My Grafts Aren’t Growing — Is It Because I Got Sunburned on My Head?

Hi,

I had a hair transplant last summer (June 12, 2009) around 2,000 micro graft follicles. It has been nearly 9 months and I am not seeing any significant results yet. I can see/feel a few coming through but seems to be coming through rather slowly. I was wondering if I damaged or ruined my transplant for in August (two months after transplant) I sunburned the top of my head. It was quite red but I would not say severely burned, but burned nevertheless. Did I damage it or is it just taking longer than usual for my transplant to come through? Thank you for your time and help.

A sunburn will not damage the transplanted grafts as they are below the top (cutin) layer of the skin… that is, unless you burned it so severely that the skin heavily crusted after the burn. If the transplants did not grow, you should speak with your surgeon about that problem and see what he/she will do about it. You’re 10 months out of surgery, so I’d expect some decent growth by now.

Check these recent posts for other comments made from people whose hair did not grow after a hair transplant:

1. I’m Not Seeing a Drastic Difference a Year After Hair Transplant
2. If There’s No Growth a Year After My Hair Transplant, Should I Just Get Another One?
3. Hair Transplant Failures and Survival Rates
4. Haven’t Seen Much Growth 7 Months After My Hair Transplant