Understanding how a hair transplant works and the amount of time you’ll need to take off work is a key concern. For most clients, the minimally invasive and microscopic nature of an advanced FUE hair transplant means they can return to their normal routines after just two weeks – which is much shorter than many expect!
That said, rest and recovery are essential to achieving optimal outcomes following a hair transplant, and it’s incredibly important to consult a regulated, accredited, and experienced surgeon, such as the renowned hair restoration experts at KSL Clinic, who will provide a comprehensive aftercare plan.
For the majority of hair transplant candidates, the initial healing takes around 14 days, with full regrowth and a restored appearance after one year. We’ll run through the steps of recovery here to ensure you are equipped with all the information you need to decide whether or not a hair transplant is right for you.
Key Steps in the Hair Transplant Recovery Process:
- KSL Clinic only uses the FUE hair transplant technique, which ensures you need to plan for a minimal recovery time. In just a couple of weeks, you will see healing in your skin and hair at both the donor extraction and follicle implantation sites.
- Ongoing care is necessary to ensure newly implanted follicles can embed themselves properly, without abrasions, chemicals, contaminants or exposure to sunlight that could dislodge the follicles or impact the aesthetic outcome of your transplant.
- The final results of a hair transplant are typically visible within one year, at which point your hair, beard, eyebrows, or other target hair loss concerns will be restored with a bespoke hairline or growth pattern we have created solely based on your wishes.
Breaking Down the Recovery Stages After a Hair Transplant Step By Step
The primary reason we advocate for FUE hair transplantation is the lack of stitches, large incisions, or scarring. This modern and bespoke transplant technique also lowers the time needed for your hair, scalp, and follicles to recover.
Research has shown that FUE hair transplant clients benefit from less downtime and speedier recovery since the procedure only involves tiny incisions around one mm across, which heal quickly, provided you take proper care of your skin. [1]
Initial Post-Transplant Recovery Over the First Two Weeks
As we’ve stated, the initial recovery period takes around 14 days, during which time we’ll ask you to follow the aftercare instructions we’ve provided with care. During the first two weeks:
- The small incisions made where each donor hair has been extracted will scab and then heal over, alongside the sites where healthy follicles have been implanted.
- Any residual swelling or redness will subside.
- We may recommend antihistamines or topical medications to minimise irritation or scratching as your skin heals.
Non-adherence to aftercare is one of the leading complications in hair transplant failure [2], so you must ensure you follow the guidance, including avoiding swimming or strenuous exercise and washing or scratching your head.
Hair Transplant Recovery After the First Two Weeks
Once you’ve reached 14 days post-transplant, you should find that your skin around the donor and transplant sites has healed nicely, with small scabs that will fall away and without any visible scarring or swelling.
A common misconception is to assume that new hair will be immediately visible, but this isn’t the case because:
- Follicles themselves are different from the hair you can see, and it takes time for transplanted follicles to heal and enter into a new growth phase.
- Immediately after a transplant, the follicles need to bed in, which means a period of resting before fresh hair is produced.
After your initial recovery, you are free to return to your usual schedule. In some cases, we might recommend medication or a topical treatment to assist with recovery or a series of platelet-rich plasma injections at staggered points to expedite the speed with which new hair grows.
Initial Hair Regrowth Within Two to Eight Weeks After a Hair Transplant
From the two-week point until around two months post-transplant, those newly implanted follicles will gradually start to grow. That usually happens at different paces, so you could see early signs of stubble in some areas and not others—this is completely normal.
Dr Matee, our Director of Surgical Services, explains, ‘New hair that grows after a hair transplant tends to start with thinner and finer shafts, which might not seem to be as thick or rich as other hairs.
This is not a concern and is simply down to the growth phases our follicles pass through. This first growth should shed between four and six weeks, which is when the follicle enters the next phase and sheds the old follicle to make space for a new, healthy hair to grow.’
By around the six-week point, you should not have any post-transplant ‘baby hairs’ remaining, which is a positive sign that the follicles have healed and embedded perfectly and are poised to enter the next active growth phase—and the results you are waiting for.
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Hair Regrowth Between Weeks Nine and 26 After a Hair Transplant Procedure
When the shedding has completed, normally by six months after your transplant, you’ll see thicker, visible, and very noticeable hair growth across the areas targeted during your transplant.
You can expect to see:
- Continual improvements in the thickness of each hair as it matures
- Thicker and faster paces of growth across the transplant site
- An evening and consistency of the appearance of new hair growth patterns
This is often the most exciting aspect of a hair transplant. You’ll begin to see how your new hairline, beard, or eyebrow arch will look and how well it matches the bespoke design we put together with you.
Full Hair Transplant Recovery Results Within One Year
After six months and onwards, your follicles will resume the normal pace of growth and resting, which means your hairline looks rich, youthful, and full. Each shaft will mimic the growth pattern, colour, texture, and density of every other hair around the transplant site.
The use of FUE transplantation ensures there will be zero indications that you have undergone a hair transplant, with no scarring, and a natural, permanent, and customised hairline that doesn’t only look seamless but also utilises your own donor follicles to eliminate any deviations or differences between natural and transplanted hair.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Fast Will My Hair Grow Back Following a Hair Transplant?
As we’ve indicated, there is a phase following a hair transplant during which the newly transplanted follicles often produce finer hairs, which then shed to ensure the follicle is in an active growth pattern and can grow healthy, thicker hair.
Generally speaking, our follicles tend to grow by around 0.5 mm every day, which is about half a cm of growth every ten days or so—equating to increases in hair of up to 1.5 cm per month.
Of course, this can vary between individuals, but hair growth is steady and cumulative rather than fast-paced growth all at once.
Why Is an FUE Transplant the Best Option for a Faster Post-Transplant Recovery?
There are various approaches and techniques used within hair transplantation. Still, the alternative to FUE, called Follicular Unit Transplantation or FUT, commonly involves a considerably extended recovery period due to the more invasive nature of the procedure.
In short, FUE is a more precise, skilful, and time-consuming methodology, but one we prioritise because the microscopic incisions and craft of transplanting individual follicles mean your recovery time is swift, and the results are entirely designed around your aspirations.
FUT involves the removal of a strip of tissue with hair follicles attached, which means you require stitches, have a linear and permanent scar, and will need to spend longer recovering before you can return to work and your usual routines.
What Are the Signs That My Scalp and Hair Are Recovering Well After a Transplant?
We appreciate that hair transplant recovery can seem to take an extended period, but the reality is that a one-day procedure, performed under local anaesthetic on a walk-in/walk-out basis, will permanently restore your hair to your desired appearance within as little as 12 months.
It can be tricky to see whether the transplant has been effective during the early stages of recovery. If you are in any doubt, we recommend contacting KSL Clinic. We’ll be happy to verify that your recovery is progressing as expected or address any issues you may be experiencing.
For most clients, the reductions in early swelling and redness and the formation of tiny scabs as the skin heals are all positive indications that your transplant recovery is proceeding according to the usual schedule.
What Happens if My Scalp Hasn’t Fully Recovered Within Two Weeks of a Hair Transplant?
As always, the first step is to contact your nearest KSL Clinic immediately if you have any issues or are worried that redness, swelling or soreness hasn’t subsided within the timescales we’ve indicated.
If you have had a hair transplant performed by another clinician or practitioner, especially through an unregulated overseas clinic, we may suggest seeking emergency medical attention since complications like infections can become very serious and may need urgent clinical treatment.
How Fast Will My Hair Grow Back Following a Hair Transplant?
As we’ve indicated, there is a phase following a hair transplant during which the newly transplanted follicles often produce finer hairs, which then shed to ensure the follicle is in an active growth pattern and can grow healthy, thicker hair.
Generally speaking, our follicles tend to grow by around 0.5 mm every day, which is about half a cm of growth every ten days or so—equating to increases in hair of up to 1.5 cm per month.
Of course, this can vary between individuals, but hair growth is steady and cumulative rather than fast-paced growth all at once.
What Are the Signs That My Scalp and Hair Are Recovering Well After a Transplant?
We appreciate that hair transplant recovery can seem to take an extended period, but the reality is that a one-day procedure, performed under local anaesthetic on a walk-in/walk-out basis, will permanently restore your hair to your desired appearance within as little as 12 months.
It can be tricky to see whether the transplant has been effective during the early stages of recovery. If you are in any doubt, we recommend contacting KSL Clinic. We’ll be happy to verify that your recovery is progressing as expected or address any issues you may be experiencing.
For most clients, the reductions in early swelling and redness and the formation of tiny scabs as the skin heals are all positive indications that your transplant recovery is proceeding according to the usual schedule.
Why Is an FUE Transplant the Best Option for a Faster Post-Transplant Recovery?
There are various approaches and techniques used within hair transplantation. Still, the alternative to FUE, called Follicular Unit Transplantation or FUT, commonly involves a considerably extended recovery period due to the more invasive nature of the procedure.
In short, FUE is a more precise, skilful, and time-consuming methodology, but one we prioritise because the microscopic incisions and craft of transplanting individual follicles mean your recovery time is swift, and the results are entirely designed around your aspirations.
FUT involves the removal of a strip of tissue with hair follicles attached, which means you require stitches, have a linear and permanent scar, and will need to spend longer recovering before you can return to work and your usual routines.
What Happens if My Scalp Hasn’t Fully Recovered Within Two Weeks of a Hair Transplant?
As always, the first step is to contact your nearest KSL Clinic immediately if you have any issues or are worried that redness, swelling or soreness hasn’t subsided within the timescales we’ve indicated.
If you have had a hair transplant performed by another clinician or practitioner, especially through an unregulated overseas clinic, we may suggest seeking emergency medical attention since complications like infections can become very serious and may need urgent clinical treatment.
