ARTAS FUE transplant and the safety of a sneeze?

Dear Eepittyouken,Thank you for writing in with your question. It is very unlikely that a couple of sneezes are going to dislodge grafts from an ARTAS FUE transplant procedure performed the previous day. The follicles are held into the scalp with a fibrin clot, which at 24 hours should not be disturbed by simple sneezing. The sensations in your scalp are almost certainly due to the tugging on the skin during a sneeze, and since the area was anesthetized with needles the day before, the scalp can remain a bit tender for a week or so following a procedure. I hope this information is helpful to you.

Sneezing after a graft has been placed that has been harvested by any technique (including the ARTAS procedure) will not dislodge it.  When the grafts are inserted into the scalp they are held in place with a fibrin clot.  Think of this as a thick "sticky" substance or a glue.  It takes several days for the graft to be "locked" into place to the point where the follicles can not be pulled out.  But again until this happens a simple sneeze will not cause the follicle to fall out.

Sneezing can potentially increase hair pressure and therefore lead to issues with graft displacement.  That being said it is highly unlikely for this to occur.  Each day that passes makes sneezing less likely and will make it harder for grafts to be displaced. Best Anil Shah

Transplanted hair follicles are susceptible to trauma during the first few days and weeks after a transplant session, regardless of the technique used to harvest the grafts. Some discomfort, numbness, tingling, and occasionally shooting pains in the scalp after a transplant session are common. As long as grafts are not physically dislodged, it is extremely unlikely that sneezing would affect them. Most of the time, if the grafts are disrupted or removed from their recipient sites, bleeding occurs, and is an indicator that grafts may have been lost.
As always, post-procedural concerns should be addressed by the doctor who performed the procedure as a first step.
All the best,

Hi there.
I am glad you had a great experience with the ARTAS.
It is unlikely that a sneeze would dislodge or affect any grafts placed yesterday. In the coming few weeks you may notice some shedding which is completely normal - not to worry. Also, a day after an ARTAS procedure it is normal to feel a bit of discomfort or tightness. This can last a week or two.

Hello. I doubt the common sneezing at 24 hours post procedure would dislodge your grafts. The body acts as glue & the grafts are held into the scalp with the tiny blood scab.  Everything should be fine

If the transplant was performed well with the proper  placement of the grafts it is unlikely a sneeze would dislodge the grafts. We have one of the largest experiences in the world with the ARTAS system and never experienced this problem

You should be fine.  It would be unlikely that a sneeze would dislodge any grafts. The best is to let the sneeze out from your mouth as to not increase pressure.

You should have no problem with your grafts from sneezing following hair restoration.  I always advise my patients to not hold back any sneezing and to let a sneeze out through the mouth to avoid pressure increases.  But even if a sneeze is held back, this will not affect the grafts.  Best Regards

Eepittyouken,Relax, this was most likely safe and close to a none event. You are asking did this cause any damage? Had the event dislodged a graft it would have caused bleeding that would have been obvious. Your question then would have been," I sneezed and grafts popped out, what can I do to stop the bleeding, and what do I do with the popped grafts?" The most important thing to do now is to follow the post op instructions given by your surgeon. Please care for the transplanted area in the next four months to protect this area from prolonged Sun exposure as this can really compromise the growth of the transplant! Very best of luck!!Bernardino A. Arocha, MD