On the plane back home, you got looks (even though, if you are flying from Istanbul, half of the plane is looking like that). You enter the house, afraid your daughter will touch your head (already on the way to the airport you talked to your partner who will explain to the girl that it is forbidden) or you will have to explain to her why daddy looks like this 

There is nothing to worry about, you are going to go through relatively simple days but you still underwent a surgical procedure so here are the things to look forward to.

sleep

From my experience, the first night we slept well. One painkiller before bedtime and you sleep like babies unfortunately for most people the “vacation” does not last for the following days and not least after the implantation time Finding a good posture and annoying tingling will make it difficult to sleep (I estimate about two weeks).

It should be remembered that in the first week (at least), you go to bed with a flight pad that will prevent unwanted movement during sleep and damage to the transplanted area. You can also wrap 2 rolled towels around the neck if you have difficulty with the pillow. Tips for tingling are below.

Swelling

During the hair transplant, various substances (anesthetics, adrenaline, etc.) were injected into your scalp and the scalp accumulated them. In most clinics, patients are given a tennis film designed to prevent fluids from dropping to the facial area and in some clinics, patients are treated with corticosteroids (swallowing a pill).

The swelling can last about 3-5 days. Not to worry, it’s just water.

Swelling of the face and eyes – these are fluids that will go down to the face area and disappear within a few days. You don’t have to worry but it’s important to update your clinic.

Swelling above the film – in the first few days and the swelling will of course decrease with its removal. Somewhat alien look 

Note: It is not always possible to place a film on the patient so as not to damage implanted areas such as temples.

Scabs

The scabs are the remnants of blood that have stuck to the transplanted hair and the skin of the scalp. At first, they look like black dots and after they dry out, they will “fall out”/fall. Sometimes yellow/gray scabs are also obtained.

Later in the post, we will talk about the shedding of scabs – you are expected to be with them for about two weeks.

Cracks/grooves in the transplanted area
 

In the days after the hair transplant, your scalp will look dry and you will see a spring of grooves/cracks on the scalp that look like the ground in the desert. Sometimes this can be frightening because one thinks that if these “streams” were created, the transplant was unsuccessful. All in all, this is normal, there is nothing to worry about.

The shedding of scabs – do not panic!

The shedding of the scabs should take about 14-21 days at most and what falls with the scab is the hair that was transplanted and its root – not the follicle!

With the right treatment (and according to your clinic guidelines), already at the beginning of the second week, you will see the scabs come off naturally or in a massage and the truth is that even in the first days you will see black dots on the pillow.

Friends, please don’t worry, what you see with the scab is not the follicle and nothing happened to your transplant. The hair is made up of the hair itself and its root. The follicle is the factory of both and it sits deep inside the skin. The transplant was not affected.

In different clinics, the treatment and recovery protocols are different. For example – some clinics perform gentle overlaps in the clinic itself during the 5 days after the transplant and take care of removing the scabs (this means that you stay abroad longer) and some clinics provide a spritzer with sodium chloride solution in a very specific dose to soften the scabs and lead to the removal of the scabs more quickly.

Shedding of the transplanted hair

During the first three months (on average) the transplanted hairs undergo a process of shedding and regrowth – this is part of the resting phase of the hair cycle and the acclimatization of the follicles. Each follicle has its clock so not all the hairs will fall out at once but you are likely to return to the look you started from before the hair transplant.

After about three months of rest, the follicles will begin to produce new hairs and you will see some results of the transplant. After about 6 months of transplantation, you can already see about 50% of the result of the transplant. The key word is patience… Please – a little patience!

Redness and a “dormant head” in the transplanted area

Your head was “traumatized” during the hair transplant – they injured it, cut it, and did all sorts of strange things to it. Now you have to give the body some time to do its thing, stimulate the blood to the scalp area and give it time to heal.

Redness = increased blood flow – resources that the scalp requires for recovery or just a sign of recovery such as the feeling that the head is lethargic.

Redness and numb scalp may last from 2-4 months. It is recommended to consult with a family doctor/dermatologist and certainly with the clinic if you feel that something is wrong.

Note: Using Minoxidil/Rogaine or any preparation that increases blood flow to the scalp may also cause redness.

Itching and tingling

Much has been said about the feeling of discomfort when it comes to the recovery of the donor and transplanted area. The punctures/holes formed in the skin close and tingling (which in most cases is unpleasant) will begin to appear and last only about a month.

For me, it bothered me a lot during sleep and when I would lay my head on the couch – the feeling of a few hundred knives being pushed directly into the scalp – but hey, maybe I’m just exaggerating.

The clinics usually advise the use of a medical moisturizer they provide you with to soothe the area and give it greater elasticity – it didn’t help me… You can use an indirect touch of ice that will cool and calm the area. I would not recommend applying substances that have not been approved by your clinic.

My (original and delusional) tip – take a small sandwich bag and put white sesame seeds in it. Put the bag in the freezer and whenever you feel itching, take out the bag and place it gently on your head to soothe the pain.

Pimples/pimples in the donor and implanted area

Pimples are usually a sign of the reverse growth of her hair (hair that grows into the skin and not outwards). This does not mean that something is wrong with the transplant but in most cases, the new hair is just a little curlier and a little coarser or has turned in the wrong direction. At the stage of removing follicles from the donor area, cutting the skin may also damage the hair that remains in the area and cut it at a certain angle so that its further growth is inside the skin.

The pain is very acute and most importantly not touch the wound itself or blow it up (certainly not with dirty hands).

You can contact your family doctor/dermatologist for a prescription for any antibiotic ointment.

This phenomenon is more typical of patients with thick or curly hair (but not only) and over time the phenomenon will become less and less common.

When can I return to work?

It’s your business. I went back to work after a week, I thought about a hat and continued to work as usual, there is nothing that limits you.

The look of your head isn’t going to be endearing, but if you’re building on closing at home so they won’t notice that you’ve done something in your head – I think two to three weeks at home is enough time for your head to return to its normal state.