Beard Hair Transplant. When should the grafts grow?

Question

I have had a beard hair graft transplant - 600 grafts. The doctor said I was lucky as the hair would start to grow from the day of the surgery, that I caught the correct phase. Since the operation the hair has grown. My real question is does all newly transplanted hair follicles grow straight after the operation and then when hair shock is reached it drops out or does my growth up til now confirm what the doctor said about catching the correct phase.

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

Transplanted hair takes 6 to 12 months to grow in general.  Some may see results earlier.  Some may see results later.  It would be extremely rare to see results on day 1.  If you are confused about what your doctor may have said, it should be just as easy to give your doctor a call or an email to clarify any misunderstanding.

Kapil Dua, MBBS, MS · Answer

The usual results after beard hair transplant are in line with that of the scalp only i.e. 40-50% are seen after 6 months. However, some patients get the results slightly early also but it is unusual to get it going from immediately after the procedure. It will be better to communicate with your doctor and seek a clarification whether he also meant the same.

Greg Williams, FRCS (Plast) · Answer

What you are asking in your question is not entirely clear to me but the bottom line is that it is perfectly normal to expect the transplanted hairs to fall out after 2 weeks and to only start re growing after 3-4 months. If you get some growth right away or early on then that is a bonus but is unlikely to represent the total growth you will experience. Be patient.

Steven E. Brown, MD · Answer

At 3 months your beard would likely look the thinnest as the new follicles have not grown yet, and the additional lost from the post operative effluvium or loss. By the 4 month on things should start improving.Steven Brown, MD

Michael Meshkin, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

Following the procedure, one can expect to have small crusts formed on the grafted area. A post operative cleaning regiment should be given to the client to help dissolve the scabs. The cleaning should start the next day. These crusts will flake off by 7-10 days after the surgery. The client can usually return to normal activity and normal washing in about two weeks. The transplanted hair growing from the scalp may initially shed, however the roots will remain and new hair will start to grow in after three months. Depending on each hair intrinsic growth cycle , it may take up to 18 months for all the hair to grow in.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

Your analysis is right on. The shock loss of the grafts (not the surrounding hair) will cause you to lose the hairs in the grafts and then after 4-7 months, they will start growing for the rest of your life.

Beard Hair Transplant. When should the grafts grow?

Answers (6)