How Long Do I Have to Wait Between Hair Transplants?
How long after the first hair transplant should I wait to have another one?
Though there are varying answers on this, I have revervations about going for a second hair restoration procedure too early especially if hair is to be transplanted in the same area as previously transplanted hair. This also depends on whether or not the hair transplant procedure is follicular unit hair transplantation / follicular unit strip surgery (FUT/FUSS) or follicular unit extraction / follicular isolation technique (FUE/FIT).
In my opinion, undergoing follicular unit hair transplantion too early does not give the scalp enough time to restore normal elasticity. This means a lesser amount of follicular unit grafts can be excised from the donor area safe zone the second time around. Scalp exercises are only encouraged 6 months after the first hair transplant procedure anyway which ultimately suggests that the donor area can be a bit sensitive before that point. Personally, my donor laxity started to really increase dramatically after about 8 months from each hair replacement surgery.
Whether referring to follicular unit transplantation or follicular unit extraction, in the recipient area, new hair growth can occur up to 12-18 months after hair replacement surgery. In the latter months however, new hair growth will be minimal. Due to the projected new hair growth even in later months, it is possible that some may be transected and therefore damaged before they actually grow, preventing them from growing. Additionally, it may be more difficult to determine the proper direction of a hair if that hair has only started to grow.
Therefore, it is my opinion that waiting at least 8-10 months between hair transplantion surgeries is optimal for FUT and if hair is transplanted in the same balding area as the previous hair restoration surgery regardless of the specific hair transplant procedure.
Bill
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog
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