Is Hair Transplant Dangerous? What is FUE Hair Transplant Donor Overharvesting?

From time to time, we come across news of death that occurred as a result of complications during or after hair transplant surgery in the local and foreign press. According to a news published in Dailyhunt, known as Indian content and news aggregator, on March 12, 2022; A police officer in India died a day after his heart stopped after undergoing hair transplant surgery. In the news, which includes the information that the doctors and nurses fled after the incident, the allegations of the doctor who made the intervention and the relatives of the deceased; This death is caused by the drugs used during hair transplantation. Those who follow the agenda closely may remember; The death of 2 people after hair transplantation in our country last year was widely covered in the news bulletins, and the opinions of me and my colleagues who are experts on this subject were sought. Coinciding with this and similar news on various platforms, “Is it dangerous to have a hair transplant?” “Is there a risk of death in hair transplantation?” raises questions. I would like to clarify this issue, which causes a question mark in the minds about hair transplant surgeries performed with advanced technology that has proven itself today.

First of all, is Hair Transplantation Dangerous?

Hair transplantation is a kind of organ transplantation. I would like to state that promoting hair transplantation as a simple cosmetic application and perceiving it as such is an extremely erroneous and misleading approach. One should be aware that hair transplantation, which is a transplantation procedure, is a surgical procedure, and the necessary sensitivity should be shown. A meticulous procedure planning is required in order to complete all processes before, during and after the operation without any problems. The patient; Information such as height, weight, chronic diseases, whether there is a health problem that will prevent the surgery are important for compliance with the surgery. Before the procedure, our expectations and demands from our patients in order to ensure surgical safety are as follows:

– The patient should share his or her general health history honestly and completely; He/she should definitely report the medications he/she uses regularly.

– 15 days before the hair transplant surgery, the use of blood thinners and vitamin supplements should be suspended; The use of minoxidil and similar drugs that increase blood flow should be discontinued.

– In this process, the use of any prescription or non-prescription drugs should be within the knowledge of the doctor.

– Smoking and alcohol use should also be stopped 10 days before the procedure.

– It should not be forgotten that every surgery carries a risk; In order to prevent the occurrence of complications, all the instructions of the doctor before and after the operation should be followed meticulously.

This is not just to achieve the desired visual result; It is also extremely important in terms of not encountering vital risks during and after the surgery and during the recovery process.

Beware of Marketing Traps in Hair Transplantation

Trying to defame every successful practice that has become popular with unethical initiatives is not a new approach. I have also mentioned in my previous articles that hair transplant operations performed in informal places, which are called under the stairs, can lead to results that are difficult or impossible to compensate. In addition to providing appropriate clinical conditions, the education, knowledge and experience of the person who will perform the procedure is also extremely important. Therefore, a person who wants to have a hair transplant should first research very well both his doctor and the clinic or hospital where the surgery will be performed. Of course, it’s natural to think about your budget at this stage; however, a price-focused approach can leave you vulnerable to marketing traps.

What is FUE Hair Transplant Donor Overharvesting?

The hair density to be obtained as a result of hair transplant surgery depends on the amount of grafts collected from the donor area. The more grafts are collected, the more hairless area can be transplanted. Sounds good doesn’t it? Here’s another marketing trap for you! I suggest you be skeptical of promises of high numbers of grafts. Because forcing the donor area capacity may result in necrosis after hair transplantation. The goal of maximum graft collection, especially necrosis, leads to the following results:

• What is Necrosis? How is it understood?

Necrosis, which means permanent damage to cells, is considered the most risky complication after hair transplantation, although it is not very common. Forcing a large amount of graft in a single session may leave you alone with a disease that is difficult to treat, such as necrosis. Apart from the effort to collect a large number of grafts; Surgical errors, the presence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, and ignoring the doctor’s recommendations on smoking can also trigger necrosis. This situation, which manifests itself with a dark color in the donor area or planting area, should be shared with the doctor without delay.

• Grafts’ Chances of Survival are Decreased

The more grafts are planted, the longer the session duration. collected from the donor area

Keeping the grafts outside for a long time reduces the chance of survival of the hair follicles.

• May Cause Undesirable Images in the Donor Area

Forcing, in other words, exploiting the donor area can result in an unpleasant appearance. In hair transplantation, since the hair is taken from the donor area with its roots, hair growth will not occur in that area again. Grafts must be collected from the donor site with a suitable punching device inexpensively.

As a result; Hair transplantation is a surgical operation and every surgical operation carries risks. The important thing is to manage the risk step by step correctly. I believe that this radical change procedure to make you feel better, more confident and happier should not be trivialized in the hands of incompetent people.