Care and rehabilitation after hair transplantation

Hair transplantation, like any radical transplantation procedure, requires not only professional execution, but also compliance with certain requirements during the recovery period of the body. Rehabilitation after hair transplantation is a rather long process, despite the fact that healing with non-surgical methods lasts only 3-5 days, while with others it can drag on for weeks. But this is not all, for several months after the procedure, various changes will occur with the hair, and it is necessary for patients to know how to react to them.

In the first days after hair transplantation, patients are advised to strictly follow the doctor's recommendations, because the hair in the transplant area is still very weak and any load or negative impact can reduce their survival. And the appearance of patients after the operation will entirely depend on following the doctor's instructions.

A quarter of patients may experience swelling of the face and frontal area 2-3 days after surgery, which lasts for 1-5 days. To prevent swelling, a cold compress should be applied to the eyelid area and under the eyes for 10 minutes several times a day at 60-minute intervals. As a preventive measure and treatment for severe swelling and hematomas, the doctor may prescribe the drug "Cortisone", which will relieve inflammation and swelling.

Itching on the head, which can last from 5 to 10 days, is recommended to be relieved with antipruritic (antihistamine) drugs. A light massage of the head with the pads of the hands can be done no earlier than 1.5-2 weeks after the operation. It can somewhat alleviate the painful symptom.

Particular care should be taken during the first 3 days after the operation, when the process of engraftment of the transplanted hair is underway. During this period, it is necessary to avoid heavy physical and mental stress, stressful situations, worries, refrain from driving a car and doing heavy work. Heads should be protected from mechanical damage and exposure to negative factors (dust, wind, sunlight, etc.), for which a special hat (it is given out at the clinic where the operation was performed) or other headwear (cap, bandana, etc.) is used. You will need to wear a headdress for at least 1-2 weeks, trying to avoid dusty places.

Transplanted hair is very sensitive to deterioration of nutrition and respiration of the scalp. Smoking significantly reduces the supply of oxygen to the hair roots, so doctors advise to refrain from smoking not only before but also after the operation for at least 4 days. Ideally, it is better to give up cigarettes altogether. But if this is very difficult, you need to reduce the number of cigarettes smoked per day to a minimum, and while smoking, you will need to try not to inhale cigarette smoke deep into the lungs.

Caution should be taken even during sleep. But this does not mean that you should give up a normal night's rest. You just need to follow some recommendations from doctors that will help prevent swelling and damage to the transplanted hair in bed. Doctors insist that during the first week, patients sleep on their backs, placing 2 or even 3 pillows under their heads (or a special headrest that prevents the implanted transplant from coming into contact with the surface of the pillow). A semi-vertical position will help combat swelling syndrome and prevent damage to the transplanted hairs on the back of the bed.

During the first week after the procedure, you may notice hair loss around the transplanted hair. You shouldn't worry about this, it won't greatly affect the thickness of your hair, which will start to grow back after 3 months. You should be especially careful only if the wounds bleed, which may indicate damage in the area of the transplanted hair. Usually, such damage does not have any unpleasant consequences if you handle your hair carefully.

If the donor hair was taken from the chin area, then these areas of the face also require certain care. You will be able to shave for the first time only after a week, despite the redness that can last from 2 weeks to a month. In the spring and summer, the donor area will have to be protected from the sun's rays using sunscreens with a high level of UV protection. Special wound-healing creams prescribed by the doctor and a light massage of the chin with lotion and a soft brush will help speed up the healing of the transplant sites (massage procedures in this area are allowed a week after the operation).

Since hair transplant surgery is far from bloodless, and even after it the wounds may bleed a little, patients are interested in the question of when they can wash off the "consequences" of the procedure from their heads for the first time? It is clear that on the first day, when a person has endured such a long procedure, he will need rest and recuperation. But already on the morning of the next day he can go to the clinic for the first hygienic procedure.

It is better if the first head wash is carried out by specialists using a special lotion and shampoo. First, a lotion (for example, " Bepanten ") will be applied to the head in the area of the transplanted hair and the donor zone. After 20-40 minutes, it will be washed off with warm water, and then with shampoo and water foamed in the hands. During the head wash, the patient is told how and in what order to carry out its stages, taught to handle the hair carefully during the next two weeks, when it will be necessary to carefully wash off the crusts of blood and ichor from the head.

The skin with transplanted hair must not be injured, so when washing, you need to make sure that the water is not hot and does not spurt out with a strong stream. In no case should you tear off crusts or scratch your head with your nails. You can wash your hair and scalp only with your fingertips, gently and carefully, moving in the area of the transplanted hair only from top to bottom or vice versa, but not from side to side. You will have to give up drying your hair with a hair dryer for a while, so as not to injure your sensitive skin and hair with hot air.

After 2 weeks, when the hair has taken root, the wounds have healed and all the crusts have gone, you can stop using the lotion and continue washing your hair with the shampoo recommended by the doctor for 12 months.

In 3-4 weeks, the process of shock loss of donor hair will begin. Let us remind you that there is no need to be afraid in this case. You will need to be patient for about 2 months. In place of the lost hair, new ones immediately grow, which begin to actively grow and form the desired hair. By the end of the fourth month, a third of the transplanted hair grows back, after six months, you can see the active growth of half of the transplants. After a year, the patient can see the final results of the hair transplant.

As for taking medications, the patient can take anti-inflammatory hormonal drugs used to treat baldness immediately after the procedure, and hair growth stimulants only after a month. Wound healing creams are recommended starting from the 6th day after hair transplantation, and shampoos other than those prescribed by the doctor can be used no earlier than 2 weeks later. Immediately after the operation, doctors advise starting to take biotin, which prevents hair loss, stimulates hair growth, strengthens the hair follicle and the hair itself.

As for effective physical procedures for baldness, you can resort to them 2 months after hair transplantation. Thus, mesotherapy sessions are not only allowed, but also indicated at intervals of 2 months during the first year. Head massage tools are allowed 1.5 months after transplantation.

Doctors allow going out in the sun with your head uncovered and swimming in open water no earlier than a month or even a month and a half later. Physical activity associated with increased sweating is undesirable for 2 weeks. You can go to the pool, bathhouse or sauna only a month after the transplant. Active sports, especially those that can cause a blow to the head, are allowed only 1.5-2 months after the hair transplant.

There are no restrictions on a person's movements during the rehabilitation period, but it is worth refraining from an active return to his previous life for at least a week. This will help to avoid psychological trauma, after all, the patient's appearance in the first days can attract the attention of others with swelling on the face, redness and crusts in the hair.

Cutting the donor area on the head is allowed a month after the hair transplant. Repeated transplantation is allowed after 6-8 months, and hair transplantation to areas where it has not yet been performed is possible as early as 3-4 months.

Now, regarding the transplantation of artificial hair. You need to be especially careful with them. You can only wash them with warm water and special shampoos, without using a hair dryer to dry your head. You will have to refuse to dye your hair with chemicals with an aggressive composition, and you will need to consult a doctor about the possibility of using other care and coloring agents.

When washing your hair, it is recommended to massage the skin using a soft brush, which will help prevent irritation.

Synthetic hair tends to tangle, so it is somewhat more difficult to care for it than natural hair. To make combing easier and add shine to the hair, special balms are used. You should also be meticulous when choosing a comb, which should be as soft as possible with rounded ends on the teeth.

It is clear that after the procedure, many questions will inevitably arise about how to care for the transplanted hair, what can be done with it and what cannot. Do not be shy about asking all the questions that arise to the doctor and his assistants. Even the question about the possibilities of having sex in this situation will not sound absurd. By the way, there are no restrictions in this regard, but it should be taken into account that passion can increase sweating, and this is undesirable in the first weeks after the procedure.

Proper hair care after a hair transplant procedure will help keep your hair healthy and prevent hair loss. After all, the goal of such a meticulous procedure is a beautiful head of hair, not a sparse "forest" on the head left after the loss of hair that did not take root.

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