Hair Growth After Hair Transplant ~ Possible Months After Hair Transplantation?
Hair Transplant: Q&A
Ask a Question

Hair Growth After Hair Transplant

I had a hair transplant of about 2,600 follicular unit extraction (FUE) grafts Nov 08. New hair is now visible in the frontal area, but it is sparse and I'm unhappy with the looks. Though most of the grafts were put in the frontal area of head, I had quite a few in the vertex area too, where so far I haven't seen any growth or changes. I'm now near the 6th month after surgery. What can I expect from this point on? What are my chances of having further improvement? Thanks!

Tags:
18 Doctor Answers | Asked by GoodStudent in Bay Area California
+2

Hair growth after hair transplant

Here is  a brief EXPECTED TIME COURSE for hair growth after hair transplant immmediately after surgery- short transplanted hair you can feel, this hair doesn't grow at all one month after surgery- the transplanted hair falls out and you can't tell anything was done 3-4 months after surgery- transplanted hair starts to grow as a fine soft hair. 4-12 months after surgery- the transplanted hair gets thicker, courser and fuller.  Early on the FUE... more
+1

Hair Growth After Transplant

Following hair transplantation the hair follicles/grafts will go through varying stages at varying times. There is definitely a dormant phase that will be experienced. Give your results one full year - 2600 grafts to the frontal and vertex should yield very nice results.
+1

Hair growth after Hair Transplantation

As part of the informed consent process, you should have been instructed in the natural progression of hair growth after transplantation. In my experience by six months, you should begin to see regrowth, it may be fine hairs, but so long as there is some growth that is a good sign. These hairs will continue to maturate with time. You may want to try LED light therapy to help hasten the maturation process.

You might also like...

Real Stories

Hair Transplant in Newage Clinic Istanbul by Dr.Ilker Apaydin - Turkey, TR

Excited with this new step in my life.scheduled my fue hair transplantation almost 2 months...

Before + After Photos

View 416 Hair Transplant photos
+1

Hair Growth After Hair Transplant

There are a few patients that see some hair growth at 3-4 months after a transplant.Quite often you might experience hair growth in about six months. However, for some it might take a little bit longer of nine to twelve months. I would wait about 12 months after your transplant to consider another session. Nevertheless, if you have any concerns, you should go ahead and follow up with your surgeon. Make sure that they are aware of your concern. "Dr.D"
+1

Hair Growth After Transplant

In my experience, a few patients may have hair growth at 3-4 months after transplant, most will see growth around 6 months and a few will see growth in the 9-12 month time frame. I would advise you to wait a year after your transplant but follow up with your surgeon to address these issues. Good luck!
+1

Hair growth after Hair Transplantation

If you don't see hair growing by 4-5 months after transplant it is unusual to see any more growth.
+1

Hair Growth after Hair Restoration Surgery

It may take up to a full year to attain the final appearance following hair restoration surgery. Immediately after surgery some or many of the grafts may go into a sleep state, what is called a telogen phase. These hairs are shed and then it may take up to 3-4 months for the new hairs to start growing (so long as there are no complications). By the time these hairs have grown out to a cosmetically important length it may be 12 months after the surgery. If you don't get the density you... more
+1

Time

Give it to 12 months and then seek someone who can apply appropriate math to achieve the correct density.
+1

Hair Growth After Hair Transplant

I am very sorry you are unhappy with your result. Without seeing you in person it is very hard for me to have an opinion on whether your results were normal or abnormal. As far as additional growth goes, our patients can expect growth all the way to 12 months in some cases. However, by month 9 all the hairs are typically showing, but have to play catch up with the hair that broke through from month 3 and 4.
+1

Hair growth after transplant usually takes 6 months but can take longer

You should see a good bit of growth at 6 months, but may see some more up to 9 months after transplant.  If at that time you think you don't have the proper growth discuss this with your surgeon.  FUE should mimic strip harvesting results as long as your surgeon is adept at this technique. 
+1

Hair growth

Unfortunately it sounds like you may have a problem. While all patients are different I would expect more growth at this stage than you are describing. With traditional strip graft follicular unit harvesting you should see hair growth easily in 3 to 6 months with a noticable and satisfying response in 9 to 12 months. With FUE grafts there is some expected loss of grafts but the number should still be small and the transplant should have noticable hair growth at 6 months, you may need to... more
+1

Most Hair Growth After a Transplant Occurs Between 6 to 12 Months

Some hairs can grow between 3 to 4 months but 75% of my patients have almost nothing then.  Most hair starts to grow at 6 months with ongoing improvement between 6 to 12 months.  A few of my patients do not see appreciable growth until 9 months.  This is less likely but possible.  Although you must ask your physician, check out my video to understand how hair grows after a hair transplant procedure with me. see video
+1

Discuss this with your surgeon

Hi there- It is possible, but very unlikely, that you will get further growth at 6 months... I would visit your doctor and discuss your situation. 
+1

Hair Growth Depends on Many Factors

It is possible to see hair growth 6 months or more after a hair transplant. Hair enters a hair cycle and sometimes can skip a cycle. Most patients have a general idea of how things will look at about 6 months so if you are unhappy with your result, I would suggest visiting your surgeon to discuss your concerns.
+1

Hair growth is still possible

Hair growth is still possible after six months. Hair has a cycle which leads to growth at about 3 months. Hair can skip a cycle, however, and growth is possible after that time. The Fleming-Mayer flap has been around for quite some time and is now obsolete as stated in my upcoming text book chapter on hair transplant in Cummings text book of Otolaryngology (coauthored by Sheldon Kabaker, MD). Hair transplant has now replaced most flap procedures, and you may choose to undergo an additional... more
+1

Additional hair growth after transplant possible

It is possible to have additional hair growth, especially if you have had transplants before. Each transplant causes microscopic scarring that can interfere with blood supply and possibly delay growth. Six months is a little long, but you might get more.
+1

Cautious expectations with FUE

What patients don't realize about FUE (follicular unit extraction) is that although there is the promise of 'no scar' in the donor harvest area, they may suffer higher transection rates among the hairs which are harvested. Strip harvesting is still the standard of care for most hair transplant surgeons. It allows the team to surgically dissect the harvested strip of hairs from each other, delicately and using magnification. Few hairs are separated from their follicular bulb,... more
+1

Probably very little.

It is possible to have some growth beyond 6 months but very unlikely. Most hair will start to grow after transplantation in 3-4 months. Since you are unhappy with the results of hair transplantation, you might look into the Fleming-Mayer flap which gives much more density at a fraction of the cost of grafts.
Doctors will not see your comments on their answers. If you'd like to follow up, please go here to ask another question.

Comments (3)

Doug San Fran 2 Nov 2012
Another example: check out "If Transplanted Hair in the Scalp Doesn't Grow, is the Hair Dead or Maybe Packed Too Closely to Grow?" in the Q & A section to the right. Those doctors are now contradicting what these doctors told this patient!
Doug San Fran 2 Nov 2012
Reading the comments from the doctors' regarding this patient's question, I think the widely varying results mirror just about every other question I've asked re: hair transplants to doctors on the web, and also explain how frustrating it can be for patients who are looking for answers can get. No one seems to really have any definitive answers, and it only points to the fact that hair transplants, despite being performed for decades, are still obviously a very crude and catch-as-catch-can kind of surgery. I am in my second month after an HT, and am noticing considerable growth which confuses me (I THINK, although they may be just a lot of vellous hairs... however, if they are, they're sure darker than they were before my surgery). What I'm finding after reading MANY answers from HT docs on the web is that it's becoming clear very few of them really have a definite answer for anything... they all contradict each other. There is clearly a need for some kind of organization of Hair Transplant Surgeons who can come up with solid answers to questions. I am a nurse, and I've never experienced such a wide variety of opinions from any M.D.'s I've ever worked with when it comes to any other physical surgery. Four months, six months, nine months, one year... this is very pitiful, especially for what hair transplant surgeons charge, and it only adds to the poor reputation the profession has among men who are looking for an alternative to baldness. The only consistent answer I've received from asking close to 40 doctors throughout the United States is probably the most honest: "I don't know, you'll have to wait and see."
RMAA 24 Oct 2012
Hello, I got my transplant procedure done in Karachi Pakistan in june 2011with 2700 grafts .Its now november 2012 and i think it has been about 15 months after procedure. Let me tell you from my experience that you must wait for atleast 15 months or 2 years before considering another session. As Some one who suffered from hair , trust me i wudnt guide you wrong. I hardly had any growth after 6th month .. my growth started after 9 months and now its pretty good. i also noticed that during summer of 2012 my growth was pretty good maybe heat is good for hair growth?? i dunno but just be patient because nature its it time... Also please massage your scalp with fresh aloe vera..... it really does wonder in terms of hait thickness... i put fresh aloe vera gell from the plant every night before i go to sleep ... you hair re growth also depends upon your stress and diet ... healthy and dont take stress.. also working out made alot of difference and start taking finistraid if your not .. it speeds up the process.....

Ask a Question

Welcome Back

Sign in with Facebook

Your information remains private and will not be posted without your permission.

Forgot your password?

Don't have an account? Create one now.

Join RealSelf

Join with Facebook

Your information remains private and will not be posted without your permission.

Please enter a valid email address
 Did you mean ?

By creating an account, you are indicating that you have read and accept the RealSelf Terms of Use.

Already a member? Sign In.

Retrieve your password

Enter your username or email address and we will send you a link to login.

Check your email

Check your email. We've sent you a link to reset your password.

Ok