What Is A Bad Hair Transplant? How To Deal With It

13 Feb, 2024

Have you experienced a hair transplant that worsened hair loss instead of improving it? Unfortunately, many people face this issue when seeking solutions for their hair loss. However, there is encouraging news – a medically reliable procedure exists to address the aftermath of a failed hair transplant. Read on to discover essential information for rectifying bad hair transplants.

Why Do Hair Transplants Go Wrong?

Unfortunately, Failed hair transplants are widespread, negatively impacting hair restoration surgeons. Poorly executed procedures leave patients dissatisfied and can incur significant costs for correction. Various factors contribute to the failure of more traditional hair transplant methods, including:

  1. Inexperienced Surgeons

  2. An adept and meticulous surgeon follows a step-by-step grafting process during the procedure. Conversely, inexperienced surgeons may need help to graft hair effectively, leading to unsuccessful outcomes.

    The precision in graft placement and a comprehensive understanding of the ideal donor-recipient ratio characterize a skilled surgeon. In contrast, an inexperienced surgeon may need help predicting a suitable donor area and improperly extracting follicular grafts for transplantation.

  3. Incorrect Diagnosis and Misguided Treatment

  4. Certain hair transplant clinics may prioritize pushing you into the surgical chair rather than thoroughly assessing the cause of your hair loss—an essential step in determining the appropriate treatment. If your hair loss stems from temporary conditions or illnesses, a hair transplant may not be the most suitable solution

    Moreover, hair transplant surgery does not halt ongoing hair loss. Undergoing the procedure while still experiencing hair loss can result in continued hair thinning long after surgery, leading to a patchy or uneven appearance.

  5. Surgical Mishaps

  6. Failures during the hair transplant surgery itself can contribute to an unsuccessful outcome. Issues such as overharvesting hair follicles from the donor area, poorly designed hairlines, transplant trypophobia, inadequate hair growth, and patchy transplants may arise when working with an inexperienced or unskilled hair transplant surgeon. Compromising on safety protocols can lead to infections.

  7. Poor Post-Surgery Care

  8. Regrettably, patients have the potential to undermine the success of their hair transplant procedure. Neglecting the proper care of your transplant can diminish the likelihood of achieving favorable results. This neglect may manifest in actions such as:

    • Exposing the transplanted hair to sunlight

    • Inflicting trauma on the transplanted area

    • Disregarding the aftercare guidelines provided by your hair transplant clinic

Can a Bad Hair Transplant be Fixed?

Despite the numerous success stories in hair transplants, several unsuccessful procedures must be addressed. A poorly executed hair transplant has the potential to inflict both physical and psychological scars on patients.

The aftermath of a disappointing hair transplant can be disheartening, giving rise to sentiments of time and money wasted. Additionally, it may foster a sense of betrayal, as the surgeon responsible for the procedure may not have fulfilled the promised results.

The feelings of hopelessness and disappointment are understandable if you find yourself grappling with the aftermath of a subpar or failed hair transplant. However, there are proactive steps you can take to rectify the situation.

How to Deal with Bad Hair Transplant?

If you are dissatisfied with a previous hair transplant, there are effective solutions to address the issues. According to an ISHRS report, achieving the desired results often requires more than one hair transplant procedure. Taking the following steps can help rectify an unsuccessful transplant:

  1. Return to the Clinic or Seek a Reputable Surgeon:

  2. The initial step is to revisit your original clinic for consultation and potential correction. If you've lost confidence in them, consider seeking another reputable surgeon.

  3. Camouflaging Unnatural-Looking Results:

  4. Surgeons can employ techniques to camouflage obvious grafts from prior transplants. Micro-grafts placed strategically before larger existing grafts help conceal unnatural-looking hair plugs or old implants, creating a more authentic hairline.

  5. Hair Graft Removal:

  6. Graft removal involves carefully extracting existing hair grafts, dissecting them, and redistributing them for a more natural appearance. This procedure typically does not require harvesting new donor grafts and can be combined with the camouflaging approach.

  7. FUE Hair Transplant Procedure:

  8. If you are concerned about linear scarring from a previous FUT hair transplant or plug-in style implants. In that case, the FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) hair transplant surgery can be employed to hide scar tissue. FUE avoids causing additional linear scarring when extracting hair follicles from the donor area.

  9. Scalp Micro-Pigmentation:

  10. Scalp micro-pigmentation effectively disguises hair transplant scars, creates the illusion of high-density hair, and defines hairlines.

Final Thoughts

A bad hair transplant can manifest through various factors, including inexperienced surgeons, diagnostic oversights, and inadequate surgery and after-care care. The disappointment and frustration resulting from an unsuccessful procedure are not uncommon, but effective ways exist to address and rectify the situation. Seeking consultation with a reputable surgeon, exploring techniques such as camouflaging, hair graft removal, and FUE procedures, as well as considering scalp micro-pigmentation, provides viable options for individuals facing the challenges of a suboptimal hair transplant. With the right corrective measures and professional guidance, individuals can regain confidence and achieve a more satisfactory outcome in their hair restoration journey.