Hair Transplant Recovery

Hair transplantation is a surgical procedure which uses hair follicles from other parts of the body. Due to the invasive nature of this technique, proper hair transplant recovery is very important. Without proper care, the newly transplanted follicles can fall out. In this article, we look at the best ways to take care of yourself after a transplant operation. To understand this, we need to get an overview of the procedure itself.

Hair Transplantation

Body hair is much more resistant to balding than scalp hair. Doctors take advantage of this fact and replace hair follicles on the scalp with the ones from the rest of the body. The technique is to take the dermis, and the epidermis surrounding the hair follicle and transplant it onto the scalp.

Observations have shown that hair grows in clumps of 4 to 5 follicles. In order to mimic the natural growth of hair, a special branch of hair transplantation known as follicular unit transplantation is used to replicate as precisely as possible, this type of pattern. The benefit is that it looks much better than a regular transplant and is completely indistinguishable from natural hair. In addition, patients recover much faster than normal due to various factors.

It usually takes quite a while to actually get to the surgical room as the waiting period for hair transplantation is typically quite long. Therefore, one appreciates the importance of post operative care in this regard.

It is important to understand that it takes some time before hair starts to grow on the newly transplanted follicles. This is because due to the trauma, the hair that has just been put on the scalp will fall out and will take some time before it starts growing again. In fact, it can be a few months before this starts to happen.

In the meantime, you can wear a wig or a cap to cover up the lack of hair. It's advised that patients wait for at least 10 day so after the surgery before you wear such items.

Shampooing the hair is an important part of hair transplant recovery. This is because scabs form around the hair shafts, which can cause the new follicles to be lost. Depending on the particulars of your treatment, you may need to start shampooing as soon as the day after your surgery. Your doctor will give you exact instructions.