What is the risk/likelihood of permanent numbness/nerve damage after a FUE hair transplant?

[Grafts 1]

I am 27 year old American, and I plan on getting a 3000 graft FUE Procedure with a top European surgeon next year.

One thing which has really concerned me, which I didn't know previously, is that there is a possible risk of permanent numbness/nerve damage to the donor and/or recipient area after a FUE hair transplant.

What is the risk/likelihood of this? 

[ciaus 191]

I don't have numbers/%s, but its pretty rare. You'd hear plenty about it online and on this forum if it was a noteworthy risk. When there is some post op numbness it usually lasts 1-2 weeks, up to a few months. Never seen a post or heard of someone that actually never recovered from the numbness, but I suppose with unethical chop shops out there its possible. And this is more likely with FUT, where they cut out the strips of skin, rather than FUE which is alot less invasive, just extracting individual follicles.

[Melvin-Moderator 2,762]

Almost none, that rarely occurs with FUT, but not FUE.

[DrTBarghouthi 256]

Numbness can last for weeks in certain areas and it is mainly from the superficial nerves which are bound to get weaker with thousands of extractions and incisions being so close. Everyone recovers but at different rates. It has to do with the regrowth of those nerves and nothing else. No worries at all. Remember that nerves are very slow in their regrowth. About 1 mm a month.