Over the past number of months, the UK media have reported two patient deaths while undergoing hair transplantation procedures in India and Spain. The patient death following a hair transplant in Spain was reported just last week.
This is obviously concerning to all and raises the issue of standards and regulation in the hair transplant industry. Generally, there is little or no regulation worldwide for hair transplantation and therefore standards vary greatly from clinic to clinic.
Can You Die from a Hair Transplant?
Hair transplantation while a very safe procedure is still a medical procedure with potential risks and side effects. Thankfully, the reports of deaths while undergoing hair transplantation are very rare and are most likely due to an underlying health condition. Any such report however is one to many.
As the only JCI accredited hair transplant clinic anywhere in the world, we at HRBR have strict policies and procedures that we follow both before, during and after a hair transplant procedure to ensure our patients safety.
Are Hair Transplants Safe?
Prior to undergoing a hair transplant at HRBR, all patients will undergo a pre-operative assessment with our nursing staff. This medical check includes an ECG to ensure our patients have no underlying heart conditions. Any abnormal ECGs are sent to a cardiologist who prepares a written report and will recommend and carry out any necessary further investigations. While the majority of patients are given the green light following this check, a handful of patients each year will be advised to address underlying health conditions that they were previously not aware of.
The pre-operative assessment, including an ECG, has enabled us to evaluate and confirm our patient’s physical and psychological suitability for a hair transplant. It also has other advantages: patients are more relaxed on the day of surgery; they have more time to ask questions and consider the information we give them.
We believe that a pre-operative assessment is essential to a modern hair transplant practice as it cares for both the patient’s physical and emotional needs and, crucially, enables the procedure to be carried out safely.
On the day of the procedure, our patients are cared for and monitored closely by a large team of doctors, nurses and technicians. Strict protocols and procedures are followed at every step to ensure best results and of course patient safety. We also provide patients with comprehensive post-operative care instructions and post-surgery review appointments at HRBR.
Media reports of hair transplant deaths are concerning and will hopefully eventually result in greater regulation within the global industry. For now, patients at HRBR can rest assured that they are in safe hands when attending our clinic and that patient safety is at the forefront of our minds when carrying out their hair transplant procedures.
Contact Us
If you would like to book a consultation with one of our doctors to discuss your hair loss please contact the clinic on +353 1 209 1000 or info@hrbr.co.uk.
About the Authour
DR Maurice Collins
Consultant Surgeon
MB, B.Ch, BAO, DLO, FRCSI, FRCS, FRCSEd.
Registered with the Medical Council of Ireland
Dr Collins is Medical Director and Team Principal of Hair Restoration Blackrock. He was educated at Belvedere College Dublin and did his undergraduate medical studies at University College Dublin. After graduating as a doctor he trained in General Surgery and received his Fellowship (FRCSI) in this specialty from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
Find out more about DR Maurice Collins and our team of doctors and surgeons.
