What You Should Know Before and After a Toronto FUE Hair Transplant

March 25, 2019 by in Patient Resources

What You Should Know Before and After a Toronto FUE Hair Transplant

Toronto FUE Hair Transplant

Pre-Surgery

  • Make sure you eat a substantial breakfast before your Toronto FUE hair transplant. You will be given medications throughout the day that will be hard on an empty stomach and may cause nausea. A full stomach will help minimize that possibility.
  • Wear a button-down shirt or something easily removable. You will need to put on a surgical gown for the procedure, and it is not recommended to pull a T-shirt over the transplant area in the chance that you may dislodge the grafts.
  • Medication will be given. This includes a painkiller, antibiotic, and sedative.
  • Ensure that you have read your consent forms. Afterwards they will need to be signed and sent to the clinic well in advance of your scheduled procedure date.
  • Please review and follow the recommendations for foods and herbal supplements that should be avoided prior to surgery, as they contain blood-thinning qualities and can complicate the surgery. It is best to stop taking them a minimum of 1 to 2 weeks before. These include aspirin, ibuprofen, all herbal medications (such as fish oil, etc.), green tea, ginseng and ginkgo-biloba, supplement diet pills, and curcumin.
  • Pre-operative photos will be taken for your chart.
  • Please consider what hairstyle you will wear for your procedure. The donor site will need to be shaved down to skin level. A short haircut will allow others to see that you have had surgery vs. a long haircut, which will enable us to comb your hair over the donor site and provide some camouflage.
  • Please feel free to ask as many questions as you like. We want you to be well informed.
  • Smoking is strongly prohibited, as it will delay your wound healing time.
  • Please ensure that you have received and filled your prescription prior to the day of your procedure. You should receive the prescription on the day of your pre-op consent signing. If you have not received it, please contact our office so you can have it ready in advance.
  • Please inform our office if you experience any symptoms of a communicable disease or a respiratory infection in the days leading up to your procedure. Cough, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea are all symptoms worth reporting.

Bring to the procedure on the day of the FUE hair transplant

  • You may listen to the music that we have playing OR if you choose to bring your own music, you can listen on your earbuds. Only earbuds are allowed (not headphones, as headphones interfere with the work being done).
  • Bring your prescribed pain killer with you to the clinic, as you will take your first personal dose at the end of the night when you are discharged into the care of your ride and you leave for home.

During the procedure

  • We will break for lunch if your procedure is scheduled for the entire day (lunch is provided). Please bring snacks for throughout the day, as it may be a long day and you will get hungry.
  • Friends and family are not allowed in the surgery room when the procedure is being done, but they can check in with the administrators on your progress. A responsible adult contact must be accessible for you for the duration of your stay at our facility.
  • After hours, no friends or family will be allowed in the clinic. There are many restaurants and coffee shops nearby where they can wait until the procedure is finished. We will contact them to let them know when you are ready for pickup, and we will escort you downstairs to your ride.

After your FUE hair transplant

  • You will still be medicated after the procedure, so it is mandatory for you to have a family member or a friend to provide you with a ride to and from the clinic. (Out-of-province and out-of-country patients can speak to us about alternatives).

Post-Surgery

Ahead of time, you may want to purchase the following to help with the recovery process:

  • A soft sponge and baby shampoo – to help care for the transplant site for the 10 days post-op
  • Polysporin – to apply to the donor area for the first few days post-op
  • A neck pillow – to help you sleep upright and reduce swelling and rubbing of the grafts

Immediately following the procedure:

  • You will have a bandage on the donor area that you must keep on overnight. We will also provide you with a sterile cloth that can be placed on your pillow overnight so that blood from the donor area does not get transferred to your pillows.
  • A neck pillow may also help with sleeping for the first few nights. Be sure to sleep with 2 to 3 pillows behind your head so that you can sleep upright. That will reduce swelling. It will also decrease the chances of rolling around and disturbing the transplanted grafts.
  • If needed, you can take some of your prescribed pain medications to help you sleep for the first 48 hours.
  • Alcoholic beverages and smoking are to be avoided immediately following your procedure and during your recovery process. Alcohol is a blood thinner, and nicotine is a vascular restrictor. So any complications with the blood supply will harm the recovery process.

Things to avoid for the first week following the procedure:

  • Avoid working out or doing intense activities for the first 7 to 10 days. Regular work activities can be resumed within the first 24 to 48 hours.
  • Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun. A sunburn in the transplant area will kill the grafts. If you plan on being in the sun, we recommend that you wear a loose-fitting hat that does not rub against the transplanted grafts.
  • Avoid any swimming for the first 2 weeks following your procedure. This will help prevent infection and ensure proper healing.
  • For the first 10 days, do not rub the transplant area for any reason. If you do rub or scratch the transplanted grafts and see blood, chances are that you may have dislodged some grafts.

Prescription medication instructions following the procedure:

  • Dr. Torgerson has provided you with a prescription that you will need to get filled at your earliest convenience. This prescription will include pain medication. Please do not take or use ibuprofen (Advil/Motrin) or aspirin for 48 hours after surgery.
  • You will start taking your prescribed medications the morning following your procedure, as directed. You can take all prescribed pills in their prescribed dosage at the same time. It is recommended to take medications with a meal so that they do not upset your stomach.
  • Follow all the instructions for your medications that have been prescribed. It is important that you take all these medications, as they will help with healing and minimize discomfort.
  • Percocet (painkiller): 1 to 2 tablets every 4 hours (ONLY IF NEEDED)
  • Suprax or Biaxin (antibiotic): as directed once per day (UNTIL FINISHED)
  • Prednisone (helps reduce swelling and inflammation): as directed, once per day (UNTIL FINISHED)
  • Loprox lotion – You will start to use this lotion on the donor area 48 hours after the procedure and on the transplanted area 10 days afterwards. Apply as needed twice per day on the donor and/or recipient area. This will reduce redness and help prevent ingrown hairs.

The first 48 hours:

  • The bandage that is on your donor area can be removed the next morning, and the dried blood can be gently wiped from the donor area (take caution not to disturb the area that was transplanted).
  • Polysporin can be applied to your donor area after you have removed the bandage. Apply daily for the first 48 hours or until all the donor sites are closed over and have started to heal. Apply the Loprox lotion to the donor area afterwards to reduce redness and irritation.
  • In occasional instances, minor bleeding may occur from the donor or transplant site. To control this, you can apply gentle but FIRM pressure on the area with a dampened cloth or sponge. PRESS ONLY, DO NOT RUB.
  • DO NOT WASH YOUR HAIR OR TOUCH THE TRANSPLANT SITE FOR THE FIRST 48 HOURS.

The first week:

  • You may start to see swelling around Day 3. The swelling will last only a few days and can be reduced with the medications that you have been given. Icing will help as long as you do not place the ice pack directly on the transplant site. If you received a frontal hairline restoration, it is recommended that you sleep slightly elevated to minimize swelling in the forehead and around the eyes.
  • Scabbing will form and solidify over the transplanted follicles within the first few hours after the procedure. DO NOT PICK OR SCRATCH at these scabs! They will naturally fall off within 7 to 10 days. Do not be alarmed when the scabs have short hairs in them when they fall off, this is to be expected. You will likely lose most of the transplanted hairs around the 2nd to 3rd week. This is normal and expected, but the follicle itself has been planted and will grow new hair by the third month or so.
  • You can wash your face normally after 10 days. Be careful around the transplant site for the first week.
  • You can wash off all remaining scabs after 10 days.
  • If there is any unexpected admission to the hospital within 10 days of your procedure at our facility, please make sure that you or a friend/family member notifies us as soon as possible.

Washing instructions:

You can start to use baby shampoo 48 hours after your FUE hair transplant. You can pour the shampoo into a cup of water and stir until you get a lather.

Follow the instructions below to wash your head for the first 10 days:

  1. Angle your shower head from the neck down, so that you don’t have any chance of direct pressure from your shower head to the transplant site.
  2. Use a large plastic cup or bowl filled with lukewarm water to wet your hair. Rinse from the back of your head forward to be sure that no unnecessary pressure is put on the transplant site.
  3. Apply the shampoo lather. Do not touch the transplant area with your fingers.
  4. Rinse hair with the same plastic cup or bowl.

After 4 days:

  • You may use a soft sponge to wash the transplant area. Apply baby shampoo to the sponge and use soft pressure on the grafted areas. NEVER RUB THE TRANSPLANT AREA!
  • You may also rinse using the sponge by squeezing water over the transplant area until it is rinsed off.
  • When drying your hair, DO NOT RUB DRY, be cautious and PAT DRY. Avoid blow dryers and styling products for the first 10 days.

 

  • You may use a soft sponge to wash the transplant area. Apply baby shampoo to the sponge and use soft pressure on the grafted areas. NEVER RUB THE TRANSPLANT AREA!
  • You may also rinse using the sponge by squeezing water over the transplant area until it is rinsed off.
  • When drying your hair, DO NOT RUB DRY, be cautious and PAT DRY. Avoid blow dryers and styling products for the first 10 days.
Dr. Cory Torgerson (MD, PhD, FRCSC)

Dr. Cory Torgerson is a Canadian-trained Head and Neck Surgeon with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. With his focus solely being the Head and Neck, Dr. Torgerson is a leading authority in Canada. With several years of experience, a robust reputation, and a diverse clientele base, Dr. Torgerson is well-versed in what viable options are available to his clients and what strategies could be employed for Hair Transplant and Hair Restoration.

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Dr. Cory Torgerson (MD, PhD, FRCSC)
Dr. Cory Torgerson is a Canadian-trained Head and Neck Surgeon with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. With his focus solely being the Head and Neck, Dr. Torgerson is a leading authority in Canada. With several years of experience, a robust reputation, and a diverse clientele base, Dr. Torgerson is well-versed in what viable options are available to his clients and what strategies could be employed for Hair Transplant and Hair Restoration.
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