How pricing by category works
Rather than charging per individual graft — which makes budgeting unpredictable — we group procedures into three categories, defined by the extent of the area to be covered. During the evaluation, Dr Fátima Garcês determines which category your case falls into and presents the corresponding amount in writing.
The Intermediate and Advanced categories have a fixed price. The Initial category, because it covers very different situations — from a small correction of the hairline to broader areas of thinning — is the only one whose price isn't fixed: it's set case by case, at the free evaluation, between the patient and the clinical representative, depending on what the intervention actually involves.
| Category | Pattern | Typical cases | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial |  | Hairline correction, temples and small areas of thinning | Not fixed — set case by case at the free evaluation |
| Intermediate |  | Moderate scalp coverage, temples and crown | Fixed, presented in writing at the free evaluation |
| Advanced |  | Extensive cases, sometimes spread across two sessions | Fixed, presented in writing at the free evaluation |
| Biofibre® |  | Donor area insufficient for FUE, or immediate density needed | Defined per session at the free evaluation |
- Initial (0–2,000 grafts): localised procedures, such as correcting the temples, the hairline or small areas of thinning. Price is not fixed — it's set case by case at the free evaluation.
- Intermediate (2,000–3,500 grafts): moderate scalp coverage, temples and crown. Fixed price, presented in writing at the evaluation.
- Advanced (3,500–5,000+ grafts): extensive cases, sometimes spread across two sessions. Fixed price, presented in writing at the evaluation.
- All categories include surgery, basic medication, follow-up evaluations and 18 months of aftercare.
Why we choose fixed pricing
The hair transplant market is often associated with less-than-transparent practices: per-graft prices that rise on the day of surgery, hair-tourism packages with hidden costs, and proposals that don't include post-operative follow-up. Replace Clinic adopts category-based pricing specifically to reverse that pattern.
A fixed price for the Intermediate and Advanced categories lets the patient know, before booking surgery, the maximum investment their case will require. There are no surcharges for extra grafts within the same category, and no additional charges for follow-up evaluations or complementary treatments during the first year and a half. The Initial category's price is agreed case by case at the free evaluation, so it's always clear before surgery.
What's included in the quote
All Replace Clinic quotes are presented in writing and include the same elements, regardless of the category. The difference between proposals from other clinics isn't always in the final figure — it's in what that figure actually represents.
- Evaluation with trichoscopy and definition of the surgical plan.
- Procedure carried out by Dr Fátima Garcês, with a dedicated team.
- FUE technique with no scalpel, no stitches and no linear scar.
- Basic medication and post-operative care kit.
- Clinical follow-up and photographic record over 18 months.
- No hidden costs: the amount presented at the evaluation is the final amount.
How to compare quotes from different clinics
The difference between two quotes is rarely just the number. It's in what each clinic includes, and in who actually carries out the procedure.
- Check whether the price is fixed by category or varies with the exact number of grafts implanted.
- Ask who performs the extraction and implantation: the doctor or only technicians.
- Check whether follow-up evaluations, medication and complementary treatments are included.
- Ask for photographs of real cases from the clinic itself, with a similar degree of hair loss to your own.
- Be wary of hair-tourism packages priced well below the market: correcting a poor result usually costs more than the original procedure.
FUE or Biofibre®: which costs more
The right question isn't which is cheaper, but which is indicated for your case. The two techniques have different cost structures because they solve different problems: FUE redistributes your own hair and depends on the donor area; the Biofibre® Hair Implant — for which Replace Clinic is the exclusive representative in Portugal — uses biocompatible fibres and needs no donor area.
| FUE transplant | Biofibre® implant | |
|---|---|---|
| Source of hair | Own grafts from the donor area | Biocompatible synthetic fibres |
| Price basis | Category (Initial / Intermediate / Advanced) | Number of fibres implanted |
| Donor area | Essential and sufficient | Not required |
| Visible result | Growth from month 3, final at 12–18 months | Immediate density in the session |
| Maintenance | Own hair; medical treatment may be added | Periodic fibre replacement |
| Typical indication | Androgenetic alopecia with a stable donor area | Depleted donor area or immediate density |
Alternatives with a lower cost than surgery
Not every case initially benefits from surgery. In cases of active shedding, the first step is to stabilise the follicle with medical treatment — hair mesotherapy, PRP, photomedicine and a nutritional protocol — which represents a significantly lower investment than a transplant and, in some cases, avoids or delays the need for surgery.
Scalp micropigmentation is another lower-cost option, indicated to simulate density or conceal scars, either on its own or as a complement to FUE.