Function

• A hair transplant is a literal transplant. The surgeon takes hair and the associated hair follicles from a location where the hair is growing reliably and abundantly. Then, the hair and hair follicles are implanted using a series of small incisions in the area where hair loss has occurred. As you can imagine, this can make the days after the hair transplant surgery a bit painful, since your head will be covered with tiny little cuts.
  
  

Features

• The day after your hair transplant, you will probably want to wear a hat and you may even need some pain medication. Your head will be tender and it may be slightly swollen, which can lead to a throbbing feeling. There will also be a great deal of washing going on, as your scalp must be washed up to every four hours according to some surgeons. Obviously, this washing should be very gentle and not your usual scalp scrub in the shower.
  
  

Time Frame

• Some lucky people experience little swelling or scabbing.
  
  The night before, immediately following the hair transplant surgery, you should have slept with your head elevated on several pillows. When you awake, you will probably feel pain, tightness and numbness in your head. A great deal of your day will be spent carefully washing your scalp with special shampoos and being very gentle so as no to dislodge the grafts. Some people actually go outside or may return to work for part of the day, but this can be embarrassing and difficult due to the pain and also to the fact that your transplant will be very obvious.
  
  

Considerations

• When you are planning a hair transplant, it is best if you do not plan to do anything the day after the surgery. You may even want to have someone in the house to help you move around in case the pain medication makes you nauseous. Also, if you have the care of young children, you will likely need assistance the first day after your hair transplant as you will probably be in some pretty serious pain at least part of the time and it will be imperative that you are able to follow your scalp washing timeline to the letter.
  
  

Benefits

• Probably the best thing about the day after your hair transplant surgery will be when it is over. However, the entire day you can rest easy in the knowledge that the unpleasant side effects of the surgery are extremely short lived. Two days after your surgery you will feel significantly better than you did the first day, and by the third day the pain and swelling should be nearly gone. So as you get through the first day, remind yourself that it is extremely temporary and you will be enjoying the results for the rest of your life.
  
  

Warning

• While following your doctor's orders throughout the hair transplant process is vitally important, the day after your hair transplant is definitely the most sensitive time for your new hair follicles. Failing to do everything just as you have been instructed can lead to infection and even death of the hair follicles. Be extremely meticulous in your actions the day after hair transplant surgery in order to get the best results.