Hair Transplant Results
Most people who are going to have a hair transplant are very excited about the prospect of regaining the hair they have lost. Hair loss and baldness can cause depression and loss of confidence, so it not surprising that many people turn to modern hair transplant clinics to help. However, some recipients can have unrealistic expectations of how quickly they are going to see a change in their hair growth.
Hair transplant surgery has developed due to scientific and medical breakthroughs and doesn’t rely on fake hair restoration creams and lotions. Hair transplants have a very good success record as long as the recipient does not have an underlying health problem, but it can still take many months for hair to re-grow naturally. Once hair has re-established itself in places where it was lost, it can last as long as the lifetime of the recipient.
Some of the hair transplant results expected after surgery are described below
The first two weeks
This can be the most worrying time for recipients, as however much they have listened to advice from the surgeon who performed the transplant, they often expect hair to re-growth quickly. In fact, what can be seen at this early stage are the hairs that were transplanted from the donor area. It is quite natural during the first two weeks for these hairs to look a little odd and stand out awkwardly amongst any existing original hairs, if there are any.
There might be thousands of these newly transplanted hairs sticking up above the head. The new grafts could be a little sore and may even bleed a little depending on the transplantation method used. These sore areas will eventually scab over and then the transplanted hairs may start to be shed.
The second two week period
This is again a worrying period, especially because the transplanted hairs will start to fall out more rapidly. This is quite natural and doesn’t mean that the transplant is a failure. The old hairs need to be ejected so that new hairs from the transplanted follicles can have space to grow. At the end of this stage, the transplanted skin will have lost any soreness and the sores will have healed over.
The second and third months after surgery
During these weeks, hair will start to grow under the skin and this may appear as a rash of pimples. Sometimes, the pimples are caused by small pieces of old hair trapped inside the skin or they might be where new hair is about to erupt form the surface. Occasionally, a condition known as folliculitis occurs, which is a bacterial infection in the base of the follicles. This needs to be treated by a dermatologist with a course of antibiotics.
Three to six months after surgery
During this period, the new hair will start to grow readily. It might look a little strange at first. It could be curlier, coarser or wirier compared to the original hair that was lost. This is quite normal and as the hair cycles go through their different stages, the hair will look more and more normal. Any remaining pimples should disappear the time the 6 month period is over. It may still take many more months of natural hair renewal before the full complement of hair is restored.
