Post-Operative Care Guidelines for Hair Transplant Surgery
Preventing Swelling:
1. Maintain an upright posture during the day for four days following the surgery to minimize swelling.
2. Ensure adequate hydration by consuming a minimum of 2 liters of water daily.
Sleeping Position:
1. Maintain a supine position while sleeping for the first five days after the operation.
2. Utilize a neck pillow for support and place a standard pillow under your arms to discourage any movement that may risk impacting the head.
Avoiding Blood Thinning Substances:
1. Refrain from consuming substances that may thin the blood, such as alcohol, cigarettes, or any form of tobacco, for a minimum of ten days post-surgery.
Hygiene and Showering:
1. You may shower the day following the operation, ensuring that only the body below the neck is washed.
2. Be cautious to avoid hitting the head while entering or exiting vehicles. Turkish baths or saunas should be avoided for twenty-one days.
Clothing Considerations:
1. Avoid wearing T-shirts for ten days post-surgery to prevent contact between the head and fabric. Shirts may be worn instead.
Physical Activity:
1. Refrain from engaging in strenuous exercises or activities for fourteen days following the procedure.
Care of Transplanted Area:
1. Avoid scratching or rubbing the transplanted area and adhere to the prescribed washing regimen for ten days post-surgery.
Use of Caps and Hair Styling:
1. Caps may be worn after ten days, but refrain from any sexual activity during this period.
2. Do not use a hair dryer on the transplanted area for fourteen days.
3. Avoid using hair dyes or bleach for several weeks.
Hair Cutting:
1. Hair may be trimmed with scissors or clippers three weeks after the operation.
The Healing Period Post Hair Transplant
Expected Post-Operative Effects:
1. It is normal for blood and fluids to excrete from the donor area on the first night following the surgery.
Medication Instructions:
– Commence medication regimen from the morning following the surgery.
1-4 DAYS
It is crucial that you follow the aftercare steps set out by your surgeons closely
When you are first discharged post hair transplant, you will be given a Head Quarters aftercare bag to take home containing everything you need, including a spray bottle of saline.
You will need to spray your scalp with this regularly in order to speed up the healing of the follicles, protect against infection to the incisions and prevent scabbing.
Tips for spraying the transplanted and donor areas:
Use your left hand to spray your left side and the right hand to spray the right side.
Ask a family member or friend to spray for you if it’s more convenient.
Once you’ve completed the 12 hours of spraying you should sleep for a few hours.
It is also very important that you rest as much as possible in the first few days after your hair transplant.
This is not only because the procedure tires your body out, but because resting helps speed up your recovery.
There are certain things that should be avoided during these few days as they provide a risk post hair transplant, such as swimming, drinking alcohol, smoking, high-impact exercise and more.
It is also crucial you keep your scalp well hydrated during this period with regular saline sprays.
If you need to comb your hair be sure to do so carefully while it is soaking wet to avoid causing any bleeding or irritation.
5-9 Days - Recovery & Rest Is Crucial After A Procedure
At around 5 days post hair transplant, your scalp should be healed enough that you can begin to gently wash it again.
At this stage, the soreness and swelling that appeared after the transplant should have mostly disappeared.
However, you should still avoid shampoo at this stage and focus on gently removing any dried skin or scabs.
Even though most of the healing is done at this stage, we would still recommend avoiding any high impact exercise at this point after your hair transplant, just to be absolutely sure all follicles are healed before you get going again.
10-14 Days
Returning to Your Haircare Routine
At this point, your scalp will likely appear pink and scabbed.
This typically only lasts around 10-14 days but in the case of people with pale skin, it can stick around for longer.
As long as there is no pain or discomfort this is nothing to worry about.
Once the pink skin and scabs have fully healed, your follicles will go dormant again and all of your new hair will fall out, making you look like you did before the hair transplant even began.
This is all part of the process and will eventually lead to your transplanted follicles sprouting rich, healthy new hairs.
At this stage, you are able to begin washing your hair again as normal.
A question we commonly get asked is what the best shampoo to use after a hair transplant might be.
As long as your usual shampoo isn’t particularly rough or abrasive, it will be absolutely fine.
We do recommend contacting us if you are unsure of any ingredients, and of course don’t use any products you’re allergic or sensitive to, but otherwise, most shampoos will be OK.
Your aftercare bag will contain shampoo is a great choice as it is a very gentle shampoo that shouldn’t irritate your scalp.
You can resume washing your hair after your hair transplant starting like this:
Fill a clean bowl with tepid water
Add a dollop of – shampoo and mix it well with the water until it is soapy
Use a cup or a jug to pour the solution carefully over the transplanted and donor areas
In the transplanted area pat down gently on the grafts and wash the suture line gently using a circular motion
Ensure all the sides are rinsed off using ordinary clean water
We recommend that you allow your hair to dry naturally, but you can also pat it dry gently with a clean towel.
This regime should be followed once per day from days four to fourteen.
Exercise can usually be resumed at this point, but it is recommended to discuss this with us first to make absolute sure you are fully healed and safe.
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Change the way you look with hair transplant
3-6 Months
After your incisions have healed, we let nature take its course and your hair will slowly begin to grow naturally again.
We will then hold check-up appointments at the 3 month and the 6 month mark just to check how everything is going and take photos of your progress. We understand that life gets busy, however, please ensure you have these booked in your diary.
This is important because everybody’s healing process is different and it allows us to make sure there is nothing unusual about your recovery and gives you further chance to discuss any questions you might have about aftercare and the future of your hair with our experts.
10 Months - Hair is Regained & Begins to Grow Naturally
The first natural hair regrowth will begin 2-3 months after your procedure, but it will be patchy and uneven at this point due to all the follicles beginning to work at different times.
Between 5-8 months the majority of your follicles should be growing hairs again, and by the 10 month mark the vast majority of hair transplant post-op patients will have achieved full, natural, healthy hair growth.
At this point, a trim is usually needed to bring all of the hair back to the same length.
12 Months - Final Check-Up & Feedback
12 months after your procedure we will meet for one last final hair transplant aftercare check-up. This will involve checking your hairline and hair growth to assess the overall end result.
We also ask you for some feedback on our staff and procedures at this point,.
As you can see, our hair transformation process and aftercare program are proven, precise and come with unparalleled results.
