Hair Transplant Recovery When recovering from hair transplant procedures, it is common for patients to report a sensation of prickling, tingling, or itching in the scalp and the surrounding donor and harvest areas.
In hair transplantation, the relevant area is anesthetized with local anesthesia. Since the nerves of this anesthetized area to be transplanted become numb, a feeling of stiffness or tension may occur in the head afterwards. Since hair transplantation is a surgical application, anesthesia is applied.
Numbness of the scalp, particularly in the area of the transplant or where the follicles were extracted, occurs to varying degrees. While some patients may experience complete numbness near the surgical site, others may experience slight numbness, accompanied by itchy, stinging, or tingling sensations.
Well, in that area, you might have had a nerve and that nerve could have been cut. Now that nerve is going to regenerate, but while that nerve heals, it can be a little immature. That means that normal stimulations can make you feel like you're itching, stinging, burning, or all combination of others.
Numbness in the donor and recipient areas is a natural response caused by nerve disruption during hair transplantation. This usually resolves by itself within the first few weeks to months of your recovery process.
After a hair transplant, a hair phenomenon called “Shock Loss” occurs, about three months post-operation: the newly implanted hair suddenly falls out, before growing back. Don't worry: your hair will be back. Shock Loss is a normal process in the evolution of a hair transplant, for men and women.
Symptoms of a bad hair transplant include unevenly placed hair grafts, thin or patchy areas, and excessive scarring, swelling, and redness. If you experience issues, contact your surgeon immediately for advice on corrective measures, which may include additional hair transplant surgery or other treatments.
The growth center remains in the scalp and is what produces the new hair. If some grafts were to become dislodged and fall out -– which can happen the first few days after the hair transplant — there would be some localized bleeding. At 10 days the grafts cannot be dislodged, even with vigorous scrubbing.
Around three months following your hair restoration procedure, you may observe abrupt hair shedding in the transplant area. Called “shock loss”, this condition affects 60 to 80% of transplant patients. It can be alarming to lose hair again after your transplant suddenly.
The doctor recommends using the saline solution for 5-7 days after the hair transplant procedure and using it until you no longer need it. Due to different parameters such as health, atmosphere, age, hair type, etc., every person has a recovery process.
As long as patients follow post-surgical instructions and care for their scalp as directed, surgical side effects should resolve fairly quickly. Many patients report that numbness is gone within a few weeks after surgery. If numbness lasts longer than this, it doesn't necessarily mean that the nerves have been damaged.
After the first 10 days of hair transplantation, massaging the area will improve blood circulation, which will help the area grow and heal.
By the next day the worst of the feeling should have worn off and you should feel comfortable. In a small number of patients where the transplant has been a large one, you might feel mild pain that persists for 1- 2 weeks.
How Long Does The 'Awkward Phase' Last After A Hair Transplant For Men? Following a hair grafting procedure, there's a healing phase lasting around 1 to 2 weeks, during which the scalp may exhibit redness and crusting, which some people may find less visually appealing due to the aftermath of surgery.
Recovery & Rest Is Crucial After A Procedure
At around 5 days post hair transplant, your scalp should be healed enough that you can begin to gently wash it again. At this stage, the soreness and swelling that appeared after the transplant should have mostly disappeared.
Signs of transplant shock are inhibited growth and reduced vigor. Your plants may appear shriveled or wilted, or they may possibly turn yellow. But all is not lost! You can still aid them back to life!
Hair grafts tend to shed between 2-12 weeks following surgery. After they have shed, the hairs should start to grow back over the next 4-12 months.
The short answer is yes, transplanted hair can turn grey just like the rest of your hair. However, it's important to note that hair transplants don't cause hair to turn grey.
During the first two weeks, these grafts are not secure and are susceptible to damage. Rubbing the area of newly transplanted hair could lead to grafts becoming dislodged. Dislodged hair follicles may not grow, and your final results may not be what you hoped for.
Scarring
Scarring can be one of the most common (and noticeable) signs of a bad hair transplant. This is primarily due to a poorly trained surgeon using outdated techniques or not using modern equipment. Scars not only ruin the hair transplant's overall look but can also prevent hair from growing there permanently.
10 days is the magic number
Of course, that area still needs to be properly maintained by following the post-op instructions that have been provided. However, after 10 days, there is very little that can be done to cause any damage to these transplanted grafts.
Hair Transplant Clinic Red Flags to Avoid
No clear information about the doctor performing the surgery. Clinics highlighting staff or results but not the doctor's experience. Doctor listed in name only, with little involvement in procedures. Clinics that let unlicensed technicians perform the procedure.
Hair transplant procedures aren't a one and done thing, since hair loss will continue even after the transplant. So if you feel like you may just give up and shave your head, then a hair transplant could be a bad idea. Both methods of hair transplant procedures, FUT and FUE, will leave scarring on your scalp.
When it comes to FUE hair transplants, the newly transplanted grafts are super delicate in the first 14 days following your treatment. In fact, they're so delicate that they can actually fall out if they're touched excessively, or if the treated area comes into contact with an abrasive or any type of friction.