Care for Hair Transplant Recovery

Baldness is a phenomenon that has always been common. In the recent day world, it has widened its tentacles. Hair loss occurs in approximately  60% men and 10% women.The primary reason for this is the enormity of pollution we are constantly exposed to in our daily lives. The stress at a workplace or home piles up to the worsening condition. The most common cosmetic procedure used to treat baldness is Hair transplantation. This procedure has become increasingly popular among everyone facing acute hair loss, hair thinning or baldness. Care for hair transplant recovery is very important. Hair transplantation is a delicate procedure that requires quite some care.

Follow some of the basic hair transplant recovery tips to get effective results:

  • It is absolutely restricted to consume alcoholic beverages within three days of the surgery. Alcohol may cause thinning of blood and cause bleeding.
  • Taking certain medications is restricted after the surgery. Do not take certain types of vitamin, Ibuprofen or arthritis medications for at least 3 days after your hair transplantation procedure.
  • Abstain yourself from physical activities like cycling, running, weightlifting. Indulging in activities like soccer, baseball, soccer etc can be detrimental to the surgery. Such activities can cause bleeding and damage the grafts.  It can also cause intense swelling on the forehead and around the eyes. Such physical activities must be strictly refrained for about one week after the operation.
  • Ice packs can be used in the swelled areas. Make sure not to apply the ice pack directly on the grafted areas.  You can place the ice pad gently on the forehead for about 10 minutes.  Keep doing this for three days. Placing an ice pack on forehead considerably reduces the risk of swelling.
  • Keeping the area moist fastens the healing process. Spraying saline solution on the grafts multiple times in the day aids in healing the donor and recipient areas.
  • Itching on the donor and recipient areas is quite common after the hair transplantation surgery. It is advised to keep the area free from crusts or any accumulation of dirt or pollutants.
  • It is important to regularly clean your hair after hair transplantation. Regularly cleaning the hair does not irritate the surgery.  You should regularly shampoo your hair to get rid of dirt, oil or blood. Maintaining proper hygiene also helps to prevent the risk of infection. It also aids in the shedding of the transplanted hair normally before the new hair grows.
  • Remember to keep your scalp dry on the first day after the surgery to let the skin heal.
  • It is important to take care of the scar. Do remember to apply the antibiotic topical cream provided by your surgeon to reduce swelling and irritation of the scalp.
  • Do not expose your scalp to direct sunlight for 2-3 days after the surgery. This worsens the swelling of the scalp.
  • Refrain from smoking for a month after the surgery as it blocks the flow of blood to the hair follicles. The normal flow of blood in the scalp is crucial for the growth of new hair.  Completely abstaining from smoking is even better and speeds up the process of hair growth.