While there are a high number of hair transplant success stories, there are also many bad hair transplants out there. A bad hair transplant can leave patients with both physical and mental scarring.
Disappointing hair transplant results can feel like a waste of time and money. It can also feel like a betrayal of your trust by your hair transplant surgeon, who may have promised results they haven’t delivered.
If you’re the victim of a bad or failed hair transplant, you may feel despondent and disappointed with the procedure. But there are things you can do to fix it.
- How to fix a bad hair transplant
- When should you consider a hair transplant repair?
- How long to wait before looking to fix a bad hair transplant
- Can you have a hair transplant scar repair?
- Why do people end up with bad hair transplants?
- The real cost of a bad hair transplant
- How to avoid a bad hair transplant
- Do you need expert advice about your hair loss?
How to fix a bad hair transplant
If you’ve already experienced a bad hair transplant, try not to worry. According to an ISHRS report, many people don’t achieve their desired result after 1 hair transplant procedure. Going back to your clinic (or, if you’ve lost faith in them, finding a different reputable surgeon) is the first step to fixing your unsuccessful transplant.
Camouflaging unnatural-looking results
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 graft removal
The other option is graft removal. This is where existing hair grafts are carefully removed, dissected, and redistributed to gain a more natural finish. With this procedure, there are generally no new donor grafts that need to be harvested. It can also be used in conjunction with the camouflaging procedure.
FUE hair transplant procedure
Thirdly, if you are self-conscious of linear scarring from a previous FUT hair transplant or plug-in style implants, you can use FUE hair transplant surgery to hide the scar tissue. FUE won’t cause any further linear scarring when hair follicles are taken from the donor area. Learn more about getting a hair transplant into a scar.
Scalp micro-pigmentation
Scalp micro-pigmentation is also an effective way to disguise hair transplant scars, give the appearance of high-density hair, and even outline hairlines.
If you’re suffering from a bad hair transplant, let our experts at the Wimpole Clinic help you find the right solution for corrective treatment.
What does a bad hair transplant look like?
Patient advisor Adam explains what a bad or unnatural hair transplant can look like, so you know what to avoid.
How to tell if your hair grafts will take
Find out if and how you can tell when your hair grafts have taken, and learn about the early signs of hair transplant success.
Can you get a second hair transplant?
Considering a second procedure to fix your hair transplant? Adam explains why some patients require multiple procedures.
When should you consider a hair transplant repair?
Some people fear they are experiencing a failed hair restoration surgery when their newly implanted hair starts falling out about 2 weeks post-procedure. However, this is a common and temporary side effect known as hair transplant shock loss.
But sometimes, hair transplants can truly go wrong and may require fixing. So how can you tell when you might need further surgery? Here are some of the tell-tale signs [1][2]:
- You have experienced major donor area scarring from hair transplant overharvesting, poor surgeon skills or post-operatory infection.
- You have not achieved your desired hair coverage, either due to poor graft survival or misrepresentation of the results you could expect, considering the extent of your hair loss.
- Your new hair growth pattern looks unnatural – your hairline is too low, straight or crooked, or your transplanted hair grows in a different direction than the rest.
- Your hair grafts have popped or pitted – Surgical error can result in your hair grafts being packed too densely or implanted too shallowly, which can give them pop (give your transplant area a permanent goosebumps appearance). They can also be placed too deep, making them look pitted (like the hair is emerging from tiny holes in your scalp) [3].
- You have experienced a serious scalp infection – Though this is a rare occurrence, a more severe hair transplant infection can leave you with sparse hair growth in the affected area after healing.
- Your hair thinning advanced around your hair transplant, leaving you with patchy hair growth (this can happen even if your hair transplant went perfectly, as androgenetic alopecia can progress around the areas where your grafts were implanted).
How long to wait before looking to fix a bad hair transplant
The best thing you can do is let your surgeon know as soon as you suspect something may be wrong with your hair transplant. They can make sure your healing and recovery process is on track and lower your chances of needing corrective surgery.
In some cases, you may suspect that something is wrong with your surgical hair restoration results once your hair starts growing, often around 3-4 months post-operation. However, this is often too soon to tell, as it may simply take more time for your new hair to grow in.
On average, you can expect to see your final results about 1 year after a hair transplant. But as a rule of thumb, if 6-8 months have passed since your surgery and there are transplant areas on your scalp where new hair has not started to emerge or is very sparse, you may need to consider hair transplant repair.
When it comes to FUT scarring, in rare cases, you may notice an abnormally wide or thick scar. This can take months to fully form, but you will likely be able to tell from the first days or weeks of your recovery if it does not resemble a fine line, as it should. Realising this early on can give you treatment options to shrink the scar (such as laser therapy), before attempting to repair it surgically.
Can you have a hair transplant scar repair?
If you have an obvious hair transplant scar from your FUT procedure, there is good news. In most cases, a hair transplant scar repair is possible [4][5]. However, depending on the size, thickness and rigidity of your scar, this procedure can be significantly more complex than a regular hair restoration surgery.
If your scar is fine, supple and has decent blood flow, this procedure will be easier. All the surgeon needs to do is harvest some more hair grafts from the surrounding area (assuming you still have enough healthy hair in your donor area) and implant them into the scar to cover it.
However, not all hair transplants into scar tissue are feasible. A thick, rigid scar with poor blood supply may not be repairable with a follow-up hair transplant. That is because it would be difficult for the surgeon to implant the grafts precisely and in a natural hair growth pattern. And even if they did, the grafts would likely not survive, as they would not receive the blood flow they need to get vital oxygen and nutrients.
In some cases, if this is something you are open to, you could get dermatological treatment or plastic surgery to remove or shrink the scar and then try to perform a hair transplant into the new, finer scar tissue.
The best way to find out for certain whether you can have a hair transplant scar repair is to ask a trusted surgeon. They are the most qualified to establish your eligibility for this procedure and provide personal advice regarding the best surgical approach.
Why do people end up with bad hair transplants?
To understand how to fix a hair transplant, you need to know what’s caused it. Most hair transplants that go wrong result from one (or a combination) of these factors:
Incorrect diagnosis and suggested treatment
Some hair transplant clinics have one objective: to get you in the chair for surgery. That means they may not assess the cause of your hair loss, which is extremely important for knowing how to treat it. If your hair is caused by temporary conditions like or illness, a hair transplant procedure may not be suitable for you.
Hair transplant surgery also won’t stop continuing hair loss. So if you have a procedure while you’re still losing hair, this can continue long after surgery, creating a patchy or uneven appearance.
Surgical errors
Errors during hair transplant surgery itself can also result in a failed hair transplant. Overharvesting hair follicles from your donor area, poorly designed hairlines, hair transplant trypophobia, poor hair growth, and patchy transplants can all occur if you work with an inexperienced or unskilled hair transplant surgeon.
Hair transplant costs can help you understand the skill level of your transplant surgeon. Watch this video from our hair loss consultant Matt Devlin to learn more about hair transplant costs.
Poor post-surgery aftercare
Unfortunately, patients themselves can also jeopardise the success of their hair transplant procedure. If you don’t take care of your hair transplant, you can damage your chances of a good result. This includes actions like:
- Exposing your transplanted hair to sunlight
- Allowing trauma to the transplanted area
- Not following the aftercare recommendations from your hair transplant clinic
The real cost of a bad hair transplant
A bad or failed hair transplant can make you feel low. Failed hair transplants can seem like a waste of time and money. The good news is that many bad hair transplants can be fixed, provided you still have some hair in your donor area.
Unskilled or inexperienced hair transplant surgeons are liable to overharvest follicles from the donor area. If they take too many, there may not be enough hair follicles left to fix your botched hair transplant.
How to avoid a bad hair transplant
If you want to avoid spending time, money, and headspace on a failed hair transplant, there are some things you can do to avoid it.
- Choose an experienced hair transplant surgeon
- Don’t be tempted by cheap rates that promise big results
- Understand the recovery process
- Follow the aftercare advice from your surgeon and consultant
Do you need expert advice about your hair loss?
At the Wimpole Clinic, we specialise in trichology (the study and practice of cosmetic procedures for the hair and scalp) and offer a number of highly effective treatments to overcome bad hair transplants.
We use Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) or Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) to correct poorly performed hair transplants. These surgical procedures require a great deal of skill from the surgeon, so choosing an experienced and reputable clinic is key to a successful hair transplant.
To find out how we can help you fix your bad hair transplant, book a free no-obligation consultation with our trichology team.
- Complications of Hair Transplant Procedures—Causes and Management
- Androgenetic Alopecia from A to Z: Vol.3 Hair Restoration Surgery, Alternative Treatments, and Hair Care
- Hair Transplantation
- Treatment of Postsurgical Scalp Scar Deformity Using Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation
- Hair Follicle Transplantation on Scar Tissue
Talk to a specialist ☎ 020 7935 1861.
Simply fill in your details and we’ll get in touch with you shortly.
Book a consultation
Simply fill in your details in the form below and we'll get in touch with you shortly.