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What are the causes for failed transplants?


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  • Senior Member

I don't think anybody really knows the answer to that question.

 

But I am convinced all the clinics know that some of their hair transplants are going to fail, and they don't really know what to do about it, or how to prevent it

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  • Senior Member

The are a lot of risks and various factors involved, these are the ones that come to mind as the major reasons. Feel free to add others I'm missing.

 

Patient side:

- physiology including health problems, scalp issues, being a poor/slow grower, scarring from previous surgery or past injury

- not following the key important postoperative instructions

- injury or damage to the grafts accidentally

- choosing the wrong surgeon without doing proper due diligence and research

 

Doctor

Poor technique

- transection of existing hair follicles

- placing an overly excessive graft count in the recipient area compromising blood supply

- removing the grafts for extended periods of time outside of the body

(most say 8 hours is the upper limit, but the longer left outside the body the lower survival rate)

- harvesting outside the safe zone

- poor FUE extraction technique damaging follicular structure

- poor incision method or graft placement technique

- placing the incisions too far spaced apart leaving gaps or holes in the density

- using the wrong hair direction and hair angle as it leaves the scalp

Administrative

- not hiring qualified techs to work at the clinic

- not having a clean and sanitized surgical area (leading to infection etc.)

- not using modern equipment or tools, or conversely over relying on robotic techniques

 

Technicians:

- mishandling the follicular structure after it is removed from the scalp

- using the wrong storage method/solution during graft storage phase

- tech graft placement error, such as choosing multiple hair units for the hairline and temple points [*edited this one based on feedback]

Edited by hsrp10

go dense or go home

 

Unbiased advice and opinions based on 25 plus years of researching and actual experience with hair loss, hair restoration via both FUT & FUE, SMP, scalp issues including scalp eczema & seborrheic dermatitis and many others

 

HSRP10's favorite FUT surgeons: *Dr. Konior, *Dr Hasson, Dr. Rahal

HSRP10's favorite FUE surgeons: *Dr. Konior, *Dr. Bisanga, Dr. Erdogan, Dr. Couto

(*indicates actual experience with doctor)

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  • Senior Member

On the topic of "not following post-op instructions". The problem with this argument is that there are so many different post op regimes and they all differ from doctor to doctor. If post-op care was an exact science, then there wouldn't so much diversity of opinion. A few things seem common though - don't dislodge grafts and avoid sun.

 

Obviously, one should follow their doctor's instructions, but I'm highly skeptical of not following post-op procedure as a reason for a failed result.

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  • Senior Member

Sure we could add the disclaimer "not following the important key postoperative instructions," but that was not the point of my post.

Wanted to list all the possible reasons I have seen and heard over the many years, and that one is indeed a real cause.

 

There are no guarantees in this field, and we are all made to sign a disclaimer agreement before proceeding, so the best one could do is to have a test procedure of a few hundred grafts at a respected and elite surgeon then if successful go ahead with a larger procedure at the same surgeon.

Though in most cases this is not always possible for logistic and economic reasons etc.

 

Btw I had a failed procedure at Bosley in the early 90's so I've been on both sides of this situation.

go dense or go home

 

Unbiased advice and opinions based on 25 plus years of researching and actual experience with hair loss, hair restoration via both FUT & FUE, SMP, scalp issues including scalp eczema & seborrheic dermatitis and many others

 

HSRP10's favorite FUT surgeons: *Dr. Konior, *Dr Hasson, Dr. Rahal

HSRP10's favorite FUE surgeons: *Dr. Konior, *Dr. Bisanga, Dr. Erdogan, Dr. Couto

(*indicates actual experience with doctor)

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As far as grafts not surviving I agree with what hsrp10 has posted. As far as patients not being happy I think unrealistic expectations is the number one thing. There are limits to what a transplant can do. Nobody will get back their hair from their teen years. It's the illusion of coverage that should be the objective.

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  • Senior Member

- using the wrong hair direction and hair angle as it leaves the scalp (*if techs are involved in graft placement phase)

I asked a techinician this question when she was implanting the grafts and she told me that directions/angle are determined by the incisions that the doctor makes. So this is not the job of technicians

Edited by BaldPatient2
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  • Senior Member
I asked a techinician this question when he was implanting the grafts and he told me that directions/angle are determined by the incisions that the doctor makes. So this is not the job of technicians

 

That's a valid point in most cases, what I wanted to write is also the hair graft counts, for example techs placing multiple hair grafts in the hairline and temple points (recent case on this forum). I'll edit it a bit.

 

Also the recent temple peak work failure I saw on here was really bad and thought there was no way Dr. Bisanga could have messed up that bad while at the same time the other side was done well.

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185343-temporal-point-looks-very-unnatural-after-fue-advice-needed.html

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/attachment.php?attachmentid=100759&d=1479769067

Edited by hsrp10

go dense or go home

 

Unbiased advice and opinions based on 25 plus years of researching and actual experience with hair loss, hair restoration via both FUT & FUE, SMP, scalp issues including scalp eczema & seborrheic dermatitis and many others

 

HSRP10's favorite FUT surgeons: *Dr. Konior, *Dr Hasson, Dr. Rahal

HSRP10's favorite FUE surgeons: *Dr. Konior, *Dr. Bisanga, Dr. Erdogan, Dr. Couto

(*indicates actual experience with doctor)

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  • Senior Member
- choosing the wrong surgeon without doing proper due diligence and research

 

Yes Yes Yes!

"but I "saved" a bunch of money"......lol

Dr. Dow Stough - 1000 Grafts - 1996

Dr. Jerry Wong - 4352 Grafts - August 2012

Dr. Jerry Wong - 2708 Grafts - May 2016

 

Remember a hair transplant turns back the clock,

but it doesn't stop the clock.

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  • Senior Member
That's a valid point in most cases, what I wanted to write is also the hair graft counts, for example techs placing multiple hair grafts in the hairline and temple points (recent case on this forum). I'll edit it a bit.

 

 

During my surgery, I heard the doctor giving directions to technicians "put singles here" , "put larger grafts in mid-scalp". So the doctor is also responsible of supervising the technicians work

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  • Senior Member
Yes Yes Yes!

"but I "saved" a bunch of money"......lol

I paid a lot of money to a local doctor for my first surgery here in Canada almost the same as what top clinics charge and got very poor results. I would have saved money by traveling to third world country and probably got better results

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  • Senior Member

There have been posts where doctors don't even do the slits for the grafts techs do those too. Most of those were in Turkey if I can remember correctly but I might be wrong. Best tool a potential patient has is research over and over.

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  • Senior Member
There have been posts where doctors don't even do the slits for the grafts techs do those too. Most of those were in Turkey if I can remember correctly but I might be wrong. Best tool a potential patient has is research over and over.

 

This is referred to as "stick and place" and it has been in use for decades in North America. Many of the "old guard" in the industry used to utilize this practice and some clinics still do. The doctor removes the donor strip and that is the end of their involvement save for the occasional glance over a technician's shoulder as the technician makes incisions then places a graft immediately afterward. This can and is utilized for FUE as well but has gained much more attention due to the media that has been generated around the Turkish market.

I represent Dr. Jerry Cooley online. All opinions are my own and do not necessarily represent those of Dr. Cooley. I am not a doctor.

 

Learn more about Jerry Cooley MD and Hair Center in Charlotte, NC

 

For complimentary consultations with one of the leading hair transplant doctors worldwide please contact us here.

 

Hair Transplant Consultation With Jerry Cooley MD at HairCenter.com

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