A hair transplant does come with minor risks, especially if a Strip hair transplant was chosen. These risks include the possibility of being numb in a smaller section on the back of the head. While this type of numbness is not life threatening in any way, and is not cosmetically important, it can still be of concern to many clients. This numbness can last a few days, weeks, months or years. It can also be a permanent numbness. It is hard to say in advance who will experience numbness and for how long, if at all, but it is those who choose the Strip hair transplant that face the risk.
During a Strip hair transplant procedure, the doctor will make a long linear incision in the back of the scalp where after a narrow strip of hair bearing skin will be removed. The reason why the numbness occurs is because nerves were damaged during the incision. The exact amount of skin that was removed from the scalp can affect numbness. For instance, clients who require a larger amount of grafts will need to remove a bigger strip of skin, which can lead to more numbness. The scalp laxity, or flexibility, can also affect the numbness, and so can the amount of nerves that were damaged during the strip removal process.
While the skin will heal quickly, nerve endings can take a longer time to repair themselves. When nerves are repaired, feeling will be restored. But to say exactly how long it will take before the feeling comes back is not possible. It all depends on different factors as well as the healing abilities of the client. Avoidance of alcohol and cigarettes, as well as leading a healthy lifestyle, including exercise and enough sleep, can play a role in the healing after a hair transplant surgery, including potential numbness.
But not everyone who undergoes a Strip hair transplant will have numbness. While some tightness and soreness can almost always be expected in the days following a Strip hair transplant, there are those who will not feel numb at all. Those who do experience numbness should have feeling restored in no longer than a couple of months; rarely does it persist longer than that.
The numbness will start to disappear one week after the hair transplant, and is rare during week two. And in the months following surgery any small numbness should most definitely go away. If numbness still persists months after the procedure, one should talk about it with the doctor; however, there is little anyone can do to reverse it. But for many people, it is possible that the hair transplant will be worth it, despite facing a small risk of temporary or permanent numbness. Those who are concerned about the possibility of being numb, even if it’s just temporary, should look into the FUE hair transplant. This method is known to be much less invasive, as a scalpel incision will not be made.
