THE DAY AFTER A HAIR TRANSPLANT
The day following hair transplant surgery is the most crucial time for the results. You will be able to remove the bandage from the donor area and carefully wipe off any dry blood with a wet washcloth. Scabs should have formed over the transplanted grafts by this stage, so it is vital you treat this area gingerly and avoid any rubbing, scratching or picking.
The First 7 to 10 Days
Continue to care for your transplanted grafts and follow all post-op instructions during this period. During this phase, the donor area will heal, new hair will already start to grow in and you will no longer experience any swelling or redness.
You will have scabs in the recipient sites. By the end of the first 10 days, these scabs should have fallen off, and you will be able to clearly see what the transplant site will look like, as well as assess the extent of your scarring.
Weeks 2 to 3
If you aren’t prepared for this stage of the recovery process, you may be alarmed when you see your newly transplanted hairs beginning to fall out about two weeks after your surgery. However, this is a totally normal part of the healing process, and it doesn’t mean the grafts are dying or failing to take hold. It’s a natural step in the hair-growth lifecycle for old hairs to fall out. While your scalp is shedding the hair shafts themselves, your new follicular units will remain completely undamaged, and in fact, new hair shafts should be beginning to come in.
Months 1-4
The next few months following your hair transplant surgery are the first stage of the growth phase for your newly transplanted hairs. You will start to notice new transplants beginning to emerge from your scalp, though they may appear to be finer than the surrounding hair. If you experienced any redness or irritation in the donor area, you will see it resolve by this point.
Months 5-9
During this phase, you’ll start to notice a considerable amount of new hair growth. Toward the end of this period, your new hair will begin to become thicker, and you will be able to cut, colour or style it hair however you choose. The donor area will be completely healed by this stage.
9 Months Later
By this point, roughly 80 percent of your new hairs will be growing in, and you should have a very clear indication of what your final result will look like.
One Year Later
By the time a full year has passed since your hair restoration surgery, your transplant process will largely be complete. Some people may continue to grow new hairs even after a year, but for most patients, the one-year anniversary represents the end of their journey. As the hair grows longer, it provides a fuller appearance, since the volume of hair at the transplanted area will increase. After a year, patients who suffered from very advanced hair loss can now get another hair transplant, if they so choose, to add density to the same area that was transplanted the first time.