Fixing a bad hair transplant: what repair can do

A hair transplant that looks unnatural can often be improved, though not always fully. The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) says repair is unlike a routine transplant, and it may take several procedures to reach a more natural result.

First, give it time

A result is hard to judge early. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) says the transplanted hair falls out 2 to 8 weeks after surgery, the area can look thinner than before by month 3, and most people see results at 6 to 9 months, some at 12. So thin or patchy hair in the first months is often part of normal healing.

Signs of infection or other problems do need a doctor quickly. See is a hair transplant safe? for what to watch for.

Problems that repair deals with

The ISHRS lists these:

• a hairline placed too low or too straight
• grafts at the wrong angle or in the wrong direction
• large, "pluggy" grafts, mostly from older techniques
• a donor scar that has widened or is in the wrong place
• over-harvesting, which leaves the back of the head thin or "moth-eaten"

How repair works

• Removing grafts. Unnatural grafts can be removed completely or partly. With FUE, surgeons can often move them to a better place.
• Adding grafts. More grafts can soften a hairline or hide problem areas.
• Scalp micropigmentation (SMP). A specialised tattoo pigment makes thin areas or scars less visible.

A repair can combine these, and can take several sessions.

The limit: donor hair

The ISHRS warns that donor hair is limited, and if there is not enough, correction may be challenging or even impossible. Over-harvesting makes this worse, because it has already used up donor hair. Some doctors add beard or body hair; see body hair transplant.

What repair costs

We do not estimate repair costs. Each case is different, and our estimates exclude revision work. For a sense of scale, a standard FUE session of 1,000 to 1,500 grafts is estimated at ₹30,000 to ₹90,000 in India, before GST. A repair is priced case by case.

Ask for a written plan: what each session will do, how many grafts it will use and what each will cost.

Choosing a repair doctor

The ISHRS advises looking for years of experience, and for doctors who work extensively on repair cases. Ask to see their own repair results. Check the doctor's registration on the Indian Medical Register.