Post-op re-growth: Can you be BOTH an early grower AND a slow grower?

[Bucky O Hair]

Hello all,

After a transplant, has anyone here experienced early growth (within the first 2-3 months)...but then have zero new hairs grow (for a couple of months)...then get hit with a second wave of new hair re-growth after that?

I am currently 4.5 months into my postop journey.  I started to get some decent growth at the 2.5 month mark...but in these past two months, I haven't noticed a single new hair grow out.  
The shafts in my newly grown hairs (that grew during that 2.5 month mark) have started to thicken up...but I was under the impression that there would at least be some degree of consistent growth of new hair follicles on a month-over-month basis...but I haven't experienced any new hairs growing in the past 8 weeks.  

On this forum, I generally see a month-over-month improvement in hair count when it comes to postop regrowth photos.  
I've also seen a lot of "late growers" on here who had very little (if any) growth during the first 4-5 months...but then explode with hair after that. 
However, I don't think I've ever seen anyone experience early growth (2-3 month mark) then have it plateau for several weeks or months before getting a sudden hit of new growth. 

I am enjoying the improved hairline and the thickening of the hair shafts (in the hairs that have already come out), but I am beginning to worry about the fact that I haven't seen a single new hair since mid-July.    

I know it's still early, but curious if anyone has seen or experienced this.

Edited September 4, 2023 by Bucky O Hair

[Turkhair]

Pretty normal actually. 

I continue to see new hairs pop up although majority have grown in the first 4-5 months. 

 

[A_4_Archan]

@Bucky O Hair

When undergoing a hair transplant, it's important to be aware of the different stages involved. Initially, there's a phase where most of the transplanted hairs will naturally shed, typically occurring within the first 3 months after the procedure. Following this shedding phase, the growth phase begins, during which you'll gradually notice new hairs sprouting.

Throughout the growth phase, it's important to understand that there will be fluctuations in the rate of hair growth. It's possible that one side of your head may exhibit more rapid growth while the other lags behind. At certain points, you might even observe that the hair has grown, but the density remains lower than desired.There will be certain months where you will get more growth and you will not see any noticeable growth the following month.

However, it's crucial to maintain patience and trust the process. After approximately 12 months, everything should come together harmoniously, resulting in a well-blended and natural-looking head of hair so this is a long journey my friend and patience is the key.

I hope this helps you to calm your nerves now and then...Best of luck..Happy growing and keep updating brother...

I guess @PerpetualThoughts had the same thing going...

[Greenlantern2020]

Personally, during my first hair transplant I got quite a bit of hair growth in 3-6 month mark then drastically slowed down. My 2nd procedure I'm nearly 4 months in to add density in the hairline and see virtually nothing.

[FrontalTuft]

On 9/4/2023 at 2:32 PM, Bucky O Hair said:

Hello all,

After a transplant, has anyone here experienced early growth (within the first 2-3 months)...but then have zero new hairs grow (for a couple of months)...then get hit with a second wave of new hair re-growth after that?

I am currently 4.5 months into my postop journey.  I started to get some decent growth at the 2.5 month mark...but in these past two months, I haven't noticed a single new hair grow out.  
The shafts in my newly grown hairs (that grew during that 2.5 month mark) have started to thicken up...but I was under the impression that there would at least be some degree of consistent growth of new hair follicles on a month-over-month basis...but I haven't experienced any new hairs growing in the past 8 weeks.  

On this forum, I generally see a month-over-month improvement in hair count when it comes to postop regrowth photos.  
I've also seen a lot of "late growers" on here who had very little (if any) growth during the first 4-5 months...but then explode with hair after that. 
However, I don't think I've ever seen anyone experience early growth (2-3 month mark) then have it plateau for several weeks or months before getting a sudden hit of new growth. 

I am enjoying the improved hairline and the thickening of the hair shafts (in the hairs that have already come out), but I am beginning to worry about the fact that I haven't seen a single new hair since mid-July.    

I know it's still early, but curious if anyone has seen or experienced this.

Any update with any new growth since early September?

[Bucky O Hair]

On 10/31/2023 at 12:29 AM, FrontalTuft said:

Any update with any new growth since early September?

No.

I haven't seen any new hair growth other than that initial growth in the Summer.  

I'm at about 7 months postop, and the progress has really just been hair length, rather than actual new hairs.  Not sure if I should continue to expect new hairs, or if this is it in terms of actual new hair count.

It's definitely an improvement, but it seems to looks less than the 50 FU/cm2 density that I see posted on this site every day.  

Then again, I still have more months for growth, so maybe I am a late bloomer and more should come.   I actually haven't been thinking of my hair growth or recovery since my hair grew back and I was able to style it again, so I haven't been as active on this site.  But I'll post some progress photos once I get closer to the recommended one-year mark.  

 

[TEXAN35]

I have had uneven growth pattern, and my huge improvement came after 7-8 months. But even during month seven, I could feel hair follicles sprouting if I rubbed my scalp with finger gently.

If you run your finger against your scalp and still not able to feel any new graft coming through, it is a concern. At 7 months you may not see final result, but you should be seeing additional grafts coming through.

[SuperC]

Hey @Bucky O Hair  Any improvement in the last 5 weeks? I'd love to see some progress pictures if you're comfortable sharing.

[Bucky O Hair]

On 12/15/2023 at 8:19 AM, gaz9318054 said:

Hey @Bucky O Hair  Any improvement in the last 5 weeks? I'd love to see some progress pictures if you're comfortable sharing.

No.  It's the same.

Since I am already at 8 months, I am just going to assume that this is roughly the final product.

I guess it looks okay, but I got my hopes up hoping for a burst of new hairs during months 4-8 that never came for me.  

I sent photos in to the clinic for them to comment on my progress, but I think I should wait the year before posting anything on here.

How is your progress coming along?

 

Edited December 28, 2023 by Bucky O Hair

[SuperC]

7 hours ago, Bucky O Hair said:

No.  It's the same.

Since I am already at 8 months, I am just going to assume that this is roughly the final product.

There's certainly still time. I've seen plenty of cases where waves of new growth occur after 8 months. Hopefully you'll be one of those.

7 hours ago, Bucky O Hair said:

I guess it looks okay, but I got my hopes up hoping for a burst of new hairs during months 4-8 that never came for me.  

How is your progress coming along?

I just hit 5 months post-op and I'm really happy with my results so far. Like you, I'm still hoping for some new hairs in the next few months, and I can see quite a few that are still just barely poking through the skin, but I'm trying to keep my expectations realistic and avoid setting myself up for disappointment.

I know it's still quite early for me, but even if this is all I get, I think I can work with it. It's so, so much better than what I had before.

[Bucky O Hair]

1 hour ago, gaz9318054 said:

There's certainly still time. I've seen plenty of cases where waves of new growth occur after 8 months. Hopefully you'll be one of those.

I just hit 5 months post-op and I'm really happy with my results so far. Like you, I'm still hoping for some new hairs in the next few months, and I can see quite a few that are still just barely poking through the skin, but I'm trying to keep my expectations realistic and avoid setting myself up for disappointment.

I know it's still quite early for me, but even if this is all I get, I think I can work with it. It's so, so much better than what I had before.

Yes, it's still something I would have done either way and it's definitely an improvement.

My only concern is if I did not get the full 50 FU/cm2 and if it's something well below that.  We all have finite donor hair, and you always want to max out on yield.

I'm always curious as to how people on here actually KNOW that they got full yield.  Do you actually count the hairs on your hairline (per cm)? 

 

 

 

 

[SuperC]

25 minutes ago, Bucky O Hair said:

I'm always curious as to how people on here actually KNOW that they got full yield.  Do you actually count the hairs on your hairline (per cm)? 

I did this a few days after the transplant, just out of curiosity. I found that the new hairline received about 45 FU/cm^2, and my native density outside of the thinning/receding area was around 70 hairs per cm^2.

I haven't bothered to count since it began growing in, however. If I were unhappy with my results, I might do some spot checks, but it's not really a concern for me.

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

@Bucky O Hair,

Everybody grows at different rates so yes, this is very possible. Keep in mind Also that not all hairs will start growing at the same time. For example, you could easily start seeing signs of early new hair growth around 11 weeks. And you’d likely get excited thinking that because you’re an early grower, you’re going to see in the end result sooner than whats typical.  However, months could go by without seeing any significant cosmetic improvement because many of transplanted follicles still haven’t started growing hair.  Or perhaps they have but they’re taking a lot longer to thicken, darken and mature.

Personally, I’ve seen some patients blossom pretty suddenly from what seemed like one month to the next while others seem to grow in so gradually that they hardly notice any changes from month to month. The latter only really notice a substantial change when they compare their before pictures to what they look like at 12 months.

So long story short, pretty much anything goes in terms of growth.

I hope this helps 

Rahal Hair Transplant 

[SuperC]

Hey @Bucky O Hair It's been another 5 weeks or so. Any change?

[Bucky O Hair]

Nah.  No significant change.  

It's improved enough that I can style my hair a certain way and it looks good, so I've just been doing that these past few months and haven't thought about it.  It looks good enough so it doesn't bother me.

Re: posting photos...I've been lazy, so I haven't gotten around to posting photos here...but I'll eventually do it ha ha.

I'm planning to do my crown very soon as well (I did a bit of shopping around these past few months) and booked something so I will probably post my frontal final results soon (from my first HT), and post the crown post-op results (of my second HT) once I have it done it.

Edited February 19 by Bucky O Hair