Is it actually harmful to not rinse or wash recipient area say for as long as 5 to 7 days post transplant? (Photo)

Dear jhkansas,Post-operative regimens are important to follow as they can most definitely affect graft survival. Your surgeon should have provided you with a lengthy post-operative care package of information and day-by-day instructions, irrigation solutions, wound ointment, gauze, etc. I would follow the directions as provided by your surgeon. At my office I have our patients start to irrigate their grafts on the evening of surgery with a solution consisting of lactated ringer’s solution with liposomal ATP added to it. Bioenhanced hair restoration has arrived. This solution helps to feed the grafts in the days following surgery as the follicles receive their new blood supply from the scalp. The patients irrigate their grafts frequently following the surgery, and this helps to wash away serum and scabs so that your grafts can heal without the burden of a scab over top impairing healing. Bottom line is that it’s helpful to rinse your grafts often following your procedure with solutions that help the new hairs take root in their new location. I hope this information is helpful to you.

At the time of your procedure the surgeon should have given you detailed instructions on how to care for your new grafts.  I would get in touch with them if you have any questions.  In my practice we instruct the patient to spray their grafts with a nutrient solution the evening of their procedure. This continues for up to a week after the surgery.  On the day after the procedure they begin to gently wash and rinse the area by pouring a soapy solution over the grafts.  This helps to remove any scabs that form.  Thus the grafts are kept moist for a large part of the time while they heal.  After two weeks the patient can care for their scalp as they wish, washing it and using products as they desire.

Washing your hair after a hair transplantation is an important to survival.  We usually have our patients start spraying hair with lactated ringers with liposomal ATP as well as other growth factors twice a day to help your hair process start ASAP.  Actual hair washing usually takes place several days after the procedure.  There are several advantages to this approach:
Healing improved
Decreased inflammation and redness
Improved blood supply and uptake 

Thank you for your question.  You should approach your doctor with this question, but we tell patients to wash their hair the day after the procedure to remove scabs and dried blood. Doing this will allow for quicker healing, less inflammation (redness), and a reduced chance of infection. Washing will also shorten the time post-op where the procedure might be detectable. Patients are urged to start gently washing the recipient area the day after the surgery. When showering, patients can clean the transplanted area with a sulfate free shampoo, gentle on grafts. The grafts are made to fit snugly into the recipient sites and will not be dislodged in the shower, as long as the patient washes gently.

I recommend patients wash twice a day after FUE procedures for 2 weeks.  I wouldnt recommend not washing for 7 days post op however its best to discuss with your surgeon.

The after care of an ARTAS hair transplant is the same as any other hair transplant. It is important to keep area clean and free from crusting. Crusting can compromise the growth of the hair transplant.This
crust results from babying the recipient area too much after a hair transplant.
We recommend shampooing at least once per day and even twice per day if there
is oozing. This is done in a gentle manner lathering the donor area and
applying the suds gently to the transplanted area. Always use a gentle up and
down motion but no rubbing or side motion as this can dislodge the grafts. . Please check with your Doctor. Hope this helps.