Slow growth on one side after FUE transplant, will it even out?

Question

I Had FUE hair transplant 14 months ago,my right side of scalp has completely grown but left side is still lagging with gaps and uneven growth,there are baby thin hairs growing in these gaps,but they are very thin,some have 2 baby hairs coming from the same graft(double hair grafts) but very thin,the left side hasn't thickened out,will these hairs thicken out?how long will it take?

Ken Anderson, MD, FISHRS · Answer

Dear gedela vinay,

Thank you for writing in with this question. At 14 months, you are looking at the final results from your hair restoration surgery. The procedure is very technician dependent, as they are the ones who handle the grafts when they are outside your body. There are 5 reasons why hairs don’t grow after they have been transplanted. Only one is related to the patient (eg: you).

Patient factor: advanced age, wound healing problems, poor post-op care, smoking, etcTechnician factors:Technicians let the grafts dry outTechnicians let the grafts warm up to room tempTechnicians leave the grafts out of the scalp too longTechnicians physically mis-handle and kill the grafts before implantation

If one side of your scalp has grown in fine, and the other side is very much lacking, it sounds to me like the technician on the side that has problems mishandled the grafts. It’s just a guess, but that may very well be the case. I would visit with your hair restoration surgeon and discuss the results. Often a physician will make a concession with you if the results are not what you both were expecting. I hope this information is helpful to you.

Kind Regards,

Ken Anderson, MD, FISHRS

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

It takes 6 to 12 months to see the results of a hair transplant surgery.  So after 14 months the results you see is probably the final result.  If you're concerned it is best to contact your doctor.

David Deutsch, MD · Answer

At this point( 14 months post-procedure ) all of your grafts should have already grown.Possible reasons for poor growth include damage to the grafts during harvesting or placement and/or overpacking in an area.I would recommend scheduling a follow-up with your surgeon.

Sean Behnam, MD · Answer

If you're having significant patchiness, uneven growth, or similar issues still at 14 months, it probably will not be going away. You need to talk to your doctor about why this may be happening and what you can do to help correct these issues. Your doctor will probably be willing to help you even it out, too, since this type of issue could be the cause of an error made during the procedure.

Baubac Hayatdavoudi, MD · Answer

At 14 months you are close to the final result and full growth. Having a follow-up meeting with your surgeon for reassessment is advised.

David Perez-Meza, MD, FISHRS · Answer

It is not normal about one side with delayed growth after 14 months of your surgery.

there are many possible causes but I will suggest you to contact your surgeon directly for evaluation.

Ilhan Serdaroglu, MD · Answer

no , unfortunatelly these hairs will not thicken out. you need a revision surgery and hair appearance will not change after 14 mo.The most outstanding reason for poor growth and ineffectual  hair restoration results on left side is insufficient number of viable graft placement as a result of intra operative damage of follicular units

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

You report that you had different growth on different sides of the head following a hair transplant. Go back to your surgeon and ask your surgeon about it.

Cory Torgerson, MD, PhD, FRCSC - Account Suspended · Answer

At 14 months you should have seen pretty much full growth from your transplant. The best thing to do is to follow up with your hair transplant doctor and have an assessment of the area. It could be for multiple reasons but I prefer to not guess at what it could be. Better to have it looked at and make sure that you get a professional opinion with a treatment plan on how to fix it.

Slow growth on one side after FUE transplant, will it even out?

Answers (9)

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