Hair transplant side effects
Although rare, you should know what the hair transplant side effects are. Whether it is the Allopathic treatment or Ayurvedic treatment or Homeopathic treatment for hair gain, all have side effects. Hair Transplant has incredibly low incidence of side effects because of very nature of the process and latest advances in surgery.
The majority of hair transplant side effects are completely avoidable. Lack of dedicated staff, lack of experience and lack of adequate training lead to the majority of the problems we see after a hair transplant.
Hair transplant side effects here will be for FUE only and not for the FUT (or strip method of hair transplant) method. FUT had a lot of problems in the post-operative time period as in this method stitches are put to cover the defect. However, in FUE many of these side effects are not present and healing is remarkably uneventful for the patients.
A lot of the hair transplant issues can be avoided if you follow simple do’s and dont’s guidelines: Do’s and Dont’s Before Hair Transplant
Common occurrences after hair transplant with FUE method:
- Excessive scabbing: Excessive amount of scabs over the recipient area can cause graft death in a very early stage just after the procedure has been done. This can be avoided by continuous spraying of the grafted area with RL spray (provided by the clinic).
- Itching: Itching was extremely common in the past when wound management techniques for FUE were ill-developed. Now-a days with proper care of the grafted area, hardly any itching occurs. If it occurs it is not very severe.
- Infection over the grafted as well as donor area: Infection after a hair transplant is so rare that a hair transplant can easily qualify as the safest major cosmetic surgery. However, there are some incidences where infections do occur. Diabetes patients and those with low or abnormal immunity are more likely to develop infections. However, even in such cases, the infection can be controlled with a change in antibiotics. The best infection control strategy however is to keep the surgical area clean (How we keep it clean) and manage the grafted and recipient area in a proper manner. A booklet and post hair transplant kit is provided to all patients who undergo hair transplants at Nuleaf Hair Transplant Centre. (Post OP Care)
- Swelling: This can occur in many individuals. swelling generally appears on the forehead, then descends down over the face and vanishes in 2-3 days. It is painless and absolutely normal to get some swelling. Some hair transplant surgeons often give a lot of medication to avoid this swelling from appearing. However, despite giving these medications swelling does occur.
- Tingling and Partially numb feeling after the procedure: This is quite common as many of the nerves are cut and till complete healing occurs, there might be frequent tingling and numb sensations over the scalp. However, in most cases, this resolves in about a month’s time and is never a big issue for patients.
- Muscle stiffness: As hair transplant is a long procedure some individuals may feel uneasy about sitting in one place for 6-7 hours. However, most patients sleep through the procedure and don’t even realize when the procedure is over. Even if muscle stiffness occurs, it stays only for a day or so.
- Small pimple-like bumps may develop 3-4 months after the procedure as the new hair are making their way up through the skin. This is normal and should not be because of any concern. It requires no special treatment.
Very Rare serious events:
- Allergic Reaction to the anaesthetic agent: A hair transplant is done under local anaesthesia. This medication or rather its preservatives can cause severe allergic reactions to a rare subset of the population. This is the reason local anaesthetic testing is done prior to all hair transplant procedures in our centre. If you are found out to be allergic to any of the agents, we do not proceed with the procedure.
- Vasovagal Syncope: This is purely out of the anxiety of the individual. Many patients are very anxious regarding the procedure and get palpitations and fainting only because of the stress. However, with proper counselling, most of these attacks of syncope are resolved. However, the chances of our patients getting this are very slim as we use the Pain- Free techniques during the entire hair transplant (What is this?)