The healing process after hair transplantation takes at least 12 months, depending on the patient. We can separate this process into 3 phases as healing of wounds, root feeding and shock shedding. If you follow the orders from the doctor carefully, you are going to have an easy recovery for sure. You can find the first 6 months of this postoperative process below. Do not forget that the stages can be different for every person. 

Immediately After Operation – First Night

You will leave the hospital with a bandage on your scalp, and you will be wearing a forehead band to prevent postoperative swelling. Try to have a rest for the rest of the day as the operation takes about 6 to 8 hours.

After the operation, you may feel swelling, itching and mild pain. Ice treatments, lotions can alleviate these symptoms and, if necessary, mild symptom medications that your doctor recommends can ease your pain.

Some symptoms you may feel

Swelling: A few days after the operation, swelling of the face and mostly around the eyes may occur rarely. In this case, it is best to put some ice on the swelling area. The swelling disappears spontaneously after 5 days.

Itching: Itching is a symptom of healing, and it is completely normal to feel this 2 to 3 days after the operation. Do not scratch or nail the cultivated area. Itching may continue for several days.

Burning sensation: A burning sensation may occur, especially in the donor area. In this case, apply the moisturizing lotion three or four times a day to your donor site.

First Week

You can start to wash your scalp on the third day. We recommend you to use special lotion and shampoo that your doctors prescribed when the hair washing procedure begins. This procedure helps the scalp to heal and remove the dust and dirt. 5-7 days after the operation, your new hair becomes stronger day by day. You should avoid damaging the cultivated area and scratching it. During this period, you may feel itching on your head. This is an absolutely normal sign of recovery. 

First Month

In 2 to 3 weeks, the appearance of your head will return to normal. In the 3rd week of hair transplantation, you will observe a shock shedding. Approximately 80 per cent of the patients experience this phase. Although this spill scares most patients, it is a normal and temporary process. Experts state that this situation may last up to 45 days. The intensity and duration of the shock loss vary from person to person. 

Between 1-3 Months

After shock hair loss, hair growth begins within 2 months. At first, the hair follicles, which are thin, curly and thin, have their own form and become stronger as time passes. In this process, the hair grows approximately 1 cm every month. Sometimes people may get comments that their hair will not grow. However, your hair grows perfectly fine. You should wait for at least 6 months to see the result.

After the 5th and 6th months

There are still cases where some hair follicles remain thin or do not come out subcutaneously. The hair follicles have not yet reached their natural state, and the healing process is not complete after planting. The hair growth process is accelerating, and you can observe half of the expected result from hair transplant around the 6th month. During this period, the new hair continues to grow, and the hair strands become thicker.