These types of claims would have been quite uncommon a few years ago, but nowadays with the rich and famous openly admitting to have hair transplants, it appears that everyone wants perfect hair. However, as this procedure is relatively new it also means that a lot can possibly go wrong and consequently result in unfortunate injuries or adverse affects.
There are three main ways that a hair transplant can be done, which are:
- Follicular Unit Transplantation – this is where a strip of skin is transplanted from where hair grows.
- Follicular Unit Extraction – this is where hairs are “punched” into the scalp
- Artificial Transplant – this is where synthetic fibres as opposed to organic hair sourced from the scalp is “punched” in.
All three procedures come with inherent risks (as with any cosmetic procedure) and therefore all three can lead to a potential personal injury.
I suppose the most common injury you can sustain from a hair transplant gone wrong is an injury to your scalp. This could range from an irritated rash to major burns and permanent hair loss. Many people undergo hair transplants for a range of reasons whether it be to boost confidence damaged by patterned baldness, because of a medical condition such as alopecia, or simply to improve their look- it is understandable then that if this goes wrong many can be left distraught and possibly suffer psychological affects as well as physical. After all, your head is the most prominent part of your body usually – having something different or scarred that is clearly noticeable could cause a great deal of distress.
A hair transplants is a procedure that can be performed by either a surgeon or practitioners and beauty therapists; the latter two may not be as qualified or experienced for such a procedure. Who performs the transplant could make a great deal of difference in how your claim is dealt with. If it is a non-medically qualified practitioner who has negligently misused equipment (as an example) then the claim will probably proceed as a “personal injury claim”. If your procedure was carried out by a qualified surgeon (perhaps who is part of the British Association of Aesthetic Practitioners (BAAP) then your claim may be pursued under the clinical negligence protocol where the professional standard of the practitioner is the basis of the claim.
Some people may be worried that they have signed an agreement waiving their right to bring a claim in the event that they suffer personal injury; HOWEVER professionals are not usually able to indemnify themselves in regards to injury caused by negligence and therefore if you do feel you may have signed something it is always best to speak direct with a personal injury lawyer to ascertain whether you can proceed with a claim. There are always inherent risks, and it is likely an agreement you sign will cover accepting such inherent risks. But if there is fault on the part of the surgeon or practitioner, that’s when a claim can be made.
So if you feel that you have suffered because of a cosmetic hair procedure that has gone wrong, do not delay to contact us. To support your claim it is always advisable to keep photographs of any injuries so that we can ascertain the extent of the injury and consequently run your claim accordingly.
