When Can I Touch Grafts After a Hair Transplant?

13 May, 2025 | Hair Transplant | Author : Shveta Virmani

Hair transplant has become quite a common procedure nowadays to treat baldness. A common question among individuals who have undergone the procedure is When can I touch grafts after hair transplant? It depends on your recovery process and how well you maintain the post-treatment care guidelines. This blog discusses the specific stage after which you can touch your hair grafts in a detailed manner. Explore: After Hair Transplant Care.

Understanding Hair Grafts and Healing

The individual sections of scalp tissue known as hair grafts consist of hair follicles. Professionals retrieve hair grafts from your back or side head regions before placing them into areas with thinning or bald spots.

As soon as the surgeon finishes the procedure, the grafts stay anchored through their natural shape and the tension of their placement. The grafts remain unstable and risk falling out before anchoring correctly whenever any form of pressure or scratching occurs or when you apply friction to the area. Explore: After Hair Transplant How Many Days Rest is required.

When are Grafts Secure?

The surgical grafts need 10 to 14 days to be secure. The scalp within this period heals enough to form a bond between the implanted tissue and new follicles. If you are wondering how many days after hair transplant grafts are secure, the correct answer is two weeks.

At this phase new blood supply is formed between the grafts and their base while new skin develops around them. However, healing speed can vary. Sensitive skin and underlying conditions usually require a slightly longer healing process. Explore: 10 Days After Hair Transplant, 14 Days after Hair Transplant.

Why You Should Not Touch Grafts Too Early?

The reason behind avoiding contact with grafts is that the follicles are delicate. The minimal touch of your fingers can cause grafts to shift out of their proper place. Early contact with the grafts increases the risk of follicle death as well as infection, which results in unsatisfactory results. To patients undergoing hair transplant and thinking when can I touch grafts after hair transplant, doctors recommend resisting any touch of the scalp within the first 10 to 14 days.

Moreover, hands can carry bacteria. Your early contact with the grafts creates risks of spreading infections, which could affect this area. The hair follicles may get destroyed during recovery and before new growth appears due to the early handling of hair. Until the grafts secure themselves, you must abstain from any touching, combing, hat-wearing, or brushing of the hair.

How Long to Wait Before Touching Grafts

The permitted phase to touch transplanted grafts starts at the two-week mark. On day 14, you can start gentle hair washing and handling procedures. Clean hands, together with gentle care, should be maintained. Check with your surgeon before starting any regular activities when redness or swelling remains present on your scalp.

Also Read: When can I wash my hair normally after a hair transplant?

What to Expect 21 Days After Hair Transplant

Most individuals find that their scabs have naturally dropped off, together with the fading of redness by 21 days after hair transplant. People can enter the shock loss phase during this period, where the hair will naturally shed from its position. This is completely normal. The hair follicles situated beneath the skin that stay alive will create new hair growth in a few months.

It becomes possible at this stage to handle your hair through combing and appropriate styling techniques, along with gentle physical contact. Maintain good hair cleanliness while steering clear of products that use harsh chemicals. Taking care now will strengthen your final hair graft outcome since the new follicles are in a settling phase.

Signs Your Grafts Are Safe to Touch

If you are wondering when you can touch grafts after a hair transplant, there are several signs you can keep an eye out for. These are:

Light pressing on your scalp should result in no discomfort or sensitivity.
There should be no redness.
The area should feel like normal skin.

In case you have any confusion, do not hesitate to ask your surgeon who did your hair transplant in Delhi. He or she will guide you accordingly.

Final Thoughts

Hair transplants can offer excellent results if undertaken by a reputable clinic and if all post-treatment instructions are followed. The easy answer to when can I touch grafts after hair transplant is 14 days. If there are any complications, be sure to go for a checkup.

FAQs

What if I accidentally touch my transplanted hair?

If you touch your transplanted hair, there is no need to be alarmed. A light and quick touch of the hair transplant will not lead to harm. However, you should minimise repetitive touching or scratching, particularly before the 10 days. Active contact with the hair grafts at this phase can break the grafts loose or introduce bacteria into the area, thus leading to possible infections.

Can I touch my grafts after 10 days?

You can touch grafts after 10 days as they become quite stable, but you should be gentle. The scabs fall off during this time, and the follicles become stronger. Do not scratch or rub under any circumstances. Always clean your hands before reaching your scalp.

How long after a hair transplant do grafts become secure?

After the transplant surgery, hair grafts usually become securely embedded with the scalp during the period from 10 to 14 days. The post-treatment care demands that you maintain the affected area safe from any possible infections.

Can I sleep on my side after 10 days of hair transplant?

Yes, you can sleep on your side 10 days after your hair transplant procedure. The majority of surgeons instruct patients to prevent physical contact with the grafts throughout the first 7 to 10 days of the healing process. Side sleeping becomes safe on day 10, but you should delay stomach sleeping until the area heals fully by day 15. Explore: 15 Days after Hair Transplant, 7 Days After Hair Transplant.

Can hair grafts fall out after 5 days?

The expected result after 4 to 5 days of a hair transplant procedure is natural shedding. Shock loss represents a standard biological reaction of the body that occurs after transplantation. Hair follicles maintain their structure beneath the skin layers before they begin to grow new hair during the following months.