Hair transplants can go wrong if the surgeon isn't skilled, the techniques aren't right, the donor's hair isn't enough, the aftercare isn't good, or there are problems like infection or graft rejection. If you know what to look for after a bad hair transplant, you can save the damage and get better faster.
The Best Type of Hair Transplant for Natural-Looking Results
Luckily, some of the less natural-looking hair transplant techniques – like FUT (follicular unit transplantation, aka strip transplantation) – a have been replaced by better, more advanced techniques like FUE (follicular unit extraction).
The hairline above looks unnatural because it is too straight, does not match the temples, grafts are too large for the hairline, and the angles are too perpendicular.
These include: Excessive scarring: this is usually caused by below-standard surgical tools or an incorrect technique performed by an inexperienced surgeon. Unnatural direction of hair growth: identified by transplanted hair growing in the wrong direction, this is often caused by poor surgeon technique.
What does a bad hair transplant look like? Bad transplants can be those with unnatural hairline shapes or heights. Often, the grafts that are placed are done in an unnatural way. The donor area can also be harmed by scarring or overharvesting and can look very sparse.
What is considered a bad hair transplant? A hair transplant is considered bad if the results are not satisfactory or do not meet the expectations of the patient. This can include an unnatural hairline, patchy or irregular hair growth, an uneven hairline, and a visible scar.
In other cases, too much hair is transplanted or at the wrong angle, creating an unnatural result. This often results in regret as a result. A good consultation from a knowledgeable doctor with a lot of experience can prevent this kind of unpleasant experience.
Poor Scalp Health
Similarly, alopecia areata, which causes patchy hair loss, must also be resolved as it can unpredictably affect both existing and transplanted hair follicles. Additionally, scarred areas from conditions like cicatricial alopecia may not support new hair growth, making transplantation ineffective.
Generally, clients can proceed with a hair transplant or preparatory therapies if: Their hair loss is below stage six on the Norwood Scale. There are sufficient follicles to replenish the target areas.
The general success rate of hair transplants is 95 – 98%, especially when using the Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) technique. Top-rated hair transplant surgeons usually have a close to 100% success rate.
If patients undergo surgery too early, they may experience hair thinning after the transplant because the hair is harvested from a part of the scalp that is still going to fall out. Patients need to understand how far their hairline will recede and the overall extent of their balding before committing to surgery.
The best age patients should be considering hair transplant surgery is when they are between 30-45. The most common age patients have surgery tends to be when they have turned 30 or older.
Natural Looking Results
The ARTAS FUE method harvests and transplants hairs in their natural groupings, leaving NO linear scar behind. This gives hair a more natural appearance and allows you to wear your hair as short as you like with without having to worry about a visible scar.
Dr. Aygin says a huge leap has come from improving the simple knowledge of angles and density: “In the hair-plug periods of the 80s and 90s, a large number of hair shafts were extracted from the donor area and implanted with gaps in between, and the angle was too straight. So transplanted hair looked fake."
There are a few ways surgeons can correct bad hair transplants. The first is camouflaging obvious grafts from previous transplants. By placing micro-grafts in front of larger existing grafts, they can camouflage unnatural-looking hair plugs or old implants to give a more authentic hairline.
Hair transplant procedures aren't a one and done thing, since hair loss will continue even after the transplant. So if you feel like you may just give up and shave your head, then a hair transplant could be a bad idea. Both methods of hair transplant procedures, FUT and FUE, will leave scarring on your scalp.
A 5000 grafts hair transplant is one of the toughest procedures to perform. Surgery of this volume can be tiring for both surgeons and patients so many clinics are unequipped to perform a 5000 graft transplant. Hair transplants of 3000 grafts or more are known as megasessions, since they take several hours to complete.
Unfortunately, treatment options by stage 7 are very limited. Some patients prefer to simply shave away the horseshoe-shaped ring of hair that remains and embrace being bald. Hats, toupees and wigs are also available options. If this does not appeal to you, then transplant surgery may still be viable.
By the 10-year mark, transplanted hairs remain while some surrounding non-transplanted hairs might thin, potentially affecting overall look and density.
Hair transplantation is not an inexpensive solution. The investment necessary for hair restoration is accounted for in its long and involved technique (a long procedure time) and follow-up. When patients cannot afford it or they are pushing their budget, this can create a vulnerability.
Generally speaking, the following reasons would make someone NOT a candidate for surgery: younger than age 25, various medical reasons/conditions, type of thinning (diffuse rather than pattern alopecia), lack of hair in donor area (this is the most common disqualifying reason that we see) and most importantly, ...
Absolute contraindications for adults and children include, but may not be limited to: Major systemic disease. Age inappropriateness (70 years of age) Cancer in the last 5 years except localized skin (not melanoma) or stage I breast or prostate.
Folliculitis (inflammation of the hair follicles), is one of the possible side effects of hair transplant in India, but is easily treatable. Altered sensation: There is the risk of nerve damage resulting in loss or decreased sensation to areas of your scalp.
Getting a hair transplant should not be a shameful experience and at The Private Clinic we work hard to ensure that our patients are treated with respect and compassion whilst they are in our care.
Hair transplants have a 97% and above success rate
Hair transplant success rates are 97% and above in the overall market. For Wimpole Clinic, our success rates are between 97% and 100%.