Can Diabetics Get a Hair Transplant?

Most people with diabetes can safely have a hair transplant when their condition is well controlled and the surgical team plans around glucose, medications, and healing. The keys are straightforward: optimize blood sugar before the procedure, use a diabetes-aware medication plan, and monitor closely on the day of surgery. Below you’ll find clear answers to whether diabetics can get a hair transplant or not.

Can Diabetics Get a Hair Transplant?

Yes, most people with well-controlled diabetes can safely have a hair transplant. Reputable references emphasize that diabetes is not a contraindication, but it should be well controlled before proceeding. In other words: stabilize first, then operate.

What Does “Well-Controlled Sugar” Mean for Hair Transplant?

Two numbers usually guide readiness:

1. A1c (long-term control): Many perioperative guidelines use A1c below about 8.5% (69 mmol/mol) as a pragmatic threshold for elective surgery. If your A1c is higher, the team will often pause to improve control because complications climb with poor control. Your own target may be tighter, but this gives a safe floor for scheduling.
2. Sugar Level on Day of Surgery (short-term control): A perioperative blood-glucose goal of 100–180 mg/dL is recommended for most non-critically ill patients—hair transplants fall in this category. Keeping numbers in this range reduces infection and wound-healing risks.

Translation: if your recent A1c is reasonable and your blood sugar readings on the day of surgery sit near 100–180 mg/dL, you’re typically in the right zone to proceed.

Why Sugar Control Matters for Hair Transplant?

Hyperglycemia impairs immune function and microcirculation, which can slow healing and raise infection risk. Across surgical fields, high perioperative glucose correlates with more wound complications—a relationship strong enough that quality measures target treatment above 180 mg/dL. Hair transplantation creates thousands of tiny incisions requiring a good glucose control to help them heal quickly and cleanly.

FUE or FUT: Does Diabetes Change the Choice?

Both FUE and FUT can be performed safely in well-controlled diabetes. The choice rests more on donor strategy and hairstyle goals than on diabetes alone. What diabetes changes is the insistence on control: clinics will want stable A1c and day-of glucose in range before either method. Hair-transplant references underline exactly this point—control first, then proceed.

Red flags That Should Prompt a Delay

• A1c well above 8–8.5% without a plan to optimize.
• Day-of glucose repeatedly over 180–200 mg/dL despite corrections.
• Active infection or poorly healing wounds elsewhere.

Potential Risks and Complications and How to Lower Them

Infection 

High blood sugar weakens the body’s defense and makes bacteria grow more easily in small wounds. After a hair transplant, that can show up as tender, red bumps around grafts or along the donor area. Keep day-of and first-week glucose in the 100–180 mg/dL range, follow your clinic’s cleaning routine exactly, and finish any prescribed antibiotics. If an area becomes hot, very red, or produces pus, call your clinic promptly; early treatment works best.

Slower healing and scarring

Diabetes can slow wound healing. In FUE, that may mean dots that take longer to fade; in FUT, it can raise the chance of a wider line scar or delayed suture healing. You can stack the odds in your favor by arriving with a recent A1c under control, avoiding nicotine before and after surgery, protecting the scalp from sun, and not letting hats or pillows rub the recipient area while grafts are anchoring.

Lower graft survival if microcirculation is poor

Newly placed follicles depend on steady, oxygen-rich blood flow. Persistently high glucose tightens small vessels and reduces that flow. Keep sugars in range for several weeks before and after surgery, sleep with your head slightly elevated for the first week to limit swelling and follow the clinic’s rules on hats and washing. All of this keeps the grafts well fed and undisturbed.

Glucose swings on surgery day (lows or highs)

Stress, long sessions, and changes in usual meals can push sugars down or up. This is why we make sure to check your glucose at arrival and during the day, adjust insulin or give small carbs if needed, and make a plan for when you’ll eat.

Comfort issues during a long session

Hair transplants can last many hours. People with diabetes sometimes have reduced sensation in the feet or lower legs and can stiffen up faster. We will provide you with stretch breaks, and ability to change position when the team allows, and drink permitted clear fluids, so you stay comfortable.

What to Expect After Surgery?

You’ll resume your usual diabetes plan as soon as you’re eating and hydrating normally (with any temporary adjustments your team recommends). Keep checking glucose more often for a few days; stress and altered meals can nudge numbers. Hair-specific aftercare (gentle washing, hat rules, sun protection) is the same for people with and without diabetes—the difference is that steady glucose helps those tiny incisions heal better, which makes your early recovery feel smoother.

Bottom line

Diabetics can get a hair transplant and do well when control and planning come first. Aim for an A1c under about 8–8.5% before you book, keep day-of glucose near 100–180 mg/dL, and continue using your medication as instructed by your physician. Choose a clinic that talks through these steps in detail. That’s how you arrive prepared, heal predictably, and give your grafts the best chance to grow.

Disclaimer: This page is for educational purposes and does not replace personalized medical advice. Individual suitability and outcomes vary. Always follow your surgeon’s instructions.

FAQs

Can you get a hair transplant if you have diabetes?

Yes. Most people with well-controlled diabetes can safely have a hair transplant. Surgeons look for a recent A1c within goal and day-of glucose around 100–180 mg/dL. Your medication schedule is adjusted, glucose is checked during the procedure, and healing is monitored closely for predictable results.

Who should not have a hair transplant right now?

Postpone surgery if diabetes is poorly controlled, sugar remains high. Delay for active scalp infection, untreated iron or thyroid problems, unstable heart or lung disease, or inadequate donor hair. Resolve these issues first, then re-evaluate candidacy.

Can people with type 1 diabetes get a hair transplant?

Yes. Type 1 diabetes does not exclude hair transplantation when control is steady. Plan insulin for fasting, keep a meter or CGM available, and agree on intraoperative checks and pump adjustments. With safe glucose targets and careful aftercare, outcomes mirror non-diabetic patients in experienced hands.

Can people with type 2 diabetes get a hair transplant?

Yes. Most people with type 2 diabetes can get a hair transplant when taken under control. Aim for a recent A1c under roughly 8–8.5% and blood sugar on the day of surgery around 100–180 mg/dL. The team will adjust insulin if needed, and monitor sugars throughout surgery and recover

Does diabetes cause hair loss?

Diabetes doesn’t cause pattern baldness, but poor control can trigger extra shedding and make hair look thinner. High glucose affects small blood vessels and the hair cycle; thyroid or iron problems may coexist. Stabilize sugars and treat deficiencies first, then use medical therapy and, if suitable, transplantation.

Is FUE better than FUT for people with diabetes?

Neither method is automatically better. FUE leaves many tiny dots, FUT leaves a thin line; both can succeed when diabetes is controlled. Choice depends on donor strategy, hairstyle, graft needs, and surgeon expertise. Prioritize glucose stability and smoke-free healing; technique should fit lifetime planning, not diagnosis.

What are the side effects and risks for diabetic patients?

Expect the usual swelling, soreness, bruising, and temporary numbness. Uncontrolled sugars raise infection risk, slow healing, and may reduce graft survival. Keep day-of readings near 100–180 mg/dL, avoid nicotine, follow washing and hat rules, and report unusual redness, heat, pus, or persistent fever to your clinic promptly.

Can PRP hair treatment be done if you have diabetes?

Usually yes. PRP uses your own blood to deliver growth factors to thinning areas. With stable diabetes, sessions are well tolerated. Clinicians schedule treatments when sugars are controlled, screen for infection or bleeding issues, and repeat as advised. PRP supports follicles but does not replace transplantation.

How much does a hair transplant cost if you have diabetes?

Costs depend on graft number, technique, surgeon, and location; diabetes rarely changes the base price. Expect possible extras such as targeted labs or a medical clearance.

References:

1. Goldin J, Zito PM, Raggio BS. Hair Transplantation. [Updated 2025 Aug 2]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan
2. Levy, N. and Dhatariya, K. (2019), Pre-operative optimisation of the surgical patient with diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes: a practical review. Anaesthesia, 74: 58-66.