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What to Expect After an FUE Hair Transplant

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Patients can always expect successful results from an FUE transplant procedure when performed by an expert hair transplant specialistPatients can always expect successful results from an FUE transplant procedure when performed by an expert hair transplant specialist, but it takes some time for the results to be obvious.  During the early stages of FUE recovery, patients may notice that hair is actually lost from the treatment site. This is a normal process called shock loss. Although hair may fall out, the follicles remain in place and new hair will eventually grow. Most of our patients notice the first signs of new hair growth about three months after their FUE hair transplant. About three months post-surgery, patients can expect the hair to have grown to about a quarter of an inch. Although this hair is thinner and shorter than it will ultimately grow to be, it should make a significant difference in a person’s appearance. Finally, the patience and investment saved up for months has paid off. The scalp starts to thicken. 

Hair growth at three months provides our patients with a pretty good glimpse at the new shape of their hairline, but it is still only a hint at the final results of treatment. Beyond three months, the hair will continue to grow longer and the texture of the hair should also improve. By three months into FUE hair transplant recovery, incision sites should be completely healed. Patients should no longer have any scabbing or obvious signs of inflammation or irritation. Our patients can expect FUE hair transplant to result in some scarring, but the scars are so small that they will hardly be noticeable. Even with the hair being as short as it is three months into recovery, it is highly unlikely that anyone would look at an FUE hair transplant patient and be able to distinguish their scars.

Once our patients are three months into their recovery process, it is easy to care for the scalp and hair. At this point, the hair can be washed as normal. Any physical activities that were restricted during the early stages of recovery will have been lifted by now. The only precaution that continues to be important is protecting the skin from harsh UV rays. We advise patients to wear a hat or sunscreen to protect the scalp whenever they are outdoors.  

Dr. Amir Yazdan, MD, is an internationally renowned hair transplant surgeon, expert guest on Dr. Phil and The Doctors, creator of the GroMD hair restoration product line, ISHRS member, accredited member of the IAHRS and a visceral advocate for patient care. Learn more about Dr. Yazdan or read rave reviews from his patients.

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Can I Lose My Hair After a Hair Transplant?

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hair loss after transplant
Many potential hair transplant patients wonder about the possibility of hair loss following a hair transplant. Specifically, whether their transplanted hair will remain permanently implanted and secure in their scalp.

The answer to this all-too-important concern is: it depends on the caliber and expertise of the surgeon.

If the transplant was performed by an experienced board-certified hair restoration specialist, the chances of post-surgical hair loss is exceedingly rare. Apart from shock loss, which will be discussed later, post-surgical hair loss can occur due to poorly executed surgical work. If the operating surgeon is not using the most advanced surgical techniques, such as a small needle and blade, or creates poor and misaligned recipient sites, then the chances of follicular injury and impermanence run high.

There are many reports of patients from overseas clinics or local clinics using robotics and untrained technicians that show botched scalps and implants with excessive tissue and graft damage.
When you partner with a board-certified hair transplant specialist using state-of-the-art hand-held devices (with very small punch sizes, .7-8mm), scalp incisions will be virtually scar less and invisible to naked eye. More specifically, such a trained surgeon will take care to never damage transplanted follicle and the surrounding tissue.

Apart from poor surgical work, which can result in permanent hair loss and a falling out or deterioration of transplanted hair, patients may experience shock loss. Shock loss is common and effects the native hairs surrounding the area of the transplant (not the newly transplanted grafts). There are many underlying causes for shock loss but ultimately the hair loss is caused by the hair follicles becoming ‘shocked’ or ‘traumatized’ by the surgical event. Any type of invasive procedure or drastic change in environment can cause a shock or trauma reaction in the body. In the case of shock loss, the hair follicles become shocked and fall out.

There are two types of shock loss – temporary and permanent. Temporary shock loss means the hairs are likely to come back during the next hair growth cycle, after a brief recovery time for the hairs. Permanent shock loss means the hairs are not likely to come back. This is often the case when the hairs were very weak prior to surgery, and were likely to fall out soon on their own regardless.
If you’d like to learn more about hair transplantation and see if you’re a candidate, give us call today.

Dr. Amir Yazdan, MD, is an internationally renowned hair transplant surgeon, expert guest on Dr. Phil and The Doctors, creator of the GroMD hair restoration product line, ISHRS member, accredited member of the IAHRS and a visceral advocate for patient care. Learn more about Dr. Yazdan or read rave reviews from his patients.

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Help! I got a hair transplant and my hair looks worse than it did before!

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This is a common complaint we hear on the message boards and from patients seeking a revision or reparative hair transplant. This is an unfortunate outcome of hair transplantation and not one that we expect to see after a successful surgery. Many things could cause your hair to look worse off after surgery than it did before. Below, I break down some of those causes.
Failed or botched surgery. A failed or botched surgery could result in your scalp and hair looking much worse than it did before surgery. This could be the result of an infection, necrosis, folliculitis, graft death, damage to grafts during extraction/placement, over-extraction, over-excision, and the list goes on. Unfortunately, there’s not much that can be done after a failed surgery, except wait until the scalp heals and seek out an experienced surgeon who specializes in repair hair transplants. If you are concerned about infection of swelling you should meet with a doctor. If you no longer trust your original hair surgeon, you should meet with other surgeons in your area to get 2nd and 3rd opinions.
Shock loss. This is a hair loss condition that effects the native hairs in the area surrounding the extraction and recipient zones. Sometimes, the trauma induced by hair transplant surgery can cause the surrounding hairs to go into a state of shock and fall out. This condition can be temporary or permanent. It is likely to be permanent if the hairs were on their way out, meaning they were likely to fall out in the coming years as a result of your progressive hair loss. Shock loss can be prevented with the use of medical management and expert technique by the surgeon so as to limit the trauma to the surrounding hairs.
Graft shedding. This is the best case scenario to explain your post-surgery look. Graft shedding is a normal part of the hair transplant process, in which the newly transplanted grafts shed the current hairs, and allow for the new hairs to grow in once they cycle through their growth phase. This process can take some time, thus why we recommend waiting 6 months – 1 year to determine the full results of hair transplantation.
If you’re concerned about the results of your hair transplant and would like to get a 2nd or 3rd opinion on your case, give us a call today. Here at Modena, our doctor’s specialize in medical management of hair loss, complicated hair transplant cases, and reparative hair surgeries.

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Post-hair transplant surgery shock hair loss

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Sometimes, after a hair transplant surgery, a condition known as shock loss occurs. Shock loss is when your natural pre-existing (aka native) hairs fall out. This can occur in the recipient as well as the donor zones. This hair loss causes new areas of baldness that were not there previous to the hair transplant.
Shock loss occurs due to the stress of surgery and the body’s response to that stress. Anytime we have a surgical procedure, we are putting the body through a type of stress. Stress responses differ from person to person.
In hair transplant surgeries, we sometimes see shock loss as a stress response. This happens because the surrounding follicles near the extracted or implanted grafts because traumatized or “shocked” by the procedure.
The good news is that shock loss is often a temporary condition. The hairs usually return during the next hair growth cycle (2-6 months). In cases where the hair loss is permanent, the hairs that were effected by shock loss were likely weak follicles. This means that they were on their way to dying off and becoming bald areas soon.
There are ways to avoid shock loss prior to and during hair transplant surgery. Avoiding mega-sessions, being informed about the hair loss and growth process, and choosing a surgeon that utilizes a precise hand technique as opposed to robotic all play a role in shock loss.
Post-surgery shock loss and graft-shedding are sometimes mistaken for each other. To clarify, shock loss refers to your native hairs falling out near where grafts were extracted or placed. Shedding refers to the newly transplanted grafts cycling through the natural hair growth cycle. Graft-shedding is natural part of the hair transplant process.
If you would like to learn more about hair transplant surgery and what it entails, give us a call for consultation.

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Risks of FUE hair transplant mega-sessions

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FUE hair transplant mega-sessions consist of extracting and placing 4,000+ grafts in a single procedure. This is much more than the usual 1,000-3,500 that is extracted and placed in a typical FUE hair transplant procedure.
With a higher number of grafts extracted in one sitting, the risks of shock loss, scarring, and low-graft survival rate increase. Below, I break down how each of these risks is increased by an FUE mega-session.
Shock loss – What’s important to understand is that any surgical procedure is a type of trauma that the body endures. Your surrounding follicles are affected by the extraction and placement of grafts in the scalp tissue. If certain surrounding hairs in both the donor and recipient zones are weak and nearing the end of their life cycle, it’s possible the trauma of surgery could push them over the edge. This means they may be permanently shed through a condition called shock loss. During FUE mega-sessions, this surgical trauma is amplified. More grafts are extracted and placed which means more of the surrounding hairs are susceptible to shock loss.
Scarring – The FUE method of hair transplantation consists of each graft being hand extracted one-by-one. While tedious, it offers natural looking hair transplant results with minimal scarring. Anywhere from 1,000-3,000 grafts are comfortably and safely extracted during FUE. Much more than that and the low risk of scarring is negated. This is because the donor area is getting completed depleted in order to sustain the high number of grafts needed. This creates more scar tissue which means visible scarring and decreased hair growth returning in the donor area.
Low-graft survival rate – The longer grafts are out of the scalp, the greater the likelihood they will not survive once transplanted. Due to the nature of mega-sessions and the extended amount of time they take to complete, grafts tend to be sitting outside of the scalp for a longer period of time. Additionally, grafts are extremely fragile and sensitive. Mega-sessions don’t often allow time and space for the quality of care needed to maintain the health and safety of the grafts. Any damage to the graft and it will not survive once transplanted. It is believed by many experienced hair transplant surgeons that less than half of all transplanted grafts in a mega-session survive.
So how do we achieve high graft hair transplants for those patients who need it without doing a mega-session?
When a high number of grafts are needed to achieve the desired density and fullness the patient wants in their hair, it is often better to utilize multiple surgeries over time. This allows the scalp to heal and newly transplanted follicles to grow naturally and fully.
This in turn yields better results over time, as shock loss is reduced, scarring is minimal to non-existent, and graft survival rate is high.  You are much more likely to see the full results of a high graft FUE hair transplant if the surgery is split up.
If you’d like to learn more about the FUE method of hair transplantation and get a graft and price quote for your specific hair needs, give us a call for a free consultation today.

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Do FUE hair transplant mega-sessions work?

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Recently there has been a trend in hair transplant centers offering FUE mega-sessions. FUE mega-sessions consist of offering 4,000+ grafts extracted and placed in one sitting.
This is much more than the typical 1,000-3,500 grafts that are usually extracted and placed in a typical FUE procedure.
Many individuals assume the more grafts extracted and placed, the better. But more does not always equal better, as is the case with FUE hair transplants.
With a higher number of grafts extracted in one sitting, the risks of shock loss, scarring, and low-graft survival rate increase. In another article, I break down how each of these risks is increased by an FUE mega-session.
Obviously, increased hair loss, scarring, and minimal graft survival are not desirable hair transplant results. The likelihood of good results with a mega-session just doesn’t outweigh the likelihood of bad results.
So how do we achieve high graft hair transplants for those patients who need it without doing a mega-session?
When a high number of grafts are needed to achieve the desired density and fullness the patient wants in their hair, it is often better to utilize multiple surgeries over time. This allows the scalp to heal and newly transplanted follicles to grow naturally and fully.
This in turn yields better results over time, as shock loss is reduced, scarring is minimal to non-existent, and graft survival rate is high.  You are much more likely to see the full results of a high graft FUE hair transplant if the surgery is split up.
Something else to keep in mind when evaluating FUE mega-sessions is the honesty and transparency that may be lacking in surgeons offering these procedures. I recently met with a patient who had a quote from a hair transplant surgeon for a 10,000 graft FUE mega-session. This graft count is clearly inflated. It is frankly not possible to extract 10,000 grafts in one sitting, let alone produce a successful hair transplant. This surgeon is banking on the lack of education in his potential patients.
Your best defense in avoiding scams and botched surgeries like these is to do your research.  Make sure your surgeon is a U.S. medical doctor, you’ve read reviews and evaluated before and after pictures, and they are certified by the ISHRS with many years of experience.
If you’d like to learn more about the FUE method of hair transplantation and get a graft and price quote for your specific hair needs, give us a call for a free consultation today.

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Shock loss – what is it and can it happen to you?

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Shock loss is a condition which can occur after a hair transplant surgery. The pre-existing hair in the recipient and donor areas fall out, causing new and increased hair loss. As you can imagine, this is upsetting for many people, as they feel they look worse-off than pre-surgery.
Why does the hair fall out? Anytime we put our bodies through the stress of a surgery, our bodies experience a degree of trauma. Our bodies have different ways of dealing with this trauma such as fatigue and pain. With hair transplant surgeries, the surrounding and existing follicles can be traumatized (or shocked) by the transplantation of new follicles and can respond by falling out.
For most individuals that experience shock loss, the condition is temporary and the hairs return during the next growth cycle. This can take anywhere from 2-6 months. But for others, the shock loss is  permanent. This is the case when the hairs that have fallen out were on their way out anyways, meaning, they were due to fall out soon. The trauma of surgery gave them just the push they needed to fall out permanently and create new areas of hair loss.
There are many factors that play a role in whether you will experience shock loss. Firstly, the condition of your existing hair. Hairs that are weak are more likely to fall out. Secondly, the type of hair and hair loss you have. If you have hair that is thin and thinning throughout, you are more likely to experience shock loss. Those who are experiencing receding hair loss are less likely to get shock loss.
Regardless of your predispositions, a certified and experienced hair transplant surgeon can evaluate your hair and give their suggestions and expectations for surgery. Dr. Yazdan believes maintenance and prevention are two of the best tools in fighting hair loss. Treatments such as PRP therapy, laser therapy, and medications can work in conjunction with surgery to protect and nourish the existing and newly transplanted hair follicles and prevent future hair loss.
If you would like to learn more about surgical and nonsurgical hair loss options, give us a call.