The below representation of the period following the operation should serve as a general guidance only. A considerable variation can be observed. Some patients may experience few of the issues for a very short while while others may experience all of them for a longer period. Some may have a rather visible cosmetic change after only 4-5 months, while other patients may see growth setting in after 10-12 months.
During the operation and the following days: Some patients may develop swelling of forehead and face and in some cases it can be severe. It's not a sign of an infection and it will usually wear off in 3-5 days and is not painful.
Most patients will have no pain while some may need paracetamol for pain. Only rarely will the pain be more pronounced.
First 2 weeks: Few may experience pain from the donor-area. Paracetamol is usually sufficient to treat the pain.
First 4-12 weeks: Itching, pimples, pop-ups and dry skin are relatively common. Anti-histamins (used for allergic rash) and baby oil may be helpful. In larger surgeries numbness may occur specially in the recipient-area. The transplanted hair may shed but the growth centre is left intact in the skin.
3-4 months: Growth starts. Usually the itching, pimples, pop-ups and dry skin is gone. Numbness in recipient-area may persist.
6-8 months: Cosmetic change starts appearing. Numbness is gone in nearly all patients.
1-1.5 years and even upto 2 years: Final results.
If the recipient-area is not bald but only thining most patients will be able to take up normal social activities after 10-14 days without drawing any attention.
If the recipient-area is bald or nearly bald 3-5 weeks may be required before the recipient-area becomes un-noticeable. However, in few cases a light pinkish colour (third picture) and irritation may persist even beyond 8 weeks.
It is essential that patients comply with the following instructions to ensure a succesfull result and a fast return to daily routines.