Most patients see clear early growth six months after a hair transplant, especially in the hairline, though full density can take 12 to 18 months to come through. Results vary widely, with some showing strong coverage and others still early in the thickening phase. Complementary treatments like finasteride and PRP hair treatment may help stimulate growth, but won’t create instant results.
Discover what realistic six-month hair transplant results look like, with real patient examples and expert guidance to help you determine whether your progress is on track. Here, we outline typical growth patterns at six months, discuss what’s normal versus concerning, and which treatments can enhance outcomes as you move toward full results at the 12-18 month mark.
Key takeaways
Hair transplant growth within the first six months varies from patient to patient, but most people see significant growth by this time. Wimpole Clinic surgeon Dr Chirag Gadhia reveals the growth he’d normally expect to see within the first six months:
“I would expect most patients to start showing early results — namely, a visible improvement in density — by six months, particularly in the hairline and temporal regions, as vellus (thin) hairs begin transitioning into terminal hairs. However, final results may take up to 12 months.
“When it comes to the crown, I would expect very few patients to see noticeable improvement at six months, as this area often takes longer — sometimes up to 18 months — to show full results.”
Here’s the post-hair transplant growth Wimpole Clinic patient Paul achieved over the first six months:
Paul’s partner reported:
“By month six and onwards we were seeing obvious results. His hair was wiry at first but it softened, and then looked amazing. Now he’s trying different hairstyles.”
Comedian and actor Lloyd Griffith also had a hair transplant at the Wimpole Clinic, and shared his results on Instagram. Below, you can see how he looked just before his surgery and after six months:
It’s clear that you can achieve significant results within just six months. Here’s what Lloyd said about his hair transplant:
“Month 6, you can really start to see your hair transplant take shape, which I was so happy about.”
Many other patients have achieved excellent results within the first six months, as you can see in these before and after hair transplant photos:
Not everyone achieves as much density as these patients within the first six months. It’s very normal to see significant growth, while still waiting for your hair to fill out [1]. For example, the following patients have clear growth, but are still waiting for that additional density that will make their hair transplant look full and completely natural (particularly, as Dr Gadhia notes, in the crown area):
As long as you’re seeing some clear visible growth at this point, you shouldn’t need to worry. Full and final results are normally noticeable from a year to 18 months after your procedure.
Female hair transplant patients can also see noticeable growth after 6 months, although it may not be as pronounced as male growth, depending on the overall length of your hair. If you wear your hair long, it will naturally take much longer for your transplanted hair to blend in with your native hair.
That said, women without hair loss tend to see faster hair growth than men without hair loss [2]. Here’s the growth some of our female hair transplant patients have achieved over the first six months:
In the unlikely event you have very limited growth after six months, it’s best to check in with your clinic. They can assess your hair and whether your current results are on track or worse than expected.
Bear in mind that each patient is different. Some people achieve good density after six months, while others don’t get this level of thickness for 12 to 18 months. So try not to be disheartened if you don’t feel your results are as good as others; you may just have longer hair growth cycles, which means it takes longer to achieve similar results.
In rare cases, patients are affected by low graft survival. In these cases, low density at six months may indicate lack of growth even in the long term. This is uncommon when your hair transplant is performed by a seasoned surgeon at a reputable clinic, but the risks of hair transplant failure increase when the surgical team is unqualified or inexperienced. There are several examples of failed hair transplants at the International Society of Hair Transplant Surgery’s Fight The Fight website, which is dedicated to raising awareness of black market hair transplant clinics.
Certain treatments can help repair a hair transplant that’s gone wrong or improve your results, though it’s important not to expect miracles. Dr Peter Barron explains:
“Complementary therapies typically don’t impact transplanted grafts too much. The main factors that will determine graft survival are overall health/scalp health, quality of the transplant procedure itself and allowing the grafts to heal into place atraumatically post-procedure.
“But there’s a small chance that patients may see their transplant results come through ever so slightly sooner (weeks rather than months) than if you didn’t use them. The benefit of those complimentary therapies is mainly to do with thickening up native hairs. Maximising and keeping native hairs, in combination with adding new transplanted follicles to regions where hairs have been lost, is what is going to give the best results post transplant.”
So with that caveat in mind, let’s take a look at the most effective treatments to start using around six months after a hair transplant (if you’re not already).
Finasteride and minoxidil are licensed hair loss treatments that can help limit native hair loss surrounding your grafts, increasing the appearance of density after a hair transplant.
Minoxidil can also help speed up the revascularisation process after a hair transplant (i.e. help your transplanted follicles connect to the blood supply more quickly), and may decrease the amount of hair transplant shedding you experience [3-4].
Platelet-rich plasma therapy is a minimally invasive procedure that involves extracting platelet-rich plasma from your blood, then reinjecting this into your scalp to promote follicle cell production.
Research shows that PRP hair therapy after a hair transplant can trigger cell growth and help form new blood vessels around the follicles, helping to stimulate hair growth [5].
Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is a completely non-invasive hair loss treatment. It works by targeting your scalp with lasers of specific wavelengths, which helps promote tissue repair, regeneration, and cell proliferation [6].
Research suggests LLLT may help trigger earlier hair growth when used as an adjunct treatment to hair transplantation, and could even enhance viability of the implanted grafts [7].
After six months, it’s normal for all signs of surgery to have gone, and to have some indicators of growth. The amount of growth and density varies from person to person, so if you’re worried, it’s best to check in with your patient advisor. They’ll be able to inform you of any steps you can take to promote hair growth at this point.
Even if you haven’t seen much growth, your hair transplant should have completely healed by the six month mark. If you still have scabs or any visible signs of surgery, schedule a check up at your clinic. Lingering scabs can hinder growth, and should have been removed within the first 14 days after your hair transplant.
Hair transplant shedding normally starts within 2-4 weeks of your procedure, so it’s unlikely to start at the six month mark. If you’re seeing new or continuing hair loss at this point, it’s more likely to be shedding of your native hair than transplanted hair.
It’s important to get native hair shedding under control, otherwise it can seriously impede the final look of your hair transplant. Ask your clinic about taking finasteride after a hair transplant to limit native hair loss. (For women, minoxidil is a better option.)
If you believe your transplanted hair is falling out, call your clinic for advice. It may be that the grafts were taken from outside your safe hair transplant donor area, leaving them vulnerable to shedding. (This is very unlikely at reputable clinics, but may be possible at black market clinics.)
The changes from six to 12 months after a hair transplant are less dramatic than those in the first six months, but this is when you should start to see the most impressive results. Over the second six months, you should see:
The video below shows Paul’s hair transplant journey from before his procedure to one year post-transplant, so you can see the transformation from six to 12 months:
By the six-month mark, the worst of the hair transplant side effects should have passed. You shouldn’t have any lingering scabs, swelling, or redness, though your scalp may still feel slightly numb or tender.
While any shock hair loss should have stopped by this point, you may feel like you haven’t yet regained all the hair you lost. Don’t worry — it can take a few months to recover from this. (This may also be why your hair growth is slower than expected.)
In rare cases, patients develop folliculitis after a hair transplant. This can happen either due to an infection, ingrown hair, or as a result of poor surgical technique (such as burying the graft too deep in the skin, or overpacking the area). Folliculitis tends to happen when the new hair breaks through the skin, so it can still occur six months after your procedure.
Folliculitis is unlikely to do any long-term damage to your hair transplant, but you may need treatment. If home remedies (such as applying a warm compress) don’t help, seek advice from your clinic or GP.
Excessive or worsening scarring is another complication that may be noticeable after six months, particularly if you had FUT surgery. Wide scars may be highly visible even under longer hair, particularly if you’ve had a large strip of skin removed. Scalp micropigmentation or FUE may help hide visible scars, but these corrective procedures can be costly.
A hair transplant doesn’t provide immediate results, but over the course of a year, you should see significant hair growth across the recipient area:
Want to know what to expect at other points in the hair transplant timeline? Check out the rest of our series:
Complementary treatments like PRP therapy, LLLT, and medication may help improve your hair transplant results at this stage, but it’s important to manage your expectations. It also takes several months of consistent use to see any visible changes, so they won’t give you a quick fix, but they may help you see better results around 12 months post-procedure.
Besides these treatments, living a healthy lifestyle will help with your hair health, too. Here’s what to focus on:
If your hair transplant isn’t growing as quickly as you’d like and you want a second opinion about the success of your procedure, book a free consultation with the Wimpole Clinic, our award-winning hair transplant clinic.
We’ll answer any questions you want to ask and talk you through your options for getting the most from your previous surgeries. We can even discuss top-up or repair surgery if needed.
Find out more in our list of questions to ask before a hair transplant guide.
Alternatively, if you’re interested in getting your first hair transplant, we’ll offer all the free, impartial advice you need to make the right hair restoration decision.
Discover more about the hair transplant timeline at six months post-procedure in these frequently asked questions.
Yes, it’s possible to see patchiness six months after a hair transplant. Full density isn’t normally visible until around 12 months after your procedure.
It varies for each patient, but many patients see their most significant growth between months four and eight. It’s during these months that your grafts really start to flourish and blend with the surrounding native hair.
The average rate of hair growth is 0.5 cm to 1.7 cm per month, so you can expect to see around 3 to 10 cm of hair growth in six months [8]. The rate of growth depends on your ethnicity, among other factors, with Asian hair growing fastest and Black hair growing slowest [9].
Most people won’t be able to tell you’ve had a hair transplant around 3-4 weeks after your procedure. When all the scabs have fallen off, you’ll be left with some mild redness, but no further telltale signs of a hair transplant.
Wimpole Clinic Services:
Hair Transplants, Beard Transplants & Eyebrow Transplants.
Talk to a specialist
Dr. Umear Ahmad (GMC Number: 6150115) graduated from Newcastle University Medical School in 2007 (MBBS) and has undertaken further post graduate studies in obtaining a Masters in Health Research (MSc) and Post Graduate Certificate in Clinical Education (PGC Clin. Ed.).
He undertook his junior doctor training in the Newcastle Upon-Tyne hospitals trust, which included time in cardiology, accident & emergency, general surgery and ENT, head and neck surgery.
Having trained in hair restoration in 2019 under the stewardship of world renowned hair transplant surgeon Dr. Akaki Tsilosani, Dr. Ahmad has dedicated his career to FUE hair transplants. He has presented at international conferences and is a member of the International Society for Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS).
Dr. Ahmad’s ethos is to always strive to do the very best for every patient. That means having a patient centred approach and putting the patient at the forefront of everything that he does.
He prides himself on being open and honest in helping patients make the correct decision rather than simply advising everyone to have a transplant. He is focused on creating natural looking, high quality hair transplant results.
Dr. Ahmad endeavours to ensure that patients have a positive experience from beginning to end; from initial consultation to the day of the procedure itself and throughout the aftercare process.
Aside from hair restoration, Dr. Ahmad is on the interview panel for Newcastle University’s undergraduate medical degree programme and also works for a charity called Freedom from Torture, undertaking medico-legal reports on a pro-bono basis.
Having undertaken a post graduate diploma in clinical education, Dr. Ahmad is passionate about teaching. He currently supervises junior doctors in hospital, teaches medical students and has also trained doctors in hair restoration surgery.
