Hair falling out just a few years after hair transplant surgery
Unfortunately, this is a situation we see many of our patients in who come to us from other practices. There are many factors that determine the success of your hair transplant both immediately after and later on in the years to come. If any one factor during the hair transplant process is not done correctly, the success of your entire hair transplant is at risk.
The first step in evaluating the cause of hair loss after hair transplant surgery, is to determine if it is the transplanted hairs or native hairs that are falling out. In successful hair transplants, we do not expect to see transplanted hairs falling out. This is because these hairs are not subject to the same hair loss the native hairs are, since they are originally from a healthy donor area.
If it is the transplanted hairs falling out, this is a sign that something went wrong with your hair transplant surgery. Scarring, trauma, and low-graft survival rate are risks of hair transplants done by robotic tools, inexperienced surgeons, and surgeons over-transplanting in mega-sessions all cause hair loss that may be permanent. If this is the case, a restorative hair transplant may be needed to resolve the issues.
More often than not, hair loss experienced after hair transplantation is the surrounding native hairs falling out. While hair transplants are a wonderful solution to resolving the appearance of baldness and thinning, they are not a cure for baldness. In other words, hair transplants will not stop further baldness from happening. This is why we stress the importance of medically managing hair loss via medications such as minoxidil and finasteride especially after hair transplantation. These topical or oral medications can help slow hair loss progression as you age, buying you more time before another hair transplant may be needed.
If you’d like to get a second or third opinion on the results of your hair transplant, give us a call for a consultation today.