Hair transplant recovery: what to expect day by day

Hair transplant recovery at a glance

Most of the healing after a hair transplant happens in the first two weeks. Swelling, tenderness and small scabs are normal, and most people doing desk work are back at work within days of an FUE procedure. The scalp usually looks close to normal once the scabs come away at around one to two weeks.

Every clinic gives its own aftercare instructions, and they differ on details like the first wash, exercise and hats. Follow the instructions your surgeon gives you over anything you read online, including this page. What follows is a general guide to what is typical, drawn from published medical sources.

Days 1 to 3: protect the grafts

In the first few days the new grafts sit in tiny incisions and are easy to dislodge. Avoid touching, scratching or knocking the recipient area, and be careful getting in and out of the car or through doorways. A tight feeling, aching or mild swelling of the scalp is common.

Sleeping with your head raised on two or three pillows, or in a recliner, is one of the ways surgeons try to limit forehead swelling. Sleep on your back so the recipient area does not press into the pillow. Some clinics give you a travel pillow or a headband to help.

A little oozing from the donor or recipient area is normal. If a spot keeps bleeding, press on it steadily with clean gauze for 10 to 15 minutes, which is the approach described in the medical literature. If it does not stop, call the clinic. Smoking is linked in the medical literature to poorer graft growth and healing problems, so most clinics ask you to stop around the procedure.

Your clinic will tell you when and how to do the first wash. Many start gentle washing within the first few days using a set method, often pouring water rather than using a strong shower stream, and patting dry rather than rubbing.

Days 4 to 7: swelling and first washes

Swelling of the forehead and sometimes the eyelids is the most common side effect. A retrospective study of 73 patients found it in 42.47% of cases, mostly between days 2 and 6, and another study of 152 FUE patients recorded forehead swelling in 69.74% at day two. It usually drains downwards and settles without treatment, although it can look alarming.

By now you are usually washing daily with the clinic's recommended shampoo. The aim is to soften and gradually clear the crusts without dislodging grafts. Use your fingertips lightly, never your nails, and avoid hair dryers on hot settings unless your clinic says otherwise.

After FUE, many people can go back to desk work the day after surgery if they are comfortable being seen with redness and small scabs. After FUT, where a strip of scalp is removed and stitched, a return of about 5 to 7 days is more typical, and the donor wound takes around 2 to 3 weeks to heal compared with about a week after FUE. See FUE vs FUT for how the two methods compare.

Days 8 to 14: scabs come away

The small scabs around each graft usually loosen and come away with washing at about one to two weeks. Resist picking them off early, because a graft can come away with the scab. Itching is common as the skin heals, and your clinic may suggest ways to ease it.

If you had FUT, stitches or staples are usually removed in this window, or they dissolve, depending on the technique. After FUE, the donor area is usually covered by short regrowth and hard to see once the tiny punch sites heal.

By the end of the second week most people look close to normal at a glance, apart from some pinkness in the recipient area, which fades over the following weeks and can last longer in fair skin.

Weeks 3 to 4: shedding starts

From about two weeks on, most of the transplanted hairs fall out. This is expected. The follicle stays in the scalp and starts a new growth cycle, and new hair usually appears from around the third or fourth month. The results timeline covers what happens from here.

Some people also lose some of their existing hair around the transplanted area in the weeks after surgery. This is called shock loss and is usually temporary, with regrowth over the following three to four months.

By weeks 3 to 4 most people are back to their normal routine, including haircuts on the sides and back, as long as the clinic has cleared it.

Exercise, sun and hats

Exercise. Clinics differ on timing, so ask yours for specific dates. As a general pattern, walking is fine early, while heavy lifting, hard cardio, contact sport and swimming are left until later because they raise blood pressure, cause sweating or risk a knock to the grafts. The wait is often longer after FUT, because strain on the stitched donor wound can stretch the scar.

Sun. Australian UV is strong, and sunburn on a healing scalp is worth avoiding. Stay in the shade in the first weeks and keep the scalp covered when you are outdoors for any length of time. Ask your clinic when you can start using sunscreen on the treated area.

Hats. Most clinics allow a loose, clean hat or a bucket hat after the first few days, but not a tight cap that presses or drags across the grafts. Put it on and take it off carefully, lifting it rather than sliding it. Helmets and tight beanies usually wait longer.

When to call your clinic

Serious infection after a hair transplant is uncommon, reported at under 1% in the literature, but it helps to know the warning signs. Contact your clinic promptly if you notice:

• redness, heat or pain that is spreading or getting worse after the first few days
• pus, a bad smell or yellow crusting that keeps returning
• fever or feeling unwell
• bleeding that does not stop with 10 to 15 minutes of firm pressure
• swelling that is getting worse after the first week, or swelling around the eyes that affects your vision

Small pimples in the recipient area can also appear weeks or months later as new hairs push through the skin. This is called folliculitis and is covered on our risks page. Before you book, it is worth asking how the clinic handles aftercare and who you can call after hours. Our list of questions to ask includes these.