The hair transplant timeline refers to the pattern of hair growth after a hair transplant procedure. If you’re not familiar with hair transplantation, it is a hair restoration technique that permanently corrects hair loss.
Most patients expect that hair will magically appear the day after. However, this is not how hair transplant results work. In the following article, we will explain how the results of the procedure appear in a hair transplant timeline.
The hair transplant timeline typically stretches over a year with several milestones that indicate healthy progress. Here is what you should expect after a hair transplant.
In a hair transplant procedure, your doctor removes entire follicular units from the back of your head and implants them in balding areas. This process is somewhat traumatic to follicular units so they need to take some time to recover.
What you should expect to happen during 3 months after a hair transplant is hair shedding. The hair in the follicular units will fall off, but this should not worry you. You should always remember that your follicular units are still intact and will generate new growth after a resting phase of 3 months.
You should also note that during the first month of your hair transplant timeline, aftercare is very essential to your final results. So, if you have any questions regarding your aftercare tips, do not hesitate to contact your medical consultant at Medprime. We offer follow-up services to all our patients ensuring a smooth recovery for them.
After the third month, your follicular units will finish their recovery and will become strong enough to grow new hair. There might be itching and some folliculitis, but over-the-counter medications can easily get rid of these symptoms. Every month, your hair will grow 1 cm in length and the density will drastically increase towards the 6-month mark of your hair transplant timeline.
In some cases, hair growth can reach its maximum between 6 to 11 months.
As you get closer to the 12-month mark on your hair transplant timeline, you will notice a significant change in the density and length of your hair. For most people, hair growth peaks after 12 months. Whereas for other patients, hair growth may peak around 18 months.
Shock loss is hair loss that takes place after 1 month and is a cause of concern for many people.
Hair loss after a hair transplant is very normal. As we have mentioned above, follicular units shed their hair because the process of relocating from one region to another is very stressful.
As they adapt to their new location, the hair follicles will go through a resting phase. The grafts will spend most of their energy on anchoring themselves in the new location and this will cause the hairs to shed.
Because the follicular units are not shedding, after 3 months of resting, they will begin to grow hair again.
Hair growth occurs in 3 stages:
The anagen phase: hair growth occurs in this phase and can last from months to years for some people.
The catagen phase: hair growth stops during this phase and it lasts between a few weeks to a few months.
The telogen phase: hair loss occurs during this phase, leaving space for new hair growth.
Hair transplantation does not change the cycle of hair growth and you should expect your hair to thrive and grow normally after a hair transplant.
It takes around 9 months to see significant hair growth after a hair transplant and 12 months to see the final results.
In short, you will expect hair loss within the first month followed by a phase of no growth until the 3rd month. After this, hair growth will occur gradually and slowly until it peaks by the 12th month.
Your month-by-month hair transplant timeline will consist of initial shedding, followed by gradual hair growth that will thicken in density and length up until the one-year mark.
If you want to learn more about hair transplantation or have specific concerns regarding the hair transplant timeline, contact us. We are a Canadian-owned hair transplant clinic in Istanbul.
Our medical specialists will get in touch with you as soon as possible to assist you with your concerns.