation

What is causing my hair loss, and did you consider anything other than pattern hair loss?
Will I meet the operating surgeon and agree the plan before the day of surgery and before I pay?
Which parts of the operation are done by a doctor and which by someone else — and what licence does each person hold?
How many grafts do you plan, from which part of the donor area, and how much donor hair does that leave for the future?
Is the price per graft, per band or a flat fee, and what do I pay if the final count is lower?
FUE or FUT for my case, and why? If FUT, who removes the stitches and when?
When is the first wash, who does it, and on what day are you happy for me to fly?
Is the clinic registered to treat foreign patients, and does it carry malpractice insurance?
If growth is poor at twelve months, what is your policy and who pays for what?

The first days, washing and flying

ISHRS describes discomfort after surgery as mild for most people, lasting a day or two, followed by a week or so of tenderness. The grafts themselves need protecting. NHS guidance is that bandages come off after two to five days, that you should not touch the grafts, and that gentle washing by hand is usually allowed from about day six. Ask whether the clinic does the first wash itself; that appointment fixes your earliest sensible departure.

The NHS's published waiting times for flying after cosmetic surgery cover breast, body and facial operations rather than hair transplants, so the date is your surgeon's call. Ask for it in writing. Seven nights covers a consultation day, the procedure, the first check and wash, and a small margin. With FUT, either stay 10–14 nights for stitch removal or arrange in advance for a doctor at home to take them out.

Day −1Consultation, scalp examination, hairline drawn and agreed, graft plan and consent.
Day 0Procedure under local anaesthetic, typically four to eight hours. Back to the hotel the same day.
Days 1–3Clinic check and dressing removal. Scalp tight and swollen, with small scabs. Hands off.
Days 4–6Gentle washing starts as instructed — often first at the clinic. Final check and clearance to fly.
Days 10–14FUT only: non-dissolving stitches come out, in Korea or at home by prior arrangement.
Weeks 2–8The transplanted hairs shed. The American Academy of Dermatology describes this as normal; the follicles stay in place.
Months 3–4Hair can look sparser than before surgery. New growth begins at around four months.
Months 6–18Most people see a clear result at six to nine months; the NHS puts the full result at 10–18 months.

General guidance drawn from NHS patient information — your surgeon's instructions replace it.
When	Usually fine	Usually off limits
First 5 days	Walking, eating out, desk work from the hotel	Touching or scratching the grafts, washing before you are told to
Days 6–14	Gentle hand washing, flying once cleared	Hard exercise — the NHS advises cutting back early on to limit scarring
After two weeks	Returning to work; the NHS suggests one to two weeks off	Judging the result. Shedding is about to start

Practical note: Pack for a freshly operated scalp. A pullover drags over the grafts; a button-up shirt or zip top does not. Ask the clinic what head covering, if any, it allows for the airport.

The NHS lists bleeding, infection and reactions to the anaesthetic as possible complications, and notes that a transplant may not take or may scar noticeably. Spreading redness, pus, fever or bleeding that does not stop with gentle pressure is a same-day call to the clinic.

Common questions

How long do I need to stay in Korea for a hair transplant?

Budget about seven nights for FUE: a day before for consultation, the procedure day, and enough time for the first check and wash. FUT patients who want the clinic to remove their stitches need 10–14 nights.

Is it normal for transplanted hair to fall out?

Yes. The American Academy of Dermatology says transplanted hair typically sheds between two and eight weeks after surgery, and that by the third month hair can look thinner than before. ISHRS also lists temporary shedding, known as telogen effluvium, among the side effects of FUE.

When will I see the final result?

Not during the trip and not in the first season after it. The NHS gives around four months for new growth and 10–18 months for the full result.

FUE or FUT — which is better?

Neither in the abstract. ISHRS lists shorter hairstyles, less discomfort and quicker recovery on the FUE side, and no shaving and large graft numbers in one sitting on the FUT side. Donor density, how short you wear your hair and how much future loss is expected decide it.

Will I need more than one hair transplant?

Possibly. The American Academy of Dermatology notes that thinning can continue after a transplant and that medicine is often recommended alongside surgery to hold on to existing hair. A plan that spends the whole donor supply in one trip leaves nothing for later.

Work out the whole trip: open the total cost calculator with 7 nights filled in. That is a planning default, not a schedule — replace it with the dates your own clinic gives you.

Sources

This site is an information resource, not a medical provider, agency or broker. We do not arrange treatment, refer patients to specific hospitals, or receive commission from clinics for introductions. Nothing here is medical advice — decisions about treatment belong to you and a licensed doctor.