Follicular Unit Extraction Pre & Post-Care

Post-Op Instructions

• Alcoholic beverages, ibuprofen (Advil/Motrin), aspirin, vitamins and herbs are not to be taken for 48 hours after surgery as these can cause thinning of the blood and extra bleeding. We will provide you with prescription strength medication.
• In occasional instances, minor bleeding may occur from the transplant site and/or donor area. This can be controlled by applying gentle but firm pressure on the area for 5-10 minutes with a dampened gauze pad. Press only, does not rub.
• A pressure dressing will be applied to the back of your scalp where grafts were harvested. This dressing should remain in place for 2 days after the procedure.
• As the grafts dry, they may cause itching. To avoid this from happening, we recommend you fill a small spray bottle with plain saline solution (not contact lens solution!) and coconut oil. Spray the recipient area 3-4 times daily to keep the grafts moist. Do not be alarmed if hair sheds from the graft. This is normal and may take 3-4 weeks to complete even after all the scabs have fallen off. Also, it is natural to lose some of the hair shafts from the grafts as the scabs fall off. If your surgery involved frontal hairline restoration, we recommend that you lay as flat as possible the following 2 days to minimize swelling. You may get up to eat and use restroom when needed. The more you lay flat, the greater chances of reducing swelling. Swelling is not a complication but a normal process after a hair restoration procedure. Swelling usually does not occur until the day after the procedure.
• If your surgery involved crown work, and or both crown work and frontal hairline, then we recommend that you sleep elevated using a few pillows. Also, use a neck pillow similar to the kind you would use on an airplane. This will raise your crown forward and away from the pillow and your bed’s backboard.
• To minimize swelling on the forehead or around the eyes, apply an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas over the eyebrows for 15 minutes every hour, not on the grafts. Keep the ice pack below the bandage. If swelling occurs, it will appear on the second or third day after the surgery. The swelling is part of the healing process and will usually disappear within 5-7 days. Begin using ice packs immediately after the surgery and continue for the next 72 hours. Do not use hot compress, this will only intensify the swelling.
• Scabbing will form over the transplant sites and solidify the first few hours after the procedure. These scabs will naturally fall off within 2 weeks. Do not pick or scratch at these scabs at any time. Scratching can endanger the healing of the graft and could cause scarring or increase the chance of infection. Don’t be alarmed if there are short hairs within the scabs when they fall off. The hair bulb remains inside the skin. It is natural to lose the hair shaft.
• Do not wash the grafted area for 48 hours after the surgery. Only after 48 hours, may you remove the pressure dressing and lightly wet the hair in the shower with a cup rinse only. No direct shower pressure. It is essential to the success of your procedure. We recommend you use a large cup and fill it with warm (NOT HOT) water and pour a small amount of Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo into the large cup. Pour this mixture onto your scalp. Gently massage the sides and back with your fingers (ONLY ON THE DONOR SITE). It is important that you do not touch the grafted areas (top of scalp) with your fingers as this may cause the grafts to come out. Rinse lightly in the shower with your large cup that is now filled with water only. Do not allow full strength streaming water from the shower head to hit your scalp. This may cause your grafts to dislodge especially for the first 5 days. It is recommended you wash your scalp daily or at least every other day for the first 2 weeks. After rinsing, pat dry the sides and back with a towel. Do not touch the top of the scalp. Apply Bacitracin ointment over the donor area only for 3 days only. 14 days after your procedure, hair washing routine returns to normal. Streaming water from the shower head may contact your scalp directly and you may gently massage the shampoo onto the grafted area.
• When combing your hair, make sure to do so while the hair is wet. Comb the hair in an “up and over” manner that will eliminate scratching /scraping the scalp and grafts. Do not use a brush.
• Do not use any hair products for the first 14 days (hair sprays, gels, mousse, pomade). Any hair product with oil or alcohol can be damaging to the grafted areas.
• For the first week be careful of what kind of strenuous activity you perform. Weight lifting and intense workouts should not be done for 7 days. Most activities in the work place should be easily resumed a day or two after the procedure. Please ask us if you have any questions or concerns.
• Hats should not be worn for the first 2 days. Afterwards, hats can be worn but only when out in public. Do not wear a hat unless you have to or intend to be outside for more than 30 minutes under bright sunlight. We recommend wearing a ball cap that can be adjusted to be loose fitting, not a stretch cap, (see pic). Do not wear a hat that collapses or touches your scalp, especially where grafts were placed. You may also begin wearing a sunscreen after 2 weeks to help protect your grafts if you plan to be outside for more than 30 minutes. Please be aware that you can sunburn your grafts if you are outside too long under intense sunlight. Because this is possible, we recommend you avoid going outdoors when it is extremely hot and sunny outside. Be sure to take all medications provided for you as directed. Do not use hydrogen peroxide on your scalp or other ointments unless instructed by the physician. This could affect the healing process and reduce the success of the procedure. Wait 1 month before resuming Rogaine 5% foam. Propecia does not have to be stopped. Hair color must be avoided for 6 weeks.

Emergency Instructions

Call your office with any problems or concerns. You have had a hair transplantation surgery on your scalp. The surgery sites can bleed or ooze the first night after the procedure. If excessive bleeding occurs anywhere on the scalp and cannot be stopped by firm pressure and application of ice to the area for a period greater than 20 minutes, then you must proceed to the nearest hospital emergency room or urgent care center. Please call us and take this form with you.