Hair Restoration Blog

1.    When can my son start handling his hair after his hair transplant without any caution whatsoever regarding physically touching or handling his hair, for example, with a full shower head, and rubbing his hair dry with a towel.
2.    He uses his comb just a little right now.  For example, he will comb his hair forward in anticipation for going to school.  Once in a while the comb hits his scalp, albeit pretty gently.  Is that O.K., or is it bad?
Thank you greatly.  All my best,

A:
Any time after the first four days from the day of a hair transplant surgery, patient can go back to his or her regular routine for washing and handling of their hair.

At this point (5 days after hair transplant), there is no limitation in daily hair care except in regards to sun exposure.  I don’t recommend excess sun exposure for 6 months after hair transplant to the newly transplanted area.  It should not be a problem for your son since he is combing his hair forward and covering the transplanted area.

Q:

I have two questions:

1. Have you heard of a post surgery shampoo called Procyte Graftcyte? It contains aloe ver a and a copper peptide micronutrient that is supposed to aid in quicker healing of the scalp.
2. Also, at how many days do you feel that the grafts are secure and cannot be dislodged? It is now day three and I have begun to wash my head by just patting the shampoo lightly onto my scalp and then pouring a cup of water over the head to rinse it. I am not standing directly under the shower for fear that the grafts may be dislodged.

Thank you very much for your time.

Best regards,

Patient’s name

A:

1. Procyte Graftcyte is a product that is recommended by some hair transplant surgeons. Its ingredients are: Water, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Aloe Vera Gel, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Citric Acid, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Fragrance, Copper Tripeptide-1, Propylparaben and FD&C Blue. There is not a significant evidence to support the beneficial effect of any of these components on transplanted grafts. I myself use and recommend baby shampoo for the first few days that is inert and has the minimum irritating agents. I don’t do not have any problem with my patients using Graftcyte.
2. I answered to your question of hair wash after hair transplant before, but our policy at US Hair Restoration is: Gentle hair wash for 4 days as instructed without any rubbing twice a day and after that back to washing hair routinely. Scalp scab can be seen after hair transplant surgery that could potentially hurt the growth of the grafts. During your after hair transplant care, you should not try to remove scabs by pulling them off. You can eliminate the scabs by increasing the frequency of washing your hair to twice or three times a day or even more.You are right about not letting forceful water from the shower directly hit the transplanted area. I recommend pouring water gently for the first four days and then back to showering at least at day five.

Have a great weekend,

Dr. Mohebi

Q:

Great blog Dr. Mohebi, Thanks,

I have had a hair transplant 5 days ago. I have been washing my hair in last 5 days with my regular shampoo. I don’t rub the transplanted area, except for some dabbing with shampoo for about 4 to 5 minutes every day. Can you please explain how I should wash at this point and how long I need to continue with any special care after hair transplant surgery? Do you recommend any after hair transplant care product or shampoo?

Thank you for your time.

A:

There is not a certain standard in washing hair after hair transplant surgery. I previously posted an article on the blog “After hair transplant Care” and explained the care that is needed after a hair transplant surgery. We fine-tuned our after hair transplant care procedures to minimize the risk of hair graft dislodging, which is a threat in the first few days after hair transplant surgery. A study showed that there is a decreasing risk of dislocation of grafts within the first few days after hair transplant surgery “Graft anchoring in hair transplantation Drs. Bernstein and Rassman”.

Patients always ask whether or not they can skip washing the first few days when there is risk of dislodging for the newly transplanted grafts. The truth is, hair washing reduces the chance of scab formation and extensive scabbing after hair transplant increases the risk of graft dislodging. The above mentioned study shows that the scabbing after hair transplant extends the interval that grafts are at risk of being dislodged.

We at US Hair Restoration recommend frequent but gentle hair wash in the first few days post-operation with only dabbing and without rubbing in the recipient area. We recommend professional hair wash for the first day to all our patients and during that time teach patients how to wash their hair at home for the next few days. There are some products that are claimed to reduce the scabbing and infection rate after hair transplant with no documented evidence to support them.

I generally use and recommend baby shampoo for hair wash for the first few days after hair transplant surgery. I don’t recommend using any other commercially available products for hair wash after hair restoration surgery.

Best,

Dr. Parsa Mohebi