Risk And Side Effects Of FUE Hair Transplant Treatment

Just like any other surgical process, a Hair transplant may have some minor side effects. So, FUE hair transplant side effects are nothing to worry about as they clear within a few weeks. Let’s look at some of the typical adverse reactions that people encounter:

But first,

What’s FUE?

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is a process that involves taking individual hair follicles from the donor site into the scalp with thin hair or baldness. It’s more popular than the conventional procedure FUT, which is more intrusive. 

Bleeding

Most patients experience bleeding and some scalp-swelling after a hair transplant. Whether you’re going for an FUE or FUT procedure, this is prone to happen. FUE procedure involves removing follicles from the body where there is healthy hair, and after that, transplanting into the treated region through incisions. And the incision site might have some minor oozing. FUT is more intrusive as it requires a doctor to cut strips from the scalp.

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If you experience FUE hair transplant side effects like bleeding, you need to keep your head in an elevated position applying constant pressure with your hand (palm) for roughly 5-10 minutes.

Another cause of bleeding is graft displacement. If this happens to you, this is what you must not do, according to many surgeons. 

• Avoid picking the scabs on your skin transplanted area.
• Avoid strenuous exercise after getting your FUE hair transplant treatment.
• Protect your head from getting banged.

Itching

Itching is one of the common FUE hair transplant side effects that patients experience. And this happens as the healing starts in the treated area. While it might be pretty tempting, one should refrain from scratching this area. Doing this may lead to the shifting of the newly transplanted hair follicles. If you do this with dirty hands, the site will be prone to infection transmitted through your hands. If itching prolongs, it’s good to contact your caregiver, so he can advise you what you need to do.

Infection

Every surgery is sensitive, and a surgeon must ensure 100% cleanliness. That’s why you must take time to find a reputable facility with an experienced doctor. But despite all this, it’s rare, but you may still experience some infections. Some short courses of antibiotics should help with this problem.

Pain

Pain is one of the rare FUE hair transplant side effects, unlike in traditional hair transplants. It so happens, for every surgical process, some little discomfort is inevitable. Your doctor will prescribe some usual pain killers, as this should be mild. 

Redness

After your FUE hair transplant, some redness will appear in your donor area. It’s a regular thing, but as the healing process continues, it will become less noticeable, and as soon as your hair grows gradually, it’s invisible.

If cases where you find this redness persists for over four weeks, consider consulting your surgeon and have it evaluated.

Shock loss

Sometimes the newly transplanted hair may fall out post-procedure, and this is known as shock loss. When this happens, you shouldn’t panic. It’s a pretty common complication, and the hair eventually re-grows within a few months. That’s because the follicles transplanted are integral. 

Numbness

It’s one of the typical FUE hair transplant side effects, which is temporary. Numbness happens around the donor area and recipient area after the treatment. And this may last up to 18 weeks, although it varies from one person to the other.

Hiccups

These are pretty rare, but it does happen after the FUE hair transplant surgery. It may last for hours or several days. But it’s nothing major to worry about as it happens in 5% of cases. 

FUE is effective as it produces excellent results, but it requires skilled practitioners to ensure optimal success. 

How long does the healing take?

Before we get to recovery, you must understand the donor area. It’s a particular region where the surgeon harvests follicles. And then, these get relocated to the bald or thinning scalp, an area known as the recipient area.

After your hair transplant procedure, the healing starts immediately. On the next day after surgery, you can remove the bandage at the back of your head and gently wash the area. Small scabs will appear from where the follicles got plucked. 

As you continue cleaning this area, these scabs start to fade away. Then your body will begin to repair and cover the scar tissue underneath the scab. The scar tissue should be between size 0.7mm-1mm spread out in your donor area. As your hair starts growing to a length of 1 and 2, the tiny dots will be unnoticeable. Incision healing after the FUE hair transplant is pretty fast. It takes between 5 to7 days on average.

Is hair transplant permanent?

If you’ve been through that roller coaster of finding a permanent solution for hair restoration, then a hair transplant is your solution. It’s long-lasting and thus considered permanent. It might take time for the hair to grow, but this is a normal process that works brilliantly. 

In Conclusion, generally, FUE hair transplant is one of the safest hair transplants. It doesn’t have significant risks or complications. But some people have experienced a few FUE hair transplant side effects, such as what we mentioned here. During your consultation, your doctor will discuss this with you.