Hair Transplant Aftercare - All You Need to Know
Hair transplant aftercare is essential if you want to maintain the result of your hair transplant for years to come. With a good aftercare process, your hair transplant result should last you a lifetime.
Why is Hair Transplant Aftercare Important?
At Harley Street Hair Transplant Clinics, we believe the aftercare process is as important as the surgery itself! If you make sure you’re doing everything you can to maximise your result, you’re not only minimising the risk of a potential second surgery.
On this page, you will find everything you need to know, from: what is included in your aftercare package, what to expect in the first year after your surgery, and what to do if you think something has not gone to plan.
What Should I Expect After My FUE Hair Transplant Surgery?
Here is quick overview of the recovery process after your your FUE hair transplant surgery, However, it’s also important to state that all patients will recover at a different rate and everybody’s hair will grow at different speeds!
1-14 Days – in the immediate two weeks after your hair transplant, your main area of concern is going to be recovery from surgery. During this time, your small scabs and scars left behind during surgery will take time to heal before any new hair growth can take place. Be sure to use your antibiotics and emollient cream so your scalp will heal correctly and not become infected.
4-5 Weeks – around about the month mark after your hair transplant, your scars should have fully cleared up and your hair follicles begin to grow rapidly. You may also experience some hair shedding in the area you have had a surgery on. This is completely normal.
3-6 Months – around 3-6 months after your hair transplant, you should be seeing new hair growth from your hair follicles. When combined with a PRP hair treatment, your hair growth may even occur at a quickened rate. Whilst hair follicles may appear to be thin and curly, these will eventually bolster and thicken over time!
6-9 Months – at this point, your transplanted hair follicles will be thickening up and beginning to blend in with the rest of your hair. This is the point at which you can really begin to reap the rewards of the fue hair transplant procedure.
12 Months – by the one year mark, you should be very close to having a completed hair transplant result. Your hair should have adequately grown and thickened by this point. The healing process should have completed.
*18 months – if you have suffered with any “shock loss” of hair follicles, after your hair transplant procedure, this would be the time frame in which we would arrange a second surgery.
What is Included In My Hair Transplant Aftercare Package?
- Aftercare Instructions – Your hair transplant surgeon will run you through the aftercare instructions. We will also email those instructions to you.
- Neck Pillow – in the first couple of nights after your hair transplant the main point of aftercare is going to be keeping your head elevated at a 45 degree angle while sleeping. You may be provided with a neck pillow to prevent any pressure being placed on your recovering donor area.
- Antibiotics – after your hair transplant procedure, you will also be provided with some antibiotics. This is designed to prevent infection from occurring after your hair transplant.
- Special Shampoo – after your surgery, you will also be provided with a mild shampoo solution, enabling you to gently wash your hair after your hair transplant procedure. Should you need to buy any more, we recommend baby shampoo.
- Spray bottle – as part of your hair transplant aftercare package, you will also be provided with a spray bottle of salt water (saline) solution. This will help alleviate the need to itch or scratch your head after your procedure.
- Painkillers – Painkillers such as paracetamol are included as there may be some discomfort post surgery as the healing process begins. This is perfectly normal for most patients.
What Are Any Other Important Elements of My Aftercare Process?
Post Operative Hair Wash
After your hair transplant, one of the most important elements of your aftercare will be the first time you wash your hair after surgery. Making sure you’re transplanted hair is being washed correctly will quicken the healing process exponentially!
Be sure to gently wash your hair with a mild shampoo, using warm water. Lukewarm water will help to prevent any shock loss of hair follicles and shorten your recovery process.
Post-Surgery Finasteride
After your FUE hair transplant, we recommend male patients opt in for taking finasteride to prevent any further hair loss to areas that haven’t been treated. Finasteride helps to maintain the result of your hair transplant, and reducing hair loss in the future.
Finasteride for hair loss is a powerful DHT blocker that prevents dihydrotestosterone (the hormone responsible for hair loss) from binding to your transplanted follicles. This makes it a perfect post-operation treatment after your FUE hair transplant.
What Should I Avoid After My Hair Transplant?
Strenuous Exercise
As a general rule of thumb, you should always look to avoid strenuous exercise in the first 7-10 days after your hair transplant surgery (see: 7 days after a hair transplant). Sexual intercourse is also not recommended. After a hair transplant, caution is always the best course of action.
Making sure you’re avoiding any exercise that is going to make your new hair follicles sweaty is key in your hair restoration process. The less you do to upset your new hair follicles, the better!
Hair Styling Products
Without a doubt, one of the things to avoid after your hair transplant is any hair stylish products that are going to upset your new hair follicles.
Often, hair gels and waxes contain harsh chemicals that can certainly do more harm than good. The best course of action is always to keep your natural hair in tact for the first couple of weeks. This will minimise any chance of post operative complications.
Excessive Sunlight or Heat
Another thing to avoid in the first week after surgery is any excessive heat or direct sunlight to the new follicles.
Things like hair dryers and saunas are best avoided, as these could make your scalp sweaty. The last thing you will want to do is cause unnecessary hair loss after your hair transplant!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you do not take good care of your hair follicles after your hair transplant, then you may be likely to suffer with excess hair loss. Whilst hair transplants are a fantastic way to reverse signs of hair loss, they are not a “cure”.
Hair transplants do require patients to take their aftercare programme seriously as this will help the transplanted area heal properly and prevent issues in the future.
From start to finish, the hair transplant aftercare process will typically take 9-12 months depending on the patient. In some cases, like eyebrow transplants, the recovery period can be shorter. In other cases, like female hair transplants, the entire process may take a little longer.
We’re more than happy to walk you through the entire hair transplant procedure and aftercare process during your free consultation.
For the first 7 days after your hair transplant, we recommend you do not consume alcohol or illegal substances. We also recommend you avoid any strenuous exercise, swimming, or times in saunas. This will help to keep your scalp sweat free, and limit any chance of environmental factors affecting the result of your hair transplant.
After your hair transplant, you will be able to drive home without any issues. Provided you keep your head elevated and try to minimise any chance of sweating post-procedure, you should be absolutely fine to drive, or take a taxi, to your home.
However, we recommend you do not fly for at least two weeks after your hair transplant. This is because flying may affect your blood circulation after the procedure, potentially affecting your donor area, recipient area, and even entire scalp.
If you think something has gone wrong with your hair transplant, then the first thing to do is contact your consultant and patient advisor. They will be more than happy to arrange a follow up consultation with your hair transplant surgeon, to iron out any issues.
From wound healing to high blood pressure, our hair transplant surgeon will be more than happy to help you over the recovery period.
Patient Gallery - Hair Transplant Results
Patient Testimonials
Aside from achieving fantastic results, we believe that keeping in touch with our patients before, during and after their hair transplantation procedure is paramount – it helps to keep our patients feeling calm and in control. We’re always on hand to provide guidance, support and aftercare advice. Time and again, our patients tell us that this is what sets us apart from other clinics.
You can read our great reviews of FUE hair transplants over on Google.
