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Azrak Hair Clinic — Hair Transplant Clinic

Aftercare

Day one to month eighteen, with nothing glossed over.

The operation takes a day. The result takes a year. Here is what each stage actually looks like — including the six weeks where it looks as if something has gone wrong and it hasn't.

  1. Day 0 – 2

    Swelling, and sleeping upright

    The recipient area is red with tiny scabs forming around each graft. Forehead swelling usually peaks on day two or three and can reach the eyelids — it looks worse than it is and resolves on its own.

    Do

    • Sleep at 45 degrees, on your back, for the first week
    • Use the cold compress on the forehead, never on the grafted area
    • Take the prescribed medication on schedule, not only when uncomfortable
    • Return to the clinic the day after surgery for the first wash

    Don’t

    • Do not touch, scratch or rub the recipient area
    • Do not let water hit the grafts directly
    • No alcohol, no smoking — both restrict the blood supply the grafts depend on
    • No bending forward or lifting anything heavy
  2. Day 3 – 10

    Washing, and waiting for the crusts to go

    Swelling settles. Small crusts sit around each graft and gradually lift as you wash. The donor area may feel tight or numb — normal, and it resolves over weeks to months.

    Do

    • Wash daily with the lotion-then-shampoo method you were shown
    • Let water run over the head rather than spraying directly onto grafts
    • Pat dry with a clean towel — no rubbing
    • Walk and move normally

    Don’t

    • Do not pick crusts off, however tempting — a graft can come with one
    • No gym, running, or anything that raises your heart rate substantially
    • No hats that press on the grafts, unless the clinic approved the fit
    • No direct sun on the scalp
  3. Week 2 – 6

    Shock shedding — the stage that frightens everyone

    Most transplanted hairs fall out. This is expected and near-universal. The follicle stays in the scalp and enters a resting phase; only the shaft is lost. Some native hair around the grafted area may shed too, and it returns.

    Do

    • Resume normal exercise from week three, building up gradually
    • Resume normal shampooing
    • Photograph the area monthly in the same light — it is the only reliable way to track progress

    Don’t

    • Do not panic and do not judge the result — nothing has failed
    • No scalp treatments, dyes or chemical products without clearing them first
    • Do not start a new hair medication without telling the clinic
  4. Month 3 – 6

    The first new growth

    Fine, thin hairs start pushing through — often unevenly, and often accompanied by small pimple-like bumps as they break the surface. Coverage becomes visible somewhere around month five or six. Density is still well below what it will be.

    Do

    • Keep photographing monthly
    • Attend the month 3 and month 6 reviews
    • Continue any medical therapy protecting your native hair

    Don’t

    • Do not compare yourself to month-twelve photographs online
    • Do not conclude the density is final — it is roughly half of where it ends
  5. Month 6 – 12

    Thickening

    Hairs coarsen, darken, and the coverage fills in. Most of the visible change between month six and month twelve is caliber rather than count. Styling becomes normal again.

    Do

    • Cut and style normally
    • Attend the month 12 review with your photographs
    • Keep protecting native hair — the transplant does not stop your own recession

    Don’t

    • Do not judge the final result before month twelve
  6. Month 12 – 18

    The final result

    Coarse hair, the crown and any curly texture finish last — sometimes as late as month eighteen. This is the point at which the outcome is assessed honestly, and at which a second session, if one was ever planned, is discussed.

    Do

    • Compare month-eighteen photographs against your pre-operative set
    • Discuss a second session only now, if coverage needs extending

    Don’t

    • Do not book a revision before the first result has finished growing

When to call us straight away

Heavy or persistent bleeding, spreading redness or warmth, pus, a fever above 38°C (100.4°F), or pain that is getting worse instead of settling. These are rare, and they are not things to wait out or research online.

Call the clinic on the number in your discharge documents — if you cannot reach us, go to the emergency department wherever you are.

When to call the clinic

Most of what happens in the weeks after surgery is more harmless than it looks. A short list of things is not, and the difference is worth knowing before you are lying awake at two in the morning wondering.

  • Pain that increases rather than decreases after day three, especially if it is concentrated in one spot.
  • Redness spreading with warmth, or any discharge that is not clear.
  • A fever above 38°C (100.4°F).
  • Bleeding from the donor or recipient area that does not stop after ten minutes of gentle, steady pressure.
  • Swelling that is asymmetric, hard, or getting worse after day five instead of settling.
  • A graft that has come out — keep it, keep it moist and call. Do not try to put it back in.

Everything else on the long list of alarming-but-normal — crusting, itching, numbness at the back of the head, pimple-like spots as new hairs come through around month four, one side growing faster than the other — is expected. If you are unsure, send a photo. Nobody at the clinic considers that a bother.

Getting back to normal life, in order

Every restriction exists for one of two reasons: protecting the grafts from friction in the first days, and protecting the healing scalp from pressure, sweat and infection in the first weeks. Once you know which reason applies, the timeline makes sense instead of feeling arbitrary.

  • Walking: immediately, and encouraged.
  • Desk work: most patients are back within two to five days, depending on how visible the recipient area is.
  • Driving: as soon as you are off any sedating medication and can turn your head comfortably.
  • Gym, heavy lifting, anything that raises pressure in the head: typically two to four weeks, on the clinic's instruction.
  • Swimming, the sea and chlorine: usually around four weeks.
  • Alcohol: avoided in the first days, because it affects both bleeding and sleeping upright.
  • Smoking: the single worst thing for graft survival. Stopping around the procedure is not a lecture — it is a variable in the result.
  • Haircuts: scissors only over the recipient area until the clinic approves clippers. The donor area can usually be trimmed sooner.

Not sure where you stand?

A free assessment gives you a measured graft range and a clear answer on whether surgery is the right move this year.

Get a free assessment

Have a question about a stage you're in right now?

Existing patients reach the clinical team directly. If you are not a patient yet, ask anyway — we will answer.

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