3 Months After Your Hair Transplant, the First Signs of Progress
Table of Contents
The most difficult stage in your journey toward getting your hair back is coming, so hang in there! It’s been more than four weeks since your procedure, and you’re probably noticing some big changes already. The transplant site might even look balder than before, but there’s no reason to worry. Remember that this is a long process, and every ounce of patience and perseverance will be worth it in the end. Today, we will answer some frequently asked questions about after-care and the first signs of progress in the 3 months after your hair transplant.
What sort of changes will you see in your hair transplant during these 3 months?
To give you the most accurate information about the necessary after-care and the main changes you’ll see in this time, we spoke with Dr. Erick Ruiz, our hair transplant expert, who explained to us the following aspects in detail.
Basic recommendations
As we mentioned in previous articles, there are some basic recommendations you should follow to care for your hair transplant. For example: avoid being exposed to the sun for longer than 15 minutes; avoid any friction on the transplant site; avoid consuming tobacco, and use the products recommended by your doctor.
Remember that by this stage, your scalp has healed enough for you to wash your hair as you normally do. Surgeon Erick Ruiz warns that, if you don’t follow the right hair washing routine, the sebum plus the shampoo’s chemicals, as well as environmental factors, can cause irritation or seborrheic dermatitis. He also remarked that you will probably get small pimples on the transplant site. This can be due to hairs that were left under the scalp, but they will eventually come out.
Physical activity
After the first month, you can go back to your regular exercise routine with moderate workouts. The idea is that, by the second or third month, you can have the opportunity to do more intense physical activity. At this stage, you can swim in indoor pools, go inside a sauna or to the beach (in moderation) without any major risks. However, you can’t wear a swimming cap or be in the sun for too long.
Hair dyes, spray, blow dryers, and styling tools
Now that the transplanted follicles have adapted and the scalp has healed, you can forget about some restrictions. By this stage, you have the opportunity to style your hair, trim it, and use blow dryers. You can also use gel, wax, and other products as you normally would, always making sure that the hair remains clean.
When it comes to hair dyes, men’s brands offer dyes that are much milder than women’s hair dyes. Those products, which color gray hair in five minutes, have no serious side effects on the follicles because the amount of peroxide in the product and the exposure time are very little. Either way, remember that your doctor is the one who has the last word to determine whether or not you can use these products without jeopardizing your treatment.
Follicle effluvium and the first signs of growth
Now, let’s talk about one of the most crucial and worrisome aspects for patients. You will probably experience some hair loss starting 15 days after your procedure and up to 3 months. This can happen both with transplanted hair as well as native hair, and you should keep in mind that this is completely normal.
This doesn’t mean that the transplant didn’t work. As we mentioned before, the telogen effluvium or replacement stage happens as the result of stress inflicted upon the scalp, and it’s a natural stage in our hair cycle. Remember that the follicle is still in there and that, as the stem falls, the follicle is already working on new hair.
Your hair will grow again, and it might be a little thinner than usual at first, but over time it will reach its fullness and vitality. That’s why it’s so important that you stay in touch with your doctor, so they can help you find the most suitable care and treatments for your particular case.
Document your hair transplant progress every month
One way to see more clearly the first signs of progress of your hair transplant is to keep a personal photo diary. That way, you can see the changes for yourself through photos, videos, and notes. By keeping these records, you will be able to observe objectively how your follicular density gradually improves in places that used to present signs of balding. In this way, you will start looking away from the past and toward the future, toward the new you.
Before you start worrying about the telogen effluvium stage, you must stay informed and stick close to your consultant, who will always be there to clear up any doubts or concerns about the progress of your hair transplant.
What to expect from your next appointment at the 3-month mark
As part of the care you should have after your procedure, you must go to each one of your check-ups to see how your hair transplant is progressing. During your next appointment at the 3-month mark, your doctor will perform a physical examination to make sure there are no alterations, irritation, dermatitis or folliculitis, and above all, to ascertain your scalp’s health.
If you have any doubts or questions about these indications, don’t hesitate to contact your consultant, or you can also leave us a comment, and we will gladly pass it on to one of our experts.
We thank Dr. Erick Ruiz, a hair transplant expert, for his support in the writing of this article.