The first 24 hours after a hair transplant are the most critical for graft survival, and how you manage this period has direct consequences for your result. Here is exactly what to do and what to avoid.
Immediately post-procedure: a dressing is applied to the donor area. The recipient area is left open. You will be given post-operative instructions, medications (typically an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and paracetamol), and a saline spray. Read the instructions before you leave the clinic — you will retain more when your medication has worn off than immediately after the procedure.
Getting home: do not drive. Have a companion or use a taxi. The combination of sedation, local anaesthetic wearing off, and the physical and psychological after-effects of a long procedure makes driving inadvisable.
Evening of the procedure: eat a normal meal. Stay hydrated. Take your prescribed medications as directed. Sleep with your head elevated — two pillows or a wedge pillow — to reduce swelling overnight. Sleep on your back to avoid any contact between the pillow and the recipient area.
What to absolutely avoid in the first 24 hours: touching or picking at the recipient area, alcohol, strenuous activity, bending forward with the head below the heart (increases blood pressure in the scalp), wearing tight headwear over the recipient area, showering with direct water pressure on the scalp.
What normal looks like: some oozing of blood-stained fluid from the recipient sites in the first few hours, mild swelling around the forehead beginning overnight, tightness and aching in the donor area as the local anaesthetic wears off, and small crust formation beginning over the recipient sites. These are all expected.
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