How does smoking affect hair transplant results? Expert shares insights

From causing the blood arteries to tighten to accelerating hair loss, here are the reasons why you should quit smoking before and after a hair transplant surgery. Take a look at the effects of smoking here.

Hair transplant, also known as hair restoration, is the process of moving hair in bald or thinning areas of the scalp. This involves taking hair from the thicker regions of the scalp and restoring in the thinning areas. Speaking to HT Lifestyle, Dr. Anup Dhir, senior consultant, Apollo Hospital and ex-president, Indian Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said, "Hair transplantation is a process that India has a lot of experience with. Hair transplantation in India is a cost-effective approach to get the procedure done without having to worry about the quality of service you will receive. Smokers who are used to smoking may make the mistake of smoking a few cigarettes following their surgery. And this makes them feel tremendously bad, especially when their doctors have advised them to quit smoking. They are frequently concerned that their grafts will fail."

Smoking, however, comes with a range of health effects– from lung disorders to impactful negative effects on hair. Dr Anup Dhir noted down the disadvantages:

Arteries to tighten: Nicotine in cigarettes leads to tightening of the blood arteries. Hence, hair transplant patients are recommended to quit smoking one week prior to the surgery and one month after the surgery as well.

Oxygen capacity: "Narrowing the blood arteries causes insufficient blood flow and poor circulation, lowering the body's oxygen capacity. However, enough oxygen saturation is critical throughout the pre-op and post-op stages of hair transplant surgery, as the survival of transplanted hair follicles and the wound healing process are both dependent on the amount of oxygen delivered,” said Dr. Anup Dhir.

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