What to Expect

What can I Expect After My Procedure?

Before Procedure

This is a look at the before picture depicting the classic "widow's peak" hairline

One Day

This picture shows a typical appearance of a transplanted scalp the first day after the procedure. How conspicuous the appearance is depends upon where the grafts are placed and if there is preexisting hair to provide coverage of the grafts.

In addition to the location and whether preexisting hair is present for coverage of the grafted area, several other factors should be discussed. Note in the picture the front zone of single hair "micrografts". Note the markedly smaller scabs present. The more visible scabs behind the micrografts zone are 3 to 5 hair grafts and you can see that they have larger scabs which are actually composed of variable amounts of dried blood and skin from the graft. The smaller "follicular unit graft" (see FAQs if necessary for definition) as they are smaller pieces of tissue have scabs more like the micrograft than the minigrafts shown.

The scabs take from 5 days to 2 1/2 weeks to fall off depending upon how diligently you apply the soaks that you will be instructed to use. The usual time for the skin to be free of the scabs and to have only stubble from your new grafted hair is 7-10 days.

Pain after the transplant is much less than you might expect. Although people's pain thresholds vary, the overwhelming majority of people have some pain the first night following the procedure. This is well controlled with codeine strength medicine. The discomfort is essentially always from the donor area as the area receiving the grafts has some diminished sensation that will disappear over the next several months. Following the first night, usually only Tylenol is needed if anything. There will be some tenderness of the donor area if you sleep on it and this can last for up to three weeks.

One Week

At one week you will be ready to have your sutures removed. The scabs can be completely gone leaving only the stubble of your newly grafted hair and variable degrees of redness of the scalp. The redness generally disappears after three weeks if you have some pigmentation to your skin but can last three to six months if you are blue-eyed with no skin pigment.

Three Weeks

At three weeks the scabs are gone as is usually the redness. The stubble of your newly grafted hair has continued to grow to this point. It now begins to fall out as the transplanted hair follicles go into the resting phase of growth.

Not uncommonly a significant percentage of transplanted hair does not fall out but rather keeps growing. It's a good idea, though, to be prepared for the grafted hair to fall out because most hair usually does go into this resting period. It is important to realize that some of the immediately surrounding hair can also go into the resting phase. This period, then, beginning at three weeks and ending at three to four months when your transplanted hair starts to come out of the resting phase will have at least as thin an appearance as before your procedure. A little patience is required here!

Four Months

Good growth should usually be apparent by 4 months. It often starts by 3 months. The decreased sensation to touch in the grafted area should be considerably improved. At no point are you aware of the numbness unless you reach up to your scalp and test for feeling. The donor scar will still have more pinkness than it will at six months.

Eight Months

At 8 months you should almost always have an idea of what has been accomplished. Usually you have the idea earlier (at 5 to 6 months). In a typical transplant, however, a small percentage of hair is still breaking surface at 8 months. Thus, to really have the most final version of what has been accomplished with your hair transplant, you have to give these hairs a few months to grow out. A second transplant procedure is commonly done at 5 to 6 months if necessary.

Eighteen Months

This is the final look one and a half years later of the gentleman from the above "before" picture. He has had four procedures and 3500 grafts (including grafts into the crown) during this period.