What is the shortest time it is advisable to wait between the first and second FUT?

[rsn]

I would rather get the second one done sooner than later, so I get more years of extra hair. But it looks to me that surrounding one section of the scar I have a good amount of shock loss. It is pretty extreme. In this one area, a half inch in each direction is bald. I presume this hair will grow back, and I should not have a second FUT until the hair does. I am 2 months post op.

[Thehairupthere]

Usually one year is the proper time to consider having a second procedure, but on occasion 10-11 months can also be appropriate. You should just check with your surgeon to see if the scar has healed properly as well as having the grafts reach their full potential.

[RCWest]

You want to wait 10-12 months before a second surgery. That way the surgeon can see where all the new follicles are and won't damage them.

[Blake Bloxham]

12 months is likely the least amount of time a hair loss sufferer should wait before undergoing a second hair transplant procedure.

 

This holds true for several reasons:

 

First, by the 12 month mark, the grafts from the initial hair transplant procedure should be 100% matured and allow the surgeon to review areas that require additional density and better understand how the patient will respond to the second procedure.

 

For example, if the surgeon placed a set number of grafts during the first procedure, but now realizes that the patient's physiology and graft characteristics require additional dense packing, adjustments can be made for the second surgery.

 

Second, by this point, the universal donor region has had sufficient time to heal and a second procedure will not cause unnecessary scarring or trauma. What's more, by this point, any unexpected "shock loss" in the donor region will subside and allow for a clear view of how the region could respond to a second operation.

 

Third, because hair loss medications, like minoxidil and finasteride, can take anywhere from 6-12 months to demonstrate full efficacy in patients, if the hair restoration physician started the patient on medication after the first procedure, by 12 months the medication response can be evaluated. If the patient is responding well to the medication at 12 months, it can affect how the surgeon proceeds with the second surgery.

 

Again ... just my "two cents."