Three months after a hair transplant is typically the ugly duckling phase, where shedding has finished but new growth is still sparse or patchy. Some early regrowth may appear, but fuller, natural-looking results usually take 6 to 12 months. Healing is mostly complete, though redness or folliculitis can persist.
Discover what to realistically expect three months after a hair transplant, so you’re fully prepared for this phase of recovery. Understand why this is known as the ugly duckling stage, what’s happening to your grafts, and how you can style your hair for best effect. Plus, get expert guidance, examples, styling tips, recovery insights, and timelines.
Key takeaways
The 3-month mark is often known as the ugly duckling phase of hair transplant recovery, and it can be a difficult period for those who feel self-conscious about their hair. It’s pretty normal for your hair to look similar to its pre-transplant state 3 months after surgery, which can be demoralising.
That said, it’s helpful to know that this is just a phase. Most hair shedding should have stopped by now, and thicker, healthier growth is only a few weeks away. Wimpole Clinic surgeon Dr Ahmad Moussa says:
“It’ll take two, three, sometimes four months for hair to start coming back. Initially, it might look a little bit sparse, might look a little bit spiky and wiry. And it’s just a waiting game at that point for it all to come through and for the hair to soften and settle and look more natural. I always say, being in the industry, we can spot a transplant fairly easily in the first year. But usually, after a year, it’s more difficult for us to tell. And patients are usually very happy. Some patients look amazing after just seven or eight months, and people can’t tell. But we tend to stay a little bit more on the safe side and say, aim for a year. Anything sooner than that is a bonus.”
By now, your grafts have reconnected to the blood supply, moved through the post-transplant shedding phase, and some have started to produce new hair. This doesn’t happen at exactly the same time for all grafts, which is why your new growth may look a little patchy or uneven. Some patients may not see much growth at all at this stage.
Over the next few months, more grafts will start to grow, creating thick, full coverage across your transplanted area. It can take up to 12 months for most of your grafts to produce visible hair, so it’s important to manage your expectations after 3 months — it’s still very early days.
The results you can expect after 3 months depend on a few factors, including your hair colour, texture, and the number of hair grafts you’ve had. Let’s take a look at some examples of hair transplant results after 3 months at the Wimpole Clinic.
This patient has already achieved significant growth at the 3 month mark, with good coverage across the recipient area. His appearance is aided by his relatively small transplanted area (just 800 grafts were used to fill in his temple hair loss and slight hairline recession).
Because he still has good density across most of his hairline, the transplanted hair has blended in pretty well, helping him avoid the typical ugly duckling hairline.
The patient below has had a much larger hair transplant (2200 grafts), so it’ll be a few more months before they achieve their desired coverage and density. At 3 months post-transplant, however, there’s obvious growth, and the patient’s hairline shape is clearly visible.
Wimpole Clinic hair transplant patient Lloyd Griffith tracked his growth throughout the hair transplant timeline. Here’s how he described his experience at 10 weeks:
“You can see I’m in my ugly duckling era. So all this [the top of the scalp] is going to take a few months to grow back now. In certain lights it looks great. In this, not so much. It’s a bit red as well, which means it’s growing. 10 weeks in, ugly duckling, but give it a few more months.”
The photos below show a Wimpole Clinic patient 3 months after a beard transplant. Around this time, new hair growth should be noticeable, appearing like stubble.
This patient had a 2500 graft hair transplant to create a denser, more natural appearance in the beard area. Noticeable redness around the transplanted area can last until month 3, but will fade over time.
As you can see, before the transplant the patient had sparse, fine hairs around the jaw and a small amount on the upper lip area. The transplant has filled in his jaw, cheek, and upper lip area.
By three months, most hair transplant side effects should have disappeared. Unless your grafts have become infected — or you’ve experienced any other complications — you should no longer have any pain, bleeding, or scabbing around your hair transplant.
Shock hair loss is likely to have stopped by now, too, but this isn’t always the case [1]. If you’re worried about how much hair you’re losing 3 months after your hair transplant, check in with your clinic.
In rare cases, some patients develop folliculitis after a hair transplant. Folliculitis is most common around 2 months after a hair transplant, though it can happen in month 3 or even month 4 [1]. If home treatments don’t work, consult your clinic for advice.
After 3 months, most FUE patients will see full healing in their donor area, as well as significant regrowth that hides the extraction site. This photo shows an FUE patient’s donor site immediately after his surgery and 3 months later:
FUT patients should also have complete healing in the donor area, with a narrow scar left behind. FUT patients will see a similar amount of regrowth, though the scar may be visible beneath this.
Find out more about each stage of recovery and growth in our hair transplant timeline series:
Yes, you can cut your hair from around 1 month after your hair transplant, assuming you haven’t experienced any complications.
Many patients decide to get a buzzcut after their hair transplant to help the new growth blend into their existing hair. This can help reduce the appearance of uneven growth that characterises the ugly duckling phase (although it may make scarring more visible, particularly for FUT patients).
Styling your hair can be tricky around this time. You know growth is on the way, but while you’re waiting, you don’t know whether to try and hide the thin early growth or shave it off.
If you’ve had FUT or unshaven FUE, you may have enough surrounding hair left to disguise the patchy growth. A hairstyle that works for a receding hairline can also help you here. Here are some top options at the 3 month mark:
Textured brush forward
Tousled mid-length cut
French crop
With regular FUE, normal styling can be trickier, as your growth is likely to be more limited at 3 months post-transplant. But there are still some things you can do to conceal your growing hairline at this point:
At the Wimpole Clinic, we know that hair loss can be mentally and physically difficult, which is why we’ve been dedicated to providing outstanding hair restoration services for over 50 years. What’s more, we’ve been named the UK’s Hair Transplant clinic of the Year four years in a row.
Our expert trichology team is on hand to answer any questions or concerns you may have, and to guide you in the right direction for your unique hair restoration journey.
Book your free consultation to discuss the progress of your existing hair transplant, or find out more about what questions to ask before getting a hair transplant for the first time.
Find out more about hair transplant growth in these frequently asked questions.
Using minoxidil after a hair transplant has been shown to minimise the risk of post-surgery shedding in some patients [2]. This isn’t a universal experience, but it’s likely that using minoxidil when it’s safe to do so can help the transplanted grafts reconnect to the scalp blood supply, facilitating growth. Dr Peter Barron explains:
“Sometimes people recommend using minoxidil post-operatively, not to prevent shedding but to stimulate the scalp to minimise the time spent in the resting phase so they may see the follicles wake up one or two weeks sooner.”
Yes, hair transplants can go grey. Transplanted hairs don’t lose their characteristics when they’re moved to another part of the scalp, so they will lose pigment and age at the same rate as the rest of your hair.
The only exception is if you have a body hair transplant or an artificial hair transplant. Artificial hair will stay the same colour throughout its lifespan. Body hair will still go grey, but this may be at a different rate to your scalp hair.
It can be tough to hide your hair transplant from those you live with, but it’s still possible to conceal it from colleagues and friends. Wimpole Clinic patient advisor Sophie offers her top tips in this video:
Unshaven FUE is a technique that allows a skilled surgical team to extract and implant grafts without shaving the entire head. It means most of your hair stays intact throughout the procedure and during recovery. This can make the so-called ugly duckling phase less obvious, but there are some trade-offs in terms of how easily the teams can place the grafts.
If you’re interested in unshaven FUE, discuss it with your chosen clinic and ensure they have the requisite skill and experience to create natural results.
Wimpole Clinic Services:
Hair Transplants, Beard Transplants & Eyebrow Transplants.
Talk to a specialist
Dr. Michael May (GMC No: 1642315) is the Medical Director and Principal Surgeon of the Wimpole Clinic. He has 25 years experience in the field of hair transplant surgery has completed over 10,000 hair transplant procedures, accumulating an unmatched breadth and depth of experience that is exclusively available to Wimpole Clinic patients.
Dr. May entered private practice in 1982 when he first became involved with hair surgery, since then, he has dedicated his career exclusively to the science and practice of hair transplant surgery and hair restoration.
He qualified at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London after which he trained and registered as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. Dr. May was instrumental in developing the revolutionary technique of follicular unit transplant (FUT), and subsequently he also presented papers and lectures in the UK and Europe to professional colleagues. He quickly became recognised by his peers and colleagues as a leader in the field of follicular unit hair transplantation. He specialises in hair restoration surgery covering; FUE, FUT lateral slit, eyebrow, eyelashes, beards, side burns, burns, repairs
As a leading authority in his field, Dr. May became a founder member and past President of the BAHRS and is the current president of the European Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons. In addition, Dr. May is a registered member of The Trichological Society and a Diplomat of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS) in 2002. Dr. Michael May full list of associations are as follows:
Dr. May is available to prospective Wimpole Clinic patients during their consultation and carries out many of the hair transplant procedures at the clinic.
