When Will the Hair Transplant Start to Grow?

When Will the Hair Transplant Start to Grow? Transplants Growth Explained

Hair Transplantation Growth Cycle

All scalp hair grows in a growing phase (anagen) and in a resting phase (telogen). Every hair on our heads replaces itself every six years. Think of the resting phase as a three-month hibernation cycle where the follicle is alive under the skin but there is no cosmetic hair produced. After its three-month dormancy, the follicle once again produces a new cosmetic hair.

Certain factors will throw growing hair prematurely into a resting phase. Any type of minor trauma, such as surgery, will fool the follicle into an early three-month resting cycle. This is no different than moving a flowering plant from one soil area to another. The plant roots survive, but the flower may not.

Transplanting hair temporarily interrupts blood supply and thus will cause the growing hair to shed. As such it’s not unusual for patients to call frantically telling me that the transplant didn’t work because the hair fell out. In fact, the hair only temporarily falls out and the root remains in a three-month resting phase. The new hair then begins to grow and will resume its old genetically programmed cycle. And no, they don’t all fall out every six years.

The smaller (or narrower) transplant grafts will grow quicker because they heal faster. But this is only thin frontal hair and the patient should assume then the best is yet to come. So to answer the question directly – new hair growth will start in two to four months in general. For some reason it starts quicker in the front than in the back (crown), and the more transplant sessions you have, the longer it takes for the subsequent transplanted hair to begin growing.

It’s Been ___ Months Since My Hair Transplant and NO Hair!

So if you’re continuously looking in the mirror one, two or three months after a hair transplant and still don’t see any hair growing don’t worry…this is normal. Sometimes it is hard to visualize hair growth after four-six months post-transplant. At seven to 12 months after your surgery growing hair will become apparent.

• Hair at 1,2,3 months after hair transplant surgery is not visible
• Hair 4,5,6 months since transplant begins to gain color and length
• Transplanted hair at 7,8,9,10,11,12 months becomes cosmetically visible

Also, it is important to remember that hair loss is a continuous process. This means that after a year or so you might have gained a few thousand hairs from the transplanted grafts, but it is very possible that during that time you might have lost hair offsetting the density of the newly transplanted areas. This depends on your age, rate of hair loss and medical precautions taken to preserve the remaining follicles on your head.

When does a hair transplant start to grow? Photo shows the start of growth 4 months post-hair transplant. Most hair transplants will start to grow at around 3 months with the full extent of the transplant being realized at 9-12 months post-op. (Photo credit: Dr. J. Karamikian)

Promote Faster Hair Growth After Hair Transplants

Copyright protected by Digiprove

Incoming search terms:

• hair transplant after 3 months
• hair transplant after 4 months
• hair growth after hair transplant
• 4 months after hair transplant
• hair growth after transplant
• does transplanted hair grow
• transplanted hair not growing
• 3 months after hair transplant
• when will my hair transplant start growing
• hair transplant 3 months post op

Last updated by Joseph Karamikian (Dr.) at January 29, 2013.