Blood Thinners Around the Time of A Hair Transplant

Prescribing Blood Thinners are Not a Part of Usual Care.

 
I’ve selected this question below for this week’s question of the week. It allows us to review some concepts in starting a new prescription for blood thinners before a hair transplant.

Question

I have heard that blood thinners can be used around the time of a hair transplant to improve blood flow. Is this correct?

Answer

No. Blood thinners are not part of standard practice. Perhaps you are referring to something else?

A hair transplant is nothing more than a giant wound healing phenomenon. The surgeon wounds the scalp and take hairs from here to there and then the whole thing is allowed to heal. Does one try to find a doctor to prescribe blood thinners after one cuts their arm or leg or scrapes their knee? No. Blood thinners should be left out of the plan for healthy people without underlying medical conditions that require them.

Blood thinners are needed by some patients for certain diseases. That is a bit of a different situation and not what is being asked here. In these cases, consultation with the surgeon is needed to decide on the best course. Sometimes, blood thinners are stopped and sometimes changed to other blood thinners around the time of surgery. All in all, prescribing traditional blood thinners for the purpose of improving blood flow in a hair transplant is not advised.