Possible Complications of Hair Transplant Surgery

It’s important to remember that a hair transplant is a surgical procedure, and any surgical procedure carries some risks. The risks associated with a hair transplant are minimal, but they’re still worth some thought. In this section, we explain the possible complications and estimate their frequency.

We base the following estimations on our own experiences in our hair transplant practices over the years.

Anesthesia reactions

General anesthesia, in which you’re “put out,” is rarely used for hair transplant surgery. General anesthetics bring risks that are almost non-existent with local anesthetics, such as risk of death or stroke. Local anesthetics with adrenaline may have effects on many of the body’s organ systems, including the heart. Following are some of these risks, along with the percentage of patients that typically experience them:

Allergic reaction (less than 1 percent of patients)
Irregular heartbeat (less than 1 percent of patients) Heart attack within one month after surgery (less than 0.001
percent of patients)
Particular sensitivity to epinephrine in patients who use heart or blood pressure medications called beta-blockers (less than 1 percent of patients)
Temporary light-headed episode as a nervous reaction to injections, causing a drop in blood pressure and possible fainting (less than 1 percent of patients)

This reaction is easily and relatively rapidly treated, most of the time by lying the patient flat and elevating the legs.

Wound healing

Surgical wounds take time to heal. After surgery, any of the following points may apply to your donor and recipient areas:

Superficial crusting, pinkness, or redness of the recipient area may occur (less than 5 percent of patients), but these effects are usually temporary. In most patients, pinkness disappears in a few days.
Some area of skin around the suture edges may crust, taking longer to heal (less than 5 percent of patients). A tight suture may cause such crusting.
A stretched, widened scar is possible, as is a thickened or raised (hypertrophic) scar (less than 1 percent of patients). Significant scarring is more likely to occur in people who have a history of hypertrophic scars elsewhere on the body (less than 25 percent of patients). True keloid scars (a tumorous type of growth that grows out of the wound and extends beyond the confines of the wound) are very rare in scalp incisions (less than 0.001 percent of patients).
In areas of scar tissue, grafts may grow poorly or not at all.
Temporary swelling, discoloration, or bruising (less than 5 percent of patients)
Formation of a cyst at a graft site (less than 5 percent of patients). Most cysts will disappear on their own, a few may spontaneously pop and drain themselves, and a few may have to be lanced by a doctor or nurse. Cyst formation rarely impacts hair growth. Cysts are formed as remnants of the hair from a hair transplant remain in the surgical recipient site. The existence of such remnants in the recipient sites is very common but cyst formation is vary rare. Usually, any buried remnants are ‘attacked’ by the body’s defenses and dissolved.
Ingrown or buried hairs (less than 5 percent of patients). Ingrown hairs can be difficult to distinguish from buried grafts. A graft that is placed too deeply in the scalp at the recipient site, may sink into the fatty dermis and form a cyst. Sometimes, the surgical staff may place one graft on top of another and this will add to cyst formation as well. Both of these problems may result from staff training inadequacies and problems with in-office quality control processes.
Hematoma (localized blood clot) (less than 1 percent)

1. The Secret of Good Hair Care
Some of the basic rules to a healthy hair are to nourish it and condition it properly using rich, natural ingredients right from your kitchen. These products are easily ...

2. Have shiny and healthy hair
Home remedies are the best when going in for inexpensive hair loss treatments. These are time tested and safe. These recipes have been handover down the generations as gr...

3. Determining Which Types of Hair Loss Treatments Are For You
With the wide array of hair loss treatments available to individuals these days, one may wonder just which treatment is right for them. Some are short-term in nature wh...

4. General Advice on Hair Loss Treatment
There is absolutely no doubt in the fact that beauty industry is the most powerful industry. You can find millions of people using different beauty products to achieve c...

5. Seven Natural Secrets for Healthy Hair
Nature has always been synonymous with human beings, beauty and harmony. The modern way of life has brought about many disturbances, so it is necessary to re-establish the ...

6. The Use of Natural Hair Relaxers with Other Hair Processes
Many choose to have multiple processes done on their hair to accomplish a desired color and texture. More than one process is possible, but using a natural hair ...

7. Take Propecia to Get Back Thick and Dense Hairs
Propecia is the medication that helps the bald men to get back the thick and dense hairs. Usage of the Propecia is recommended by the Trichologist (hair experts) for the ha...

8. Laser Hair Removal in Manhattan has gained tremendous popularity
Laser Hair Removal in Manhattan has gained tremendous popularity due to the treatments scientific advancements and affordable costs. Some of the finest Laser hair Removal C...

Possible Complications of Hair Transplant Surgery

Legal Disclaimer

Related Articles