Hair Loss Regrowth

Complications Associated With Hair Transplantation

Hair transplantation is a new thing on the block. Few people really understand how hair transplanting really works. Hair transplanting involves taking active hair follicles from regions of the scalp with good hair growth and placing it to the regions with low or no hair growth at all. The hair follicles are transplanted by perforating micro holes on the skin of the scalp and placing the follicles in these holes. With time, the follicles will establish themselves in their new locations and begin to produce hair as normal. Although the procedure is somehow effective at treating baldness, there are some complications associated with hair transplantation.

After the hair transplant, patients are given some antibiotic treatments which help reduce any chances of the hair follicles being rejected in their new positions. Some patients show little response to these antibiotics and the new hair follicles are rejected. When hair follicles are rejected, macrophages are triggered to attack the hair follicles as if they were foreign bodies. This part of the immune system involves the macrophages. The result is that the skin will show some signs of irritation causing one to feel itchy and scratch. This scratching may cause openings on the skin of the scalp which opens up gateways for secondary opportunistic infections to enter. Once this happens, an autoimmune condition may be triggered which will cause further loss of hair.

After a transplant, patients are encouraged to look after their hair properly and avoid exposing the scalp to direct sunlight. When the scalp is exposed to direct sunlight it can cause some serious side effects that will affect the hair. This is so for UV radiation in the sun can cause mutations in the new hair follicles that will be trying to establish themselves. This can easily occur as the hair follicles will not yet be having their natural protection against UV radiation because they still have to establish melanin production. Melanin protects hair follicles from dangerous UV radiation waves. When the hair follicles become mutated as a result of the sun, they will be rejected by the body. The response of the body will be similar to the one described above.

The body’s repairing mechanisms slow down with age. If a hair transplant is carried out on a patient that is old there are high chances that the hair follicles will take a longer time to establish themselves. In some patients, this may take a very long time such that the new hair follicles can die off. When this happens, it increases stress on the scalp, affecting blood supply to this region. The result is that further hair loss will occur, so instead of solving the hair loss problem, you may just add on to it and make it worse.

It is good, however, to note that all the complications associated with hair transplantation can all be avoided. All you have to do is to keep in constant touch with your surgeon informing them on any complications you may face. They will know exactly what medication to prescribe for you to solve that problem.