How long a hair transplant recovery lasts is important information. Patients need to take leaves, manage their duties and then plan for a hair transplant. In all of this, knowledge about hair transplant recovery is crucial. The hair Transplant recovery process means two things: How will it look like for the first 7 days of hair transplant and 2nd, how much leave you to require so that you can join back your duties/office etc.
Before Hair Transplant
Before hair transplant picture so that you can get a better idea. Here we did a hair transplant in the frontal area as well as the crown area, as the requirement was such. A total of 3500 grafts were planted, all from the scalp donor region. At this stage, there are certain pre-op instructions that patients need to follow. You can see them here:Preparation before FUE
Immediately After Hair Transplant
Don’t be alarmed! It’s not painful as the photo may suggest, in fact, this area is completely numb. But you should know what it looks like immediately after a hair transplant, to avoid any surprises. The grafts which are planted are not fixed yet so no touching is allowed in this stage. Friction/rubbing can dislodge the grafts on 2nd day.
2nd Day of the Hair Transplant
Grafts that are planted are going to appear brown to black. The top part of the grafts which becomes dry and brown is called a scab. This part is going to dry even further. On 2nd day, we advise all the patients to take the dressing of the donor area completely off. It’s easy and can be done at home.
3rd Day of the Hair Transplant
On 3rd day, the scabs are going to be even drier and appear almost black. We start washing the area with shaving foam now. (A detailed timetable with all explanations is provided by the clinic after the hair transplant). Notice the band in the front, aka dynaplast is kept on still to avoid any swelling.
4th Day of the Hair Transplant
The Scabs become even loose and each one of them starts appearing individually. The in the front sometimes comes loose, which you can cut by scissors, rather than removing entirely.
5th Day of the Hair Transplant
The scabs are distinctly separated from the skin. At this stage, some of the scabs can come off on their own. The band in the front can be removed now. (Here the patient has kept it, but no real need of it now). Swelling generally does not appear after the 5th day. Because of the wound contraction and healing, you might think that there are gaps appearing in the planted area. But after the scabs are completely removed then the real appearance of planted hairs can be easily seen. You can see that in the following pics.
6th Day of the Hair Transplant
On Day 6 of the hair transplant recovery, the band in the front can be removed now. The scabs appear as barely attached to the skin surface. We do not advise patients to remove the scabs manually before the confirmation of the hair transplant surgeon on the 7th day of the procedure. After this day, the patient is called to the clinic for examination, and if the scabs are completely detached from the skin below then patients start scrubbing their scalps from here on onward.
7th Day of the Hair Transplant
Hereafter the scrubbing is done, most of the scabs area off the skin now. Some of the scabs do persist and they are a little firm. No need to pick/harshly scrub them, in a few days they will come off anyways. At this stage, the appearance is generally quite alright to join back and not get noticed too much. Also, the grafts are safe from friction and rubbing to a good extent.
8th Day of the Hair Transplant
Here you can see that most of the scabs are off the skin now. At this stage the superficial visible component of the hair transplant is complete. Healing still is going on till a month-end. But from outside everything comes to normal. On this day, hair transplant recovery truly ends. You don’t have to wear a cap to hide anything.