6 months post hair transplant. Few hair are still very tiny & rest others have grown. Any suggestions?

Dear Lazygal,Thank you for writing in with this question. There are 2 things that could be going on here. The hairs that are growing are likely alive and well. In experienced hands, up to about half of the grafts that are transplanted will simply continue to grow where they were placed. So that’s a good thing.The grafts that were placed 6 months ago and not growing are a concern. If they have literally not grown a bit, and are 2-3mm long, and have not changed in 6 months, it is a possibility that the graft was dead prior to its insertion into your scalp. It’s your own tissue, so it’s not generating a large inflammatory response like a sliver of wood sitting in your scalp would, and your body may simply be tolerating the dead follicle. I have seen this in patients who have had a transplant elsewhere and come to me for a repair of the work done or for a second procedure to add hair. In these patients I sometime see a tiny hair that looks like a freshly planted graft, but it’s been 6+ months since the surgery, and clearly it’s a dead follicle sitting in the scalp.There are many reasons why follicles can perish prior to implantation. the grafts were outside the body for more than 3-4 hours. The hairs don’t survive forever outside the body, and if you were there for 15 hours or some extended period to have all those follicles inserted in your scalp, then I would look to that as a primary cause.the grafts dried up or warmed up: if you let the follicles in the petri dishes warm up for too long, or if they become dessicated, then they will perish. Preventing this is a function of the experience, dedication, and talent of the physician and technicians who performed your surgery.the grafts were handled improperly while outside your scalp: grafts can easily be perish if they are not handled in the correct manner by experienced hands. Again, preventing this is a function of the experience, dedication, and talent of the physician and technicians who performed your surgery.Bottom line is that it may be something to be concerned about. A visit to the physician who performed your surgery is indicated for a micro-exam of your scalp and a very close inspection of the non-growing grafts. This will better determine if they are alive or merely foreign bodies that your body is tolerating. I hope this information is helpful to you.

If you are concerned about growth and results you should follow up with your doctor for a recheck.  In general it may take 6 to 12 months to see complete results.

Your story is not atypical. I would wait a few more months for more growth. Most people will see 80% of their growth in 8 months. You are no there yet. Follow-up with your doctor or wait it out for up to 10 months as that is what I expect that the doctor will say.