Question:
I am 28 years old and will be undergoing a hair transplantation surgery in about three weeks. I notice on some of the hair blogs that people experience swelling around day three after the transplant. Is there anything that I can do to prevent this? If not, how bad is the swelling? Would wearing a ball cap be enough to cover it up and would this damage the grafts?

Answer:
Following a hair transplantation procedure, there is the possibility of some post-operative swelling in the forehead area. This generally occurs two to four days following the procedure.

I recommend that patients sleep in a slightly inclined position for at least three or four nights following the procedure and do some intermittent icing of the forehead area in the first 24 to 48 hours following the surgery. Some patients, however, even when following this protocol do end up having a little bit of post-operative swelling in the forehead area.

Patients can wear baseball caps starting on the second day of the procedure. This generally does not harm the grafts as long as the patient follows the proper instructions on how to put on and remove the baseball cap.

Posted by: Dr. Charles