Can hair transplant cause serious complications with regard to health?

Hair transplants is an advanced, permanent technique to restore hair loss. Due to progressive techniques, these treatments are very safe and minimally invasive. However, it is still a medical procedure that involves anaesthesia and surgical micro-incisions to be made into the target area. Therefore, it is important to do a proper due diligence on the hair transplant clinic to understand their safety and after-care protocols to minimize any post surgery risk.

Let us outline some of the post-surgery symptoms a patient could face.

1- Post-op redness

This varies from patient to patient but most patients DO NOT have redness in their scalp after day 10-14 of their surgery. Patients with fair skin types can retain skin redness for longer.

2- Scarring

Any surgery will leave scars and therefore its really critical to evaluate the hair transplant technique being adopted. The DFI technique at Evolved Clinics leaves a small microdot scar, which is very subtle scarring that virtually unnoticeable.

3- Side effects

There can be some minor side effects associated with hair transplants such as bleeding, itching, swelling, and bruising but with the correct aftercare such effects should be short lived, lasting a couple of weeks at most.

To further minimise these side effects, patients should avoid taking medications that thin the blood or engage in any activity that could dislodge the transplanted hair and the donor area. Exercise should also be avoided in the first 2 weeks after hair transplant because it stimulates blood flow.

4- Scab Formation

You should experience a slight scabbing or thin crust of clotted blood to appear across the transplanted area. This is caused by healthy clots. They will naturally fall away 4–10 days after being formed. They should be left alone to shed on their own, as interfering and picking the scabs can cause infections. If scabs persist, proper after-care protocols should be followed for its removal.

5- Post surgery infections

This is very rare if you follow the proper aftercare instructions to help you avoid any dirt or harmful bacteria into the sensitive area, which could cause an infection called Folliculitis. This is normally identified by swelling of the face and scalp. It can often be treated with topical antibiotic application.

6- Shock Loss & Hair Loss

After your procedure, it is possible to experience a post-transplant phenomenon known as “shock loss”, which is also uncommon though.

What this means is that, in the weeks following the hair transplant, native hair that was miniaturized to begin with falls out as result of the trauma the scalp endured during surgery.

While it may feel surprising to see hair loss after undergoing the hair transplant, in certain patients it will be an unavoidable part of the recovery process. Rest assured, this is generally considered a temporary phase that should clear up within a few weeks.