| Time |
What to Expect |
What You Should Do |
| 1st night |
- The overall recipient area may look bruised while the donor area of the body is closed with sutures and staples.
- The donor area is covered with a dressing that will be removed the next day during a follow-up appointment with the doctor.
- There would be some pain, discomfort and tightness felt in the donor area that can be treated with pain medication provided in our complimentary post-op kit. Pain and tightness may continue for the first few days after the procedure.
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- Do not touch or wash the recipient area during the first night after surgery.
- While you are outdoors, cover your head with the hat we provide you.
- Sleep with your head elevated to avoid rubbing off or detaching any of the grafts in your sleep. Try putting 3 or 4 pillows under you, in order to raise your upper body while sleeping, in order to achieve the proper elevated angle.
- Avoid alcohol the night of the procedure as it may interact in a negative way with some of the prescribed medications.
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| Day 1 |
- We provide a post-op hair wash in our office on day one as well as send you home with a special shampoo and sponge to be used for the next 4 or 5 days.
- The overall redness and pink discoloration in the recipient area begins to fade. There could be some transplanted area scabbing that should go away after the first 5 days.
- The donor area might still have some tightness or mild to moderate pain.
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- We will demonstrate how to properly wash your hair during your appointment with us.
- You will wash your hair using this method on day two after your procedure.
- If the tightness or pain on the donor area is too much, take a mild pain killer such as Advil or Tylenol. Although the pain should lessen after the first night, let the doctor know if it persists or deteriorates.
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| Days 2-4 |
- Some mild bruising as well as pinkish discoloration and scabbing may linger in the transplanted area but should lessen during the first week.
- Any swelling on the forehead or around the eyes starts on days 2 and 3 and usually peaks at day 4. Steroids that we provide can help minimize the swelling.
- The pain in the donor area is such that pain killers might still be needed during this time.
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- Avoid touching, scratching or rubbing the transplanted area while the grafts become stronger in their new home. After day 4, there is no danger of them being dislodged by accidental touch.
- Avoid sun exposure because sunburns affect the pigmentation of skin as well as damage the transplanted hair.
- Continue keeping the upper body elevated while sleeping in order to reduce any forehead swelling.
- Returning to the gym to walk or run is allowed. However, extraneous activities that increase the tension on the back of head should be avoided for the first month. Take care not to wipe the forehead within the first 4 days as it might dislodge the grafts.
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| Days 5-7 |
- The grafts are taken and are now part of the scalp in the transplanted area. They can’t be dislodged. If scabbing is still present, wash the area more generously,
- Sutures or staples are still in place in the donor area but scalp tightness should be gone.
- Mild itching or burning at this point could be a sign of healing.
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- Leave the shampoo on the transplanted area (up to 10 or 15 minutes). This makes the scabs softer and easier to wash off after the first 5 days.
- Normal skin moisturizers help with itching. If more help is needed, the doctor can prescribe a mild topical steroid depending on the patient.
- Resuming physical activities and sports is allowed after Day 5. Avoid activities that put a good amount of tension on the donor area like bending or heavy lifting for at least one month.
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| Weeks 2-4 |
- Hair follicles are in the resting phase and transplanted grafts generally start to lose their hair shafts,
- There could be some pimple-like lesions on either the transplanted or donor area. These are folliculitis and behave almost like regular pimples.
- You should be seen by your hair transplant doctor within 10-14 days of your procedure to remove the suture or staples and to make sure the healing is going well.
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- Don’t panic when transplanted hair start to shed. Continue washing as normal. Deciding to cut the rest of your hair and styling the hair is now allowed.
- If you suffer from more than 2-3 pimples (folliculitis), or if they are painful or inflamed, immediately contact our office and we can bring you in so the doctor can incise them for you.
- Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun as it can alter the pigmentation of either the transplanted or donor area.
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| Months 2-3 |
- Transplanted hairs begin to grow in as thin and fine hair before becoming longer and thicker in the next few months.
- Some patients experience a thinning of existing hair in the transplanted area that is known as “shock loss”.
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- Continue taking any medication recommended by the doctor in order to minimize the risk of shock loss.
- Continue to care for your scalp and hair with regular washing.
- Continue avoiding prolonged sun exposure.
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| Months 4-6 |
- New hair growth is more visible thanks to them being longer and thicker.
- The donor scar should be almost mature and will likely exhibit its final size and shape. Some pinkish color or redness in the donor scar may still persist during this period.
- At this time, all of the new hairs have grown but they are not to their final thickness or length.
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- Wear a baseball cap outside to cover your head from the sun. If you cannot use a cap, a strong sun block (SPF 30 or over) will help protect you from the sun.
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| Months 6-12 |
- The transplanted hair becomes thicker and longer as time passes. Style your hair as you desire.
- Like other types of hair transplant procedures, you should be evaluated for the full results around eight to twelve months from your strip FUT hair transplant.
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- You could see textural changes in the hair as it moves from fine baby hair to thick and kinky and (finally) normal hair as it continues to grow.
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| Months 12-18 |
- The final appearance of the hair transplant is visible.
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- Congratulations on making this change in your life! Enjoy your new hair!
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