Transplanting hair grafts and scalp flaps are 2 of the more innovative and modern surgical procedures for hair replacement being employed today. Both of these are extremely effective where replacement of lost or thinning hair is concerned and have become extremely popular over recent years. There is a recovery period and certain precautions to be aware of once you have had a surgical hair replacement procedure performed. You want to be sure and follow these recommendations and the recovery should proceed smoothly.
Take a baseball cap to wear after the surgery is done – do not use a fitted one. It must be adjustable. The cap will help you avoid any damage to the affected scalp areas and help to prevent any infection from occurring. Although the surgical hair grafts will be clearly visible after your surgery, you’ll want to keep the cap a bit looser than you would normally wear it, because if it is too tight, it will restrict blood flow which will eventually damage the hair grafts.
Take all medications as instructed – your hair replacement surgeon is going to prescribe specific medications for you to take once the surgery is completed, including:
- an antibiotic for fighting infection
- a mild steroid to prevent swelling
- a pain reliever
Make sure you follow the physician’s instructions on each of these medications. This will ensure that they work properly and there are no complications.
Leave your hair alone for up to 2 days – this includes shampooing it after you have had the replacement surgery performed. After a couple of days, it should be alright to shampoo the hair but you want to be careful for the next couple of weeks as well. Be gentle when you are shampooing and try to refrain from normal scrubbing like you would have done prior to the procedure.
Keep the scalp protected and covered for up to 2 weeks – you want to avoid direct sunlight and covering the hair will help with that. You also want to stay fairly inactive for the first 2 weeks after the surgery. Normal chores and shopping are okay but no strenuous exercise is allowed.
Leave the scabs alone – grafted areas are always going to scab over after the hair replacement surgery and they will inevitably start to itch. This is a good sign that the surgery is healing properly. They should start falling off within 1 to 2 weeks, but if they don’t, shampoo your hair a little more vigorously.
