Hello Doctor
Last year I underwent a hair transplant. Seven months have passed and I am very happy with results, the regrowth is quite fast. I have noticed one thing I’d like to ask about, though. The color and the texture of the transplanted hair differs from my native hair. The transplanted hair grows darker and it’s somewhat kink and curly.
Is a texture change something that happens in the early phase of regrowth after transplant? When should my hair return to its normal state? Is this something I should worry about?
Thank you
Changes in hair texture are somewhat common, though kinky hair occurs less frequently. Usually patients that experience a characteristic change see their straight hair get more of a wave in the transplanted hair. It’s possible that you’ll need to wait out a full hair cycle (2-4 years for the average male) to see if the kinky change disappears.
The transplanted hair should replicate the native hair in the donor area and most changes in color reported reflect a comparison with miniaturized hairs in the recipient area when compared to the transplanted hair in the recipient area. I do not believe that transplants themselves influence changes in hair color, other than maybe accelerated aging issues like early graying.
One patient from 2006 showed changes from blonde to brown which is a process of color change that many blond people go through as they age. My three sons (born with blonde hair) saw their hair change from blonde to brown by the time they got into their late teens. So what you’re describing is unusual unless it is in the aging genetics that you have triggered ahead of schedule.