FUE HAIR TRANSPLANT POST-OP INSTRUCTIONS

Home Care Information for Patients following Hair Transplant Surgery

Dr Vikas Gawri (MBBS, MS, M.Ch,) Plastic Surgeon

Hair transplant surgery is a delicate procedure. Your adherence to the post operative instruction is essential for good result. We hope that you are pleased with our care and hair transplant surgery done and we want to build a good relationship throughout your post operative journey. Incase of any concern you can contact us in office hours from 10 am to 6 pm at tel: +91-8054802500

IMMEDIATE POST OP

Make arrangement to have someone drive you from our clinic to your hotel/home as you might feel some drowsiness and driving even for a short distance is not recommended. Be sure you get the prescription and all the medicines before you leave the clinic.

Medication

- Tab Augmentin 625mg TDS(three times a day) for 5 days strictly.

- Tab Combiflam 625mg TDS(three times a day) for 5 days strictly.

A spray bottle and normal saline solution will be given to you. You will need to spray it on to the transplanted area (front and/or crown) every 20 minutes for the first 8 hours. You can put a hand towel around your shoulder. Normal saline bottle should be kept in a refrigerator.

Do not touch the transplanted hair.

The purpose of this water spraying is to keep the newly implanted hair wet and cold, this increases the survival rate Once you have completed the 8 hours of spraying, we should sleep. It is advised to the patients to sleep in a semi-upright position. You can utilize 2 to 3 pillows for elevating your head. You will be recommended to sleep in this position for up to three nights after the surgery. Be careful not to rub your newly implanted hair during sleep.

DAY 1 - 2 You should spray the cold normal saline solution after every one hour whole you are awake. Allow the area to dry naturally, do not towel dry or blow dry. The dressing at the donor area (back of head and/or beard) may become slightly wet due to discharge from the donor area, it is normal. The dressing will be removed only at the clinic at your first follow up visit on Day-2 or Day-3.

You can do all the normal activates at home eg. watching TV, talking on mobile, moving around the home, working on laptop eating anything etc but avoid going out of home the first 2 days.

Day-2 Day-3 The follow up visit to your clinic is on day 2 or day 3 after your hair transplant surgery(according to severity of your surgery). At the clinic the first head wash will done by the johnson baby shampoo. The dressing at the donor site will be removed.

You will be given Neosporin ointment to be applied on the donor site, 2 times a day for 1 week. Do not apply this ointment on the recipient site.

The counsellor or the doctor will counsel you the medical treatment, if required, for your existing hair. This counselling may advice you to use hair solutions (Foltine or Bucray), PRP treatment sessions, BIOTIN tablets and Finastride tablets

NOTE: The medical treatment to be advised by the doctor vary from case to case.

Day 3 - Day 14 You will shampoo your hair transplanted area and the donor area with johnson baby shampoo once a day, in the morning. Do not use shower (the shower can be fast sometimes and can disrupt the newly implanted hair). Take bath with a bucket and a mug. We need to shampoo the newly transplanted hair with tip of your fingers tips very gently, in circular motions.

Do not towel dry the transplanted hair. Do not us the blow dry on transplanted hair. Let them dry naturally.

What To Avoid

• Do not touch the newly implanted for first 2 days.
• Avoid alcohol intake 1 week.
• Avoid smoking for 1 week.
• Avoid heavy weight lifting, exercises, stream or sauna, swimming for 3 weeks.
• Avoid sun exposure for 2 weeks.
• Avoid wearing a helmet for 2 weeks.
• Avoid wearing a sikh turban for 1 week.

The Night After Procedure

The first night after the procedure is of utmost importance. It is important to avoid touching the grafts as this can make them fall out of the recently made incisions. It is advised to the patients to sleep in a semi-upright position. You can utilize 2 to 3 pillows for elevating your head. You will be recommended to sleep in this position for up to three nights after the surgery.

Instructions About Shampooing

For shampooing your hair, you need to wait at least 48 hours after the surgery. You will need to shampoo daily for at least two weeks to maintain good hygiene of the site. You can follow the instructions as below:

- Replace your old shampoo with baby Johnson & Johnson shampoo in view of its mild effect and effective cleansing.

- You can dilute the shampoo by mixing it with water in a plastic container. Massage your hair and the grafted site with the help of your fingers.

- In order to rinse out, you need to pour water gently on the hair using a container. You can use to shower your head fifteen days after the surgery.

You may see some white spots appearing at the roots of the grafts after washing your hair, which is due to the swelling at the grafts. Don’t worry, this will disappear after a span of 30-40 minutes.

Physical Activities You need to avoid all types of physical activities after the procedure. This will include avoidance of leaning forward, blowing of the nose, lifting heavy objects, and indulging in vigorous sports. Sexual activity should also be avoided for seven days. Outdoor activities like swimming or jogging should be avoided as well.

Potential Complications

Swelling - You may encounter some swelling. You need not worry as this is normal. You may experience swelling of the forehead on the first, second, or third day after the surgery. This eventually resolves by the intake of prescribed medications. Applying ice packs near your forehead area can help provide relief. However, it is imperative that ice should not touch the grafted area. The patients are advised to take the medications for prescribed amount of time, even if there is no swelling.

Bleeding - You may see some bleeding occasionally. In order to deal with it, you can apply compression to the area of bleeding. You can use clean linen for the same. Using ice packs at the back of the scalp can also help. Bleeding stops within minutes of using these methods.

Pain/Discomfort - Some pain may be felt after the surgery, which is absolutely normal. The medications that have been prescribed help to provide relief from the pain. Pain is usually mild in nature and not intense.

Infection - In order to eliminate the chances of infected grafts or infected scar, you will be prescribed antibiotics. You should, however, stick to regular dosage. If you begin to notice any spots with local pain, heat, or redness, you should contact Dr. Vikas Gawri immediately.

Low sensitivity - You may feel decrease in the sensitivity in the recipient area. You need not worry about it. Sensitivity will be resorted over the next 4 to 12 weeks after the procedure.

Crusting - Crusting indicates healing phase. You will notice small crusts clinging to the hair grafts. You can use wet compresses for them. This will help them disappear. Majority of the crusts fall off in a span of 10 to 14 days. It is very important NOT TO PICK AT THE CRUSTS. With regular washing of the hair, these crusts will go away. After some period of time, you can gently massage the scalp before head bath to speed up the removal. At times, you will notice grafted hair falling off with these crusts. It is common. You need not worry about the hair growth as stem cells remain in the site to ensure growth.

MISCELLANEOUS

Growth of Hair - It is important to know that hair growth starts at least 3 to 4 months after the FUE HAIR TRANSPLANT surgery. Nearly 5 to 10% patients do not experience graft loss. At times the growth is slower where it may take up to 6 months for the beginning of the hair growth but that is normal too. The falling out of the grafts does not affect the overall growth of the hair.

Alcohol Abstain from drinking alcohol at least 48 hours after the surgery.

Sunlight When there is redness of the skin, it is recommended to avoid going out in the sun. If you need to go out, you must wear a cap after the surgery.

Medication

- Tab Augmentin 625mg TDS(three times a day) for 5 days strictly.

- Tab Combiflam 625mg TDS(three times a day) for 5 days strictly.

You can Wear a loose cap 2 days after Hair Transplant.

Best Result of Hair Transplant is 8-10 Months.

We need your pictures to document at:

15 days, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months. This is to compare your results. You can send us your pictures through e-mail at [email protected]