Being unable to grow a full, healthy beard can be distressing for men and negatively impact how they are socially perceived [1]. If you’ve decided to fix your beard bald spots surgically, you are likely eager to learn all about your beard transplant timeline and what you can expect during recovery.
The good news is that just one week after surgery, you should be mostly healed and feel good as new. However, some patience is required before you can finally grow the beard of your dreams. It normally takes around 3-4 months [2][3] to see the first signs of regrowth and about a year to enjoy your final results.
This article tells you exactly what you can expect at every stage of your beard transplant recovery process. It will help you tell normal surgical side effects apart from rare complications, teach you how to optimise your recovery process and share when it is safe to resume your daily activities. Moreover, it will present you with visuals of what your beard may look like in every stage of recovery, as well as with accounts of real patients’ experiences with this surgery.
Key takeaways
If you have recently had beard restoration surgery (or are considering doing so in the near future), here is a breakdown of what you can expect over time in terms of healing and recovery:
Don’t worry if your chin looks a bit frightening at this point – you may see some swelling, redness and light bleeding in the donor and recipient areas, and the grafts may look very conspicuous. However, this is normal and your beard area will resume its natural appearance in a few days. Your grafts will soon become virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the facial hair around them.
Post-surgery, antibiotics may be applied to the transplant area and your donor area may be bandaged. Your surgeon will provide you with a detailed set of aftercare instructions. They will also prescribe the medications you will need to use, such as antibiotics and/or corticosteroids. Finally, they will recommend taking over-the-counter painkillers and antihistamines as needed, to keep you comfortable during the following days [4].
As you leave the operating room, you may notice residual numbness in the lower part of your face – including your mouth. This can cause you to salivate excessively and have difficulty talking and eating [2]. Don’t worry, this will only last until the local anaesthesic wears off. However, it is best to avoid solid foods until the numbness in your mouth disappears, to reduce the risk of biting your tongue or choking.
Once the local anaesthetic wears off, you may feel some tenderness and pain. However, this is all normal; the sensitive skin on your face has just been operated on, and these symptoms will subside in the following days.
The first few days after your procedure are usually the most difficult. You will likely experience some redness, swelling, light bruising and pain in your donor and recipient area. FUE beard transplants normally produce little pain and discomfort, but if you had FUT surgery, your donor area may take longer to heal, and the discomfort may be more intense due to the fact you had an entire strip of skin removed from the back of your head. However, you can use some over-the-counter painkillers to take the edge off.
After the first 2-3 days, the wounds where your grafts were harvested and reimplanted will start to scab, which may make your skin feel itchy. However, it is important that you resist the temptation to scratch, as it can pull out or damage your beard grafts. If needed, you can take some antihistamines to help relieve your discomfort.
Keeping your grafts moist by spraying them with saline solution for the first 5 days after your surgery [2] will also help reduce your itching and improve their survival rates.
This time frame is the most delicate, as your grafts have not yet been securely attached and are exceptionally fragile. It is also when most complications, such as infection or folliculitis, can happen (to be discussed). That is why it is very important that you strictly follow the aftercare instructions your surgeon provided.
One of the main things you have to remember is to keep your beard area clean and hydrated regularly with saline solution for at least 5 days [2]. You can’t shave this part of your face yet, and you need to be careful while eating or drinking so food doesn’t contaminate the transplant area.
After the more challenging first week has passed, most of your surgical side effects should be gone and your chin should be returning to its normal appearance. However, some redness may persist in the area for a few more days to a few more weeks.
By the 8-10th day post-surgery, most of the scabs on your beard area should have fallen off, and starting day 6, you can safely wash your facial hair, rubbing gently to remove the remaining ones.
By the 8th day post-surgery, shaving is also safe if you are so inclined. However, keep in mind that it is a common hair loss myth that your hair or beard grows faster or thicker if you shave it. It may, however, help your appearance if you are starting to experience facial hair transplant shedding This is a completely normal process involving the hair in your transplant area temporarily falling out and the follicles going into a dormant stage. Worry not. Your new beard will start to grow back about 3 months after your procedure.
Once you’ve reached the 2-week mark, you should no longer be experiencing significant side effects such as pain, swelling or itching. If you notice any concerning symptoms that don’t seem to subside, contact your surgeon for advice. By this time, you can already safely perform most of your pre-transplant activities (however, be sure to discuss it with your surgeon if you plan to perform exceptionally strenuous physical activities).
2 weeks after your beard transplant, your new facial hair grafts should be securely attached, and there are few restrictions left on living your life the way you’ve always used to. However, shock loss might have left you with a patchy beard, and you may start to worry that your transplant results will be underwhelming. In most situations, this is not the case; your beard regrowth hasn’t started yet.
By the end of the third month, you will likely start seeing an encouraging difference as your new facial hair starts coming in. It may not do so all at once, so you can expect some patchiness, which will likely diminish over the following months.
During this period, your facial hair should get progressively thicker and fuller. It is a good idea to grow out your beard, as the added length and texture can mask any spots that may still be thinner. If you do so, a good beard grooming routine and moisturising your cheeks and chin can improve your facial hair health and density.
This is an unlikely occurrence, but if you don’t see any hair regrowth by the end of the 4th month since your beard transplant, be sure to set a follow-up appointment with your surgeon. They will assess your healing and be able to determine whether your newly-implanted beard follicles are functioning properly.
In most cases, you only need a little more time and patience. However, there are also rare situations when a second procedure might be necessary if a significant number of grafts haven’t survived.
This is the time frame you have been waiting for – when you will at last be able to see your final beard restoration results. Most men who have had this procedure achieve significantly fuller facial hair by the 12th month of recovery than they had before the surgery.
Beard transplants have a high percentage of hair regrowth, so if the procedure was successful and your expectations were set appropriately, you are likely to be satisfied with the outcome. Research shows that most patients do not require subsequent touch-up procedures [4].
If by the 12th month, your facial hair growth does not meet your expectations, do not lose heart just yet. Give it another month or two, as some men take longer to see full results than others. At the same time, don’t hesitate to get your surgeon’s opinion on your progress. They will assess your beard growth and let you know whether you can expect improvements.
Since every patient is unique, the timing and particularities of the beard transplant healing process and facial hair regrowth can slightly differ from one person to another. Here are some of the main factors that cause such differences:
Most patients experience little discomfort during their post-beard-transplant healing period. And when it does occur, it normally subsides completely in 3-5 days post-op. Here are some of our patients’ reviews of their experiences with getting a beard transplant at the Wimpole Clinic:
See all of our patient reviews on our Trustpilot page to get a better understanding of why the Wimpole Clinic has been voted Hair Transplant Clinic of the Year for 4 years running (2021-2024).
When performed by experienced surgeons in sanitary conditions, most hair transplants are safe, and facial hair is no exception. Beard transplant complications are very rare, and the normal, minor side effects of surgery are manageable and temporary. Here is an overview of the risks you should be aware of before going in for your procedure [2 [4][3][5]:
Every surgery has some mild and transient side effects, encountered by most patients undergoing it. Here is what you can expect during the first days after your beard transplant recovery [2][5]:
The chances of developing postoperative complications are very low. However, getting them addressed immediately can prevent serious health problems. So during your healing, be sure to keep an eye out for symptoms of [2][3]:
There are some potential complications which do not pose a threat to your overall health but can significantly affect the appearance of your beard transplant [2][5]:
It is best to contact your surgeon anytime you have questions or concerns about your beard transplant recovery process in general or a specific new symptom. Here, at the Wimpole Clinic, we ask you to send us daily photos of your transplant area during your first 10 days post-op, so we can closely monitor your progress. But our dedicated surgeons are always happy to address any concerns even after this period is completed.
This being said, there are certain – very rare – occurrences which should never be ignored. If you experience any of the following symptoms, make sure you contact your surgeon as soon as possible:
Your beard transplant recovery period can be shorter and more comfortable if you follow your surgeon’s aftercare instructions properly. Moreover, there are some additional changes you can make to your lifestyle and outlook which can support and promote healing and facial hair regrowth:
If you want to minimise the possibility of developing complications and get the best beard transplant results, it is a good idea to do the following:
Eating a healthy diet that supports beard and hair growth, getting enough rest, and keeping stress at a minimum can help you recover faster and see your first results as soon as possible. A well-cared-for body has all the necessary resources to heal itself effectively and produce stronger, healthier hair in your beard and on your scalp alike.
Cutting back on cigarettes can also have significant benefits for your beard growth. You may have heard that smoking causes hair loss, and that is not limited to your scalp. Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor, which means it makes the small blood vessels that nourish your hair follicles become narrower. Thus, your facial hair is deprived of some of the oxygen and nutrients it needs to grow full and healthy.
Research shows that using topical Minoxidil on your beard can improve its growth and density [6]. While no specific studies have been conducted to show the effect of this hair growth medication on the transplanted beard, it is likely to help reduce post-surgical facial hair regrowth time and improve the overall results similarly to its effects on transplanted scalp hair [7][8]. Since Minoxidil works by dilating your blood vessels, so your follicles receive more resources to grow and thrive, it would likely be beneficial to your beard as well.
However, keep in mind that you need to wait at least 5-7 days before applying any topical medication to your beard. Doing so reduces the risk of skin irritation, pain during application and graft dislodgement.
Having to wait a few months to see your beard transplant results can be nerve-racking. It is normal to want to see the outcome of your surgery and to breathe easy that your grafts have survived. However, constant concern about what your final results may look like can be counterproductive, especially when there is no indication of your beard transplant having gone wrong. Prolonged stress and anxiety can lead to hair loss and may also stifle your new beard growth, as it can lead to telogen effluvium.
You should be able to get an idea of the outline of your transplanted beard immediately after surgery. However, you will need to be patient, as it normally takes about 3 months to see your first signs of new facial hair growth. Once this happens, you can expect your transplanted beard to grow ever fuller, until about 9-12 months post-procedure. Most patients see their final results 1 year after their surgery [3].
The best way to tell when you have achieved your final hair transplant results is to monitor your progress. Take a photo of your transplant area every 2 weeks. Write the date on it and keep it. You should be able to assess the increase in beard density by comparing the photos. If more than 9 months have passed since your surgery and you can’t see any substantial difference between the last 2-3 photos, your results are likely final. However, your surgeon is the best person to confirm this for you.
If you know for certain that you have achieved your final results and you are not happy with the way your beard transplant turned out, the best thing to do is let your surgeon know. They can assess the outcome and determine what went wrong. Based on their findings, they may recommend some touch-ups or even a second beard transplant.
However, you should know that failed beard transplants are very uncommon [4] and most often the result of poor surgeon skill and/or complications during the recovery time (e.g. infections, graft dislodgement, etc).
If they are performed by experienced surgeons in well-reputed hair transplant clinics, the vast majority of beard transplants do indeed look natural. In most cases, the results cannot be distinguished from a native beard simply by looking at them.
However, your final beard transplant result depends on many factors, such as your biological characteristics, the surgeon’s skill, and aftercare thoroughness.
Opting for an FUE procedure (presently the most popular option) can make your beard transplant even less conspicuous. That is because, unlike FUT, which leaves a fine scar on your donor area, FUE leaves virtually no scarring. This is why here, at the Wimpole Clinic, we use FUE as our beard transplant technique of choice.
If you’d like to see just how natural your beard transplant may look when performed by skilled surgeons, here are some of our patients before and after their procedure:
A beard transplant is similar in many ways to a hair transplant when it comes to the downtime you need before being able to safely resume your daily activities. However, there are also a few specific differences. Here are the main things you need to know:
It is advised to wait 5 days before washing your transplant area [3], to avoid damaging the sensitive grafts and causing pain or irritation to your healing skin. When you do start washing your beard, be sure to do so very carefully for the first week post-op. Do not use the shower on it; slowly pour water from a jug instead. Use a gentle shampoo (preferably one provided or recommended by your surgeon) and rub the transplant area gently, in a circular motion, with the flat part of your fingers. When you have finished, pat your beard dry with a soft towel, don’t rub it forcefully.
You can only safely resume shaving your transplant area after your grafts have become securely attached (often after the first week post-surgery). This means you should wait 8-10 days to get that clean shave [2][3]. When you do resume this activity, it is advisable to use an electric shaver for the first few times rather than blades, to avoid any nicks that could lead to infection.
If you are working in a field that requires low physical effort (e.g. an office job), you can return to it as soon as you feel comfortable enough to do so. However, it is recommended that you take at least a week off to rest and recover properly from your procedure.
If your job is physically demanding, you should get your surgeon’s clearance before returning to work. That is because strenuous activity can increase your blood pressure, which can have a detrimental effect on your graft survival chances. Your surgeon may advise you to take as long as 3-4 weeks before resuming your professional activity in this case.
You are free to engage in some energising power walking, some light jogging or cycling starting 14 days after your beard transplant. However, if your exercise routine involves intense workouts, such as weight lifting or kickboxing, you will need to wait for about 3 weeks post-transplant to resume your fitness regimen safely.
It is generally considered safe to start drinking alcohol again socially after about 7 days since your surgery. It is a good idea to start with smaller quantities and gradually increase your intake up to your normal amount.
When it comes to smoking, however, it is good to abstain for at least 2 weeks before and after surgery. That is because nicotine reduces blood flow to your beard follicles, which may deprive your grafts from getting the resources they need to become securely attached and survive.
Our surgeons recommend that you wait for at least 10 days after your beard restoration surgery before engaging in sexual activity. And when you do so, make sure to avoid rough touches to your transplant area. Since beard transplants are on your face, an area which is frequently kissed or caressed during sexual activity, it is crucial to protect your grafts from forceful contact in the throes of passion (e.g. beard pulling, rough face grabbing or accidental scratching).
You should ideally wait at least 10 days before putting on any type of protective equipment that is close-fitting to your beard area. These may include balaclavas, surgical/medical-grade masks, respirator masks for working with toxic fumes or motorcycle helmets. Since your beard grafts only become securely attached 7-10 days post-surgery, it is best to avoid anything that rubs against them. The friction between your transplant area and the fabric can potentially damage or dislodge your sensitive grafts.
If you are tired of constantly styling around a bad beard, facial hair restoration surgery can be just what you need. Book a consultation today with one of our world-class surgeons and find out whether you can benefit from a beard transplant and how it can improve your facial hair.
Our excellent surgeons will walk you through every step of the beard transplant recovery process. They will personalise the information and their recommendations according to your beard condition, needs and preferences.
Find out more about your beard transplant recovery timeline by reading the answers to these frequently asked questions:
It is recommended to sleep on your back for 7 days after your beard transplant, to make sure your grafts remain safe and don’t rub against the pillow and become dislodged during the night. Using a travel pillow under your head will provide some elevation that can reduce facial swelling and will also prevent you from accidentally turning over in your sleep.
Your chin should be healed and look normal in about 10 days after your beard transplant. By this time, your scabs should have fallen off, your grafts should be secure, and your skin should have returned to its original shade. However, in some patients, a little post-transplant redness may persist for a little longer.
If you follow your surgeon’s aftercare instructions, your beard transplant recovery should be mostly comfortable, especially if you opted for FUE surgery. While you may experience some pain, tenderness and itching in the transplant area during the first 3 days post-op, over-the-counter painkillers and anti-allergy medication should make you feel better.
No, beard transplants don’t normally leave any scars in your facial hair. Since each transplanted hair follicles are harvested individually, using the follicular unit extraction (FUE) technique, only very small dots may remain visible in the donor area, usually covered perfectly by the rest of your beard.
The reason some scalp hair transplant patients have a linear scar in their donor area is that they opted for the follicular unit transplantation technique (FUT). This type of procedure involves harvesting an entire strip of skin from the back of your head and slicing it up into grafts, then suturing the resulting wound.
It’s ideal that you take at least a week to rest after your beard transplant. This will allow any swelling to go down, any discomfort to subside, and your grafts to become securely attached without any accidents.
Wimpole Clinic Services:
Hair Transplants, Beard Transplants & Eyebrow Transplants.
Talk to a specialist
Dr. Barry Abdelrahimsai (GMC Number 7604040) is an expert in FUE Hair Transplant surgery in London, with a full registration to practice under the GMC. He qualified as a Medical Doctor in 2017 and has been working in a variety of surgical fields until he started specialising in FUE Hair Transplant surgery in 2021 after a number of years in the fields of injectable cosmetic and aesthetic medicine.
His emphasis lies in a holistic approach towards hair loss of different causes, and his background of having both surgical and medical experience, as well as ample experience in the field of General Practice, enable him to offer evidence-based pharmaceutical and surgical treatment of hair loss. Dr. Barry is a crusader of clinical excellence and has a keen eye for detail. Over the years, aside from his special interest in treating male pattern baldness with FUE, he has developed a focus on the reconstructive management of the female brow line and eyebrow reconstruction.
The significant surge in demand for eyebrow reconstruction through follicular transplants has captured his attention, leading him to specialise in this treatment. Employing a bespoke needle rather than a conventional blade, he achieves high density and precise outcomes.
He has a proven track record of achieving exceptionally high hair graft survivability and excels in densely packed incisions, commonly referred to as “dense packing,” while maintaining a natural, mature, yet youthful appearance. Dr. Barry advocates for active patient involvement in their hairline reconstruction, encouraging them to participate in the management and customised design process. He is dedicated to empowering his patients through education and providing them with knowledge on hair loss prevention and reconstruction, aiming to enable them to make informed decisions about their treatment journey.
