I had a hair transplant 9 and a half months ago; results look very sparse. Is it worth waiting or going for a 2nd one? (Photos)

Question

I had a FUE transplant of 3500 Grafts approx 9 months ago - Everything seemed super professional procedure wise - however the results (see pics) look quite sparse to me. Most doctors on this site seem to say to wait one year for the full results - but it also appears that 9 months is a good indicator of 80 % growth - does that vary? Because to me the 9 month growth looks quite bare. Is it worth waiting for a year to see? When is a good time to get a second session and is FUE recommended or FUT?

Ken Anderson, MD, FISHRS · Answer

Dear bundlescom,
Thank you for writing in with your question. Most patients are concerned about the rate of hair growth. Some people get all of their results inside of 8 or 9 months. Many people will see their best results at 10-15 months. My advice to you is to talk to your doctor and see what they think. In all likelihood they’re going to tell you to wait until 15 months, but it’s good to keep a close relationship with your hair transplant surgeon. I hope this information is helpful to you.
Kind Regards,
Ken Anderson, MD, FISHRS

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

It can take 6 to 12 months after surgery to see results. In rare cases it can take over a year to see full results.

Robert M. Bernstein, MD · Answer

Nine
months is too soon to evaluate the outcome of a hair transplant.  It would be best to wait at least a year, or
even a year and a half, to fully evaluate the results since growth can be quite
variable. In regards to a second procedure, it would be best to wait the year
and a half to see the final result of your first procedure. The decision to
perform a second procedure (whether FUE or FUT) would be based upon your scalp
laxity, density and available donor area that would be determined during a
follow-up examination.

Rae Lynne Kinler, MD · Answer

you can still see growth even up to 15 months after FUE. It also appears that you have lost some of the native (non transplanted) hairs in the meantime. If you have concerns you should follow up with the surgeon who performed your hair transplant. Typically a second FUE session is performed at 1 year, but this varies by surgeon.

Ilker Apaydin, MD · Answer

If the donor site and recipient site has not been used in the previous operation,it is possible to perform the second surgery anytime.

On the other hand if the donor area is used homogeneously in the first surgery and for the second surgery the extraction will be done among the first extraction area then you should wait approximately 9 months.

Secondly if the recipient area is the same area then you have to wait at least 1 year for increasing the density with a second surgery.

If the recipient area is apart from the first surgery recipient area then anytime you can have the second surgery.All the best

I had a hair transplant 9 and a half months ago; results look very sparse. Is it worth waiting or going for a 2nd one? (Photos)

Answers (5)