Hair Transplant Time Frame Expectations 12 Months For A Reason

[andrew11]

26 minutes ago, gillenator said:

Most docs will tell us that the higher degree of hair caliber, the greater achievement of attaining the illusion of coverage.

Oh definitely,  all doctors have told me that fine hair needs more grafts per cm2 to create better coverage thats why it was important for me to go at a high graft per cm2 in my recipient zone. 

[gillenator]

The important thing is that we are happy with our end results.

[Gatsby]

On 12/10/2020 at 6:15 AM, Melvin-Moderator said:

Guys,

 

I see a lot of guys stressing and looking for solutions when they're 3-6 months post-op. Hair transplants take 12 months to fully grow. While some guys may grow early and see full results by months 7, everyone is different. The appearance of the hair, the texture, all of that will change as time goes on. In the beginning, the hair may grow kinky, curly and bulky, but as time goes on, it will start to grow thicker, and soften. Here is a case study I wanted to present. 

 

Three months

 

4 months 

5 months 

6 months 

7 months

8 months

9 months

12 months

 

I'm seeing a lot of guys disappointed with their results in the beginning or halfway mark, and many forum members telling them that their transplant has failed while the patient has just started or is halfway there. The time frame is 12 months for a reason. Now, if you see zero growth at 8-9 months, then obviously it's a problem, but improvements do happen from months 6-12 and the difference can be significant. 

Yes. Great post Melvin. I've noticed some people fearing their transplant is a failure after 4 weeks!

[gillenator]

I highly doubt that any HT procedure is going to fully mature in 7 months!

[hakona]

@Melvin-Moderator so it is fair to say that after 6 months most of the transplanted hair have grown to some degree? i.e. no more hair will appear after 6 months but the diameter and quality of what have appeared will improve over the following 6+ months?

[gillenator]

On 1/22/2021 at 7:47 PM, gillenator said:

The important thing is that we are happy with our end results.

That's the bottom line!

[Melvin- Admin]

On 2/17/2021 at 4:41 PM, hakona said:

@Melvin-Moderator so it is fair to say that after 6 months most of the transplanted hair have grown to some degree? i.e. no more hair will appear after 6 months but the diameter and quality of what have appeared will improve over the following 6+ months?

No, I would say it’s probably done growing at 10 months and after that it’s maturation.

[gillenator]

3 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

No, I would say it’s probably done growing at 10 months and after that it’s maturation.

I concur with that.

[pkipling]

This is very informative and a great reminder. A procedure can be stressful enough as it is without adding additional stress from unrealistic expectations of wanting results faster than is physically possible. Any time someone comes here stressed out about not seeing growth within the first 3 months, I have to wonder if the surgeon didn't give them any information about the timeline - or if they just didn't listen.  

[Datsun213]

Great information on here.  

I knew from the start that I wasn't going to have the length of hair I have here in 5 months.

 

However, I just wanted to reduce the receding hairline so I went for it because if anything I was hoping to at least cover/blend in the shorter hair from the new transplant once my native hairs begin to grow at their normal pace (my hair tends to grow fast).  

When I asked my surgeon what I could do to speed things up, he mentioned finasteride and Rogaine.  Hopefully that combination will help.  I will also look into PRP injections after month three if nothing seems to help.

Edited February 26, 2021 by Datsun213
The picture

[pkipling]

Hey @Datsun213 What is the above photo of exactly? Is that post-op and if so, how many months out? I ask because I don't see visible evidence of a hair transplant procedure, no harsh red line, no clear recession, and nothing visually alarming. The photo is a little pixelated and shadowed, so perhaps that's why - but based on the photo, I'm unclear on what your situation is. 

[Datsun213]

On 2/20/2021 at 5:33 PM, pkipling said:

Hey @Datsun213 What is the above photo of exactly? Is that post-op and if so, how many months out? I ask because I don't see visible evidence of a hair transplant procedure, no harsh red line, no clear recession, and nothing visually alarming. The photo is a little pixelated and shadowed, so perhaps that's why - but based on the photo, I'm unclear on what your situation is. 

The picture was my receding hairline with long hair before my FUE transplant (which I moved to a new topic "My FUE Journey at TJ Hair Clinic".  I was saying that I hope within 5-8 months, I can get close to similar height and hair curvature again just without the exaggerated receding hairline.  I sure hope I don't have any visible transplant procedure or harsh red line at that time, which is why I even followed the same angle on my right side and tried to leave my widows peak.  I'm hoping it looks natural.  

 

Edited February 26, 2021 by Datsun213
Moved picture to "My FUE Journey at TJ Hair Clinic"

[gillenator]

On 2/19/2021 at 6:42 PM, pkipling said:

This is very informative and a great reminder. A procedure can be stressful enough as it is without adding additional stress from unrealistic expectations of wanting results faster than is physically possible. Any time someone comes here stressed out about not seeing growth within the first 3 months, I have to wonder if the surgeon didn't give them any information about the timeline - or if they just didn't listen.  

I have found that most clinics do in fact explain the regrowth time frames among many other things however in my own observation patients tend to develop selective hearing and in the journey becomes very emotional and stressful for them.

[pkipling]

On 2/20/2021 at 5:42 PM, Datsun213 said:

The picture above was my receding hairline with long hair before my FUE transplant.  I was saying that I hope within 5 months, I can get close to similar height and hair curvature again just without the exaggerated receding hairline.  I sure hope I don't have any visible transplant procedure or harsh red line in 5 months, which is why I even followed the same angle on my right side and tried to leave my widows peak.  I'm hoping it looks natural and people can't tell I had a hair transplant.  Here is a pic of my transplanted FUE done just several days ago...

Ahhhh... Understood. At 5 months, while I doubt you'll have the length in that photo, it's definitely possible (if not likely) that the HT itself will be undetectable by then. You may have to sport a shorter overall hairstyle in order for the length to be uniform on top, but if you're a relatively early grower, 5 months is often enough time for there to be enough growth and density for it to look natural. 

And @gillenator - Agreed about the selective hearing. Lol. It's human nature, I suppose, for us to hear what we want to hear.

[gillenator]

I have done it myself!...meaning, I know the regrowth time frames firsthand yet on all 4 of my procedures, I caught myself staring in the mirror every day looking for any changes...HA!

[hairlossPA]

Just gonna bump this... I really tried hard not to vent in my own thread so here I am. this waiting shit is so hard. I've seen some growth in regards to the weak side of my hairline but nowhere near a knock out result like some people post at 5 months. I haven't really noticed any density increases yet as well.

I just keep thinking "other people see significant growth months 5-8, so will you. its coming"

/end nervous post. trust the process 

[gillenator]

Some bloom early, others bloom later in the process...easy to say...much harder to wait.

[Dr. Neil Verma]

Due to individual variation in growth phases its encouraged to take before and afters after 1 year to determine the true success of the procedure.  

[gillenator]

I really noticed the difference up to 15 months post-op due to hair caliber maturation.

[Rooter]

I guess I don't qualify yet to answer as I am just 2 days post surgery but my take / plan is to see it like this - i wore hats/ caps very often beforehand anyways when going outside so I can just continue to do so until the 10/12 month mark or earlier if i don't like my look. I mean it's not that you can do anything anyways if you are not happy with the (pre) results unless doing another HT but that would be foolish doing before you waited it out. Maybe I am naive and will also stress out but i hope i can hold up to my plan

[Melvin- Admin]

4 hours ago, Rooter said:

I guess I don't qualify yet to answer as I am just 2 days post surgery but my take / plan is to see it like this - i wore hats/ caps very often beforehand anyways when going outside so I can just continue to do so until the 10/12 month mark or earlier if i don't like my look. I mean it's not that you can do anything anyways if you are not happy with the (pre) results unless doing another HT but that would be foolish doing before you waited it out. Maybe I am naive and will also stress out but i hope i can hold up to my plan

Just put on a hat until 6-7 months, that’s a good plan

[gillenator]

Simple solution.

[Balding Bad]

On 12/9/2020 at 2:15 PM, Melvin- Moderator said:

Guys,

 

I see a lot of guys stressing and looking for solutions when they're 3-6 months post-op. Hair transplants take 12 months to fully grow. While some guys may grow early and see full results by months 7, everyone is different. The appearance of the hair, the texture, all of that will change as time goes on. In the beginning, the hair may grow kinky, curly and bulky, but as time goes on, it will start to grow thicker, and soften. Here is a case study I wanted to present. 

 

Three months

 

4 months 

5 months 

6 months 

7 months

8 months

9 months

12 months

 

I'm seeing a lot of guys disappointed with their results in the beginning or halfway mark, and many forum members telling them that their transplant has failed while the patient has just started or is halfway there. The time frame is 12 months for a reason. Now, if you see zero growth at 8-9 months, then obviously it's a problem, but improvements do happen from months 6-12 and the difference can be significant. 

Hey @Melvin- Moderator, thanks for sharing these photos! Amazing results for this fella and the timeline really puts things into perspective from a mental preparation standpoint.

2 questions for you though (and I hope you remember since this post is from nearly a year ago).

1.) Is this patient Asian? I only ask because I myself am and I find that it's helpful to see others who are like me. This way I can more accurately gauge what my results may be if/when I eventually get an operation.

2.) Did this patient undergo FUT or FUE?

Thanks!

[Balding Bad]

Also like the newb that I am I see I accidentally posted the same thing 3 times and can't seem to find how to self-delete it. Sorry! Can you delete the repeated posts @Melvin- Moderator?

Edited October 6, 2021 by Balding Bad

[gillenator]

Good time to take a break