If you’ve fallen victim to thinning hair, hair loss, or receding hairlines, a hair transplant can help you return to your most confident self. However, the hair transplant recovery timeline may seem daunting for new patients.
After all, you want to know whether you can work, take that vacation, or whether the new hair will have grown in time for your high school reunion or your daughter’s wedding. It all makes sense. This article will break down the full hair transplant recovery timeline, so you understand exactly when you can get back to your daily life. If you’re interested in getting a natural hair transplant, contact Philadelphia Hair Restoration today to schedule a free consultation.
Understanding The Hair Growth Phases
Hair growth manifests in several phases after a hair transplant procedure. By understanding these phases, you can set realistic expectations for your recovery and final results.
- Growth Phase: During the active growth phase, transplanted hair follicles begin to produce new hair. It typically starts a few weeks after the procedure and can last several years.
- Transitional Phase: Following the growth phase, the hair enters a brief transitional phase. For several weeks, hair growth slows, and follicles shrink.
- Resting Phase: In this phase, the hair follicle is dormant, and no new growth occurs. This phase can last a few months and is a normal part of the hair growth cycle.
- Shedding Phase: The final phase involves the shedding of old hair to make way for new growth. It’s common to experience some hair fallout during this stage, which can occur several months after the procedure.
The Hair Transplant Recovery Timeline for FUT & FUE Hair Transplants
After undergoing a hair transplant, you’ll experience a gradual recovery over the course of four weeks. Depending on whether you’ve received an FUE or FUT transplant, your wounds may heal at different rates. After about a month, your wounds should be fully healed, and your scalp should revert to its usual appearance. It’s important to follow your surgeon’s aftercare instructions to ensure a safe recovery and optimal results.
Day 1 (Surgery Day)
Your day one will be different depending on whether you had a FUE hair transplant or a FUT hair transplant done. If you have an FUE hair transplant procedure, you will have tiny incisions on the donor area where hair was harvested. This area should heal in about 24 hours.
If you had an FUT hair transplant procedure, you will have an open wound that the surgeon sutures before discharge. The donor area will be bandaged, and the doctor will give instructions on how you will remove the bandage at home or whether to come back to the clinic for its removal.
Your hair transplant clinic will give you detailed aftercare instructions that you need to follow after your procedure. Some clinics also provide a special sleeping pillow and a hat. You must wear the hat on your way home and anytime you are outside for the next two weeks. This will protect the newly transplanted hair follicles from direct sunlight, the elements, and dust.
Have someone come with you for the surgery so they can drive you home. The anesthesia and pain medication make it a bad idea to drive yourself. Ideally, don’t do anything after the surgery besides rest.
While you didn’t feel much during the procedure, thanks to local anesthesia, this will wear off after the surgery, and you will feel some discomfort.
Day 2- Day 4
You will start seeing tiny dry crusts around days two and three, and these will turn pinkish by day 4. These appear like small brownish dots or spots around the implanted grafts. The crusts are a normal reaction and tell you that the transplanted follicles are being held in place and on the way to healing. While your scalp might seem unsightly, this is a good sign.
You should not have any pain now, though the swelling will increase around the 2nd and 3rd day and will be at its worst on day four. This is a normal inflammatory response to the procedure, and the degree of swelling depends on patient and surgeon factors.
Some patients will have pain and swelling extending to their forehead, around the eyes, and the bridge of the nose. This is extremely rare, and it subsides in a couple of days.
If you got a FUT hair transplant, you might experience some skin tightness at the sutured site. This is okay as long as there is no foul discharge, smell, or pain that doesn’t go away with medication. You might also notice tiny, less than a millimeter holes at the donor site. These should close up in due time without any intervention.
Contact the clinic if you notice discoloration or major bleeding.
Day 5- Day 7
The sutures in the donor area will still be in place, but the skin tightening will have eased a little. You might have tiny scabs on your scalp and mild itching, which is a sign of healing.
If you had a FUE hair transplant, the incisions should be healed by now.
The normal reactions of pain, swelling, and discomfort you had after the surgery should all have significantly eased off.
In some patients, small, pimple-like spots will appear on the recipient or donor area. This is known as folliculitis, which is caused by inflamed follicles. Talk to your surgeon immediately if you notice this.
Weeks 2-4
The scabs and crusts from the excisions should have disappeared by the 2nd week after the transplant, and your scalp should revert to its usual color. Do not forcibly remove any remaining scabs, though. Keep up with the care and cleaning routine, and these should resolve by themselves.
If you had a FUT hair transplant, the incising site should be closed entirely by now and shouldn’t look raw and bruised. Your surgeon will likely remove the sutures at this point.
By this point in post op recovery, the newly transplanted hairs have adapted to the recipient area and cannot be dislodged. Patients will likely have only minor symptoms, but this is nothing to worry about.
When You Can Expect To See New Hair Growth
A common misconception with the hair transplant recovery process is that the results are immediate; after all, the hair is already on your scalp, right? This is not so. Like the other hair on your head, the transplanted hair must go through the growth cycle.
If the procedure was conducted properly and you followed your aftercare routine, your hair transplant timeline should follow the following stages.
2 to 3 weeks after Surgery
As everything else goes on with the healing, your hair will also be busy with its own routine.
One of the most noteworthy events is that you will notice some hair falls, which is undoubtedly the last thing you want to see. No worries, though, as this is completely normal.
This post-transplant hair shock happens around this time and to almost all hair transplant patients. The hair growth cycle follows these steps: hair follicle growth, transition, and resting phase.
During the hair transplant recovery process, the surgical trauma forces the hair follicles to go into the resting phase. This can be likened to the follicles going into self-preservation mode.
Because this is a perfectly normal part of the hair growth cycle, it’s nothing to worry about. While all you want after a transplant is growth, this hair fall is common and expected. The duration of this phase differs for every individual but typically lasts two months. The extent of loss also varies, with some patients losing most of the transplanted hair, some losing part of it, and others shedding all of it.
Note that the transplanted hair follicles have settled in by now. The hair shaft is released during the shedding phase, while the follicular unit and bulb remain intact. These will soon grow new hair shafts.
Months 2-3
This is an exciting time as you will begin to see signs of new growth. This will happen for some patients and later in others. The first hairs you see look a lot like soft furs. This is officially the ugly duckling phase, where you are excited about the new growth, but it looks awkward, and you are in between hairstyles.
For men, it helps to trim old hair to the new hair’s length. This helps minimize the contrast between the new and the old hair. Luckily, this too shall pass, and the fine hairs will grow thicker and longer.
Though you still won’t have full hair density at the end of the three months, you can begin grooming your hair.
Towards or slightly past the three-month mark, the donor area begins taking shape growing out, and the scars are much less conspicuous.
Months 4-6
About 60% of the transplanted hair should have grown by now, and the difference is visible. Your hair is progressively getting longer and thicker, filling in the bald or thin areas beautifully. Hair grows at about 1 cm a month, so expect the progress to be slow but steady.
The donor site should be completely healed by now, and all the numbness should be gone. You look and feel normal again and can go back to doing everything you used to do before the surgery.
Month 7-9
Towards the 12th month after transplant, 80% to 90% of the transplanted hairs should have grown. This is typically when most patients can judge the results of the procedure.
By now, hair is closely matched to existing hair and is growing in line with your hair growth pattern. The result is a more cohesive, more natural-looking head of hair.
After months of waiting and mirror-sitting, you now have an idea of the final look, and you feel more comfortable being out and about.
One year post-transplant
With over 90% or more hair grafts thriving, your surgeon will likely want to do a follow up appointment.. What you have now is, by and large, the final result of your transplant. This makes a year a significant milestone, marked by matured transplanted hair. The new hair is indistinguishable from old hair and should have the resilient quality of hair from the safe zone.
If you wear your hair long, the new hair might still have some catching up to do, but it will get there.
You can discuss concerns with your surgeon, including complimentary hair growth remedies or additional transplants to address density. However, it’s advisable to wait until after 18 months to consider a subsequent transplant.
Your hair, after this point, will keep growing and shedding. You might keep losing on the non-transplanted areas if you have hereditary balding. You can discuss how to prevent or slow this down with your surgeon.
Hair Transplant Side Effects
Due to research and extensive technological developments, hair transplants are now considered a minimally invasive procedure, making them much more accessible to patients.
Still, patients report some side effects, some of which are part of the healing process. These include the following:
- Scabbing
- Bleeding
- Swelling
- Infections
- Itching
- Crust or pus drainage around the transplanted site
- Folliculitis, which is inflammation of hair follicles
- Numbness around the surgical site
- Scarring
- Visible areas of hair that don’t match the surrounding spots
Hair Transplant Recovery Tips: Dos & Don’ts While In Recovery
To ensure a successful hair transplant recovery, conduct research to identify a qualified surgeon with a well-equipped clinic. This ensures that the hair transplant procedure itself is done right. Once your hair transplant is complete, adhering to your aftercare routine is critical for a smooth recovery. Keep the transplanted area clean and carefully follow your surgeon’s instructions.
Avoid strenuous activities that may cause sweating, as this can affect the healing process. Refrain from consuming alcohol or smoking, as these can hinder blood circulation and delay recovery. Additionally, do not scratch or pick at the scabs that form to avoid dislodging the grafts and causing infection. By following these aftercare tips, you can support optimal hair growth after your hair transplant.
Hair Transplant Recovery Timeline FAQs
When can I return to work following a hair transplant?
If possible, take a week off work for recovery. You can return to work soon after this, especially if your job does not include heavy physical activity and exposure to the sun and other elements.
Similarly, break from working out and swimming until your surgeon gives you the go-ahead.
Can I continue with Minoxidil after a hair transplant?
Before your procedure, your doctor will discuss any other treatments and medications you are on and advise accordingly. As such, they will address any hair loss medications you are on and provide instructions on whether to stop or cease taking them and for how long.
Similarly, if you want to get scalp Botox injections, LLLT, Vitamin infusions, or any other hair loss therapy, discuss with your surgeon and let them advise on when it would be safe to do so.
When do I see my final hair transplant results?
Your hair will have grown and taken form at the 12-month mark. However, most people still see additional changes a year and a half post-transplant.
To get the best picture of the success of your transplant, give it 18 months.
What is the best age for a hair transplant?
Hair transplants are generally recommended for individuals between the ages of 25 and 45. For adults in this age range, hair loss patterns can predict future hair thinning and allow surgeons to plan transplants accordingly. Younger individuals may experience further hair loss after the procedure, impacting transplant results.
Get a Heavenly Head of Hair & Book A Free Consultation with Philadelphia Hair Restoration Today!
We all want a dense, healthy-looking head of hair. It speaks to our health, gives us more styling options, and looks great! A hair transplant can give you that and more, but it must be done correctly. And we do just that.
With over 18 years of experience, high-tech equipment, well-trained staff, and a commitment to outdoing ourselves each time, you are guaranteed a seamless recovery and great hair at the end of the journey. To sweeten the deal, you get a free consultation to ask us all the nagging questions and learn everything you want to know about the procedure.
Sounds great? Book your free consultation with Philadelphia Hair Restoration today.
