Hair Transplant Growth Time line

Hair graft growth occurs over approximately 1 year or slightly more than a year before achieving final results. The following timeline will help you manage your expectations:

1- 6 Days Post-Op

The first few days after the surgery the average patient can expect some mild swelling in the forehead area. This usually begins on day three and is completely dissipated by day six. The patient also develops very small blood clots at the incision sites and these usually flake off in anywhere from five to seven days. Any redness that has lingered after the surgery is usually gone by day seven and the recipient area is slightly pinkish for the next few weeks.

10 - 14 Days Post-Op

10 - 14 days after the surgery the stitches are ready to be removed. This process can be performed by Dr. Lee or by your local doctor. Roughly three weeks after your procedure you may begin to experience some shedding of the transplanted hairs. This is completely normal and is to be expected. This occurs due to the temporary dormant phase that all hair grafts go through after any hair restoration procedure.

1 - 3 Months Post-Op

The transplanted hairs are mostly gone and the recipient area remained same as before surgery known as dormant state of the hair follicles. You may feel decreased sensation on the recipient area but the sense will back within half a year. During this time the patient may notice the formation of an acne like condition in the recipient area. This is normal and is only some of the new hairs trying to grow through the scalp. Sometimes these can become temporarily trapped under the skin like an ingrown hair but the condition is temporary. This is a positive sign of new growth or begining of follicles' function!

4 - 6 Months Post-Op

In this period average patient can expect to see a few new hair sprouts coming through the surface of the scalp. This new growth period varies from patient to patient but the average is four months. The new hair may not necessarily grow in evenly but it will all grow in eventually. The new hair will be thin and fine but will thicken over time.

By the sixth to eighth month after the procedure the patient can expect to see considerable new growth. The new hair will be approximately three to four inches in length and the hair shaft will begin to thicken.

8-10 Months Post-Op

Between months eight and ten the patient will see the most impressive difference since the initial procedure. The hair will be longer and much thicker and the overall appearance will be one of greater density than even a few short months before.

1 Year Post-Op

By the time a full year has passed since the procedure the patient will see the final result however improvements may still be seen well over a year out from the surgery.

The hair that is now growing will continue to grow for the rest of the patient's life and can be cut and styled in any manner the patient wishes. There is no special regimen required to care for the new hair. Standard shampoos and other hair products are perfectly safe. The patient can treat the new hair as they always have because it is their own hair that has simply been relocated.