Micrografting Surgery – Part 3: What To Expect After The Operation

Once all the grafts have been planted and the procedure is finished, your surgeon will carefully clean your scalp so the grafts are hardly noticeable. Most patients do not need to wear bandages when they leave the doctor's office. In fact, most patients who undergo this type of surgery go back to work only a day or two after the procedure.

After the surgery is completed, you will be transferred to a recovery room where you can rest and have a light meal. After you have finished eating, your doctor will give you medication that will help lessen the pain as well as the swelling once the anesthesia wears off. More photos of your scalp will also be taken at this time.

This is also the time for you to call someone to pick you up. Most, if not all doctors, will not let their patients drive themselves home after the surgery. Therefore, it is important to plan ahead for a designated driver to pick you up.

You will be asked several questions and the doctor will give you a final check-up before leaving the hospital. Your doctor will also give you certain instructions to follow and how to take care of your grafts to ensure a quick recovery. Among them are listed below:

1. Your doctor may advice you to take prescription medication as soon as you arrive home to reduce any aches or pain in the donor area and to help you relax. Most patients only feel a slight discomfort and decide not to take any medication, while some patients may take a light dose of ibuprofen.

2. Your doctor will also advise you to avoid too much sun exposure and strenuous activity, which could do damage to your new implanted grafts.

3. During the healing process, which takes about 7 to 10 days, you will be given specific instructions on how to clean your scalp. This includes gently washing your scalp the day after surgery with a mild shampoo to keep it clean and get rid of bits of blood crusts.

You will also be instructed to apply an antibiotic ointment on your grafts everyday to prevent infections and to keep them moist. In addition to antibiotic ointment, you may also be prescribed antibiotic capsules to avoid any complications. Call your doctor's office immediately if any problem occurs, such as redness, bleeding, bumps, or swelling.

Your doctor will schedule you to come back after several days to remove the sutures from the donor site. This is a painless process and takes about 3 minutes. Your doctor will take more pictures and check your scalp to make sure that everything is going smoothly.

The grafts will start to establish connections to the blood supply right after the surgery. When the new blood supply is completely developed, new hairs will grow permanently, a process that takes about 4 months. Similar to the other hairs on your head, your new hairs will grow approximately inch per month. You will notice dramatic results in the density of your hair after about 4 months.

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