According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, approximately 700,000 hair transplant surgeries were performed worldwide in 2021 [1]. Most surgical hair restoration patients are men experiencing male pattern baldness.
If you’re an active person and a keen walker, you may be wondering when you can start walking after your hair transplant. The good news is that you can be back on your feet immediately after your hair restoration surgery. However, you will still need to rest for 5-7 days before you can safely go on longer hikes.
This article will answer all your questions about walking after your hair transplant. Keep reading to find out more about:
A hair restoration surgery is a simple and safe outpatient procedure, that generally follows a few predictable steps [2][3][4]:
This largely depends on what you mean by walking. If you are simply referring to standing up and walking to your car to go home, you can do that immediately after your surgery. Just like it is perfectly fine to walk about your house when needed.
But it is recommended to stay off your feet, rest and relax as much as possible for the first 7 days after your hair transplant. This will give your body a chance to recover and help prevent any accidents that could affect your grafts. So if you are referring to longer walks outside the home, it is advised that you wait at least 5-7 days before hiking or walking long distances.
Be sure to take regular breaks and avoid exerting yourself during the first 10 days after your hair transplant. And remember to drink plenty of water to keep your hair grafts hydrated when walking in warm weather.
A small amount of walking won’t cause any harm to your hair grafts post-transplant. However, taking long walks might, depending on your physical condition and pre-existing health issues. Any kind of physical effort that raises your blood pressure could cause bleeding around your hair grafts, endangering them.
Furthermore, walking long distances or at a faster pace can make you sweat. This may cause dust and dirt to stick to your healing area, increasing your risk of developing a hair transplant infection.
Finally, being out in the sun with your grafts still fresh can damage your newly transplanted hair follicles, which are vulnerable to damage after their implantation. And in the first few days post-surgery, you should avoid wearing a hat or sunscreen. So it’s best to stay indoors (or at least in the shade) to protect your grafts.
It’s best to avoid scalp sweating for at least the first few days after your hair transplant. That is because it can cause irritation to your scalp and can make dirt particles in the air stick to your scalp more easily, increasing the risk of infection.
However, sometimes sweating is unavoidable. So if you notice this has happened to you, dab your transplant area gently with a clean piece of gauze and then spray it with saline solution. If you notice any signs of infection during the following days, let your surgeon know.
Signs of infection include swelling, oozing pus, redness, and increased pain around your hair grafts.
It is understandable to want to cover and protect your new hair grafts while out on a walk. However, you will need to wait about 10-14 days before you can wear a hat after your hair transplant. That is to make sure that your grafts have healed and become securely attached to your scalp.
When you do start wearing hats, make sure they are loose-fitting, comfortable, and don’t rub against or pull at your transplant area. If you feel any tightness or discomfort, try a different hat or wait a few more days before wearing one.
There are several things you can do to keep your grafts safe when out and about after your hair transplant surgery. Here are some of the most helpful:
Power walking amounts to moderate exercise, and it is recommended to wait for at least 2 weeks before you start working out after your hair transplant. When you do resume power walking, make sure to ease into it gradually, slowly increasing your walking speed over a longer period.
This largely depends on the type of exercise you are planning on doing at the gym. Moderately demanding physical activity, such as light cardio, low-speed cycling or mild stretching should be fine from around 14 days after your hair transplant.
However, you’ll need to wait longer before doing strenuous exercise, such as weight lifting, swimming or contact sports. It’s recommended that you wait at least 1 month after your hair transplant to be sure your grafts are fully healed. Even so, it is a good idea to have a follow-up with your surgeon beforehand, so they can review your healing progress and clear you for high-intensity workouts.
If your hair is falling out and you are thinking about getting a natural-looking hair transplant, don’t hesitate to book a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our experienced trichologists. They will assess and diagnose your hair loss and determine whether you would make a good candidate for a hair transplant. Then, they will present all the treatment options that could benefit you and help you make an informed decision as to which one would suit you best.
The Wimpole Clinic has a >97% success rate for this procedure. If you decide to opt for a permanent hair transplant, our top-tier surgeons will walk you through the entire process. They will also be happy to answer all your questions and share their past results with you (you can see some of them in our before and after hair transplant gallery).
If there are still things you might want to ask about returning to your everyday activities after having a hair transplant, the information you need may be among the answers to these frequently asked questions.
Unless you live extremely close to the clinic (a five minute walk or less) it is recommended that you ask someone else to drive you home after your surgery. Walking home is not a good idea with freshly implanted grafts, even if you live relatively close to the clinic. It can increase your risk of bleeding around your fragile hair grafts, damaging them.
If you experience bleeding after walking or any other concerning hair transplant side effects, call your surgeon as soon as possible. They will have the best recommendations for you. They might also want to schedule a check-up to see if your grafts have been damaged.
Yes, it should normally be perfectly fine to go hiking 3 months after your hair transplant. Your grafts should have had plenty of time to heal. However, if you have concerns about doing so, check with your surgeon so they can clear you for this activity.
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