If you’ve recently undergone Hair transplant surgery, there’s no doubt that you are excited to start seeing results and enjoying your new hairline and thicker, more luscious growth. Here is what to expect in the weeks and months after your hair transplant surgery:

The week after your procedure: Patients will usually experience some swelling immediately after the Procedure, lasting for up to a week. If this is the case, you can apply ice to the swollen area for the first two days after surgery. Don’t shower until the next morning. Avoid any hair products for the first few days and if you’re using Rogaine, you can restart using it again within a week.

1-2 weeks: After 7 – 10 days, sutures are taken out (get them taken out by the clinic who performed your surgery), and at this point most or all of your scabs will be gone. A small minority of patients may see a “shadow effect” where the transplanted follicles are visible after two or three weeks. This is why patients with Existing Hair are advised to keep their hair long enough to help camouflage the immediate effects of the procedure.

6 weeks – 3 months: Some patients – especially women, or patients with a lot of baby hairs may experience a period of time where hair actually thins further instead of becoming thicker. Don’t be alarmed, it is expected as the procedure can actually cause an effect called “shock hair” which may cause additional shedding for this period of time. Rogaine is sometimes prescribed to minimize this process. Generally it happens to most patients and is proportionate to the amount of existing hair in the area that was transplanted, but no-one has ever lost all their existing hair to shock loss!

3-4 months: This is when some patients start to see growth and actually report being happy with the effects of the procedure. If you’re not seeing any noticeable growth by now, there is still no reason for concern.

6-9 months: This is when most patients begin to be happy with the amount of growth they’re seeing and by 9 months, many will see what is close to the final result.

12-18 months: This is when the growth cycle is complete and you will be able to see the full effect of your transplant procedure.