Time frame post FUE for grafts to grow

[Stephen Sargeant]

I am 57 y/o and had 2400 FUE's done by Dr DeYarman on 12/4/03. Currently I have about 30- 40% of the FUE's growing obvious hair randomly that is 1 inch or greater. The other areas do not yet (to my old eyes!) show any growth. I can see the dippling of the scalp where the grafts were placed. Is this normal to have some hairs growing vigorously and other scattered large areas still not showing any hair growth. What is the experience of others? What are the time periods for generally full growth and do the bare areas finally fill in? This is my first HT and I am not really sure what to expect.

[Stephen Sargeant]

I am 57 y/o and had 2400 FUE's done by Dr DeYarman on 12/4/03. Currently I have about 30- 40% of the FUE's growing obvious hair randomly that is 1 inch or greater. The other areas do not yet (to my old eyes!) show any growth. I can see the dippling of the scalp where the grafts were placed. Is this normal to have some hairs growing vigorously and other scattered large areas still not showing any hair growth. What is the experience of others? What are the time periods for generally full growth and do the bare areas finally fill in? This is my first HT and I am not really sure what to expect.

[Rugger]

stephen..

 

on "average", the grafts start popping around the three month mark...then probably pop 10% a month after that...this is just a general rule of thumb based on a lot of postings here...so basically, you could still not see an individual graft pop for a year...

 

also, some individuals pop as early as six weeks..other could take up to five months to see any of their grafts break the surface...

[arfy]

I think you mean "FU" and not FUE. FU (follicular unit) is when they dissect the donor strip into grafts under a microscope, into the natural groupings of follicles with no excess tissue remaining.

 

FUE (follicular unit extraction) is when the doctor moves FUs individually, with no donor strip.

 

Don't worry, the terminology is confusing to everyone, unfortunately.

 

Regarding your questions, my understanding is that the vertex and crown can sometimes show growth later than the hairline. (I'm not certain about that though). You are about 4 months out of surgery, so it is still too early to get alarmed about growth. Keep an eye on things but do not panic. Some guys can take longer to show growth.

 

You might think about adding MSM to your diet, some guys have tried using it and say it makes their hair grow faster (?) I can't attest to that, but it's possibly something to look into. Minoxidil may be another option for kickstarting growth.

 

The average guy does not see any growth for 10-12 weeks. Average means some guys will see growth sooner, and some guys will see growth later. You may just be one of the late bloomers.

 

However, poor growth of grafts is a bad situation, so keep an eye on things, and keep us posted. In the meantime, try not to worry.

[EastCoast]

Rugger,

 

I beg to differ. 10% a month is the density of the grafts that sprout. Most hairs come in at 4-5 months. As I said and I may be wrong, but the caliber of each hair increases density monthly by 10%. At 10 months you may be at full density. Not too many hairs spring up after that.

[Rugger]

East Coast...

 

you dont have to beg...really!..lol...

 

If your above assumption is correct, then thats the first I've heard of density %'s being computed that way..EVERYthing I've heard has been that sometimes grafts dont even START popping until the 4th month or later..i seriously doubt that my new hairs when they sprout, are at only 10% of their eventual density....and everything I've read here has told me that the grafts themselves can take up to a year to sprout...the "thickness" of the hairs is what I believe youre referring to..and this happens over time after the hairs pop the skin...