Hair Transplant Blog | Bernstein Medical - Center for Hair Restoration » Growth After Transplant

After Hair Transplant What are Effects of DHT on Donor Hair?

Robert M. Bernstein M.D. — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:38:16 +0000

Q: Hi! I wanted to ask if after a hair restoration surgery the transplanted hair will eventually fall out? Because the surgery is to restore hair mainly for people with genetic hair loss which results from DHT, won’t the DHT make the new follicles implanted fall out as well?

A: Hair loss is due to the action of DHT (a byproduct of testosterone) on hair follicles that cause them to shrink and eventually disappear (the process is called miniaturization). The follicles on the back and sides of the scalp are not sensitive to DHT and therefore don’t bald (miniaturize).

When you transplant hair from the back and sides to the bald area on the front or top of the scalp the hair follicles maintain their original characteristics (their resistance to DHT) and therefore they will continue to grow.

Can One Determine Hair Transplant Success Five Months After Transplant?

Robert M. Bernstein M.D. — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:47:00 +0000

Q: It had been 5 months since my hair transplant. I only see minimal growth of maybe a few hundred fine hairs. My transplant consisted of 2,217 grafts. Could you give me your opinion if this is normal or is it a failed hair transplant?

A: It is too early to tell. Hair grows in very gradually with great variability from person to person.

Some patients only have a little fuzz at five months and then have great growth by one year.

You really need to wait the full 12 months to evaluate the success of the hair restoration.

After Hair Transplant Does Hair Grow in Stages?

Robert M. Bernstein M.D. — Wed, 30 May 2007 08:14:58 +0000

Q: I had my first hair transplant of 1100 grafts five months ago. The hair has been growing in well and I am very satisfied with the progress, but the new growth appears to occur in different cycles. Some of the hair never fell out and started growing within weeks. At around three months, a lot more started to grow, and now there seems to be even more growth of new hair coming in its finer stages. Is it normal for transplanted hair to begin growing at different times? Why does some hair come in looking thick and other hair start off finer and then gradually thicken up?

A: You are describing accurately how hair grows after a hair transplant.

After the hair restoration procedure, the transplanted stubble is shed and the hair goes into a dormant phase.

Several months later, growth begins as fine, vellus hair that thickens over time. The hair usually does not have its original thickness right away.

Typically, growth occurs in waves so that initially some areas will have more hair than others. Over the course of a year the cycles will even out and the hair will thicken to its final diameter.

What Causes Poor Hair Growth After Hair Transplant?

Robert M. Bernstein M.D. — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 10:25:11 +0000

Q I had a hair transplant 15 months ago at a well known clinic in Manhattan. There were about 1000 grafts transplanted in the front hair line. At this point I am upset with my results. My guess is that only about 50 new hairs have grown. My question is what would cause this to happen? It seems to me that the hair transplant took longer than expected and my grafts died before they were placed! Please help!

A There are many factors that can contribute to poor growth during the hair restoration process including grafts that are left out of the holding solution too long or kept under the microscope for a prolonged period of time where they dry out.

Grafts can be injured in the dissection process or can be traumatized during the placing – if they are grasped too tightly or manipulated too much.

If properly hydrated, grafts can survive outside the body for many hours, so this in itself is generally not a problem.

There is no way to really tell what the exact problem(s) may be without watching the entire hair restoration procedure, since so many steps are involved that can affect the survival of the grafts. All of these steps must be carefully controlled to insure optimal growth.

How Long Until One Sees Growth from Hair Transplant into Donor Scar?

Robert M. Bernstein M.D. — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 14:11:00 +0000

Q: I have had some grafts implanted into a donor scar. How long does it take to see the final result?

A: In normal scalps, growth is generally complete by 10-12 months.

Grafts placed in scar tissue may often take longer to grow.