Whatever type of hair transplant you have and wherever you get it done, the surgical procedure itself is just the start of the process.
The day of surgery is the initial step on the long road to the full growth of your transplant. That’s why the relationship between the surgeon, the patient and the rest of the transplant team is important. Many people ask us the simple question – Does transplanted hair grow back? We are here to explain to you the stages of hair growth after a hair transplant using one of our recent patients.
A graft is a fragile piece of living tissue and how that graft is handled and planted during surgery will either ensure robust growth – or see grafts that fail to flourish and thrive post-surgery. The entire transplant team needs to handle each graft with great care. The grafts need to be out of the body for a minimal amount of time in order to ensure maximum strength and potential for hardy growth over time.
Pre Hair Transplant
On the completion of surgery, there begins a period of after-care. Paradigm will pass the baton of care to the patient, who will be advised on how to treat the delicate grafts and who will be responsible for their care and nurture. Paradigm will be on hand for advice and information if and when needed.
Hair Transplant After 6 Days
The first two weeks post-surgery is when grafts are most susceptible to damage and during this initial period, they are fragile. After the initial two weeks’, hair can be washed as usual, patients can go back to the gym, get a haircut, wear hats if they wish and life can return to normal. Nature will slowly and gently begin to work her magic.
Hair Transplant After 9 Weeks
Between two and four weeks, most of the transplanted hair will fall out. This can be a distressing time for the patient. The excitement of the operation is over and the hairs that were sitting in the place where hair had been lost, also disappear.
What really matters in a hair transplant procedure is the quality and viability of the root which has been replanted. This is where all of the future growth comes from. A root that is compromised in any way will not be able to grow optimally.
A hair takes three months to grow from root to surface. It will then grow at half a centimetre a month, assuming it is in good health. There is nothing to worry about during this time. Nature is simply taking her time to attach a new blood-supply to the transplanted root and the slow process of growth is beginning.
Hair Transplant After 4 Months
Paradigm patients report significant growth at fourth months post-procedure. A Hair transplant after 6 months will begin to show the the shape of the initial transplant reappearing – but it is still thinner than the final result will be.
Hair Transplant After 9 Months
By nine months, all of the patients’ transplanted hair will have come through the surface of the skin. They won’t yet have reached full maturity, however. This will take an additional nine months of further development. Gradually, the transplanted hairs will become increasingly mature, terminal hairs, displaying you own native hair colour and appearing thick and vital.
Throughout this process the team at Paradigm will be on hand to assist your through the journey and answer any questions you might have. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that the quality of growth that is displayed in the donor area is transposed to the recipient area in a natural and seamless progression. This takes experience, skill and knowledge, features which all the staff at Paradigm possess.
To discuss a potential hair transplant, speak to our experts in Belfast who would be happy to guide you through the process. Contact us on +44 7468 462884 or visit our contact us page.