If you’re looking to have an FUE hair transplant surgery, you likely have many questions around the healing process, hair growth timeline, and when to expect hair transplant results. Before your hair transplantation, we provide you with detailed instructions about properly caring for the transplanted area and donor area to ensure long-lasting results. In addition, you will know what to expect in terms of temporary side effects, exercise, and returning to work.
Below is a general hair transplant recovery timeline for the first two weeks.
Day 1: Rest! We prescribe medications for discomfort after your FUE hair transplant surgery, as needed. For the first few days after your hair restoration, you will experience redness, swelling, and slight tenderness.
Day 2: Remove your bandage 24 hours after your surgery. You may shower, but we will provide you with special instructions to wash your hair. A cup with a mixture of shampoo and water should be gently poured over the transplanted area and rinsed with a few cups of clean water. Some patients return to light work the next day, but most choose to recover over a long weekend.
Days 3-7: During the first week, continue the special shower and shampoo regimen twice a day. The donor area and non-transplanted hair areas can be washed gently using shampoo.
Days 6-10: Around one week after your transplant, swelling, redness, and tenderness should be very little or completely gone. A crust or scab will form where the follicular units were implanted. With the hair follicles firmly in place, you can gently clear away the scabbing on day 8, when you can shower and shampoo normally.
Days 10-14: The transplanted hairs in the hair follicles will begin to fall out. This process is referred to as shock loss since removing and transplanting donor hair creates a shock to the follicles. This is a normal part of the hair growth cycle and signals the beginning of the hair resting phase.
It is important to remember that the hair regrowth process takes time. It also may vary from person to person, with some patients seeing quicker or longer results based on the averages we present below.
All or most hair in the transplanted follicles will continue to shed 6-8 weeks post-surgery. Then, the hair follicles move to the resting phase of the hair growth cycle until new hair germinates. Your hair will look as it did before the transplant procedure.
New hair should begin appearing in the recipient area where there was the hair loss. In this stage, known as the anagen phase of the hair growth cycle, the hairs will be thin or wispy as they emerge from the scalp.
Significant new growth will be apparent in the transplanted area. Hair will grow at a rate of a half-inch each month, so some hairs may be 3 inches or more, enough for styling as you like. Toward the end of this phase, the texture will change, and hair strands start to thicken and normalize. This process is also known as maturation, and transplanted hair will begin to blend in with the non-transplanted hair.
The majority of the transplanted hair has grown, and you will see final results after your hair transplantation. As your hair grows longer, the volume of hair increases, providing a fuller appearance.
Hair transplants are a permanent solution to hair loss and can last a lifetime. A hair transplant takes hair from the back of the head, which is resistant to the effects of male pattern baldness, to the areas of the head with balding or sparse patches of hair. When those follicular units are transplanted, they continue to grow in their new area, just as they would on the back of the scalp. With an FUE Hair Transplant, such as the ARTAS iX® and NeoGraft® procedures, we mimic your natural hairline for the best results possible. Patients typically only need one treatment, but some patients decide to return for touch-up procedures as they lose more hair in the affected areas or desire an even fuller head of hair.
It’s unusual to have complications or persistent side effects after a hair transplant procedure. And the risk of infection is very rare. It is common to experience swelling, redness, and tenderness in the recipient area, but these normal reactions quickly subside. Often, patients explore a hair transplant after unsuccessfully trying over-the-counter treatments and medications that have undesirable side effects (such as Minoxidil). After your hair restoration, we schedule a series of follow-up appointments to ensure everything has gone according to plan and you are recovery nicely.
Are you exploring FUE and FUT hair transplant clinics in the Philadelphia area and want to learn more? Visit our frequently asked questions page or contact The Lumen Center to schedule a complimentary, no-obligation consultation. During your consultation, you’ll meet our hair transplant surgeon, Dr. Andrew Kwak. He will determine if you are a good candidate for the hair procedure, answer all of your questions, and discuss what you can expect and your hair growth goals. We recognize that every patient is unique and customize your treatment plan accordingly. Dr. Kwak and his expert team are with you during every step of your hair restoration – from consultation to multiple touchpoints post-procedure for a highly personalized approach to care.
To book your initial consultation, please contact us at 610.525.0606. Or, complete and submit the form below, and we’ll get in touch.
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