Why Is There a Dormant Phase After a Hair Transplant?

Hi Dr Rassman

I was just wondering if you could explain why grafts enter a dormant phase immediately after being transplanted, and only start recovering after 8-10 months?

I’d also be interested to know why they initially grow back much finer, and then thicken up later. Essentially the follicle itself hasn’t changed, so why does the hair diameter it produces fluctuate in this way?

Many thanks

I do not know why there is a dormant phase after a hair transplant. To put it simply, when you have hair transplant surgery, your follicle was removed from your body, handled, cut, manipulated, put in solutions, manipulated some more, and put back into another new location on your body. If I was that follicle and I survived all of that, I’d be traumatized and go dormant for awhile. In all seriousness though, I do not have a professorial explanation.

The simple fact is that most follicles go dormant (telogen) and start to regrow in a period of 3 to 12 months. Most patients see results starting on the 6th month to 12th month. Some lucky minority of patients (< 5%) see results within a month! This is what we have observed over the last 20 years in thousands of patients. [tags]dormant phase, hair transplant, hairloss, hair loss, telogen, hair cycle[/tags]