Hair Transplant Shedding Phase: how long does it last?
By Prof. Dr. Soner Tatlidede 2021-05-15
Hair transplant shedding phase is a stage that occurs after undergoing a hair transplant operation, and that is of particular concern for many patients. Most of the people who contact our clinic asking about the cost of a hair trasplant, once they have undergone the surgery, they contact our medical team concerned because they see that after just a few weeks, all the implanted hair begins to fall out.
But it is important to know that suffering the so-called hair transplantation shedding phase is perfectly normal, and it is not a sign indicating that the intervention has not been successful. However, it is logical to see these queries among patients: what is the shedding phase? How long does it last? When will my hair grow after the transplant? Well, let's answer all of them.
Does everyone shed after hair transplant?
During the first 10-15 days after undergoing the hair transplant operation, and unless unusual complications arise, we will see how all the grafted hairs begin to grow normally. We may think that they will continue to do so... However, usually this is not the case: after 3-4 weeks from the intervention, most patients see how their transplanted hair starts to shed due to the stress suffered by the body during the operation.
This very stress can even cause a hair loss in other parts in our scalp that have not been transplanted: all this causes panic in many people, who - if they have not been previously informed - think that the operation has failed and that all the effort has been in vain because the transplanted hair, after just one month, is falling out.
Again, we insist that there is no reason to worry: this is a perfectly normal phenomenon. The cause of this fall is that the follicle that has been transplanted has entered the resting phase (telogen), which - following the natural cycle of hair growth - occurs prior to the growth phase (anagen).
To put it in easy terms: the transplanted follicles are in a "latent" phase, just before starting to grow back. This phase, in which the transplanted hair falls out leaving the operated area devoid of hair, is what it is known as the "shedding phase", which should not be a cause for alarm in any case, since it is a completely natural process.
How long does the shedding phase last after hair transplant?
Although this hair shedding phase usually makes people think that they are suffering some sort of complication in their transplanted hair, this shed of hair is quite common; but, how long does it last? Well, transplanted hair sheds out during 2-3 months, until approximately around the 4th month after the operation, the growth of the new transplanted hair becomes evident.
This growth will be gradual and will last several months, normally taking from 10 to 12 months to see the final appearance of our new hair. However, it is important to emphasise that all the mentioned timing here is indicative, since each patient is different and the duration of the different phases of hair loss and growth may vary: in some people hair loss may be more accelerated, and in others slower; in some hair can grow very fast, and in others it is not ready after a year. Some patients do not experience hair shedding, too.
It is important not to be alarmed unnecessarily, and not to make comparisons with hair evolution in other people: a consultation with the specialist will be very useful to check if everything is going correctly, and to receive advice on how to perform hair cutting or how to dye hair after the transplant, for example. There are also variations by sex: in general, it is after 5 or 6 months when the growth of transplanted hair becomes evident in men, but in women it may take some additional months.
The medical team in charge of the operation will be able to monitor the whole process - from the first weeks after the hair transplant, to the hair growth in the subsequent months - analysing the images of the patients and verifying that there are no complications. New hairs that are born will be initially thin, but with time they will increase in thickness; appearance of acne may also occur: this is a normal process, and we should not touch the pimples.
In any case, we insist that the hair transplant shedding phase is a natural process for our scalp, and that it does not mean that the hair transplant has failed at all. Clinicana is the best hair transplant clinic in Turkey, providing the best results to our patients: request now your free consultation, and ask us for a free, no obligation estimate for your treatment. Getting your hair back is very easy!
