Another method is to excise the bald area and replace it with flaps of hair bearing skin. This is scalp skin with normal hair that is moved into a new position. You can choose. Most of the time these are outpatient operations and a stay in the hospital is not needed. Some hair grafts are inserted in the office setting.
All operations have some risk.
It is helpful to divide the risks of surgery into two groups. First those that are seen in all operations and second those that are unique or special for this operation. In the first group, the main risks are swelling, bruising, bleeding, infection, a scar and numbness or change in feeling. Most people are back at work within a day or two after hair grafts and week or two after a flap. The recovery is much longer after tissue expansion .