A clear guide to protecting grafts, washing, sleeping, daily activity and the months of growth ahead. Keep the written instructions from your treating clinician close: those instructions always take priority over a general website guide.
These are broad milestones, not a schedule for your individual case. Graft care is especially important in the first two weeks; your surgeon determines when each restriction can change.
Review the written instructions and emergency contact with your treating team. Keep the grafted area from being rubbed or knocked. Use prescribed medicines and dressings exactly as directed. Have someone help if you were given sedating medication.
Mild tenderness, swelling or small crusts can occur. Sleep in the position your clinician recommends to avoid pressure on the grafts. Ask before wearing anything that touches the recipient area. Start spraying or washing only on the date and with the method you were given.
The NHS advises extra care with transplanted hair during this period because grafts may not yet be secure. Do not pick at scabs or scrub the new hairline. Follow your team's wash and return-to-work instructions; avoid strenuous activity until they clear it.
Some transplanted hairs may shed before new growth appears. This can be expected, but any unusual symptom deserves a check. Ask the treating team when it is safe to resume exercise, swimming, helmets, haircuts and products rather than following a generic calendar.
Visible changes take time and differ between people. Keep your scheduled clinical follow-ups and any photo check-ins your team requests. The surrounding hair may continue to thin, so discuss any concerns about the long-term plan with your clinician.
Use only the water pressure, shampoo and washing technique in your clinician's instructions. Do not scratch, rub or remove crusts. If the written plan is unclear, call the clinical team before your first wash.
Follow the sleep position and pillow guidance you were given. The goal is to prevent your grafted area rubbing against bedding, especially early in healing. Ask your team when your usual position is safe again.
Your clinician may advise less exercise during early healing. Check before heavy exercise, swimming, saunas, direct sun or headwear that could press on grafts. Do not assume that feeling well means the scalp has healed.
Take only the medicines and topical products your clinician recommends, exactly as directed. Keep the follow-up appointment even if recovery seems straightforward; contact the team if something changes unexpectedly.
Recovery differs from patient to patient. When in doubt, contact the practice that performed your procedure rather than trying to diagnose a problem from a photo online.
These are not reasons to ignore worsening or unexpected symptoms.
If symptoms are urgent or the clinical team cannot be reached, seek urgent medical care locally.
Your treating team should give you a written start date, shampoo and technique. Timing differs by procedure; do not copy another clinic's schedule or rub the grafts.
Sleep in the position your clinical team recommends, avoiding pressure or friction on the grafted area. Ask how long that restriction applies to you.
Ask your clinician before placing anything against the transplanted area. The answer depends on fit, pressure and how the scalp is healing.
There is no universal date that suits every procedure. Check the restrictions in your written instructions and get clearance before resuming activities that cause sweating, friction or scalp exposure.
Shedding of transplanted hair can happen during recovery and does not by itself prove failure. Your clinician can assess your pattern and expected progress at follow-up.
Contact the licensed clinical team at JC Jimenez Medical Health Wellness Services PLLC or the treating clinic named on your discharge paperwork. Peak's coordination team can help with scheduling, but does not give medical advice. Seek urgent medical attention for urgent symptoms.
Peak coordinates scheduling and patient communication. Your treating clinician answers medical questions and determines your individual aftercare instructions.
Contact Peak for schedulingMedical information and scope: This page is general education, not personal medical advice or an individual post-operative protocol. Follow your clinician's written directions over this page.
Source: NHS hair transplant recovery guidance. NHS guidance describes extra graft care during the first two weeks, possible exercise restrictions and contacting the treating clinic for severe pain or unexpected symptoms. See also Peak's recovery timeline article.