Hair transplant recovery – when can I expect results?
Many individuals who have hair transplant surgery are eager to see results right away. This makes sense – you sat through a full day of poking and prodding and when you unwrap those bandages you expect to see something different. After all, you just had thousands of hair follicles transplanted. Instead, you see some redness, scabbing, and the same ol’ hair you’ve had.
In order to understand the timeline for expected results, we need to fully understand the hair transplant process as well as the hair growth process.
The FUE and Strip procedures we do involve Dr. Yazdan hand selecting, extracting, and transplanting, each and every hair follicle. This process is not only grueling on the doctor and patient, but also on the follicles. These follicles have gone through a sort of trauma. Once they are transplanted they do not begin growing immediately. They need to heal and settle in their new place.
Hair grows in cycles or phases. There are the anagen (growth), catagen (regression), telogen (resting), and exogen (shedding) phases. It can take months or even years for our hair to cycle through these phases. That means, it can take at minimum, months for our newly transplanted follicles to cycle through these phases. That is why we expect to see results 6 months – 1 year post-surgery.
The best advice for post-hair transplant recovery is to sit back, relax, and be patient while your newly transplanted follicles get comfortable and begin growing in their new home. If you would like to speed up recovery and ensure your results, you may wish to consider other treatments such as laser therapy, PRP therapy, and medications.