What To Expect Right After Your Hair Transplant 

The surgical site will appear slightly red, glossy, and swollen just after the procedure. Thousands of fresh, tiny hairs can also be seen sprouting where the follicular unit grafts were inserted, if you look closely. Your forehead will also be covered with a little bandage, and the technician might let you cautiously wear a cap home. The doctor will provide you with post-operative written instructions in great detail as well as painkillers, certain antibiotics, and prescriptions. After that, you’ll return home to rest, unwind, and recuperate. 

Day 1 – 4 

Although estimates vary slightly, the newly transplanted follicles will become permanent in around 4 days. This indicates that they are initially rather vulnerable and are susceptible to being moved if they are bumped, rubbed, or touched roughly. For the first three days, you should sleep, wash, and dress slightly differently to prevent dislodging a graft. 

For the first three nights, it is advised that you sleep “propped up” at an angle of about 45 degrees with something supporting your neck either a rolled-up towel or a travel neck pillow. Sleeping at that angle not only provides support and prevents your head from shifting or banging into anything during the night, but it also reduces postoperative swelling. 

Additionally, most clinics advise patients to wash their new transplants the day after surgery, which is the norm. In order to do this safely, patients are typically advised to wash by gently pouring water and shampoo over the area using a cup rather than using direct water pressure from the shower head or severe rubbing with shampoo application. The transplanted area should then only be left to “air dry.” Even after thorough cleaning, the transplanted area might look a little “scabbed” and red during this time; however, this is readily covered by a cap. It’s also advised to wear button-down shirts at this time to prevent chafing the grafts by not pulling anything over your head. 

There is not much discomfort at this time. Patients only describe a small bit of “pain” in the donor area the first night. You will be given medication to consume during this time by the clinic, which should completely alleviate your discomfort. 

Day 4 – 10 

By day 4, the grafts start to anchor, allowing you to resume your regular sleeping, bathing, and clothing routines. Although the grafts technically don’t fully anchor until day 10, they are secure enough by the fourth day to continue your basic daily activities. Patients should wash more frequently during this time, and the transplant should start to resemble a tidy “buzz cut,” with the scalp free of scabs and other debris and the newly transplanted hair being easily apparent. The “pinkness” of the scalp will probably still be present, but it will eventually go away. 

During this time, patients may notice some amount of edema in their cheeks, eyes, and forehead. This typically starts on days two to three and ends by day seven. Although the swelling can be unpredictable and subjective, sleeping “propped up” and avoiding prolonged downward gaze such as when using a cellphone will help it go away quickly. Most people only have little swelling that is confined to the area around the forehead. 

The transplant truly resembles a clean buzz-cut at the 10-day mark, the grafts are fully anchored, and the majority of patients can return to work, school, and other activities without drawing too much attention to themselves. The majority of clinics now let patients start exercising normally again. At this time, the postoperative period is actually “complete,” and patients may get ready for the “fun part”: the growing phase.