The Recovery Process
Directly after surgery
After your procedure, while you are still in our facility, your head will be dressed with gauze. This will need to stay in place until your follow-up appointment, which is typically the very next day. Some patients report slight discomfort from the tightness of the gauze, but it is very tolerable. Once it is removed, no other dressings will be placed on your head.
At home
To decrease swelling, it’s best to lie down as much as possible — but keep your head slightly elevated, even while sleeping. Be very careful to avoid coming into contact with anything with your head. If you come into contact with anything, it could upset the follicle grafts. This includes any sort of pressure on the scalp, including a pillow.
1 to 7 days after surgery
During this time, most patients have a headache and some mild swelling in the forehead from the anesthetic injections. Small scabs will also develop where the incisions were made. The area where the follicles were transferred will be pink, and will remain so for a few weeks. The first few nights after your hair transplant, it’s important to sleep with your head slightly elevated.
The top and front of your head should not come into contact anything as you sleep, so be very mindful. You should also avoid getting your scalp wet for three days. On the fourth day, you may wash your head, but be sure to be very gentle. Use baby shampoo and handle your scalp delicately, patting it dry instead of rubbing. If you go outside, wear a breathable, loose hat to help avoid sun exposure. It is also best to avoid pools, alcohol, and exercise during this time.
10 to 20 days after surgery
During this time of recovery, we will remove your surgical staples. Patients also experience some shedding of the transplanted hairs around this time, which is to be expected after any hair restoration procedure due to the temporary dormant phase that the grafts are going through.
1 to 3 months after surgery
Around this time, you can expect to see a few new hairs on the surface of your scalp. If it isn’t coming in evenly, don’t worry. It will. It will also seem thin, but will grow thicker eventually. Some patients develop bumps and pimples around the recipient area during this time. This is normal; it is in fact new hairs trying to push through the scalp.
5 to 6 months after surgery
By this time, you should be seeing significant hair growth. Your new hair should be about 2 to 3 inches, and becoming thicker.
8 to 10 months after surgery
Your new hair should be longer, thicker, and more dense at this time.
1 year after surgery
At one year, final results should be apparent; however, you will continue to see improvement as the year continues. This new hair will grow for the rest of your life.
