**5. Hemorrhage bleeding**

The scalp, whether hair bearing or bald, has an abundant blood supply, but the incidence of hemorrhage is surprisingly small. Less often, bleeding occurs after the patient leaves the clinic. Applying pressure for 15 minutes with a clean gauze is very effective for reducing the risk of hemorrhage.

During the preoperative evaluation, patients should be screened for history of bleeding diathesis, for intake of aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, vitamin E, alcohol, anabolic steroids, or other anticoagulative agents. Topical minoxidil and smoking must be stopped at least 2 weeks prior to the surgery. Intraoperative recipient-site bleeding is not uncommon and can, usually, be minimized by injection with epinephrine-containing tumescent solutions [3–5].
