What To Expect After a Hair Transplant
Hair transplant is a procedure in which a plastic surgeon carefully extracts healthy hair follicles from the back of your head and strategically moves them to the bald spots to facilitate hair growth. There are various different styles of hair transplant procedures, some of which include non-surgical and minimally invasive techniques, but all of them have the same underlying goal — transplanting healthy hair follicles from one part of your scalp to another.
Hair transplant procedures may last for several hours, and they may be split between several sessions, each a few months apart. Your stitches are removed approximately 10 days after the hair transplant procedure. This article gives you an overview of everything you can expect after a hair transplant — recovery is always easier if you know what to expect.
What happens immediately after the hair transplant procedure?
Your scalp will be considerably sore and tender immediately after the hair transplant. The doctor will apply bandages on your scalp, which you should continue wearing for 24 to 48 hours, depending on the doctor’s recommendation.
Your doctor will likely also prescribe one or more of the following medications:
- Over-the-counter painkillers to manage the pain and discomfort.
- Antibiotics to prevent or minimize the risk of infections.
- Anti-inflammatory medications to reduce the swelling.
- Hair growth medications, like minoxidil and finasteride, to slow down hair loss.
Most patients can resume their daily activities within a few days of the procedure, and will see the results of their treatment within 8 to 12 months after the hair transplant procedure.
DO’s and DONT’s after a hair transplant procedure.
After a hair transplant, you have a long journey towards complete recovery. During this recovery stage, you must carefully follow the doctor’s recovery guidelines. If you don’t follow the doctor’s recommendations, you may either negate the treatment results or lead to complications. The following is an overview of some DO’s and DONT’s after a hair transplant.
DO the following…
- Sleep with your head elevated for the first week after the procedure, or as long as you still have swelling
- Regularly take all necessary medications, as prescribed by the doctor
- Apply ice packs over the eyebrows to minimize swelling a few days after the procedure
- Be extremely gentle while washing your hair after the fifth day
- Gently apply conditioners or hair products a few days after the procedure
- Expect the transplanted hair to fall out a few weeks after the procedure. This is a normal step towards natural hair growth — the transplanted hair must fall out before new hair can grow out naturally.
DON’T do the following…
- Don’t rub your hairline against your bed or pillow
- Don’t sleep on your stomach or side
- Don’t scratch or pick at scabs on your scalp
- Don’t wash your hair for two days after the procedure
- Don’t cover your scalp for the first few days after the procedure
- Don’t engage in heavy exercise for a few days
- Don’t do anything that may cause you to sweat
- Don’t drink liquor for a few days after the procedure
- Don’t smoke for at least a month after the procedure
If you follow all of your doctor’s recommended recovery guidelines, you shouldn’t have any problem at all and before you know it, you’ll have a gorgeous head of hair.
