Hair transplant before your wedding: when to book

If you want the new hair to show on your wedding day, have the transplant about a year before, or more. Hair grows slowly after a transplant, and the middle months can look worse than before. Here is the timeline to plan around.

What happens month by month

How far ahead to book

• 12 to 18 months before: the hair has time to reach most or all of its result.
• 6 to 12 months before: you will usually see a result by the day, but it may not be complete.
• 3 to 6 months before: the new hair will be short and thin on the day.
• Less than 3 months before: you may look thinner than you do now. Wait until after the wedding, or look at options that work straight away, such as a hair patch.

Count back from the first event you care about, not only the wedding. An engagement or a pre-wedding shoot may come months earlier.

If you are in your early 20s

The American Academy of Dermatology says men in their 20s may be asked to wait and start a hair loss medicine first. A wedding date is a reason to plan early, not a reason to rush. See the right age for a hair transplant.

Plan the cost

Get quotes early, so the transplant is not squeezed into the wedding budget at the last minute. As a guide, we estimate FUE for 2,000 to 2,500 grafts at ₹60,000 to ₹1.5 lakh in India, before GST. Your grade decides the graft count: see cost by grade. If you plan to pay in instalments, read hair transplant on EMI first.