Looking at your hair transplant after 10 days after your surgery can feel encouraging. Around this time, you may no longer need to deal with hair transplant scabs, as they are likely to be falling off. You can also safely start to work out after your hair transplant.
While your hair grafts should now start to securely anchor in place, aftercare is still very important to ensure you don’t get a hair transplant infection, that the grafts are not accidentally pulled out or that you don’t get any other hair transplant side effects.
Don’t worry if you start to experience some hair transplant shedding or if you don’t see significant hair growth at this time, it is natural this early on. Most people only notice visible hair growth between 4 months after a hair transplant and 6 months after a hair transplant.
Keep reading this article to find out everything you need to know about:
The photos above show how your scalp may look 10 days after your hair transplant. The first one belongs to a patient who had FUE-type restoration surgery and had received 2200 grafts. The second one belongs to a different patient, who also had a FUE hair transplant, but required a more extensive, 4450 graft hair restoration.
According to the hair graft calculator, that places them at stage 3 and stage 6 respectively on the Norwood scale which measures the progression of male pattern baldness.
The main differences between the stage of recovery in these two patients is that the first one still has most of his transplant scabs, while the second one has already washed most of them off.
Both situations are normal and no cause for concern, as scabs can start to fall out any time between 7 and 14 days after surgery.
The patient in the pictures above had an approximately 4500 graft hair transplant, covering his hairline, frontal area and crown. The before picture reveals Norwood stage 6 androgenetic alopecia.
The photos show his hair transplant recovery timeline from the day of the intervention up to day 10 post-transplant.
The areas where the grafts have been implanted are clearly visible, revealing his new hairline. Since micro punctures have been made to extract and to reimplant the hair grafts, the transplant and donor area are red and may be oozing blood or fluid for a short while.
Grafts have started to scab over, a sign that the healing process has begun. The scalp still looks red and can be tender, but this is normal, as the micro puncture wounds are still fresh.
The scabbing process continues and scalp redness, swelling and tenderness start to subside.
Most of the scabs have fallen out and the scalp has regained its normal colour and appearance. There is no sign of swelling or folliculitis, so it appears that the healing process is going well.
Around this time, your transplant scabs should start to heal and detach easily and you may opt to wash them off your scalp. Here is what you can expect from your hair transplant recovery by the time it reaches day 10.
Some scalp itchiness or tenderness are to be expected as your scalp heals. However, contact your hair transplant surgeon if by day 10 you notice any of the following:
If you are diligent about aftercare and follow your surgeon’s advice, between day 10 and 14 of your hair transplant recovery, your hair grafts should be secure. That means they should be rooted in and have regained blood supply.
However, while this means that you can start doing more things that used to be part of your hair routine now, such as wearing a hat, you still need to treat your new grafts gently and avoid scratching or rubbing them.
Now that your grafts are starting to become secure, you will be able to resume many of your pre-transplant hair routines:
Yes, it is perfectly safe to touch your transplant area after 10 days. The initial scalp tenderness should have subsided and your grafts are starting to set now, so a soft touch should not do any harm.
However: Resist the urge to use your fingernails on your transplant area, whether it is to scratch or massage it. Only the flat area of your fingers should be used at this time.
It is recommended to wait about a week before you go to work after a hair transplant, so after 10 days, it should be safe to do so. Of course, if you have the possibility to work from home, you can take advantage and give your scalp a few more days to recover away from the elements.
However: If your line of work involves strenuous physical activity or requires headgear which could put pressure on your scalp, it is best to ask your surgeon if it is a good idea to return or if more healing time is needed.
Starting 10 days post-hair transplant, you can start more intense workouts, such as light cardio, as your wounds have healed and the risk of scarring is lower. Be sure to start slowly and ease yourself into your exercise routine gradually.
However: You need to wait at least 1 month after your hair transplant to engage in certain exercises, such as weight lifting or swimming. It is best to get your surgeon’s approval before you engage in these activities.
It is normal to wonder when you can have sex after a hair transplant and the good news is that you can start doing so 10 to 14 days post-hair transplant. Ideally, it is best to wait two or three weeks after hair restoration surgery before having sex, but if your scabbing is already gone, you can start engaging in some careful sexual contact.
However: Be sure to avoid any rough contact with your scalp and hair (best to avoid the area entirely, as accidents can happen in the heat of the moment). Also, try to keep the sexual activity light, as strenuous physical exertion may still lead to scarring.
Yes, it is alright to start wearing hats or caps again at this time, especially if your scabs have fallen off. Your grafts are no longer extremely fragile and are likely to withstand the pressure.
However: Make sure your hat or cap is not very tight or scratchy and that it does not have seams or tags inside which can be rough against your scalp.
Yes, within 10 days, you can resume sleeping in your preferred position after a hair transplant surgery and no longer need to only sleep on your back.
However: Make sure your transplant area does not rub against any rough surface in your sleep. A silk pillowcase for your hair may be a good idea to prevent excessive friction.
Around the 10-day mark post-hair transplant, you can gently wash the scabs out of your hair. Spending a longer time in the shower and taking your time gently massaging the area with antibacterial shampoo should get most of them to fall off.
If you haven’t washed your own hair post-transplant so far, here is what you need to do:
Other helpful aftercare tips you can use 10 days after your hair transplant include:
If you’ve had another type of hair transplant, such as a beard transplant, what can you expect 10 days after surgery?
The patient above already has a new beard contour in the photograph taken the day of the surgery. By day 10, the transplant site looks healed, with no redness, swelling or signs of infection. The scabs have also fallen off and beard growth can be observed in the previously bald spots.
A similar evolution can be observed in the photograph above. The patient had an 1891 graft beard transplant, using the FUT technique.
Where his transplant site was red and irritated from graft insertion immediately after the procedure and during the next day, by the 10-day mark, his transplant area was healed, the scabbing was gone and some beard growth was achieved.
Whether you would like to follow in the footsteps of celebrities, such as Rob Holding or Ben Stokes who got natural-looking hair transplants or you have already undergone the procedure and need some assistance, we are here for you.
You are welcome to check out our list of questions you really want to ask about getting a hair transplant or to book a consultation with one of our top-level trichologists. They will be able to answer all your questions and make the best recommendations for your specific hair problem.
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