DOs and DON’Ts After a Week of your Hair Transplant Surgery

19 November, 2021 | Hair Transplant | Author : Shveta Virmani

A successful hair transplant surgery isn’t just focused on the actual procedure. The aftercare and recovery play an equal impact as the actual surgery. So, if your surgeon has successfully done the transplantation, without following the recovery guidelines, it could result in a disaster.

Your newly implanted grafts in the scalp are fragile. Not only do they need some time to cement in their new location, but they also need to be handled with care. Following the dos and don’ts after a hair transplant surgery is not a choice but a requirement.

This article will highlight all the important factors that you need to look out for after hair transplantation.

Feel free to skip ahead if one topic catches your eye:

Takeaway

1. How Does Hair Transplant Recovery Look Like?

After completing hair growth surgery, your surgeon will advise you with a list of medications that you need to take.

Your scalp will be sore with slight bumps and inflammation. This is common for almost every patient undergoing surgery. The doctor will prescribe a few medications to manage the pain, discomfort, and inflammation too. Antibiotics are prescribed to combat possible infections.

As for the implanted hair, you will notice it falling out of the scalp after a few days. That is perfectly normal and happens so that new hair can grow from the transplanted follicles. Most of the patients witness tangible results after 6-9 months of the surgery. So, you need to be patient with it.

Patients can get back to their daily routine work a week or ten days after the surgery when it comes to regular activities. However, there are precautions hair transplant in India you need to follow.

hair transplant surgery

2. Do's after a Hair Transplant Surgery

If you want to take care of your hair after a hair transplant, there are certain aspects you need to be mindful of. We have sorted them out below:

For the first seven days, you need to sleep with your head elevated. This keeps the swelling in check and prevents suffocation of the transplanted follicles. The inflammation can last for the first 2-3 days or a week in some patients. Depending on the time, you need to compromise on your sleeping position.
Take the prescribed medications for tackling the pain and inflammation. Typically, the surgeon will prescribe an antibiotic too. Take that without missing out if you don’t want to struggle with infections.
Apply an ice pack around the forehead region and above the eyebrows to alleviate the swelling. Do this for the first 2-3 days after the surgery.
Wash your hair gently for five days after the surgery without rigorous scratching. This is to protect the newly implanted hair follicles. Use a mug to rinse your hair instead of standing under the shower directly.
Keep yourself hydrated after the surgery. This helps with the recovery, keeps your skin moisturized, and keeps you healthy throughout the recovery process.

3. Don’ts after a Hair Transplant Surgery

While it is easier to follow along with the Dos, you need to be mindful of the Don’ts as well. This is to ensure that you feel comfortable and quicker recovery can be promoted. Some of the things to avoid after a hair transplant procedure include:

Avoid sleeping directly on your tummy or facing sidewards. This can squish and damage the newly implanted follicles, restricting their vitality.
Avoid putting ice packs on the surgical sites (both the donor and recipient sites) to avoid damaging follicles. Frequent touching or pressure on the follicles can prevent them from setting into the scalp after the surgery. Also, the ice packs can harbor bacteria and germs on them whose exposure to the surgical sites can result in an infection.
If scabs are forming on your treated site, avoid touching them. It is common to feel the urge to itch or scratch at the scab. Doing so can enhance the risks of infections and even leave permanent scars. Once the scab heals completely, it will dry and fall off on its own.
Avoid washing your hair for the first two days after the surgery. This is to prevent exposure to any harsh chemicals present in the shampoo. Even when using shampoo, ensure to use herbal or chemical-free shampoo as directed by the surgeon.
Avoid wearing caps or hats for the first week after the surgery. You want to keep the surgical site open instead of covering it up with any rough fabric. This contributes to faster healing as well.
If you are stepping out of the house, go out with an umbrella or wear a loosely fitted cap after a week. This is to shield the scalp from direct sunlight if you want to avoid the risks of sunburn at every cost. Also, if you are on the beach, stay under a shade and avoid any strenuous water activities.
Avoid indulging in physical activities that could make you sweat. The salt deposition from the sweat on the scalp could hamper the recovery process and even cause pain.
Avoid smoking or consumption of alcohol for the first 10-14 days after the surgery. These unhealthy habits affect recovery by slowing down the optimal blood circulation in the body.

4. Cost of Hair Transplant Surgery

The hair transplant cost in India varies from clinic to clinic. Several factors affect the cost, including:

Price of the grafts
Number of grafts required for the transplantation
Charges of the hair transplant surgeon
Equipment and infrastructure costs used in the clinic
City you are getting the procedure done in
Type of hair transplant surgery you are getting

Typically, the cost starts from INR 25,000 and can go up to over 1.5 lacs and even more. The costs are always subjective to the patient’s needs. So, consult your surgeon and discuss all the possible treatment options and packages before confirming the treatment.

Take Away

Hairline surgery in men and women is becoming more and more mainstream. However, the success of any surgery relies on the recovery that follows. If you aren’t taking care of the precautions, dos, and don’ts, you are risking positive results. We hope this article must have given you an insight into all the necessary precautions you need to be mindful of.

At Medlinks, we use cutting-edge technology and the latest equipment to facilitate successful hair transplant surgeries. We strive to provide our patients with the highest level of service and treatment.