Hair transplant surgery is a popular procedure for those looking to restore their hair. During the procedure, entire follicles are removed from the donor area and transplanted to the recipient area. But does hair grow back after a transplant?
The answer is yes, but it depends on several factors, such as general health and the type of treatment used. Advanced therapies, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and ACell, have been developed to promote hair growth in the donor area. These treatments have been tested for healing donor scars and hair follicle regeneration.
After an FUE hair transplant, you'll need to keep the crown of your head and the receiving site clean and sterile. Within 2 to 3 weeks after surgery, the transplanted hair will fall out, but you will start to notice new growth within a few months. Most people will see 60% of their new hair grow after 6 to 9 months.
The time it takes for the hair to grow back depends on the area where the hair was implanted. On average, it takes 3 to 12 months for this to grow back fully. The more follicles planted, the faster this process will be.
Stimulation therapies can also help accelerate the development of dermal papillae and root sheath cells where hair is produced, leading to faster hair growth. Although the hair at the donor site doesn't grow back, it's usually well hidden by the rest of the hair in the area.
If you want your hair to grow back faster, you can consider caffeinated hair products, scalp massages, or minoxidil. You may need another procedure later if you continue to lose hair or decide that you want thicker hair.
Hair transplantation is done by transferring grafts from the source area to the target area one by one. Therefore, the cleavage will not be noticed since the remaining hair will be more than enough to compensate for the extracted hair.
Your hair transplant team will analyze the size of the follicles and the density of the donor site before informing you about the number of grafts that can be removed. If you have any bleeding in the area, do your best to remove your hair before applying pressure gauze to prevent tangling.
So, it may not be a good sign if you notice hair regrowth at the donor site after a hair restoration procedure. It is essential to understand that transplanted hair will fall out between two and eight weeks after the procedure.
Some factors come into play to determine if hair regrows and how long it takes for average hair growth to resume in the donor area. According to a study, scalp massage improves hair thickness by stretching hair follicle cells.