FUE hair transplant side effects and how to treat them
Itching is the most common side effect and usually subsides within a month. Shock loss will affect nearly one-half of people, but all the hairs will grow back. Bleeding and infections are very rare.
Like every other procedure, hair transplants also have side effects. The most common side effects are bleeding, swelling, crusting, itching, infections, hair loss, and shock loss.
Swelling after Hair Transplant
Hair transplant-induced swelling, often known as “oedema,” is a common side effect. There will be some inflammation in your body due to the procedure. Due to the inflammation, the scalp’s skin will feel tight and swollen. In most cases, it occurs in the forehead and lasts for 2-6 days. Swelling of the eyelid can occur in rare instances. Although it can cause a patient’s return to work to be delayed, there is no need to panic; your eyes will recover.
What Can You Do To Reduce Swelling? Anti-inflammatory drugs like dexamethasone (a steroid) would be prescribed by your doctor. Swelling can be reduced by taking this medication. If you’ve had a significant hair transplant, your swelling may last longer than 7-10 days or begin to hurt your eyes. You should contact your hair transplant surgeon at this point. When it comes to the side effects, they’ll be able to offer advice. You shouldn’t have to worry about this swelling persisting.
Bleeding after Hair Transplant
Immediately following your transplant, you may have bleeding as a side effect. On the day after surgery, the back of your head where your hair follicles were extracted will leak. Scabs will form as a result of the surgery. Over the next several days/weeks, the region will start to heal. On the day of the surgery, bleeding may occur in the location where follicles were implanted. The day after the surgery, you should not have any bleeding. If you bleed, you may have accidentally dislodged or removed a hair follicle implanted in your body.
How To Stop The Bleeding- Don’t stress out if you notice a lot of bleeding the next day. Gently massage the area with a clean swab, cotton bud, or towel. Avoid rubbing the hair follicles to prevent them from dislodging. Eventually, the bleeding will stop after 10-15 of gentle pressure over the area. If it does not, you should call your surgeon.
Post-Transplant itching
A typical side effect of hair transplant surgery is itching. In reality, this is a normal reaction to the body’s healing process and a common side effect of many surgeries. Itching is a side effect of the inflammatory and healing processes occurring in your scalp due to the operation. Hair transplant-induced dryness might also cause itching. After a while, in both cases, the side effect disappears. The delicate follicles you just implanted may be damaged or dislodged if you scratch your scalp after the transplant.
What Can You Do To Alleviate The Itching? Avoid scratching. You can consider taking antihistamines or using a saltwater spray. A medicated shampoo and Steroid scalp solution can help.
Crusting
Scabs and crusts can be found in the donor region, and they are quite common. The crusts are formed by the accumulation of dried blood and fluid surrounding each of your implanted hair follicles. It can also form on your surgical site. Your surgeon can help prevent post-surgical crusting by cleaning and spraying you thoroughly.
How Do You Treat Crusting? First and foremost, do not remove the crusts. The grafts might fall out and compromise your hair transplant procedure. After surgery, you should spray your grafts regularly for the first four days to keep them moist. This prevents the formation of hard crusts. After the fifth day of washing, start using oil to soften the crusts. Around day 10-14 they will be soft enough to shampoo out.
Hair Loss After Hair Transplant
So don’t be surprised if this happens, since it’s a perfectly natural side effect of FUE hair transplant surgery, termed as “shock loss.” After the first week after surgery, shock loss begins to occur. Over the next 8-12 months, new hair will fill the bald spots left by the previous shedding.
Infection
Infection is always a possibility with any surgery. To minimize this risk, your hair transplant should be performed in a sterile surgical environment. As soon as a day after your operation, you can get infected. When your scalp is infected, it will be inflamed, swollen, itchy, and painful.
How to Treat Infection? In most cases, an antibiotic pill will help to alleviate the symptoms. Once the pill has started working, you’ll be free of the infection in approximately two to three days. If this is performed swiftly, there should be little risk to your grafts, so be sure to see your surgeon if you discover any signs of an infection. In some cases, cream for your scalp may be prescribed by your doctor to help treat the infection.
Schedule Your Consultation
Are you concerned about side effects, pain, or discomfort after your FUE hair transplant procedure? Contact us today at our practice. Dr. Vinay Rawlani, our hair restoration specialist from Northwestern Hair, will be happy to meet with you and recommend a procedure with very low risks.