Survey - How long after your HT did growth start?

[UK Syd]

Hello All,

 

I had my first hair transplant (2750 grafts via strip) done by a reputable surgeon (Dr. Feller) 6 weeks ago. Progress is as expected i.e. I am now in those dark months of waiting for growth to commence.

 

I am 100% clear that it will some months for the follicles to awake and for the new hair to emerge.

 

However I would be interested in and would appreciate brief responses from those who have travelled this road already confirming, approxiamately, in their case when visible growth commenced. This will help me in planning some events in the months ahead.

 

If this an often-asked question with answers elsewhere on the forum, I apologise for repeating it and by all means direct me elsewhere.

 

With regards,

 

Syd

[Tye9000]

The first surgery 4 months. Subsequent surgeries have taken a year. I just had what I hope to be my last surgery 3 days ago..man it sucks to have to wait a year for this.

[Megatron]

wouldn't you guys agree that usually the early growers ultimately have better final results? I'm not saying always, but based on the tons of blogs I've looked at it seems to be the case.

 

I'd also go so far to say that the lucky guys that don't shed as much more often times than not end up having a better result than those that do.

[azn_guy]

Do you guys believe that the earlier you shed the quicker you will grow?

 

[Nicky]

Spex is right, everyone is different.

i had a 3000 strip in october and i started to show some good growth about 3 months...

 

an ive also seen some slow growing hts sprout later in their surgery..

 

good luck!

[hair_me_out]

I started to see very thin hairs popping through at around 2.5 months.

[MikeTheDane]

I first starting noticing significant growth at 4-5months on both my HT's, and neither seemed to grow much past 7-8 months.

[ej]

Im seeing a few hairs coming through a 3 months post transplant , spex is right though everyone is different

ej

[George II]

I had three plug sessions in the 80s. I can't recall how quickly those grwe, since they were partially covered with natural hair. In 1995 I had 2200 grafts along the hairline and crown. The crown grafts never really seemed to go dormant. They pretty much grew within a month or so of the operation. I just had another 1800 and my Doctor indicated not to expect that again. Apparently, it's very uncommon. I'm three days out and I'll post my progress as I see the improvements. This is my fifth HT and I also had one scalp reduction.

[Cam Simmons MD ABHRS]

Originally posted by Megatron:

wouldn't you guys agree that usually the early growers ultimately have better final results? I'm not saying always, but based on the tons of blogs I've looked at it seems to be the case.

 

I'd also go so far to say that the lucky guys that don't shed as much more often times than not end up having a better result than those that do.

 

I really don't think that you can predict the outcome of a hair transplant based on early results. Usually there is little to no growth in the first 2-3 months, noticeable improvement is seen each month from the 4th to the 8th month, then the changes are more subtle until the 12th month. There are exceptions to every rule, however.

 

It is reassuring for patients when they see early growth but some "late bloomers" still get very good results.

 

It is hard for a patient to do but the doctors and experienced posters will all say not to judge final growth until a year after a hair transplant. If transplanting into a previously transplanted or scarred area it is better to judge it after 18 months.

[hereisnow]

Is there any case where the transplanted hairs actually don't shed, and begin their journey of becoming a part of the native hair family as soon as you get up from the operating chair?

 

I've recently had a procedure, 1.4k hairs (1k grafts) on the frontal hairline. It'd be safe to say that only <20% of new hairs have shed since i had it done. It is possible for these hairs to have bypassed the catagen phase and are ready to grow?

 

Fingers crossed.

[hairthere]

hereisnow, It's possible, but not likely. How long ago was your surgery?

[ScottishGuy]

For most people a small % of the grafts don't shed (maybe 5 percent of the grafts), but you should expect shedding to happen up to 6 weeks post op. If you get past that point then maybe you are one of the lucky ones that don't experience much shedding.

[HappyinSW]

I am 29 days post-op and on both sides of my frontal hairline area, it looks like there are 30-40 hairs sprouting up. This has to be new growth since it was never there before and it is stubble so it is definitely not still the hair grafts, 80% of which fell out. If I have growth already, do you think it will all fill in fast? I can't wait! What do you think of using Minox on this frontal region even though it is not proven to work there? On Propecia and been using Minox on crown and middle area.

[Megatron]

Originally posted by HappyinSW:

I am 29 days post-op and on both sides of my frontal hairline area, it looks like there are 30-40 hairs sprouting up. This has to be new growth since it was never there before and it is stubble so it is definitely not still the hair grafts, 80% of which fell out. If I have growth already, do you think it will all fill in fast? I can't wait! What do you think of using Minox on this frontal region even though it is not proven to work there? On Propecia and been using Minox on crown and middle area.

 

 

I'm 29 days too and am experiencing the exact same thing. Most of the transplanted hairs fell out, but there's a bunch (I didn't try to count) of fine hairs where there was previously no hair, some of which are just beginning to sprout. I could be wrong, but that's what I think I see.

[runfromthelight]

I had almost the identical number of grafts as you in early September, so I'm at 6.5-month mark. I started to notice growth around the 3-4 month mark. But to me, it depends what you mean by noticeable growth. In my case (NW6), I definitely see growth, although it's far more noticeable to me in diffuse and indirect light (as in a car's rear view mirror, where light is from the sides and not above). In harsher, overhead light so far, not so much.So you really can go from looking one minute and feeling like you really have something going on up there to looking again under different light and feeling pretty deflated.... And I'm looking for it, so don't assume others will notice in public in early months.

 

Not sure what you mean by making plans for the months ahead. I can't think of any plans that should change due to anticipated growth necessarily.

 

Hang in there and know that, although the party hasn't yet started on you head, the invitations have been sent. So no need to apologize--I've written here a number of times and been reassured through the kind comments of others on this site. A month ago, in fact, I wrote because I went to see a leading surgeon about the next step for me, but he told me it was too early (5.5 months) to know how my HT would turn out. In fact, he said he only saw about 1,500 grafts sprouting of the total 2,770 that I had put in (he said normal). It seemed unlikely to me then that I'd see another 40% growth. But now I do see other, new hairs just coming in. These things happen in waves. So fingers crossed. It's a slow, slow process....

[Sparse]

Back when I was doing my research (pre-HT), I noticed that a sizable percentage of H&W patients were getting robust early growth: it was one of many factors that helped nudge me in their direction.

 

And, as fate would have it, I started seeing obvious growth by the 2-month mark after my HT with Dr. Hasson last summer. In fact, by the 3-month mark the growth was so strong that I was receiving unsolicited compliments from friends and acquaintances (none of whom knew I'd had the procedure).

 

On the other hand, I've seen lots of great results where the growth didn't begin in earnest until the 5-month or 6-month mark, so there's definitely no need for worry if you're not an early grower . . .

 

Best wishes!

[Mercer]

I noticed a huge difference in visible growth when I looked in the mirror one morning at about 5 and 1/2 months.

[UK Syd]

Thanks for all the responses so far guys. I'm now 10 weeks / 2.5 months post transplant and whilst there is no visible growth yet (as expected) perhaps it's not too far off now. I appreciate that patience is key.

 

The H&W early growth story is interesting. I wonder if those are isolated incidents. If not, what could H&W be doing differently to other surgeons to achieve early growth?

[azn_guy]

Hey Guys, it's been 1 month and 8 days since my surgery, and I just started noticing growth.

 

I think it really depends on the person's physiology

[Megatron]

Originally posted by azn_guy_001:

Hey Guys, it's been 1 month and 8 days since my surgery, and I just started noticing growth.

 

I think it really depends on the person's physiology

 

can you describe what you see? how much, how thick, all over or in patches?

 

I've seen what I think are some new hairs breaking through the skin. they seem thinner than my natural hair and they don't seem to be growing at the same pace. I've read that's to be expected.

 

I first noticed this after only 2 weeks. I'm not sure if it is indeed new growth and if it is I'm not sure what that means, if anything. But, I am curious to hear what others are seeing at this stage.

[azn_guy]

Hey Megatron,

 

I see new thin wispy tiny hairs on the hairline, this is what I believe as new growth. I think in another month those hairs will actually look noticeable.

 

crossing fingers if anyone else can comment on their experience, please do so!

[CHB8]

Had my first FUE of 1000 into the hairline about 5 months ago and I'm not really noticing much visually. There was shock in the weaker areas but I expected things to be a bit fuller by now.

 

Still I can feel some stubble but its been 2 weeks and they don't feel like they are growing much if at all. Definitely not at the rate of the existing hair as I normally get a haircut every 2 weeks. Still hoping that time will be kind.