Post Operative Recovery

November 21, 2006

Post operative recovery – the first few days

Recovery after your hair transplant varies between individuals and size of surgery however as a guide, I have put together this short article so you have a guide and can plan your time off from work.

Day 0 – Surgery
On the evening after your surgery, you may feel a little groggy and it is advised that you relax and certainly don’t consider anything energetic.
The surgeon will advise you not to do anything that could cause a rush of blood to the head.
Simplified, this means you should try and keep your head up straight and avoid any exercise (a short walk is OK).
The night maybe a little uncomfortable as you will be tender at the back of your head (donor area) and finding a position to sleep comfortably in may take a few minutes.
AVOID ALCOHOL

Day 1 – Scalp Cleanse
After you have your scalp and stitches cleaned, you will feel much better and certainly be ready to go home.
Although you will feel better, you must still relax.
Swelling and bruising will be travelling down from your scalp and although most will dissipate during the day, this is the most important time to avoid unnecessary swelling and bruising.
Take it easy, still avoid alcohol and keep your head up as much as you can.
If you do notice any swelling, there are simple massage techniques which can be help it disperse quickly:
The idea of the massage is to guide the swelling heading down your face to the sides of the head thus avoiding the eyes. This avoids black eyes and can speed up clearing any swelling.
Use both hands at the same time and push any swelling to the sides. Do this as often as you feel is necessary but every 30-40 minutes should be OK.
After a day, you shouldn’t need to do this anymore.
As your forehead might be dry, use some moisturiser or oil when you’re massaging as this will help the hands glide.
 

Day 2 – Back home
Continue with the massage techniques if you still see any swelling although most should have gone by now.
You are still meant to relax during today and it is very important to do so – you’ve probably had a flight back to the UK and a journey to get you home. Once you get home, go to bed or just sit and relax – you might even want to take time in planning your new look!
Still avoid alcohol.

Day 3 – Hair washing
Your scalp will be numb (and will be numb for another few weeks) so it is important to be gentle when doing your first hair wash.
Use the palms of your hands to clean the whole scalp with Iodine shampoo. If you have a power shower, try to protect the scalp from direct water jets.
This wash is meant to remove the grease and grime from your scalp and start to loosen the 1000’s of mini scabs on your head – they will come off over the next few days so be gentle and patient.
Your tablet course may have run out now which means that you can drink alcohol (1 or 2 units) and start to do more energetic things BUT if you feel any pressure on your scalp, STOP.

Day 4 - Hair washing continued
Any swelling would have disappeared – if you were unfortunate to get a black eye, this should be fading quickly by now.
Your hair wash today should be more forceful and you can now you the palms of your fingers to clean the scalp more deeply. DO NOT USE YOUR NAILS.

Day 5 – Scabs
Many of the scabs should have come off now and any discomfort you felt in your donor area should have disappeared.
Hair washing is back to normal (still no nails) and although you may have a slight “pink” look to your scalp, any signs of surgery should have gone.
Sometimes the scabs are stubborn and you must not pick them. Try to be patient. If there a lot of scabs, wash your hair 2 or 3 times during the day – this will speed up them falling off naturally.

Day 6 – Final day of recovery
Most guys go back to work 1 week after their surgery so this will be the final day.
If you used DermMatch or Couvre, you can use this now IN MODERATION but you must wash it off every night and keep your scalp clean.
Nanofibres can also be used but the holding spray should be avoided for at least another 3 weeks.
The roots that have been transplanted are now well-established so you can change you shampoo to a mild/baby shampoo. You may want to use a conditioner as your hair will be dry – use a mild one.
You should avoid anti-dandruff shampoo unless otherwise advised by your surgeon.

Day 7 – Back to work
Everything is now back to normal and you can go back to work.
There should be no (or minimal) signs of the procedure and no-one should be able to tell you’ve had anything done.
Your stitches will be due out after another few days. The donor area may feel a little tight and itchy but this disappears once the stitches have been removed – try not to scratch or pick at the stitches.
Some guys notice what looks to be the grafts falling out however this is not the case. The fatty tissue around the graft and the root casing may come out naturally BUT the root is well and truly stuck deep in the scalp.

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