Why does it take one year for full growth after FUE?

Question

Why does it take one year for full growth after FUE? Does that mean some hair has not grown yet till 9-10 months?

Gary Linkov, MD · Answer

The goal of a hair transplant is to provide fuller coverage while preserving a natural appearance. An assessment takes into account such factors as the apparent thickness and curl of your donor hairs, the color contrast between your scalp and hair, your hair loss pattern, your age, and many other factors. The state of the art technique is FUE (follicular unit extraction), performed with a hybrid blunt punch that minimizes graft transection to less than 4% while allowing for the use of the smallest possible punches to minimize donor site scarring while maximizing regrowth. 
With FUE, the back and usually the sides of the head will be shaved down. Sometimes patients have a partial shave in which just the lower half of the back of the head is shaved, which either can be covered up by somewhat longer hair above it or if you have shorter hair it looks just like you had a “fade” hairstyle.  A no-shave FUE technique is also possible.
After a hair transplant we advise to carefully protect the transplanted hairs for the first 5 days, after which showering and increasing your activities is possible. The transplanted hair shafts will typically fall out in about 3 weeks and the new hairs will start to grow in at 3-4 months. Full growth is judged at 10-12 months. Sometimes the native hairs in the recipient area will continue to thin over time which can give the illusion of a failed transplant, when in reality most of the density is actually from the transplanted hair.
The hair follicle has to go through certain cycles, which takes a long time to go. Even naturally, hair grows slowly. It is not the fastest process, but it achieves amazing results.

Gary Linkov, MD
Hair Specialist
Manhattan

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

Hair grows in different cycles. As a result, some hairs will now grow until the 6-8 month mark. By 8 months, 80% of your transplanted hairs will grow.

Anthony Bared, MD, FACS · Answer

ON average it takes several months for the transplanted hair to start to grow after a hair transplant.  Not all the grafts grow at the same rate or all at the same time.  After around a year, you should be seeing the completion of the results from the transplant.

Matt Tahsini, MD · Answer

Hello, great question. Everyone is different as you know but in general the transplanted hair grows at different rates in different places on your head. Typically it takes about 8 months to see near full growth (80-90%) and up to a year.

Fotis Gkaragkounis, · Answer

The area of the scalp can affect the hair growth rate. For example the frontal and mid-scalp often grow faster than transplanted hair over the vertex or crown. Skin healing will also affect the overall growth rate post-op. Traditionally it is considered around 12 months to achieve the maximum hair growth. Although your hair continues to mature as it goes through cycles and often changes in calibre and quality. You could easily achieve maximum hair growth before 12 months, it is not an exact time frame and differs from person to person.

Why does it take one year for full growth after FUE?

Answers (8)

Answer: Growth rate

Answer: Growth rate

Answer: Hair Transplant Hair Growth

Answer: Hair Transplant Hair Growth

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Why does it take one year for full growth after FUE?

Answers (8)

Answer: Growth rate

Answer: Growth rate

Answer: Hair Transplant Hair Growth

Answer: Hair Transplant Hair Growth

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about FUE Hair Transplant

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.