Overharvesting: It may lead to permanent damage of the donor area, thinning, and patchy hair loss [Figure 5]. Before starting the extraction process, safe donor area should be demarcated and overharvesting should be avoided.
Like repotting a plant, each new graft is quite fragile in its new location. It can take a while for the graft to fully “root-in”. This is typically 14 days and it involves the scalp healing itself after surgery and securing each graft in its new location.
But, for several weeks after the procedure, the hair transplants are in an incredibly fragile state. They need to be treated with care. A few changes to routine must be made to ensure the longevity of the hair transplants.
Very rarely, a graft can be dislodged or combed out in the first few days following your procedure. If this happens, do not panic. You won't lose more than a few hair roots, and as your transplanted hair begins to grow in, any slight loss of grafts will be covered up.
A blow to the head after hair transplantation directly affects the grafts and can cause them to move or even transplanted. The transplanted hair follicles are alive during the transplant and when they settle into new channels.
Newly implanted grafts may not have implanted firmly, and a rub or scratch can make the graft fall off easily. When a hair graft becomes dislodged, they need to be quickly immersed in cold saline water and re-implanted within hours or as soon as possible for it to remain viable.
Bumping your head after a hair transplant is a cause for concern. This is especially so if it has happened right after the surgery or a few days later. That's because the skin around the hair grafts hasn't yet healed, so they're not anchored in place. The slightest of pressure or force can end up dislodging them.
The most telltale sign of a lost graft is bleeding. If you notice blood on your scalp, especially during the first 3-4 days following the surgery, it's possible that a graft has been dislodged or lost (source). The presence of a small amount of blood around the incision site also indicates a lost graft (source).
We found that after 10 days, grafts become so permanently part of the body that no amount of scrubbing or combing can dislodge them. To prevent accidental dislodging, in post-op care, the day after the surgery, we tell patients to shampoo their hair, but they should not rub the area as this can dislodge the grafts.
It takes 5-10 days for your grafts to become secure after your hair transplants. It's very important that you take care of your graft while they heal. Generally, after a hair transplant, newly implanted grafts take around 5-10 days to become secure.
You can touch your transplanted hair at all times post hair transplant surgery, but the intensity with which you are supposed to will vary depending on the extent to which your scalp has healed. Usually, it takes approximately 8-14 days for the grafts to settle, but your hair will still be weak.
Stress, poor diet, drugs or smoking are all factors that can cause a hair transplant to fail. To avoid a failed hair transplant, the patient must be in the best condition and take care of himself.
For the first 3 days after the hair transplantation, it is important not to scratch the scalp. For the first 15 days, patients must take appropriate care and prevent any chance to rigorously scratch the scalp. This would reduce the chances of healing.
Patients, who have had hair transplantation, mostly regret that they had this procedure. At the end of the day, considering that hair transplantation is a life-long procedure, the process can be a complete disappointment. However, it is possible to avoid these potential regrettable consequences.
The short answer is yes - you can experience hair loss following a hair transplant.
The graft sites will form scabs in 24 to 72 hours after surgery, and the scabs fall off in 3-10 days. As the scabs fall off, you may notice that hair is shed with them. THIS IS NORMAL. Do not pick or scratch the scabs, doing so can cause infection and endanger the survival of the grafts.
Recovery & Rest Is Crucial After A Procedure
At around 5 days post hair transplant, your scalp should be healed enough that you can begin to gently wash it again. At this stage, the soreness and swelling that appeared after the transplant should have mostly disappeared.
It is important to remember that the transplanted region should not be touched or scraped as this may dislodge the grafts and introduce infection. After 12-14 days following surgery, patients might start touching the areas slightly.
Generally, hair grafts are fully secure between 10 and 14 days after the hair transplant procedure.
People can notice someone has had a hair transplant for the following reasons: Short hair cut on the back and sides. Small scabs in the newly implanted area. Redness in the donor and recipient areas.
By day 4, the grafts begin anchoring and you can go back to sleeping, bathing, and dressing normally. While the grafts do not technical anchor completely until day 10, they are secure enough by the 4th day to resume basic normal activity.
After 2 to 5 days: any bandages can usually be removed, but you should not touch the grafts. Day 6: you should be able to wash your hair gently by hand. After 10 to 14 days: any non-dissolvable stitches can usually be removed. After a few weeks: the transplanted hair will often fall out, and later start to grow back.
Two weeks after your hair transplant, you'll have experienced some more changes. The healing process will be well underway, but while swelling should have subsided, you may still have some redness and itchiness as scabs fall off naturally.
Hair grafts are vulnerable to falling out – if touched or if they experience friction – for up to 14 days following your hair transplant. This is because the hair follicle isn't yet strong enough to withstand friction or tugging.
One should wait for 3 months after surgery for any kind of manipulation on the scalp. If SMP treatment has been performed before the hair transplant, it is not an obstacle for the operation.