FAQ – Complications

The site from where the hair is taken is usually a fine scar line which is hidden by the permanent hair in that area. After the procedure there are tiny marks where the grafts have been placed. Initially there is some crusting over these areas (5-14 days) but after this, these areas are usually not detectable.

Many people may assume hair transplantation is an easy procedure with little or no risk. However, as with any surgical procedure, a risk exists of the following infrequent, minor and temporarycomplications: Temporary Thinning of Pre-Existing Hair: After the surgery, it is normal for some pre-existing hair to thin. The pre-existing hair will return to normal in full condition within a few months after the surgery. Bleeding: Some bleeding is normal and will stop with simple pressure. Persistent bleeding occurs in about one in a few hundred cases. Additional stitching is rarely required. Pain: Pain is usually fairly minimal and lasts only a few days. 50% of our patients do not require any pain relievers, and the others take Tylenol for a few days. Numbness: Some transient numbness is inevitable, and usually lasts from three to eighteen weeks. It is rarely bothersome or long-lasting. Hiccups: Hiccups may occur after surgery. The cause is not well known, but hiccups seem to occur more frequently after hair transplantation than scalp reduction. The incidence of this complication is about 5%. It usually lasts several hours to several days. If left untreated, the hiccups may interfere when you eat and sleep, but there is a medication that the doctor can prescribe to ease the hiccups. Itching : Some itching commonly occurs but is rarely troublesome and lasts only a few days. Shampooing the hair daily will help the discomfort. Swelling: There is some swelling in nearly all cases. It affects the forehead and the area around the eyes and lasts two to five days, being maximal on the fourth day. In about one in fifty cases, a "black eye" develops. With particular patients, swelling can be considerable and temporarily disfiguring, especially after the first session. However, it does little harm and lasts no more than a week. We can prescribe you some medication to reduce the swelling. Infection: This happens in one in several thousand cases and is easily cured with antibiotics. We will provide you antibiotics prior and after the procedure to prevent it from happening. Scarring: Keloid scarring occurs only in pre-disposed individuals, and even more rarely (1/1000 cases) has this keloid scarring been hypertrophy to the point of "ridging." Cysts: One or more cysts may occur in the recipient area when many mini-grafts have been inserted. They usually disappear by themselves after a few weeks or immediately with various simple treatments. They are not usually more than 2 or 3 mm in diameter, i.e., the size of small pimples. Other complications not listed here may also occur. You should ask your doctor for more information on these risks and consider them carefully when making your decision regarding hair transplantation.

Of course, it is always better to do things right the first time. Unfortunately, many individuals have had hair restorations with less than satisfactory results. NHI has been able to develop strategies that can effectively camouflage many of the mistakes caused by less sophisticated procedures. Individuals have come to NHI from all parts of the world for repairs. To determine if you are a candidate for repairs, you should arrange a free, private consultation with a NHI physician.

Smoking causes constriction of blood vessels and decreased blood flow to the scalp, predominantly due to its nicotine content. The carbon monoxide in smoke decreases the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. These factors may contribute to poor wound healing after a hair transplant and can increase the chance of a wound infection and scarring. Smoking may also contribute to poor hair growth. The deleterious effects of smoking wear off slowly when one abstains, particularly in chronic smokers, so that smoking puts one at risk to poor healing even after smoking is stopped for weeks or even months. Although it is not known exactly how long one should avoid smoking before and after a hair transplant a common recommendation is to abstain from 1 week prior to surgery to 2 weeks after the procedure.

Diffuse un-patterned and patterned alopecia is uncommon. The medical descriptive term 'senile' appears in literature; unfortunately, the word implies that it impacts only the old and senile, which is not the case. It has appeared in almost every age group somewhat equally, but as each carries the malady throughout its life, the frequency increases as the population ages. However, Senile Alopecia is a more commonly accepted diagnosis for the younger population, potentially skewing population data. As a guess, its incidence amongst men is 1%. Prior to the advent of Propecia, recognizing the malady did nothing more than eliminate surgical candidacy. Now with Propecia, effective treatment is available for some. Approximately 50% of affected individuals that saw doctors at NHI have realized benefits from the drug. Most saw reduced miniaturization and a subjective appearance of additional fullness. Despite these desirable drug benefits, impacted alopecia patients seem to finish with less than desirable surgical results.