I had a FUE hair transplant about 4.5 months ago. However, I massaged my head extremely hard 6 weeks after my hair transplant and noticed a lot of small hairs fall out. As of today, there has not been much growth, specifically in the area that I massaged hard (frontal region). Of course I learned afterwards that I should have only gently massaged my hair. What are the chances that I have damaged/lost grafts from massaging too hard?
June 4, 2024
Answer: Extreme massaging Hello and thank you for your question. I don't think massaging harmed your results although it didn't necessarily help either. You are 4.5 months post op and it takes a good 9 months to notice results. Be patient until 12-18 months and if your results are not acceptable see your surgeon. Best wishes to you. Dr. T
Helpful
June 4, 2024
Answer: Extreme massaging Hello and thank you for your question. I don't think massaging harmed your results although it didn't necessarily help either. You are 4.5 months post op and it takes a good 9 months to notice results. Be patient until 12-18 months and if your results are not acceptable see your surgeon. Best wishes to you. Dr. T
Helpful
June 4, 2024
Answer: Does massaging the scalp 6 weeks after a hair transplant cause loss of grafts? Hello, Dr. George Abrahamian MD here, from La FUE Hair Clinic in Pasadena, CA. At the 6 week mark after a hair transplant, the grafted hair follicles are securely anchored in place. It would be very difficult to damage those grafts with a massage. The vast majority of grafts are set in place after about 2 weeks, and typically only blunt force trauma (hitting your head), chemical trauma, surgical removal, laser removal, and sun damage to the head can traumatize the grafted area after that point. The small hairs that fell out during your massage were likely vestiges of the grafts that were implanted, would never have grown, and needed to be cleared for the new hair follicle to grow new and more stable hair. That being said, you should exercise caution with your transplanted area regardless. You are only at 4.5 months post transplant, and that means you should only see about 25-30% of your growth, and not all of the grafts will sprout at the same time. The middle of the scalp can often also lag behind in growth, as it is known as a Watershed Area, where the blood flow is the weakest due to arterial anatomy, so that area being delayed in growth is quite common and often catches up between months 6 and 12. The best timeline to judge the results of a transplant are at 6 months, 9 months, and 1 year. If after one year the results are not where you want it to be, it would be time to consider a second transplant. I hope this helps, and best of luck on your hair restoration journey!
Helpful
June 4, 2024
Answer: Does massaging the scalp 6 weeks after a hair transplant cause loss of grafts? Hello, Dr. George Abrahamian MD here, from La FUE Hair Clinic in Pasadena, CA. At the 6 week mark after a hair transplant, the grafted hair follicles are securely anchored in place. It would be very difficult to damage those grafts with a massage. The vast majority of grafts are set in place after about 2 weeks, and typically only blunt force trauma (hitting your head), chemical trauma, surgical removal, laser removal, and sun damage to the head can traumatize the grafted area after that point. The small hairs that fell out during your massage were likely vestiges of the grafts that were implanted, would never have grown, and needed to be cleared for the new hair follicle to grow new and more stable hair. That being said, you should exercise caution with your transplanted area regardless. You are only at 4.5 months post transplant, and that means you should only see about 25-30% of your growth, and not all of the grafts will sprout at the same time. The middle of the scalp can often also lag behind in growth, as it is known as a Watershed Area, where the blood flow is the weakest due to arterial anatomy, so that area being delayed in growth is quite common and often catches up between months 6 and 12. The best timeline to judge the results of a transplant are at 6 months, 9 months, and 1 year. If after one year the results are not where you want it to be, it would be time to consider a second transplant. I hope this helps, and best of luck on your hair restoration journey!
Helpful