FUE nerve pain 7 years post-op. What are my options?

Experiencing nerve pain years after an FUE hair transplant is uncommon but possible, especially if a small sensory nerve branch (often the auriculotemporal or occipital nerve) was irritated or partially injured during local anesthesia injection or graft extraction.

After 7 years, the issue is unlikely related to inflammation — it’s more likely due to neuropathic irritation or nerve hypersensitivity in that area.
Fortunately, there are several management options that can help relieve the pain:

1. Medical evaluation
Visit a neurologist or a pain management specialist.

FUE procederes do not usually cause nerve damage. In my experience of almost 30 years transplanting hair, I have had 2 or 3 cases of persistent pain, all of which occurred with the FUT (strip) procedure, and all resolved with treatment. The big nerve branches on the scalp travel deeper than the punches should go to harvest the hair. But, if large punches are used, and if the depth was not respected, there could be nerve damage. There is treatment for this, and you should start treatment as soon as possible, since the longer a nerve is allowed to remain inflamed, the more difficult the treatment may be. Options may include medications, botox and/or surgery.