I think I have a failed transplant, should I go for another hair transplant? (Photos)

I am deeply sorry to hear about your dissatisfaction with the outcome of your hair transplant. Generally, I do advise waiting until month twelve following your surgery before working to reach a conclusion as to whether or not your grafts had survived. Of course, for your own sense of inner peace I also recommend that you communicate your concerns with the doctor who performed your procedure. They may have other insights for you to consider. If you are feeling frustrated at this point, you can choose to start having this dialogue now, rather than waiting two more months to perhaps have this conversation now, to also discuss  your observations about your scars. In most cases the full extent of hair transplant results culminate between 12-18 months following surgery. Around this time you may want to see if you are a candidate for another procedure, given your tendency to form the scars that you mentioned.

A common cause of a failed hair transplant in African Americans is the surgeon missing a diagnosis of primary scarring alopecia. In this case the scalp is literally attacking the transplanted hair and a repeat hair transplant would also not expected to be successful. This condition is recognized by scaling and redness around the follicles and diagnosed by biopsy. The condition is treated medically rather than by surgery. However, if the cause of the failed transplant was poor surgical technique, then a repeat procedure would be warranted as long as the remaining donor supply was adequate. In all cases, a repeat procedure should not be contemplated unless the cause of the failure can be identified and corrected.

Good morning, It is important to have a professional examination by a specialist under a magnifier to determine if there are baby hairs still trying to grow - this is still possible at the 10 month mark and also with a trichometer. We do this type of examination routinely at our practice. About once a month we have a visiting specialist who specialises in African American Hair and transplants. Her next date is 11/22.  If no hairs are visible then a biopsy would be the next step. We also need to make sure that you are on the appropriate supplementation that we always give our patients peri-operatively. There are many on the market and our preferred one has over 20 special herbs that enhance hair growth. PRP is also a possibility to stimulate growth and we have found success in using PRP with hair  transplants in a patient with documented scarring alopecia. There are also other regenerative medicine avenues to discuss.I hope this was useful for you ! Best of luck in your quest, Sincerely, Dr. Anna PetropoulosBoard Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon Boston's North Shore

The reason of the hair loss may related with factors other than genetic like connective tissue disorders, stress, anemia, lupus, medications, hormonal and seasonal changes, nutritional problems, severe diets, bulimia, protein/calorie deficiency, zinc and essential amino-acid deficiency, mal-absorption (intestinal and digestive problems), A-vitamin excess, general anesthesia, affective mood disorders.So you may need dermatoscopy, skin biopsy and to have a full exam with a dermatologist or hair surgeon, to figure out the reason for hair loss.

Hello. I’m so sorry to hear about a possible failed transplant. I completely understand your frustration and disbelief. The first step is to see a hair loss professional and get a biopsy and take it from there. Best wishes.Dr. T

The next step for anyone with a failed transplant is a biopsy; a biopsy is needed along with examination by a physician who specializes in all the hair disorders. This is often a dermatologist. Yes, you are correct that a scarring alopecia must be ruled out. It is too often forgotten that patients with failed transplants need a biopsy in most cases along with expert scalp examination. I see far too many patients with repeat procedures and repeat failed procedures. A biopsy after procedure one could have captured the missed diagnosis for many of them. There are, of course, many reasons for failed transplants including scalp disease, patient health issues, and issues related to the surgery, surgeon technique and post op care.

Excellent question. It is difficult with the photos to mention any comments about your hair growth in the recipient area and possible scarring in the donor and recipient areas.You should be seen in person. I will suggest you to look for a 2nd opinion with a local and experienced hair loss and hair restoration specialist. Good luck.

Certainly the presence of a scarring alopecia which is active would kill off a hair transplant. To find out, your doctor can biopsy the area and that will let you know if scarring alopecia or some other autoimmune alopecia is responsible for the failure.