What If A Hair Transplant Fails?
A hair transplant failure is incredibly rare, especially if the doctor and patient have discussed pre- and post-operative care and have evaluated the risk factors unique to the individual patient. Even so, it is helpful that a patient understands all of the potential reasons a hair transplant might fail and what can be done to correct a failure in hair transplant under the rare circumstance that this occurs.
During the actual procedure, the most common reason for the hair transplant failure of an individual follicular unit graft is desiccation, which is the result of the graft spending too much time outside of the body from the time it is excised from the donor area to the time it is transplanted into the recipient site. This is why a hair transplant surgeon will work with a team of medical professionals that includes nurses and surgical assistants, as this ensures that each and every follicular unit is viable when it is transplanted into the recipient site.
In the pre-operative stage, hair transplant doctors in New York City; Greenwich,Connecticut;Chicago, Illinois; Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia; Houston, Dallas, Texas; Manila, Philippines; Dubai, Abu Dhabi,U.A.E.; and Karachi, Pakistan, will evaluate the health of the patient’s remaining hair and its potential viability for transplantation. The doctor will then discuss the likelihood of the hair transplant procedure is a success based on the volume of healthy donor tissue available. It is unlikely that any reputable hair surgeon would proceed with a hair transplant without the availability of ample donor tissue likely to yield the results the patient is seeking.
Of course, the transplantation of donor tissue from the donor site to the recipient site causes a fair amount of stress to the follicular units being transplanted as well as some of the follicles in the surrounding areas. This is why the follicles in the recipient site are expected to fall out within a few weeks of the actual procedure, with regrowth of new follicles occurring within four months or so. In some cases, natural hair follicles located near the recipient site will also fall out due to the stress of the transplant process, but this is not permanent and regrowth can be expected along the same timeline as the transplanted follicles.
If a hair transplant fails, determining the cause of failure is a critical initial step. Once the cause has been identified, the patient can then begin the relatively straightforward process of correcting a failure in hair transplant and addressing their thinning hair or hair loss with a permanent and natural-looking solution.
Steps to take in hair transplant failure
Obviously, no one wants to endure a situation in which a hair transplant failure occur and must be corrected. For the patient, undergoing a hair transplant procedure to address hair loss or thinning hair is supposed to be an entirely positive and exciting experience, so a failure in hair transplant can be especially demoralizing. Hair transplant surgeons feel the same way and do not wish for their patients to endure a failure of hair transplant, which is why a great deal of time and energy is devoted to the planning process so that the likelihood of a failed hair transplant is minimized to the greatest degree possible.
In the rare instance in which a hair transplant fails, the patient should first take steps to identify the cause for the failure. Certain behaviors or health conditions could play a role in causing a hair transplant failure, but the hair transplant doctor should have discussed any potentially adverse issues with the patient during the initial consultation process. This is why it is so critical for the patient to be forthright while discussing a hair transplant procedure with the doctor.
If a hair transplant has failed, the patient should contact a reputable hair transplant surgeon or hair transplant clinic near them with the goal of determining the cause of the failure on procedure and developing a course of action for correcting the issue once and for all. Whether the transplant was performed in the past year or was performed over a decade ago, skilled hair transplant surgeons at a reputable hair transplant center in New York City; Greenwich, Connecticut;Chicago, Illinois; Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia; Houston, Dallas, Texas; Manila, Philippines; Dubai, Abu Dhabi,U.A.E.; and Karachi, Pakistan, understand how to correct a failed hair transplant and can ensure that any future procedures are successful and yield a permanent solution for the patient.
How to find a reputable hair surgeon who can correct a bad hair transplant?
It is easy to understand why a patient might be hesitant to return to the hair transplant clinic responsible for a bad hair transplant, so a patient looking to correct a bad hair transplant will have to find a new surgeon capable of correcting a bad hair transplant once and for all. A patient in need of a corrective procedure should seek out a skilled and experienced surgeon who has access to the most advanced medical technology and performs the most innovative hair transplant procedures, especially FUE and FUT.
Since there are quite a few methods available for correcting a bad hair transplant, the patient should select a hair transplant doctor with a versatile skill set and a track record of success in correcting a bad hair transplant. A good doctor should be able to provide specific examples of successful corrective procedures and should be willing to meet with the patient to discuss the different options that might be available to them.
A patient who underwent a hair transplant procedure many years ago and no longer wishes to have the unnatural look of an outdated hair plug procedure can turn to a hair transplant surgeon capable of removing the original plugs and redistributing in smaller, natural-looking groupings in the recipient site. This strategy ensures the old hair transplant is covered up and camouflaged while making optimal use of available donor tissue during the corrective process. The same is true of a patient who underwent a procedure recently but is unhappy with the outcome, as a good hair transplant surgeon can artfully craft a new hairline that is much more natural-looking and restores confidence in the patient.
Any patient who is dissatisfied with the outcome of their hair transplant should feel confident that they can still achieve a permanent solution to their thinning hair or hair loss. Selecting the right doctor is the most critical step in correcting a poor hair transplant. Patients should therefore exercise a great deal of caution and patience when meeting with a potential hair transplant surgeon, and it should be the patient’s goal to select an experienced and skilled doctor capable of addressing the patient’s unique hair transplant needs.
MAXIM Hair Restoration specializes in mega hair transplants of up to 4,500 grafts per session. Our plastic surgeons are experienced with hair transplant procedures and we attract clients from all over the world. We have locations in Dubai and Manila, Philippines, and have affiliate surgeons in Connecticut, New York, Chicago and other cities in the U.S. MAXIM offers free consultations for hair transplants.
Contact Us For More Information on hair transplant costs OR submit the Contact Form on this page to request your complimentary hair restoration consultation by phone, Skype or with a MAXIM hair transplant doctor or surgeon near you.
You can also Email your pics to MAXIM Hair Restoration to find out if you are a good candidate for an ultra-natural MAXIM hair transplant OR to obtain an estimate for your procedure and the approximate number of grafts that would be required to give you a great result.
