Regrowth Stages of a Hair Transplant

The "regrowth" stages of a hair transplant are quite similar to the stages of normal hair growth. This is largely due to the fact that the donor hair is taken from another location of your scalp and transplanted into the areas suffering from hair loss. With a hair transplant, you'll usually experience four distinct phases.

Man getting a hair cut at a salon. (Image: Anne-Louise Quarfoth/iStock/Getty Images)

Telogen

The first stage you'll typically experience after a hair transplant is the telogen stage. In this phase of hair growth, the transplanted follicles actually shed the hair. This shedding typically takes place over the following two weeks, according to the Foundation for Hair Restoration and Plastic Surgery. This is mostly owing to the stress the follicles go under during the grafting or transplantation. After the hairs have fallen out, they usually remain in this stage for anywhere between 3 to 4 months.

Anagen

The next phase you'll experience after a hair transplant is the anagen stage. In this phase of hair growth, the transplanted follicles should start producing hair. The rate at which the hair grows varies from person to person, but you should expect around a 1/2 inch of hair growth per month, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. It is usually at the beginning of this stage that your cosmetic surgeon or hair transplant specialist can tell whether or not further grafting is necessary to provide the desired fullness of hair. As with the rest of the hair on your head, the transplanted follicles remain in the growth stage for anywhere between 2 to 6 years.

Catagen

The third phase you'll experience after a hair transplant is the catagen phase. This is essentially a transition phase, where the hair stops growing and moves into dormancy. The catagen stage is the shortest of all hair growths stages, lasting upwards of 2 weeks.

Telogen

The final stage after a hair transplant is the telogen phase. While it shares the same name as the first stage of a hair transplant, this time the stage is a little different. The first telogen phase lasted was only about 2 weeks in time. In this period, the hair will remain in this phase for 3 to 4 months before it sheds itself from your head, but another hair should soon follow that is in the anagen stage. Actually, the American Academy of Dermatology estimates that only 10 percent of your hair is in the telogen stage at any one time.