Is It Safe to Chemically Straighten Hair 6 Months after Hair Transplant Surgery?

This question, from a member of our [tag]hair loss[/tag] social community and discussion forums, was answered by Coalition hair transplant surgeon Dr. David Josephitis: 

I hate my curly hair, and I got this [tag]hair transplant[/tag] with the hope to have a decent straight haircut like I did a few years ago. I know some products are harsh on the scalp (I’ll avoid them) and that straightening causes some hairs to break (that’s okay).

The idea to have my first few hairs grow even frizzier than the others doesn’t appeal to me at all. My very first idea is to straighten all of that as soon as the density is acceptable, if my HT was a decent success, by month 6 or 7.

What’s your take on this?

You will want to be careful when using chemical or physical straighteners or dyes for that matter soon after a hair transplant. The concern of course, is that you will damage the skin and/or hair and ultimately get a poor result.

It is perfectly safe though to treat transplanted hair once it is fully mature. The hair should be just as strong and durable as native hair. Some people’s hair grows faster than others, so it is really a matter of how quickly your transplant has grown out. At 6 months the transplant may be ready to straighten, or it may still be too early. Early and young transplanted hair appears finer and thinner than fully grown mature hair. If you are unsure if the hair is mature, it might be a good idea to check with your [tag]hair restoration[/tag] physician.

Dr. David Josephitis
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David
Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q & A Blog.