Why Does My New Hair Look Different From The Rest of My Head After My Transplant Surgery?

Why Does My New Hair Look Different From The Rest of My Head After My Transplant Surgery?

I am happy to finally see new hair growth within this last two months. But the grafts that were inserted in the recipient area look much different from my natural hair. They feel coarser.  Is this something that happens with everyone, or just me?

Ryan M.

Hello Ryan! Don’t be alarmed by the disparity you are noticing between your original hair and the newly inserted grafts. This is a very common occurrence and happens with other hair transplant patients as well. Besides differences in texture, other people will experience less shininess than what they are used to seeing and different hair color as well.

Although the grafts themselves were follicles taken from your head, they are now in a new environment. This transition obviously has an effect on the hair creation processes. Between the sixth to ninth month, hair tends to look frizzy. Some of the hair follicle cells have gone into a dormant mode. Therefore, only sections of the hair shaft are being produced.

And some time will be needed for the follicles to adjust and return to their normal levels of functioning. This can range from a year to two years. Understanding what hair restoration outcomes to expect will be helpful as you await your final results

But during the 10th to 14th month, the dormant cells become activated once again. They are once again able to contribute to the creation of more complete hair shafts. And this causes them to resume a straighter looking appearance.

Keep in mind that your hair grows in cycles. New shafts emerge for some time and then fall out. It may take two to three cycles before you notice a more normal look to your hair.

Patients who have undergone a body hair transplant would undoubtedly have recipient areas with a coarser texture. However surgeons can create a more even looking appearance by inserting both head and body hair.

 

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Baldcast 01: Role of ACell in Hair Loss Treatment (Podcast)

Join host Dr. Sanusi Umar in our new hair loss support and treatment podcast. Dr. Umar is a hair transplant pioneer specializing in Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), which is  a minimally invasive procedure involving the relocation of head and body hair one unit at a time. He is a pioneer of an advanced form of FUE that enables the effective use of non-head hair in the donor pool of hair restoration surgery (Body Hair Transplantation).

On this podcast, he will answer listener questions as he provides his expertise as an expert in the hair restoration and transplantation fields. Dr Umar is certified by the American Board of Dermatology. Previously, he was certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Episode 1 Outline

  • Dr. Umar personal introduction
    • Personal story
    • Inspirations
    • Successes
  • Acell Role in Hair Loss Treatment
    • What is Acell?
    • Has Dr. Umar used Acell in hair loss patients in the past?
    • What was the outcome? Satisfactory or not?
    • There are several clinics that claim Acell is a good tool for hair loss treatment. What is Dr. Umar’s take on this position, and why?

Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave the Baldcast a review on iTunes. Do you want your question answered via the Baldcast podcast? Ask a question.

Can I Wear A Hair Piece After My Hair Transplant?

I know that the full rewards of a hair restoration surgery do not come into fruition right away. But after my procedure, I do not want to be out and about with all the redness on my head and clear signs of surgical incisions. I want to keep my head covered. And I figured that a hair piece might be the best thing to use. Is this okay?

Jonathan R.

Hi Jonathan. This is a wonderful question as many patients share your concern about what to do after a hair restoration surgery. I like to advise individuals to choose hats instead of hair pieces. Here are several reasons why.

(1) Hair pieces/ toupees/systems need to stay in place on the head. Some have a rubber lining on the interior. Others require adhesives. The wounds on the skin are undergoing healing processes. And the skin itself is more sensitive than usual and vulnerable to infections and inflammations due to the entry or contact with foreign substances. This can cause further complications and impair the ability of the newly inserted follicles to grow new shafts

(2) The constant pressure of the hair pieces, especially when they rely on rubber, silicone and glues can actually shaft the intended direction of growth for the grafts. The final results need to reflect natural angles, directions and orientations. But changing the angle of the shafts can end up looking like noticeable errors.

Therefore, hats are a much safer choice. However, if you have to appear on camera or have your picture taken, you may then want to consider using a hair piece. If this is the case, use clips to anchor it in place rather than using adhesives or rubber linings. Also, don’t keep the hair piece on for more than twelve hours.

Also, if your other concern is simply others knowing that you had a hair transplant, you may want to read about the experiences of other patients. Keep in mind that these days, more people are very open about their experiences with cosmetic procedures in general. Others tend to be very receptive when they see positive improvements in a person’s appearance.

Will Platelet Rich Plasma Help Me Grow My Hair

I’ve heard a lot of great things about PRP treatments for rejuvenating the hair follicles to promote new growth. It this just some type of fad or a legitimate way to reverse hair loss?

W.Graham

Platelet Rich Plasma is being used for a lot of areas including skin rejuvenation, liposuction and fat grafting. Many people seem to be excited about its potential to stimulate new hair growth. In some individuals who have received this restoration treatment, new shafts have appeared. But there are a few issues to consider.

(1) Results seen thus far have not been cosmetically significant. Ideally what anyone would want is substantially improved coverage that help them look their best, not scanty and minimal growth.

(2) Platelet Rich Plasma needs to be applied over wounds that are deliberately inflicted on the skin. In the video above, it is explained that practitioners create this with special rollers. The skin has its own healing mechanisms. Therefore when it is wounded, it will create replacement tissue along with new hair follicles. This phenomenon is even documented in formal research studies.

Therefore, it is not clear whether or not PRP is facilitating the new hair growth or if the wound healing is responsible for this effect.  The sessions themselves need to be ongoing in order to sustain results. the positive outcomes reported on patients may be caused by the regular infliction of wounds.

New research is surely needed to discern the actual effects of PRP on hair growth from the natural wound healing capabilities of the skin itself.

Anyone who is thinking about choosing a particular hair restoration treatment needs focus on actual results that can be replicated across large numbers of individuals. The cost of such interventions should be weighed against the likelihood of obtained desired outcomes. Otherwise, the treatment would be a real financial gamble.

It is also a good idea to learn about real published research studies on what scientist are doing to see if they can rejuvenate or revive dormant hair follicles. As of yet, such research does not exist for Platelet Rich Plasma.

 

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