When is it safe to shower normally and touch/gently rub transplanted hair follicles post hair transplant? (photos)

Question

I am 5 weeks postOP FUE hair transplant. My hair wash routine consists of soaking a cloth in shampoo water and squeezing it over my head letting the water gently run down. My clinic said that it is now safe to shower normally/gently rub the transplant site to remove the dead skin. However, the moment I touch the follicles they fall out which I know is expected; 5-10% have fallen already. Is it truly safe to do this and should I expect/want ALL follicles to fall out? Or stick with my routine?

Mehmet Surmeli, MD, FEBOPRAS · Answer

Hi,
You should first soak and soften your hair with water and foam of the shampoo, after waiting for a few minutes gently touch it and wash it without rubbing or traumatizing it. By this way you are going to clean the remaining blood clots, skin-tissue debris more efficiently.
Best wishes,

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

It is best to contact your surgeon for post surgery issues and care since all doctors have slightly different instructions. What you are describing is most likely shedding, which is a normal process. If you are concerned, then follow up with your surgeon for an assessment.

Matt Tahsini, MD · Answer

Hello, great question. I understand your concern but since you are 5 weeks post op you really have nothing to worry about. Continue to wash your scalp as instructed as it’s important to keep it clean. Good luck.

Karl Hekimian, MD · Answer

By 5 weeks it is extremely unlikely that hair follicles are falling out when you wash your hair.  Having the hairs and surrounding crusts fall out is normal and expected.  Go ahead and wash your hair per your clinic's instructions

Eric T. Carniol, MD · Answer

For the first 10 days, you should be cautious with your scalp. However, after this time, the follicles have set. The hairs that will fall out will do so whether you clean your head or not. However, by keeping the scalp clean, you will allow for more healthy healing to occur.

Sagar Patel, MD · Answer

That is a lot of crusting. You should soak your hair in water and shampoo. It should be soaked as early as day #1-2. Definately talk to your surgeon who should guide you through this process! Hope that helps!

Ilker Apaydin, MD · Answer

Hello, Thank you for your question. Washing procedure is one of the important part during follow up after the hair transplant. Surgeons office was supposed to show you and explain how to do the washing. During first 2 weeks washing should be done very gently, and you should follow all instructions. 2 weeks later you can gently massage your scalp, but still have to wait until you are 6 weeks post op to get back to regular washing procedures. Since you are 5 weeks post op, you are on shedding process at the moment, which is absolutely normal.

Cory Torgerson, MD, PhD, FRCSC - Account Suspended · Answer

You should be cautious and gentle with the transplanted areas for the first 7-10 days. However, it is very important to keep the area clean and all clinics should provide their patients with post-op instructions as to preference of cleaning techniques. After 10 days, you can wash all of the scabs off without concern.

Baldev Singh Sandhu, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

This question can easily be answered by thinking of the physiology and science instead of saying        "I think" or "In my opinion"
Hair follicle transplants are essentially micro skin grafts of 1mm diameter or less. When I do skin grafts for burns I am transplanting sheets of skin as big as 12cm by 6cm. 
These  transplants of large sheets of skin are revascularised at 7days and can be washed. After 14 days they will easily withstand the rigors of everyday life.
So the answer to your question is pretty clear: back to gentle washing with mild shampoo (no rubbing or towel drying) after seven days. Regular shampoo and towel dry after 14 days.
Hope that helps.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

You have terrible crusting on your scalp which shocks me at 5 weeks when everything should be clear of scabs. I wash my patients the day after surgery and tell my patients how to wash their hair daily. See examples of my patients post op pictures below. To get those crusts off now, leave your shampoo on for 10 minutes, and when the crusts get water logged, gently rub them off. Repeat this twice with each wash and continue to do this twice a day until it is clear or all crusting

When is it safe to shower normally and touch/gently rub transplanted hair follicles post hair transplant? (photos)

Answers (10)

More FUE Hair Transplant Questions

Should I use minoxidil and finasteride after FUE or is finasteride alone enough?

5.5 months post-op. Not much result to see. One side has grown better than the other, which is patchy. Suggestions? (photos)

10 days post FUE hair transplant, I accidentally scratched my head during sleep and lots of small crusts with hair fell. Advice?

I had successful 3900 graft FUE transplant in September 2018. Do crown transplants take longer to grow?

Sunburn on day 13 after HT. Could I have ruined the grafts? Or is this normal shedding that's been accelerated? (photos)

Holding back a sneeze 3 months after hair transplant ? Will it dislodge grafts, or affect final results?

WE SEND PRETTY
EMAILS