Man Dies After Hair Transplant

Can People Die from a Hair Transplant?

One may wonder, can someone die from a hair transplant? Apparently yes.

Hair transplant is the process of transplanting donor follicles from one part of the patient's scalp or body to balding areas in his scalp. When done correctly under the hands of a skilled surgeon, hair transplant is by far the most effective treatment for hair loss in men. The treatment can work very well for women hair loss as well in many instances.

While hair transplant is a surgical procedure in itself and as such, it does come with risks of complications, death as a result of hair transplant is indeed extremely rare.

Hair Transplant Death - Lost His Hair, Then His Life

Tragic hair transplant nightmare; story broke out in our forum about a man who dies after a hair transplant surgery at a private clinic in India.

The patient was a 43 year old man who went for a hair transplant surgery in Mar 2019. He died 12 hours after the hair transplant procedure.

Hair Transplant Death at Dr. Vikas Halwai's Clinic, India

It is reported that the hair transplant procedure was performed at Dr. Vikas Halwai's Skin & Hair Clinic in Mumbai, India. The patient paid 500,000 rupees or approx US$7,250 for the cosmetic procedure. Tragically, the man did not survive to see his new hair.

Cause of Hair Transplant Death

The investigators are still examining the cause of death at the time when this is published.

Some suggest that because the patient went for a megasession of 9,000 grafts in one sitting for his procedure, he was at a higher risk for complications. A typical hair transplant procedure averages about 3,000 grafts in one sitting that lasts about 4-6 hours. Anything above 6000 grafts is considered a megasession.

Experienced doctors have no problem performing megasession for their patients on a routine basis, but as a general rule, most doctors tend to stick to the average session of about 3000 grafts or fewer.

However, it is unlikely that the megasession procedure itself is the direct cause of death for this patient because complications were reported at approximately 3,700 grafts into the 9,000 grafts procedure.

Many sources suggest that a more probably cause of death was the result of a severe allergic reaction that that the patient developed in response to the anesthesia. It is possible that excessive amount of anesthesia that was used in preparation for a 9000 grafts megasession might have played a role in his demise, an incident of overdosing in anesthesia.

The patient reported symptoms of neck pain, trouble breathing as well as swelling on the face and throat; doctors speculated that a severe allergic reaction known as an anaphylactic shock is the most likely cause of death. Anaphylaxis is a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. Complications can occur during or after the hair transplant surgery.

Other speculative allegations include the cleanliness of the clinic, ie: whether the clinic and the equipment were properly sterilized. The possibility of strokes or heart attacks cannot be ruled out either.

Another speculation was whether adequate pre-op screening was done prior to the surgery to determine if the patient was indeed a good candidate for hair transplant procedure. Most hair transplant clinics would discuss a patient's underlying medical conditions in sufficient details prior to booking an appointment for surgery. In addition, the patient is asked to submit blood work for evaluation as part of the pre-screening process. It is unclear whether these protocols are being followed at Dr. Halwai's clinic prior to surgery.

About Dr. Vikas Halwai Hair Transplant

According to some medical portals online, Dr. Vikas Halwai is profiled as a dermatologist, dermatosurgeon, cosmetologist, trichologist, venereologist, and hair transplant surgeon with 8 years of experience.

Dr. Vikas Halwai's private practice is called Skin & Hair Clinic located in Lalbaug, a prominent locality in Mumbai, India. Dr. Halwai is also cited as a lifetime member of Indian Association of Dermatologist and American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) with his specialty in hair transplant, skin disorders, and venerology.

Hair Transplant Complications & Death Rate

Common side effects and complications associated with hair transplant procedure includes post surgical swelling of the face which ususally disappears after 2-3 days, numbness in the donor site, poor yield or scarring.

Hair transplant related death or life threatening complications are indeed extremely rarely. That being said, this is not the first time someone dies after hair transplant. In 2016, a 22 year old medical student died 2 days after his hair transplant procedure in India. In the same year, in July 2016, a man lost his eye after a hair transplant procedure in Hyderabad India as a result of bacterial infection.

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