Common Hair Transplant mistakes to be avoided

October, 09 2019 | By Dr. Satinder Singh & Dr. Sangay Bhutia (Hair Transplant Specialist in Delhi)

Hair transplant generally is thought to be a simple procedure where the hair follicles are harvested and transferred to the other area which has the hair loss. But there are number of details that need to be taken care of. The results and outcomes depend on how the surgeon carries out each and every step of the procedure and how meticulously he performs the procedure. So that means some mistakes can happen.



Some common mistakes that are to be avoided so that desired result is attained are:

Not choosing the right candidate for surgery
It is to be kept in mind that not all persons with hair loss are candidates for hair transplant. Every patient should be properly examined and then decide the candidacy for surgery. Very young patient may not be a good candidate as the future hair loss can’t be predicted. Patients with advanced stages of baldness like Norwood 7 may not be good candidate.

Lack of proper planning
Proper planning is must for achieving result in any field and if it is lacking then it can jeopardize the result. The safe zone should always be defined and one should not use the follicles which have started the process of miniaturization. If the donor follicles are harvested from too low area in occipital region then this may also cause poor density and result. One should always plan the hairline and frontal framing according to age like giving a low hairline in patient of fifties age will not give pleasing results.

Grafts desiccation
This happens when the hair follicles which are extracted gets dried up and gets desiccated. This is due to grafts not preserved in proper solution and are outside the body for long period of time.

Rough handling of the grafts
The hair follicles are very delicate structures and should be handled very carefully. Undue pressure on hair root, undue pulling and pinching of grafts can damage them permanently. The grafts may not grow properly and may not give the result as expected. In FUE the grafts are stripped of the extra fat surrounding the root but this can lead to desiccation as well as splaying of the grafts.

Improper storage environment
Storage conditions for the follicles should be proper not only in terms of solution but also in terms of the temperature. The storage should be done at low temperatures as this decrease the metabolic rate of the graft and also the survival chances.

Trying to pack excessively in small area
Over enthusiastic attempt to do very dense packing can sometimes lead to compromise or hampering the blood supply. Placing too many grafts and placing them deeply can cause this which can ultimately result in necrosis of skin.

Improper angling and direction of the graft
In order to attain a cosmetically good result one should try to follow the natural angulations of the existing hairs. The direction of naturally occurring hairs differs in different regions of the scalp. The recipient sites are created keeping in mind this angulations and direction.

Lack of proper OT environment
In order to do any surgery foremost requirement is proper visualization of the surgical field.

For procedure like hair transplant where minute details are very important as it is done to improve the overall appearance there should be proper OT light for good illumination and one should do the surgery with good quality magnification surgical loop so as visualize proper angulation and also to assess the quality of the grafts.