One of the biggest questions people considering Shave-Less FUE have is: What’s recovery like after the procedure?
While specifics may vary a bit based on personal factors and who you choose to do your surgery, your recovery after a No-Shave hair restoration should be fairly low-impact and smooth.
Choose a Skilled Practice for Easy Recovery and Best Results
Complications of any type with Shave-less FUE are quite rare, although you do want to make sure to choose a reputable practice for your hair transplant.
For best results, choose a hair clinic where your surgery will be planned and performed by a skilled surgeon and surgical team – not a robot or unsupervised surgical techs.
And of course, you’ll want to choose a surgical practice with lots of experience in the Shave-Less FUE technique.
At North Atlanta Hair Restoration, your surgery will be performed by highly skilled surgeon and his veteran surgical team using the latest techniques and state-of-the-art tools.
Because our surgical team is highly skilled at Shave-less FUE, recovery is often quite easy and straightforward for our patients.
With that in mind, here’s a timeline of what you can expect after a Shave-Less FUE hair transplant at our Alpharetta clinic.
The Day of Your No-Shave Hair Transplant Surgery
Shave-Less FUE hair restorations – also known as long hair transplants – don’t require cutting your hair, so you can expect to walk out of the office that day with your original hair length intact.
That preserved length should conceal the transplant sites quite well, so you won’t really need to wear a hat or head covering to hide them – although you can, if you want to (avoid fitted caps, which can pull out grafts).
Your care team will send you home with complete aftercare instructions that detail what you should and shouldn’t do, plus how to wash your hair and avoid disturbing the surgical sites.
You’ll be instructed to wash your hair that very same night – yes, really – to help ensure good hygiene and proper healing.
Carefully wash the graft and donor hair sites with baby shampoo, which we will provide.
You’ll need to lather the soap in your hand, then gently pat it on and rub very softly, followed by a gentle rinse under low-pressure (no jet or pulse settings) water.
After washing, it’s important to carefully blow dry the transplanted hair follicles and the hairs around them so that hair does not dry flat against your grafts and stick.
Days 1-4
You’ll need to limit physical activity for the first 4 days after your hair transplantation surgery.
You don’t have to stay home and do nothing – you can even return to work the next day if you want to – but avoid strenuous activities where you might exert yourself.
Wash your hair twice a day using the same gentle technique you used the night of the procedure.
You must also take special care, when fixing or combing your hair, not to disturb the grafts for the first week after your procedure.
And when it’s time to sleep, there’s no need to elevate your head – this is an old recommendation intended to reduce excessive swelling.
Our team takes measures during surgery to minimize swelling, so you don’t have to sleep propped up in an uncomfortable position to prevent it.
Any pain or swelling you experience should be mild and quite manageable with over-the counter-medicine, but talk to the doctor if you experience anything that concerns you.
Day 4
On day 4 after your hair transplant, you can – and should – start doing light exercise to stay active.
Things like low-impact workouts with weights, getting your heart rate up a bit, long walks, etc. are advisable at this stage.
Just be sure to avoid heavy lifting, cardio, playing sports and other strenuous activities.
Day 7
By day 7 post-procedure, you can resume normal activities, including your regular workouts.
Your grafts should be fully attached at this point, so you no longer need to worry about pulling them out or disturbing the healing process with regular hair care.
Day 10
You’ll experience some minor itching as your transplant sites heal – this is completely normal and not a cause for concern.
Don’t scratch the site or disturb the scabs in any way, as they are essential to proper healing.
By day 10, the healing scabs should be ready to fall out on their own.
We recommend a special technique to facilitate the process on the tenth day after your surgery:
- Put some gentle hair conditioner on the site and let it sit for 3 or 4 minutes. This will soften up the scabs.
- Then, hold your head under the shower and gently massage the site to loosen the scabs and wash them away.
- Don’t pick at any scabs that remain – they will fall out on their own in due time.
Once all the scabs are off, you’re through the recovery period and your hair transplant site is ready to start regrowing hair!
3-6 Months
It will take 3 months for the grafted area to start showing real growth.
Don’t be alarmed if you notice shedding at the graft site during that transition period either – this is a completely normal part of the hair growth cycle and a sign of healthy grafts.
You can feel good knowing that by your 6-month follow up appointment, you should be seeing robust and permanent regrowth.
Want to Know if Shave-Less FUE Might Be Right for You?
Schedule a consultation today!
Call us at (678) 845-7521 or book online to get a personalized assessment with Dr. Danyo online or with one of our team members in-person at our Alpharetta office.
He can walk you through all your hair restoration options, answer any questions you may have, and help you take the next steps to a brand new you.
FAQ About Hair Transplant Recovery Time
Is there a lot of pain after a Shave-Less FUE hair transplant?
Not normally.
Our patients usually report minimal discomfort and swelling, and most are able to go back to work within, at most, a couple of days.
Skilled practitioners can do a lot to minimize discomfort with good surgical technique, so be sure to choose a trusted, highly experienced hair transplant provider.
Is hair falling out normal after a Shave-Less FUE hair restoration?
Yes. Patients typically see shedding in the first 1-4 weeks after a Shave-Less hair transplant procedure.
This shedding is completely normal – it’s actually a sign that the transplanted follicles are healthy and doing what they’re supposed to.
So, don’t worry. You can expect to see new growth in those follicles within just a few months.
How easy is it to reach your office if I have aftercare questions or concerns?
Contacting us directly is as easy as a phone call or email, and we also have a great app you can use to reach us anytime.
Whether you have a general question or a concern about a symptom like itching, you won’t have to wait to talk to a member of your care team or Dr. Danyo himself.
