Question:
Is it normal for the new hair to still be hibernating five months after the surgery?

Answer:
The hairs that were transplanted from the donor site to the recipient area generally fall out within the first one to four weeks. It generally takes between 90 and 150 days for those hair follicles to go through their dormant phase and return to their active phase of hair growth, which is called the anagen phase. Again, three to five months waiting time postoperatively is generally required for the hair to start growing. It can, therefore, be normal for the new hair to still not be growing at five months.

A general guideline is in younger patients the dormant phase tends to be a little shorter and they tend to have hair starting to grow in a 3 to 3 1/2 month time period. Patients in their late 40s, 50s or 60s generally do not start having the new hair growing until the late 4th or the 5th month post operatively.

Posted by: Dr. Charles