Is There a Recommended Hairstyle After a Hair Transplant? (with Photos)

Hi Dr. Rassman,
I am 33 years old former patient. I was wondering what kind of hair style you recommend for patients who have had a procedure done? I have great coverage in the front but it gets a little thinner towards the back which however, is a huge improvement from my balder self. I would love another procedure, but I have had two so far and I think I will have to wait financially to afford the third one. Until then…is longer on top better or is shorter better? I sometimes feel a little more “exposed” on top when I cut my hair short revealing thinner hair. I was also wondering about highlighting my hair for a thicker look? I have dark blonde hair currently.

Thanks and happy holidays

If what you’re asking is for hair style decisions after the new hair growth is starting, look to the photo galleries on NewHair.com to see all types of hair styles used by transplant patients. There isn’t one best way to style your hair. Some opt to keep the hair a little longer to cover thinner areas, but that is really a patient decision, not a doctor decision. In other words, I don’t really have any styling advice.

Since you have had previous procedures, you’re intimately familiar with how the recipient area looks immediately post-op, but I’ll use this opportunity to answer one of the most frequent requests I get from people — to see what a hair transplant looks like just days after it is done. Many are concerned that they will be a walking billboard for surgery, and understandably so. I tell these patients that if they had any hair in front, they could cover the hair transplants. Of course, each person is different and your redness level may differ from the patient below, but here are photos taken just 12 days after a procedure of 1,959 grafts, showing a patient who used his existing hair to cover the transplanted area (only one side is shown in these photos which reflect half of the total number of transplanted grafts he received). Note that when you zoom in on the photo, most of the hair has already fallen out (and will return sometime between 2-5 months).

Click photos to enlarge.