Is initial growth of transplanted hairs normal?

[xdcs]

Hi all. I'm 15 days post-HT. No noticeable shedding as of yet, only shock loss. To my eyes the transplanted hair appears to be growing. It is definitely longer than it was the day of the surgery. Does this normally occur before shedding? I have attached a couple of photos. The first photo is from a few days after the transplant, and the second photo is from today at day 15. There was some but not much pre-existing hair in this area, it's mostly new transplanted hairs. I will miss these hairs when they fall out. I hope they all come back :-)

[xdcs]

Hi

 

Congrats on your recent HT session. Its not uncommon for the newly transplanted hairs to initially continue to grow after being relocated from the donor region into he recipient region. Generally though after appr0x 2-3 weeks these hair shafts will shed. It would be a good idea now to shower/washyour scalp as normal as this will promote the new shafts to shed and then in turn start their cycle again.

 

Some FU will continue to grow and not shed, however the % tends to be small as the vast majority tend to shed.

 

I hope this helps!

Regards

Spex

 

Thanks Spex, I wasn't sure if the hairs should stop growing after transplant or continue to grow. I just figured that continuing to grow was probably a good sign. I have been showering twice a day since the transplant. If after the shedding I get back most of what is currently growing, I'll be very happy. Dr. Path expects a good result and have lots of donor hairs available for future work.

 

These forums are really a valuable resource, thank you guys so much for keeping this community going. If I get a second HT in the future I would definitely come here for advice. Though for the first HT I am so far very happy with Dr. Path.

[xdcs]

Oh the shedding just began. Winter is coming.

[Dr Tejinder Bhatti]

Mr. XDCS,

 

The hairs are not technically growing. Once they are transplanted they are cut off from their blood supply and it takes time for new blood vessel formation to deliver blood back to the follicle. What you are witnessing are the hairs being pushed out of your scalp until they shed a few weeks later. More than half of the hair shaft is under the skin so it takes a few weeks for this process to occur.

[Rawkerboi]

Mr. XDCS,

 

The hairs are not technically growing. Once they are transplanted they are cut off from their blood supply and it takes time for new blood vessel formation to deliver blood back to the follicle. What you are witnessing are the hairs being pushed out of your scalp until they shed a few weeks later. More than half of the hair shaft is under the skin so it takes a few weeks for this process to occur.

 

Nice information!

[MrGio-WHTCClinic]

Do you have any pre-op photos of the shaved recipient area? Shedding is normal, but initial growth usually begins at around three months. Thanks for sharing.

[JobSmith]

Hey, xdcs, old friend. It's been five months. How are the recipient areas doing?

 

Mine have been fun to watch the last two months (see my thread). I've got a ways to go (3 more months?), but it seems to be on track.

Edited September 30, 2016 by JobSmith

[milo12]

I see your before and after pictures from your first post. Interestingly I see now what you are saying. I suppose the other users here have better knowledge than myself upon your question. However from what I read the transplanted hair will shed after a period then re-sprout as time goes on. Hope that it does not turn into permanent shock loss. Time will tell of the results.