How long should one wait after a large hair transplant (6000 grafts) to play soccer?

Thanks for the question. After 2 month your scalp is totally healed and yes you can play soccer and also do other sport activities. I wish you all the best.

6000 graft surgery is a very big surgery.  It's actually not a typical surgery by most standards.  You need to check with your doctor.  Each doctor has their own post operative care regimen. 

We tell our patients for the first 5-7 days to avoid anything that would disrupt the grafts. Things like bumping, scratching, rubbing the grafts should be avoided.  After one week, those grafts should be well seated but we suggest using your own discretion.  I actually encourage some activity in the first few days, and I tell people 50 pct of your intensity with exercise in 49 hrs.  Perhaps I am somewhat liberal there, as a former professional athlete, but having had a hair transplant myself and doing several thousand of the procedures myself, I believe it is reasonable advice. So on that third day, I suggest you go for the upside down bicycle kick instead of the "header".  Just don't land on your noggin.Dr John Frank, MDNew York City 

If you had 6000 grafts you likely had the strip procedure and a large one at that.  You should wait until the sutures and/or staples are removed.  Don't risk breaking the incision open by doing strenious activity too soon.

Be sure to check with your hair transplant physician as he or she may have specific advice. In general, waiting 2 weeks is advised for FUE and 3 weeks for strip. 

I would hold off hitting a ball with your head for 1 week after all of the crusts are off of the recipient area. 

it takes about two weeks to heal, you can return to light work out after two weeks and heavy work out after one month.

6000 grafts, if taken by strip harvesting, creates a  long and often tight sutured wound donor closure that goes across almost all the fringe. Soccer is a sport that utilzes the head  to strike the ball and, in addition,  trauma to the head is possible from collisions with other players or the ground. I would recommend avoiding participation in  playing competitive  soccer for a year. However, the advice of your surgeon should be the final ruling on this matter. You would be foolish to play soccer after a $20,000-$30,000 investment in your apoearance.