How to care for a hair transplant? Many patients wonder what to do and not do after the surgery. What to know about hair transplant aftercare?
Here are all the best tips!
Table of Contents
Hair transplant aftercare: right after the surgery
The patient is back in his hotel room and can rest. The local anesthesia will fade away, but the doctor prescribed a painkiller for a pain-free post-surgery period.
The patient should not shower. If he needs to wash his body, he must be careful not to wet his head.
The patient must avoid alcohol for at least three days and smoke for at least two days. Ideally, the patient should quit smoking for a month after the transplant. In addition, the patient must avoid spicy food for at least three days.
Hair transplant aftercare: the first night
For most patients, the first night is the harshest part of the hair transplant process. Patients can’t lie to sleep because the grafts would rub on the bedding and get damaged. The best position to sleep after a hair transplant is half-sitting.
Hair transplant aftercare: the second day
The patient can shower without wetting his head. The clinic gives him a shampoo and a cream to help the skin to heal.
The patient must be careful not to expose the grafts to direct sunlight; a large and clean hat is a great option!
Hair transplant aftercare: how to wash hair after a hair transplant
From the second day after the transplant, the patient should use the shampoo from the clinic. Gently wet the hair and let the shampoo sit on the head for ten minutes. It is better to avoid using the showerhead to wash hair in the first days because the hair pressure would damage the grafts. Better gently pour water from a bowl.
Hair transplant aftercare: redness and hair loss
Redness of the skin after the surgery is normal. The skin would get back to its standard color after one or two weeks. However, if the redness comes with swelling and fever, it is better to seek medical attention as it may be an infection.
Post-surgery hair loss is a normal part of the process. It is due to the hair life cycle and occurs in the three months after the surgery. The new hair is visible about six months after the hair transplant.
Hair transplant aftercare: edema
Edema may appear on the forehead on the second or the third day after the transplant. This phenomenon is due to the products injected during the surgery. Doctors advise wearing a headband on the forehead after surgery to prevent the edema from going down to the face. Patients should drink lots of water to help the body drain the edema fluids.
Hair transplant aftercare: bleeding and loss of grafts
The patient must be careful not to rub his head while washing his hair to avoid pulling out grafts and causing bleeding. In case of bleeding, apply gauze to the bleeding area.
The patient may lose sensibility on the scalp, so better be careful not to rub or hit the head in the first two weeks to avoid losing grafts.
Hair transplant aftercare: scabs
After the surgery, scabs appear on the grafted area. They are a sign the healing process started; when they fall, the process is over, and the skin has healed. It occurs after about ten days.
Hair transplant aftercare: physical activities
The patient must avoid sport and all activities leading to significant sweating for at least fourteen days after the surgery. Two weeks after the surgery, the patient may resume gentle physical activities. The patient must avoid violent sports for at least six weeks after the surgery to not damage the grafts. He must wait for three months to resume aquatic activities, either in the pool or the sea.
He should also avoid sex for ten days after the hair transplant because increasing blood pressure could worsen edema and damage the grafts.
