I am considering a hair transplant of 2200 grafts and am 50 years old. I am in good health and I have plenty of donor hair. I feel that this would make a tremendous difference in my hairline and appearance. What are the risks and pain involved for a man my age and with that amount of micrografts? How long would it take to heal? thank you
2200 grafts is a moderate-sized surgery that would likely take about a week to heal in the donor area. The risks for someone of your age if you are in good health are roughly the same as those for most other ages – to be more precise, there are surprisingly few. As with any surgery you risk the possibility of scar formation, infection, and possible adverse reaction to anesthesia or other drugs are very, very rare. These are the big ones we worry about and incidences are very uncommon in a proper surgery center and with a trained and experienced doctor and team. There is also no excuse for this elective surgery to be any more painful than a mild dental visit. Good pain medicines and effective techniques are available, well known, and should be used.
To be completely honest, your biggest risk is in the choice of your surgeon and the team they use. Choose a surgeon with a good reputation whose hairlines you like, and make sure they are willing to let you meet their patients and evaluate their results for yourself. Check the facility and ask the surgeon who is on the surgery team. An experienced staff makes all the difference in the world both in your experience that day and in your final result because of the way the staff members treat the grafts. Lastly, choose someone with whom you feel comfortable. Many of my patients who come in for corrective work had a less than good feeling when they went to their doc or they chose them solely on price. Remember, you are the one who gets to live with the permanent results after all, so be a little picky.
