Hair Transplant Timeline: Preparation, Recovery, and Results

Hair transplant surgery is an increasingly popular procedure for treating hair loss.

It involves transferring hair from one area of the scalp to another, typically from the back or side of the head to the front or top.

Hair transplantation offers a permanent solution for hair loss, but it does require some time and patience.

It is important to stay composed and carefully follow the recovery guidelines set by your clinic.

In this article, we’ll take a detailed look at the FUE hair transplant recovery timeline.

1. Before surgery
2. The surgery itself
3. Recovery timeline
4. Hair transplant growth timeline VIDEO
5. Conclusion

What to do before your hair transplant procedure

Following a healthy and balanced diet before your procedure is crucial if you want to prepare your body for the procedure.

You should also avoid consuming alcohol, smoking and eating any spicy food.

It is also important to refrain from taking painkillers or supplements for at least 7 days before your hair restoration surgery.

Lastly, you shouldn’t drink any coffee or drinks containing caffeine on the day of your surgery.

What to expect during the hair transplant surgery

The operation is composed of three separate parts:

1. extraction
2. the opening of channels in the scalp
3. and the implantation of grafts into the recipient area.

The surgery will start by extracting DHT-resistant hair follicles from the back or side of the head.

You will receive a local anaesthetic to ensure you feel no pain during your hair transplant surgery.

The only uncomfortable aspect of this process is that you have to remain in the same position for a couple of hours.

However, this is a small price to pay for achieving the head of hair of your dreams.

The second part of hair transplantation is where the surgeon opens channels in the area of your scalp where the transplanted hair will be placed.

Your surgeon will inject another round of anaesthesia, this time into the recipient area. This is to ensure that you feel no pain whatsoever.

In the third and finishing part of the hair transplant operation, your extracted grafts will be implanted into the recipient area.

FUE Hair Transplant Timeline – 9 Stages

Now let’s take a look at how your new hair will behave following your procedure.

However you should keep in mind that hair growth is not universal, and these timeframes may vary from patient to patient.

We will guide you through the post-op period through Bernardo’s hair transplant timeline photos, who had a hairline transplant with 5042 hairs at our clinic.

Let’s take a look at the hair transplant timeline month by month:

Hair transplant after 7 days

Now that you know what to expect during the surgery, let’s take a look at what will happen one week after your hair transplant.

After your hair transplant, the newly transplanted hair will need some time to heal and properly anchor into your scalp.

It is very important to follow the aftercare instructions given to you by your hair transplant clinic.

You may experience itchiness during the first week as scabs begin to form and fall off.

Some minor swelling can also occur but this should go away within a few days.

In the first few days after your hair transplant, you will need to use a saline solution provided to you by your clinic to keep your scalp clean.

Staying out of the sun and avoiding heavy exercise and sweating is important.

Hair transplant after 2 weeks 

You shouldn’t experience any swelling by this time. However, you may still experience some redness and itchiness as your scabs begin to fall off.

Although exercise is still advised against, it should pose less of a threat now than it did during the first week.

At the end of the second week, you may experience something called shock hair loss. This might be scary at first, but it is a perfectly normal part of the healing process.

As new hairs begin to form in the implanted follicles, they will begin to push out the implanted hair to make way for new hair growth.

Hair transplant after 1 month – Heartache

By the end of the first month, most of your implanted hairs will enter into the telogen phase.

This is the part on the hair transplant regrowth timeline where most of the shedding will occur.

As the hairs in your recipient area are all at different stages of the hair growth cycle the front of your scalp may appear patchy or sparse.

However, this is only a temporary period and new hair growth should occur shortly.

It is important to contact your clinic in case you still notice some inflammation or redness.

Hair transplant after 2 months – The ugly duckling phase

After two months you will likely see the continuation of the hair growth cycle and the hair loss that comes with it.

This period is often referred to as the “ugly duckling” phase, and you may look worse than you did before the hair transplant.

However, it is important to have faith and keep following the aftercare instructions throughout your FUE ugly duckling phase.

Hair transplant after 3 months – Hope

After three months you will slowly notice the first signs of new growth as your hairs start to emerge from the follicles.

This will most likely mean fine hair that may appear weak and almost transparent. This is solely due to their lack of maturity.

You should remain patient and give the transplanted hair time to fully grow out.

You shouldn’t worry about the appearance of your transplanted follicles which may resemble that of body hair.

Once your hair grafts have had time to mature they will appear stronger and thicker.

Hair transplant after 4 months

Most hair transplant patients will notice a decent amount of hair growth by this point. Although the growth can still appear somewhat patchy.

Hair transplant after 6 months – Happiness

You are now way past the ugly duckling phase. You should notice a growth spurt as your transplanted hair begins to produce more and more new hair.

As you progress on the FUE hair transplant timeline this should continue at a nice rate over the next few months.

However, you will have to wait another 6 months before you reach the end of your hair transplant results timeline.

Hair transplant after 9-12 months

Your hair will continue to grow at a rate of 1 cm each month, and as your hair grows your results will appear better and better.

Your hair grafts should be completely secured in your scalp, so you can cut and style your hair freely.

Hair transplant after 12-18 months – Flourishing

Between 1 year to 18 months after the hair transplant, you will see the final results.

The transplanted hairs have had time to grow out and they should look mature, thick and strong.

Congratulations, you got through the recovery period and had a successful hair transplant.

Hair transplant growth timeline – VIDEO

Everybody’s different

Hair transplants can differ in terms of recovery and results, but most patients should see full growth by the end of the first month.

However, everybody is different and some people may see results quicker or slower.

The hair transplant crown timeline may be altered based on the hair transplant technique used, and the level of care during the healing process.

This timeline is simply a rough estimate of what you can expect in the 18 months following your hairline transplant.