Once your hair transplant surgery is completed, you’ll definitely feel like you want to wash your hair but it is important to wait. Although you can take a shower right away, it is very important that you do not wet or wash your hair. Not only does your hair transplant result depend on the skill of your hair transplant specialist and team but also how well you take care of your scalp following surgery.
How do I wash my hair after hair transplant surgery?
A pressure bandage is placed around the head that must remain for the first 24 hours after hair transplant surgery. At that point, we recommend pouring a small cup of soapy water on the hair very gently. By gently, we mean no rubbing, scratching, massaging, with no direct water on your scalp for about 10 – 14 days. We advise our patients to be gentle to prevent them from hurting the newly implanted follicles. You can expect there to be small pinpoint scabs on the top of the head where the transplanted grafts were placed. The best way to wash your hair is with a small cup of room temperature water and a small amount of baby shampoo. The mixture needs to be poured over the top of the head only once per day. Anywhere between 7-10 days of pouring the water and baby shampoo mixture, you will notice the scabs starting to come off on their own. Once day ten comes around you may notice that you still have a few small scabs remaining. By day ten you can start to gently massage these small scabs off while washing your hair. If they start to bleed at all when coming off, stop massaging and wait until day 14.
What can I wear on my head after surgery?
Two days after hair transplant surgery loose fitting hats may be worn. We recommend that the hats are loose because something snug on the scalp can rub on the newly transplanted grafts. However, we do not allow our patients to wear beanies just yet. We do not allow beanies because they can easily snag the grafts and rip them out. After the two week mark we advise our patients to wear sunscreen and or avoid excess sun exposure. Too much sun exposure on fresh scars that are still pink and healing are more vulnerable to UV rays and can burn easily.
We hope this information helps you after having your hair transplant surgery. If you have any questions, please call us at (801) 776-2220 or contact us HERE.
Additional Resources
- How Common is Hair Transplant Surgery Becoming?
- The Advantages and Disadvantages of Hair Transplant Surgery
- Who Is An Ideal Candidate for the Strip Method or FUT?
- Balding Crown: How To Spot It
- Foods That Can Cause Hair Loss: What to Avoid
- Hair Transplants Actually Look Good Now
Call 801-776-2220 to learn more about shock loss and hair restoration options or schedule a consultation online through a patient care coordinator.