In recent years, we’ve seen a number of people visit the Harley Street Hair Clinic who have asked us if it’s possible to reverse a hair transplant – the short answer is no. A hair transplant is a permanent hair restoration procedure. There are, however, a number of ways that a hair transplant can be corrected if needed.
The risks of cheap hair transplants
In recent years the number of people who have searched for cheaper hair transplant options and opted to travel outside of the country instead of using a reputable clinic in the UK has risen. This sadly aligns with the number of bad hair transplants we’ve seen. Not everyone is aware of the danger medical tourism holds, not all clinics abroad fall under this category but there are risks to be considered when traveling for a cosmetic treatment.
Unlike clinics in the UK, many hair transplant clinics in Turkey, and similar countires are not govend by a professional medical body such as the CQC – this means there is no way to see if the clinic is reputable. There have been a number of reports of some clinics illegally operating, with many nurses and practitioners not having the same medical training as a doctor in the UK would.
Having a hair transplant by an inexperienced person can lead to a number of problems in the future, even if you think your results look great to start with. You could be left with an un-natural looking hair line, damage to the donor area – or an over harvested donor area, hair follicles that have been implanted incorrectly – which could grow in the wrong direction causing an unsatisfactory result.
If your hair transplant is unsatisfactory you are left with few options. Any reputable clinic will do their upmost to rectify the bad work, however, this can sometimes mean having to pay to travel back to the clinic and costs start to add up when you consider travel, accommodation and food. Unforentantly, for some people the problems arise some time after the treatment and the clinic they went to might not even still be operating. Another option would be to visit a clinic in the UK with a good reputation that you know is following proper regulations, after all, many people don’t want to risk going back to the same clinic.
Can a bad hair transplant be corrected?
As previously mentioned, there is no way to reverse a hair transplant and take your hair back to how it was, we can however, work with patients to fix and repair a poor hair transplant.
Revisional hair transplant surgery works to help build on the density of your hair and can correct a hairline, In most cases this is done by using the FUE hair transplant method and transplanting grafts from the donor area, and transplanting them to the area of the scalp that needs work. However, when you have previously had a hair transplant that hasn’t worked as well as you might have hoped you can run into the issue where your donor hair was over harvested, meaning you’ve not been left with enough donor hair to use for future hair transplants.
In some cases it may be possible for previously transplanted hair grafts to be removed and transplanted – however, this is not recommended as it can result in less natural looking results and further scaring.
Hair transplant scaring can also be an issue left behind from a bad hair transplant, the most common scaring we see is from clinics using older methods such as FUT. This leaves a long strip shaped scar on the back of the scalp. Our doctors are able to seamlessly cover scaring left from hair transplantation.
If you’re currently looking to have hair transplant correction surgery we recommend contacting us today and booking a no-obligation consultation. This way, our team of experts can asses your current hair transplant and advise you on the best course of treatment to correct any issues you may have.