This article describes what clinics' aftercare instructions usually cover. It is not medical advice: your own clinic's written instructions and your doctor's advice always take priority, and timings differ from clinic to clinic.
The First Day
Clinics usually ask patients to sleep with the head raised, not to touch, rub or scratch the donor or recipient area, and not to bend over. Ask your clinic about alcohol, which medicines to take and which to avoid. Some fluid leaking from the recipient area on the first night is commonly described by clinics; ask yours what is normal and when to call them.
The First Days: Washing
Clinics give their own washing protocol, usually starting a few days after the procedure, often with a mild shampoo applied by gentle patting rather than rubbing and rinsed with low water pressure. Follow the exact product and schedule your clinic gives you.
The First Weeks: Scabs and Shedding
Scabs soften and come off on their own over the first weeks; clinics advise against picking them. Many patients then see the transplanted hairs shed. Clinics describe this as a normal phase in which the follicle stays in the skin; if you are worried, ask your doctor.
The First Months: Activity and Sun
Clinics set their own timelines for walking, exercise, weight training, contact sports, swimming and sun exposure. Ask for these in writing before you travel, so you can plan work and training around them.
Later in the First Year
Growth is gradual and continues for many months. If your doctor has prescribed medication or suggests additional treatments, ask what they are for, what the evidence is and what the side effects are. Taking photos regularly from the same angles and in the same light makes changes easier to see.