A hair transplant is the most effective hair loss treatment available to the 85% of men [1] and 55% of women [2] who experience hair loss at some point in life. However, while an experienced surgeon can do everything medically possible to achieve good procedure results, proper hair transplant maintenance is another key component to long-lasting hair restoration success.
This article will tell you all you need to know about how to care for your hair transplant in the days after your surgery, but mostly about how to keep it looking full and luxurious in the years to come. Keep reading to discover:
Surgeons say you can still enjoy your hair transplant results after 10 years and more. So why are aftercare and maintenance so important? The truth is that the way you care for your grafts can play a crucial role in their survival and evolution over time.
Failing to comply with your surgeon’s hair transplant aftercare instructions can lead to excessive bleeding, infection, and/or inflammation that can harm sensitive hair grafts, preventing them from becoming securely attached inside your scalp [3][4]. This can lead to unsatisfactory hair growth or, rarely, even hair transplant failure.
Long-term, proper hair transplant maintenance will help prevent unnecessary hair thinning, breakage and deterioration for years to come. Let’s see how caring for your hair transplant can make your entire head of hair healthier, thicker and more beautiful.
Here are some of the things you need to do in the crucial first 7-10 days after your hair transplant, to make sure your scalp heals well and your grafts become securely attached [5]:
General guide to hair transplant downtime
After your initial hair transplant recovery is complete, your grafts will produce hair as though they had always been in your transplant area. This means that they don’t need much special attention.
However, long-term maintenance can prevent your alopecia from progressing around your transplant area. Moreover, it can help reduce unnecessary hair thinning and breakage that undermine the appearance of your hair restoration results. Here are some of the best things you can do to keep your hair looking thick, strong and luxurious.
Your surgeon may recommend a course of Minoxidil after your hair transplant, to help your hair grafts get all the resources they need to heal and attach. Minoxidil dilates the small blood vessels in your scalp, allowing more oxygen and nutrients to reach your hair follicles [6]. Keep using topical Minoxidil long-term to support hair growth in thinner areas.
Finasteride is the most prescribed medication for male pattern baldness. Taking it long-term can curb your androgenetic alopecia [7], preventing it from thinning out the areas around your hair transplant. This might save you from requiring a second hair transplant in the future. However, premenopausal women can’t use Finasteride, as it can cause birth defects and hormonal imbalances.
Finally, research shows that treatment with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) after a hair transplant can improve its results [8]. This procedure involves extracting PRP from a small sample of your own blood and injecting it into your transplant area. Since it contains an abundance of growth factors, it can help regenerate hair follicles and support the creation of blood vessels to nourish them.
PRP can make your grafts heal faster and may increase the chances of graft survival. And getting regular PRP hair treatment can help stimulate hair growth and keep your follicles in good shape in the long run, reducing the amount of hair falling out 1 year after a hair transplant and longer [9].
Always get a trichologist’s recommendation before taking any hair growth treatment. They can determine if the treatment is safe for you and if you can benefit from it.
While some essential oils for hair growth (such as rosemary oil for hair growth) have proven benefits in curbing hair thinning, most hair loss supplements are unproven, so it is best to avoid getting your hopes up for outstanding results. This is especially true for those that promise an instant cure for baldness.
Once you can see the final results of your hair transplant (around 1 year after the procedure), you may notice areas of your scalp with sparser hair growth. You can always get a second procedure to touch them up. It is estimated that almost 30% of patients get a second hair transplant before they can achieve their ideal result.
Moreover, some patients with androgenic alopecia notice their hair loss progressing around their transplant area over time. This can also be repaired with a second procedure to top up the thinning areas.
While getting multiple hair transplants may not be what you were hoping for, these touch-ups can keep your hair looking full and youthful. And you’ll be happy to know that only 3.3% of patients ever need a third hair restoration surgery [10].
If you don’t have a pre-planned top-up procedure, wait at least 1-1.5 years after your surgery before deciding to get a second hair transplant. It can take some people a little longer to see their final hair transplant results.
A hair transplant can be premature if you are very young (under 21) and your hair loss is still mild. A trichologist might advise you to wait a few more years before getting one, as your hair loss may advance with age around the transplanted grafts, requiring a major top-up.
Your surgeon probably asked you to stop smoking for a while before and after your hair transplant. That is because nicotine is a vasoconstrictor, which means it makes your blood vessels shrink, reducing blood flow to your hair follicles. This can slow down the healing process. Smoking also produces inflammation, which can damage your sensitive grafts [11][12].
However, smoking can cause hair loss even after your hair transplant recovery. It produces oxidative stress which can damage your hair follicles, leading to hair thinning. Moreover, smoking has been associated with a worsening of pattern baldness symptoms [13]. So this habit could be making the areas around your hair transplant thin out faster as well.
If you want to quit smoking but are unsure how to go about it, there are many resources available to help you. The UK even has a National No Smoking Day celebrated every second Wednesday in March. Many people choose to quit that day, so join in if you don’t want to go through the process alone.
Be careful if switching from traditional cigarettes to vapes. While vaping causes less hair loss than smoking, its health risks are still not fully studied and understood. E-cigarettes are considered 95% safer than regular ones [14], but their properties largely depend on their manufacturing and the composition of the e-liquid. If you choose the kind that contains nicotine, it will likely still affect your scalp blood flow. The safest option remains to fully quit smoking.
You don’t need to worry that washing your transplanted hair every day will make it fall out. Healed grafts are just as secure as the rest of your hair. Remember that some hair loss is normal in the shower and that keeping your hair and scalp clean actually helps.
Research shows that washing your hair 5-6 times a week makes it stronger and healthier, reduces dandruff, scalp flaking and hair greasiness [15]. It also prevents the buildup of dirt and hair product debris, which can clog your pores and cause hair follicle infections.
However, not washing your hair enough can cause hair loss. Doing so less than once a week can also predispose you to common scalp problems, such as scalp folliculitis, scalp acne, and seborrheic dermatitis. It can also make your hair clump together due to greasiness, which can make it appear sparser and flatter.
Dry shampoo helps absorb excess scalp oil and give your hair lift and shine. Don’t worry: the rumours that dry shampoo causes hair loss aren’t true. Just be sure to wash your hair with water and regular shampoo as soon as you get the chance to avoid buildup. Dry shampoo does not clean your scalp, it only makes your hair look fresher.
You may already know that harsh detergents such as sodium lauryl/laureth sulphates can be bad for your hair, but you may also want to avoid other common ingredients that can make your tresses dry or damaged, such as parabens, phthalates, sodium chloride or alcohol.
Transplanted or not, your hair follicles need a variety of nutrients to produce healthy hair. That is why it is important to eat a well-balanced diet for hair that contains plenty of hair growth vitamins and minerals.
If you are on a strict diet or often avoid eating certain important food groups, you could develop a vitamin deficiency that can cause hair loss. And while supplementation often works to restore your hair fullness, that is not always the case.
Drinking plenty of water is also important, as it keeps your hair and scalp hydrated. Hot days or intense physical activity require greater water intake than usual.
If you are not sure what to eat to get all the nutrients your hair follicles require, here is a list of some of the best hair growth foods.
If you are trying to lose weight, avoid crash diets. Instead, see a nutritionist about a well-balanced diet that can help you slim down gradually and sustainably. Sudden weight loss can cause hair loss and other negative health consequences, such as hormonal imbalances, bone demineralisation, fatigue and psychological disturbances.
Heat styling will not affect your hair follicles, but it can and will damage your hair if used excessively. Even activities such as high-heat blow-drying can be problematic, as it can cause air bubbles to form within your hair shafts, making them break easily [16][17].
Heat styling can make both transplanted and native hair thin out and start looking dull and lifeless. Keep in mind that heat damaged hair often can’t be fixed, so you may need a haircut to undo it.
You don’t need to give up curling or straightening your hair simply because you shouldn’t use heat. You can still use heat-free styling methods, such as traditional hair curlers for waves or hair wrapping for straightening.
Never heat-style wet hair, as it is more susceptible to damage. Pat your tresses gently with a towel and let them air-dry or use a low-heat blowdryer before styling them.
You may have already heard that excessive sunlight is not good for your hair. That is true for several reasons. Firstly, it can cause dry, brittle hair that loses its shine and breaks off easily.
Secondly, UV radiation can penetrate your hair shafts, damaging their structure and causing oxidative stress [17].
Finally, you can’t really put sunscreen on your scalp, so it can get sunburned. This is not only painful and unpleasant, but the resulting inflammation may affect your hair follicles.
A large-brimmed hat can offer the best protection for longer hairstyles, as it can cast shade on your entire hair length (unlike a cap that only protects the top of your head).
Many companies sell products that claim to offer UV hair protection. However, most have no independent research to prove their effectiveness. Furthermore, some formulations have components that don’t adhere well to your hair [18] or cause buildup on your scalp. You are likely better protected by simply covering your head.
When choosing a shampoo or conditioner, it is best to choose gentle formulas that don’t contain damaging substances, such as sodium lauryl/laureth sulphate or parabens. Harsh detergents can strip the natural oil off your hair and scalp, drying them out. This can lead to brittle hair that feels like straw, breaks easily and looks lifeless.
Moreover, be sure to use hair colouring agents sparingly. The harsh chemicals in bleach and some types of permanent hair dye can cause hair loss (such as hydrogen peroxide and ammonia).
If you want to change your hair colour, you can use natural hair dyes that are gentle on your hair and normally contain no harsh chemicals (for example, henna hair dyes). Here are some more tips on how to colour your hair without the use of chemicals.
Chemical hair treatments like relaxing or perming can damage your hair in the long run. It is best to opt for non-chemical heat-free solutions for altering the appearance of your hair (such as using traditional hair curlers instead of perming).
A hair transplant is permanent, which means it should not succumb to androgenetic alopecia over time. However, you can still develop other types of alopecia which may put your results at risk.
Hair thinning can be brought on by stress, nutritional deficiencies, medications that cause hair loss or lifestyle choices. Poor styling practices can lead to traction alopecia or hair breakage.
Even though most of these conditions are temporary, they can make your transplanted tresses look thin and lifeless. However, the good news is that in many cases, they will likely reverse themselves if you resolve the root cause.
An artificial hair transplant is performed by implanting synthetic hair fibres deep into your scalp. These fibres are not connected to hair follicles, so they cannot grow back when they break off or are pulled out. That is why you can expect to lose 10% of your implanted hair every year and require regular top-ups to keep your hair looking full.
Since artificial fibres (such as those used in Biofibre hair transplants) don’t have the same properties as your natural hair, they have some specific maintenance needs:
Even with top-ups, an artificial hair transplant cannot last a lifetime the way a natural hair procedure can. However, with diligent maintenance, it can look full and vibrant for about 7-8 years from the initial surgery.
If you are thinking about getting a hair transplant and are worried about aftercare, or if you’ve had a hair transplant and need specific advice, our experts are here to help. Book a consultation with one of our world-class surgeons and they will provide personalised insights for your specific hair transplant maintenance needs.
During our consultations, the surgeon will walk you through the entire process from the preoperative stage to long-term aftercare. You’ll discuss what you can expect your hair to look like and how to get the best possible results.
Take a look at our before and after hair transplant gallery to get an idea of the kind of hair growth results you could get, then book a consultation with a patient advisor at your closest Wimpole Clinic location.
Learn how to achieve great hair transplant maintenance in the long and short term in the answers to these frequently asked questions.
No. This is a common side effect of surgery known as hair transplant shock loss. The hair on your transplant area starts to fall out around 14 days post-surgery, but the hair follicles in the scalp remain intact. They enter a dormant phase to recover from the stress of the procedure. 3-4 months into recovery, your hair will start growing back.
However, if your hair loss is accompanied by other scalp symptoms such as pain, inflammation, scalp lesions or pimples around your hair follicles, be sure to inform your surgeon to rule out an infection.
That depends. In many cases, following the advice in this article can reduce unnecessary hair loss and help curb androgenetic alopecia, so it may indeed help prevent the need for a second intervention.
However, since male pattern baldness and female pattern baldness have a strong genetic component, in some patients, thinning out around the transplant area may be unavoidable. This may be the case if you got your procedure at a young age.
At the Wimpole Clinic, you’ll receive detailed aftercare instructions by email, so you can easily refer to these when you need them.
If you don’t have written instructions, call your surgeon and ask them to refresh your memory. Your surgeon will be glad to remind you how to care for your hair transplant, as this information is very important for procedure success.
You may be tempted to search for hair transplant aftercare information online, in articles such as this one. But while the information provided here is accurate, your surgeon knows the particulars of your procedure, your medical history and your scalp and hair needs. So they may have made personalised recommendations that you won’t find anywhere else.
It is normal for hair to thin out a bit with age, regardless of whether or not you have had a hair transplant. Moreover, during physically or psychologically stressful times, you may experience a form of diffuse hair thinning called telogen effluvium, which normally resolves itself in a few months. Taking certain medications can cause hair loss as well. So if the hair thinning is across your entire scalp, it is probably not something to worry about, but it may be worth a check-up to rule out systemic causes.
However, if you only notice hair thinning on your transplant area and the rest of your hair is still full, it is a good idea to contact your surgeon (or a local trichologist) for an assessment.
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