What To Expect After A Hair Transplant Procedure

Anybody who has undergone a hair transplant procedure is familiar with that question going through the patient’s mind — “When will my hair grow back?” After all, it’s the most common question patients have after the surgery.

Before you fret, remember that your hair will grow back. Maybe not immediately, but eventually, it will re-emerge—longer, stronger, and better looking than ever. All you have to do is prepare yourself for the process of hair growth after hair loss.

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What To Expect On Your Post-Procedure Hair Growth Journey

The hair growth process can take a relatively long time. At Northwestern Hair, we advise our patients to expect up to 12 months before their hair regrowth process can begin. However, this may vary slightly as this isn’t a hard and fast rule.

Some people may observe results from as early as six months, while others may have to wait until the 12 to 14-month mark instead. During this recovery and regrowth process, your hair will undergo several different phases. Therefore, it’s best to be familiar with these phases so you can know just what’s happening to your hair at any point after your surgery is completed.

The Dormant Phase

As you can imagine, with the hair transfer process involved in your procedure, these hairs become a little stressed, leading them to revert into a dormant phase that can last for about three months after your surgery.

New hair does not grow during this period, but some changes are still happening under the skin surface. Micro follicles start to develop and become active again when they reach their full size (an average of 1 cm), which happens between six months and one year after surgery. In this phase, there is no noticeable difference in appearance, but if you feel that something looks wrong, don’t worry: it’s just part of the recovery process.

Growth Phase

Once the dormant phase is over, the growth phase begins. In order to get back into the growth phase, the hair must shed, and you may observe your hair falling out until the fourth month after your procedure. This occurrence is nothing to be alarmed about and simply means your hair is getting back into the growth cycle.

Although the new hair will start to grow the same way as other hair, you may notice that it’s a different color or texture than the rest of your hair. For example, if you have a lot of dense growth, the new hair may be soft and delicate; if you have less dense growth, it may be coarse and curly. However, you should start seeing more noticeable hair growth between 4 to 12 months while your hair begins growing into place.

Finally, with your hair growing out around the 12-month mark, and you notice one or two off things about their quality, this is normal because the oil glands haven’t yet kicked in. The recovery speed of your oil glands will also depend on what procedure type you had during your transplant surgery.

If you had an FUE procedure, some of your oil glands would have kicked in around this time, and you can expect more to follow suit over time. On the other hand, you can expect as many as 80% of your oil glands to have kicked in around this time if you had a PUE procedure, making your hair smooth and shiny at about the 18-month mark.

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Conclusion

And there you have it. We recommend expecting hair growth by 12 months and the final look stages around 18 months. After this time, you should continue to see slow but steady hair growth until you reach your desired head of hair.

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Interested in hair replacement? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Northwestern Hair specialist. Choose between comprehensive in-person and convenient virtual consultations.

Dr. Fine, his team, and all the staff at NSPS are just the best! Having to go thru a crap situation (mastectomy) I trust his process and feel at ease at every appointment/procedure. I am so thankful to be going through this with them and highly recommend. I will actually miss going to NSPS when the reconstruction process is fully complete.

M.H. Google

I went to Dr. Schierle to address my gynecomastia - which had been a lifelong issue that suddenly gone from being a purely cosmetic flaw to a much bigger overall health issue for me over the course of a year or so. The first green flag for me was this office was the first plastic surgery practice that was willing to listen to my concerns and try billing my insurance for the surgery (coverage for the procedure was approved).Dr. Schierle himself made the entire process as positive as possible. I felt that he truly listened to me, asked thoughtful questions about my goals for the surgery, was frank and open about every aspect of my procedure and what I could realistically expect, and never once made me feel judged or uncomfortable.The team and office staff have been incredible to work with. I’ve always been able to reach someone if I had a question or concern during recovery. I never have a problem getting into the office when I’ve needed to.I knew that I had made the best decision in choosing a surgeon during my second post-surgery checkup, when Dr. Schierle recommended I hold off on any scar revision treatments for at least a year. To me, this just demonstrated further that he is actually invested in his patients’ success and not just out to milk people for as much money as he can.I’m really grateful to Dr. Schierle and his team for making what was an incredibly stressful and scary ordeal into a much more manageable process. Can’t recommend them enough.

N.H. Google

I will continually recommend and refer my friends and family to Northwestern Plastics. I underwent a breast augmentation yesterday and feel great! My pre-operative experience was nothing but detailed, understood, and all my concerns and questions were answered by Dr. Moradian and his amazing PA, Monika. I will speak highly of the faculty because you are always warmly greeted by the front desk and Kendall makes your logistical arrangements seamless!During the day of my procedure, I felt ZERO anxiety and the experience was very pleasant and passionate from all the nurses and the anesthesiologist. Prior to going into the OR, Dr. Moradian came into the room to greet me and mark me up - this was indicative of how passionate he was because he asked me if I had any last minute questions and concerns. Another small but impactful statement he said was “I’ve studied your aesthetic wants/inspirational pictures of what you would want and know exactly what to do”. This shows me compassion, the drive to make me feel heard, to how much thought and detail he has put into this artistry.Overall, I am extremely happy and when I am healed - I will update my pictures! I am excited for my recovery journey. They are perfect already.

S.T. Google

I had chin lipo done by Dr. Simon and had the BEST experience. I’ve wanted to do this my whole life and finally made the choice because of how comfortable I felt going into the process. During the surgery it was painless and we were actually cracking jokes and laughing the whole time with Monica who is also WONDERFUL. Don’t get me wrong it’s not the most comfortable thing in the world but there was no pain at any point. My recovery has gone super well and In just 3-4 days you can live your life totally normal. I already have friends who have seen my results that are going to Dr. Simon now.

C.G. Google

I completely recommend this location & Dr. Simon Moradian. The entire staff was extremely welcoming, friendly, and informative. Dr Simon listened to all my questions & concerns, he gave his recommendation while still listening to what I wanted done. I am very pleased with my surgery, and the results are better than I thought they would be! 100% recommend and will be coming back if I ever want anything more.

I.B. Google

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