Remember...

The hardest part of hair transplantation is waiting for the hair to grow. The hair transplanted today will not begin to grow for 3-4 months after the procedure. Prior to this the grafts will develop small scabs, which will fall off in 7-10 days. The shaft of the hair will shed with these scabs. THIS IS NORMAL. DO NOT PANIC. The root remains behind. The new shaft will be growing below the skin and reach the surface in 3-4 months. The hair continues to mature and add density for up to 12 months.

Alcohol

DO NOT drink alcohol for 48 hours after surgery. Alcohol thins the blood and may cause bleeding.

Over-The-Counter medications

You may take Tylenol or your prescribed pain medication for discomfort after the procedure. DO NOT TAKE ASPIRIN, MOTRIN, or NAPROSYN for three days after surgery as this also can thin the blood and cause bleeding. If you have any doubt, call the clinic.

Prescription medications

1. PREDNISONE to prevent swelling. The dose is tapered, i.e. 5 tablets on day one, 4 tablets on day 2, 3 tablets on day 3, 2 tablets on day 4 and one tablet on day five. You can take all the pills for the day at one time but take with food to prevent nausea.
2. KEFLEX (or other antibiotic) To help prevent infection. Take one pill 4 times a day until finished. A different antibiotic will be prescribed if allergic to Keflex.
3. PAIN medication will be prescribed. You may take 1-2 pills four times a day IF NEEDED ONLY. This medication may cause drowsiness so caution should be used when operating dangerous or mechanical equipment (cars, sharp objects, etc.).

Shampooing/Cleaning Transplanted area

Your hair will be washed the day of surgery. Do not wash or apply saline for the next 24 hours. We want the grafts to adhere solidly during this time. After 48 hours, you can begin washing the graft site once a day in the following way:

1. Wet your head with a bowl of cool water (NOT HOT) or with a gentle stream of water from the shower. If you use the shower block the stream with your hand so that the water pressure is not too hard.
2. Lather up with a gentle shampoo in your hand.
3. Pat this shampoo gently on the graft area (DO NOT RUB) and let it sit for 1-2 minutes.
4. Gently rinse off with a bowl of cool water or a gentle stream of cool water from the shower.
5. Pat dry gently with a towel. After 48 hours you can use a blow dryer on cool setting only. DO NOT RUB THE GRAFTS TO DRY THEM!
6. Do this daily starting 48 hours after surgery.
7. After five days, you can begin to lightly rub the graft area to help remove crust.
8. After 10 days, you should be able to shower normally.
9. You can use any good quality shampoo for washing.
10. You can repeat the process with a conditioner to help break down crusting.
11. After 24 hours, you can spray saline solution to the graft sites 2-3 times a day and pat dry. The purpose of this is to get rid of crusting… so if there is not a lot of crusting, this step is unnecessary.

Shampooing/Cleaning Sutured area

You can be more aggressive with the sutured area. Wash this area daily starting 24 hours after surgery.

Exercising and Activiy

No exercise should be done for five days after the procedure. It could result in increased swelling or lost grafts. After five days, mild exercise can be resumed. After 10 days, normal exercise can be resumed. For three days, sleep with 2-3 pillows to keep head elevated and be careful to bend at the knees instead of bending over when tying shoes and picking up objects. You may want to put a towel on your pillow the first night after surgery in case there is any slight oozing.

Bleeding

On occasion, slight bleeding may occur from one of the graft sites or donor site. If this occurs, apply gentle but firm pressure to the area with the gauze provided or a clean cloth. APPLY THE PRESSURE FOR 15 MINUTES BY THE CLOCK. The bleeding should stop. If it does not, call us. If the bleeding continues and for some reason you can't reach us, go to the nearest Emergency Room.

Swelling

You have been given a medication (Prednisone) to help prevent swelling of the forehead. On occasion, swelling can still occur (in 10% of patients). It is not dangerous and is painless and will not affect the growth of the grafts, Using ice on the forehead after surgery for 10 minutes four times a day will further decrease your chances of swelling. DO NOT APPLY ICE DIRECTLY TO THE GRAFT SITES AS THIS MAY DAMAGE THEM. APPLY THE ICE TO THE FOREHEAD BELOW THE GRAFTS.

Folliculitis at the Graft Site

On occasion, a patient may develop a folliculitis at the graft site. These look similar to acne with a pimple-like lesion. If this happens, apply moist warm soaks and antibiotic ointment to the areas three times a day. PLEASE NOTIFY THE OFFICE IF THIS OCCURS SO WE CAN PRESCRIBE SPECIFIC MEDICATION FOR THIS PROBLEM.

Swimming and Sun

You should avoid swimming for one week after surgery. After this, swimming is all right. The skin of the grafts is not used to the sun and may burn easily. It is OK to go into the sun but do not sun bath without some protection for this sensitive skin.

Follow-Up appointments

Your first return visit will be within 48 hours of the procedure. The sutures or staples will be removed in 7-10 days. You will be obligated to follow up with the office for up to one year to evaluate the progress.

IF YOU DEVELOP ANY SERIOUS DISCOMFORT, PERSISTENT PAIN, OR SWELLING, etc., PLEASE CONTACT US AT 248-457-1270