So, your hair loss restoration surgery is complete. The hair restoration surgeon said “everything went very well” and you now have a few thousand (or even more) newly transplanted hair follicles in the areas that needed new hair. Now, caring for those tender follicles is up to you. Fortunately, not much is needed. But it does help to know what you can expect and the things you should do.

As the hair restoration surgeon probably explained, he or she will want to see you approximately seven to ten days after surgery to remove sutures at the donor site (for follicular transplant patients). The hair restoration surgeon will also check your scalp for proper healing.

Fortunately, the transplanted hair follicles are implanted very snugly and will not dislodge in the shower. Your hair restoration surgeon will want you to very gently shampoo your hair with a special product (up to three times) the day after surgery according to his or her instructions. Gentle shampooing will be required for the first ten days, But, after that, the grafts are permanent and normal hair washing, hair cuts and other grooming procedures can be done. Because the first ten days are critical to establishing growth in the transplanted follicles, your hair restoration surgeon will caution against smoking or drinking alcohol because both effect blood flow to the transplanted area.

At about three weeks, you should expect to see hairs in the transplanted follicles to fall out. That’s actually a good sign, assuring you that the follicles are entering a new growth phase. By ten weeks, expect to see hair growth. By six months you’ll need to start combing those new follicles. At 9-12 months you’ll see the final results of your hair loss restoration surgery.