When thinking about the results of a hair transplant, many people’s thoughts naturally stray to the bright and beautiful end of the road; a shiny, luscious head of hair. Indeed, you will start to see your aesthetic results after 2-3 months, with final results taking around a year. However, it’s important to first understand the journey that a patient goes on to get to this point. At Look Natural Hair Restoration, we wanted to let you know our top tips and hints about life immediately after a hair transplant. Read on to find out everything you need to know!
Exercise
Exercise is a great part of a healthy lifestyle. For all you gym fanatics and avid runners, we completely understand! However, for the first two weeks after your transplant, it’s best to avoid all forms of exercise and get some rest.
After your restful and relaxing two weeks of recovery, you can do light yoga or some stretching. Be aware that any poses or stretches that involve inverting your head are not good for your scalp after the transplant, so you should sit those out or substitute them with another exercise. For example, a runner’s lunge is a safe exercise to do, while a forward fold is not.
We recommend waiting at least three weeks after your hair transplant before you start heavily exercising or working out again. At three weeks, your new hair transplant will generally be secure and on its way to healing, which means a little sweat and increased heart rate won’t do any harm.
Of course, once your hair has fully healed you can do all your favorite moves, stretches, and workouts – and feel confident that your hair looks fantastic while you’re doing them!
Smoking
Smoking, as you probably already know, has serious health consequences, including lung cancer. You may wonder what this has to do with life after a hair transplant, but in the days following the procedure, it’s very important to avoid smoking. Smoking can slow the flow of blood to the hair follicles. This impacts the healing process and interrupts the growth of new hair.
If you’re a smoker, we recommend giving up for at least 30 days after the procedure in order to start off your post-transplant journey in the healthiest way possible, while giving your hair the best chance to grow. There are some helpful products on the market to help you on the journey to quitting smoking, from nicotine patches to chewing gum and even tracking apps on your phone.
Diet
Your hair is made of protein. This means that if you’re looking to support healthy hair-growth, you need to make sure your diet is balanced and healthy and includes enough protein. This will help support healthy hair growth and also ensure that the healing process goes well. A balanced diet is something you should aim to develop throughout your life, as well as during the hair transplant healing process.
We recommend getting a variety of essential amino acids by eating chicken, fish, eggs, beans, milk, cheese, seeds, nuts and more. Omega-3 fatty acids are really good for hair growth but are often lacking in the American diet. These can be found in oily fish such as mackerel and salmon. Furthermore, you should make sure you get enough vitamins by eating a wide range of fruits and vegetables.
There are also certain things you should avoid in your diet immediately after getting a hair transplant. These include alcohol and junk food. Alcohol is known to thin the blood, and thin blood can cause bleeding during and after the hair transplant.
Sunlight
Direct sunlight is another key thing to avoid in your life immediately after your hair transplant. This is because the sun can damage the areas where the grafts have been implanted. Chromatophores, which usually protect the skin from the sun, can be damaged during the hair transplant process, leaving these areas vulnerable. We recommend wearing a hat when you’re outside in the days following surgery and trying to avoid direct sunlight altogether.
Sitting Upright
Sitting upright can also be very beneficial for the few days following hair transplant surgery. You should try to sleep at a 45 degree angle for a few days, supported by pillows. This is because lying down can increase the chance of getting forehead swelling. Bending over and leaning over can also cause a blood rush to the head, and that can result in excessive bleeding and irritation.
Listen to Your Doctor
Overall, the most important thing to do is to listen to your doctor! Dr. Glen Ross has over a decade of experience with hair transplants. He prides himself on keeping up to date with the latest recommendations and hair transplant research, meaning he is always able to give the most up-to-date advice. Dr. Ross and the Look Natural Hair Restoration team also take the time to get to know you and your individual situation, meaning that they will tailor their advice specifically to your case. If you have any questions or concerns after the procedure, you are always welcome to get in touch with the team, who will also be in touch for regular check-ups.
Start Planning
The time immediately after your hair transplant is incredibly exciting. The procedure is complete and it’s just a case of waiting and watching the results come through. Many of our patients enjoy using this time to research different hairstyles that may work for them.
If you’re undergoing a beard transplant, then you can style, trim and shave the healed hairs however you’d like to. It can be useful to take a look at the shape of your face to try and determine which style of beard would look best for you. From goatees to mutton chops, mustaches to full beards, and more, there are many options out there to try! You might also want to look into products like beard combs, washes, oils, and gels, depending on the styles you like.
For those who are doing an eyebrow transplant, there are also many things to consider in order to achieve the look you desire. Once your transplant has healed, you can trim, dye, and pluck your eyebrows (but remember not to over-pluck!) This means you can look into which eyebrow shaping and color suits your face best and decide from there.
Finally, if you’re undergoing a hair transplant on your scalp, whether that’s FUE or FUT, your future hairstyle can be incredibly fun to plan. After the healing process is complete, you can dye the hair and cut, trim, and shave it. This means you should start looking into the color that looks best on you, as well as the style. For men, this may be anything from shaved hair to a man bun to a fade. For women, it’s time to look at short bobs, longer tresses, or layered cuts. Depending on your style, you’ll find what works best for you!
We hope that this clears up your questions about life post-hair transplant. If you have any more questions or would like to schedule a consultation, simply reach out on the Contact Us page.
