Common questions after a hair transplant
We are often asked about what a person can and cannot do after a hair transplant procedure. If you’re preparing for hair transplant surgery, it’s natural to have questions about what you can and cannot do afterward. Here are answers to some of the questions Dr. Matthew Lopresti and our team hear most often from patients about hair transplant recovery and aftercare.
Q: Can I exercise and when?
A: Most patients can resume mild to moderate exercise about four days after their procedure. This means lifting light weights (but no bench pressing), treadmill, elliptical, walking, bike riding, jogging, and similar things. No very heavy lifting until about 14 days.
Q: When can I wash my hair?
A:Patients can typically begin shampooing their hair 48 hours after hair transplant surgery. For the first three days, use lower water pressure and follow the postoperative washing instructions provided by Dr. Lopresti and the surgical team. Keeping the recipient and donor areas clean is an important part of the healing process.
Q: When can I color or tint my hair after my transplant?
A: Four weeks. We strongly recommend that you color your hair a day or two before your surgery so that you won’t have to color it too soon after the procedure.
Q: How soon should I begin to see results from my transplant?
A: Early new hairs typically begin to emerge around five to six months after hair transplant surgery. At first, the growth may be fine, light or difficult to see, with a more noticeable cosmetic change generally developing around nine to twelve months. Final growth and maturation can take approximately 16 to 18 months.
Q: Will my hair transplant stop progression of the other hair on my head?
A: No. A hair transplant restores growing hair to areas that are thinning or bald, but it does not stop the progression of hair loss in your remaining native hair. Because genetic hair loss can continue after surgery, protecting and stabilizing existing hair is an important part of long-term treatment planning.
Depending on the patient, non-surgical treatment options may include finasteride, minoxidil or PRP with ACell. Not every treatment is appropriate for every patient, so recommendations should be based on the individual’s type and stage of hair loss, medical history and long-term restoration plan.
Recovery can vary somewhat from patient to patient and between FUE and FUT procedures, so your individual postoperative instructions should always take priority over general guidelines. Dr. Matthew Lopresti and the surgical team at Leonard Hair Transplant Associates provide each patient with specific instructions for caring for the donor and recipient areas after surgery. If you’re considering a hair transplant in Boston, Newton or elsewhere in New England, a complimentary consultation can also help you understand what the procedure and recovery would look like for you.