Risks of FUE Hair Transplant Before And After Surgery

FUE is a method of obtaining follicular units, where individual follicular units are harvested directly from the donor area, without the need for a linear incision.

FUE hair transplant surgery is an extremely safe out-patient procedure; it is normally without significant risks or huge complications. As with any surgery, there are some risks that could occur in some cases. These are usually discussed in detail during your initial face to face consultation when you come to the clinic.

Because having a surgery can have a big impact to one’s life and well being, before you have any surgery it is important that you learn all the risks involved in taking that particular surgery.

Our patients have the advantage of talking to Dr. Civas who is the head surgeon, before and after your FUE hair transplant surgery. These risks are also outlined during the pre-operative assessment with our qualified hair transplant nursing team.

What Are The Potential Side Effects Of An FUE Hair Transplant Surgery?

There can be some minor temporary complications or side effects associated with hair transplant surgery. They are as follows: Lost Grafts; Pain; Itching; Infection; Hiccups; Numbness; Swelling and Bleeding.

Bleeding

Slight bleeding may occur after the FUE hair transplant surgery around the stitches in the donor area. If it does, keep your head elevated and apply constant pressure with the palm of your hand for up 5 to 10 minutes.

If a graft is dislodged, the incision site might bleed. Should this happen, you have to follow all the instructions given by the surgeon. You should avoid the following;

• Do not try to pick the scabs on your transplanted skin.
• You must avoid excessive exercise after getting your FUE hair transplantation procedure.
• Avoid banging your head hard surfaces.

Numbness

Numbness after FUE hair transplant is an unfortunate but typical temporary side effect of hair restoration surgery. This happens around the donor area and recipient area. It generally lasts from three to 18 weeks and this varies from patient to patient.

Infection

We have high standards in place at the clinic and due to the pandemic we have strict precautions in place to be followed by our patients and our team. We also follow the ISHRS Guidelines for our patients, thus developing an infection following all FUE and other hair transplantation procedure done at Civas Hair Clinic is highly unusual.

Pain

Some mild discomfort may occur, pain medication will be provided at the end of your FUE hair transplant procedure. It is important to take the medication in its rights amount as prescribed by the doctor.

Swelling

You may experience some mild swelling after the procedure which is normal. Very rarely, there can be swelling of the forehead for a couple of days after the FUE hair transplant. We advise our patients to apply ice to the forehead as well as sleeping with the head elevated and taking the prescribed medication to help reduce the swelling.

Hiccups

Hiccups are a rare side effect that can occur after an FUE hair transplant surgery, this is however reported to happen in approximately 5% of cases and usually last from several hours to several days. We understand this can be annoying but the good news is it is very rare and not permanent.

Itching

Some degree of itching is common post FUE hair transplantation; this is due to dryness of the scalp and lasts only a few days. A post-op kit with shampoo and spray is provided to our patients. Spraying the area in the initial few days and then shampooing the hair daily will help with the discomfort.

Cysts

Cysts are very common side effects of any FUE hair transplant procedure and can arise almost immediately after the surgery. Areas of the scalp where the new hair has been grafted can be prone to infection. Cysts usually disappear by themselves after a few weeks. They can also be treated quite effectively. They are generally no more than 2 or 3mm in diameter, similar in size to small pimples.

Lost Grafts

The implanted grafts may be dislodged accidentally and may fall out. This will not significantly affect the overall result of your FUE hair transplant. The transplanted hair undergoes a cycle, after a few weeks, the transplanted hair will fall out leaving the transplanted hair follicle intact, paving way for the new hair to generally begin to grow again.