14 days after your hair transplant, you’ll be curious about seeing the results begin to emerge. You may also feel anxious about losing grafts or whether you can safely return to your usual hair routines and day-to-day activities.
At this early stage post-hair transplant, you must remain cautious. Passing the two-week mark is a big milestone – you’ll have made a fair bit of progress in the week since 7 days after your hair transplant. The essential healing process should now be complete with the hair grafts now being secure and anchored in the scalp. By now you should be allowed to gently wash and comb your hair as normal. You should be able to see your new hairline, but don’t expect too much in terms of growth at this stage – it’s way too early for that.
Let’s take a look at what you can expect to see 14 days after a hair transplant. We’ll look at before and after photographs as well as discuss aftercare and any side effects you may be experiencing at this stage.
As you can see in the images above, this man had a hairline transplant for his and frontal D balding / mid-scalp. He had a FUE transplant with 1953 grafts.
Two weeks later, we can see that the skin has settled and is no longer as red. Most of the scabs have fallen off.
In a FUE transplant, the donor site heals relatively quickly. In the above images taken 13 days apart, you can already barely see the donor site follicles and the native hair has grown covering any remaining redness.
Youtuber Thomas George had a FUE hair transplant in his receding hairline with 1873 grafts.
On day 14, Thomas had not yet washed his hair properly other than rinsing it with water. He shows his subscribers his hairline with the scabs remaining in place before he goes in the shower.
After washing his hair properly for the first time, Thomas returns to the video to show his subscribers what his hair transplant looks like on day 14 after washing. As you can see, washing it has removed the crusts from the hair grafts. The scalp underneath still looks a little red, but you can still clearly see his new hairline and the short hairs in the grafts.
The man below also underwent a FUE transplant. He had 3,500 grafts transplanted to the front and crown.
This man shows his day 14 progress and what happened when he washed his hair – most of the remaining scabs were loosened and came off with washing.
You may be able to see in the photo above that there are some hairs along with the scabs from the scalp. Although this is alarming, it is also normal. Whilst some of the hairs may have been stuck in the scabs, the follicles from which they came are now securely anchored in the scalp and will grow new hairs in time. The transplanted follicles also enter a dormant phase after transplant, which causes the new hair to fall out. Again, do not panic. This is to be expected – read about the side effects of a hair transplant.
Your recovery time may differ depending on the type of procedure you have had (either a FUT or FUE hair transplant). Most of the hair transplant side effects should have subsided after a week (although you may still be experiencing some numbness or tingling continuing into the second week). With a FUE transplant, you should have resumed your normal activities by day 14, but with a FUT transplant, you may only be beginning to take that step.
Fourteen days after a hair transplant, you should expect the following:
If the side effects at this stage are worse than what’s expected, for example, there is excessive crusting and redness, you could be suffering from a hair transplant infection. If this is the case, you should contact your consultant for advice.
After having a hair transplant, you expect to see more hair on your head. However, starting around 14 days after a hair transplant, you may notice your newly transplanted hairs falling out of the recipient site. This is called recipient site effluvium, or shock hair loss. Research suggests that shock hair loss happens as a result of the trauma the hair follicles experience during surgery. It tends to happen more when hair has been transplanted near existing native hair.
Shock hair loss is normal after a hair transplant. Whilst you may be concerned that the grafts themselves are falling out and your hair transplant has failed, rest assured that the grafts are well anchored by now and it is simply the donor hair that is shedding. The follicles remain healthy and most experienced surgeons boast a survival rate of hair grafts at over 90%. Read more about hair transplant reviews.
Shock hair loss is more common in women who have had a hair transplant due to female pattern hair loss. Between two and four weeks after a transplant, many people lose nearly all or most of the hair from their transplanted grafts. However, as we said, this is not permanent. With time, the hair will begin to grow again from the transplanted follicles.
While you will be desperate for your new hair to appear and grow, you must remain patient. It will take a few weeks or even months before the new growth starts to emerge. Read about how long it will take to see FUE hair transplant results. During this regrowth phase, the newly emerging hair may appear wispy, thinner and even lighter coloured. Throughout the first year, the hair will eventually darken to its natural colour and eventually, your hair will begin to grow and appear fuller and thicker, reassuring you that the results you covet were worth the experience. Applying Minoxidil topical lotion during this phase can help to encourage your new hair to grow as it reinvigorates the follicles, helping them recover faster.
If you have just had a hair transplant or have questions about restoring your hair, the Wimpole Clinic team is here to answer your questions and offer support. Book a free consultation today.
Check out our list of questions to ask your hair loss specialist before a hair transplant for more information about what to expect.
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