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Hi.  I am 2 months out from a hair transplant and still don’t see any growth.  Did I waste my money?

The fact that you are experiencing no hair growth at month two is perfectly normal.  As much as we’d like to see immediate hair growth from hair transplantation surgery, it doesn’t work that way.

Hairs are transplanted into the recipient areas (balding areas) on the day of hair restoration surgery.  Between two and four weeks, the transplanted hairs will shed.  There is no exact understanding as to why they all shed however, it is speculated that it is due to trauma of the initial surgery.  These hairs shed and go into a resting period known as the telogen phase of the hair growth cycle.

Month one to three are typically referred to as the doldrums because there is no visual activity during this time except for the possibility of pimples in the recipient area which is a sign of growth to come.   

Additionally, month one to five can be relatively depressing in general as there is no to little hair growth activity during this time. I include month three to five in this category because month three is often seen as the “expected” start date of new visual growth. Unfortunately I think many hair transplant patients believe they will see their final result at this time and it simply isn’t true. It is extremely important to take heart and have patience during this time because it takes up to 12-18 months to see the final result.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

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