What Will My Head Look Like 1 Week After Surgery?

February 8, 2021

Many people want to know what they’ll look like 1 week after surgery. We get this question all the time. And many related ones as well. “Will I be looking good enough to go out without a hat on?” “Will my head look relatively normal?” “Does it take longer than 1 week after surgery for my incisions to heal?”

The answer to all of these questions and more is tough to say. After all, every patient is different. Some hair transplant patients will heal faster than others. Some may take longer, especially if they have more area to cover. However, we’re happy to talk about what you can usually expect 1 week after surgery. That way, you’ll be prepared and know exactly what you should expect, for better or for worse.

Will I Heal Quickly and Will I Look Weird Before I Do?

First of all, the formation of scabs is completely normal. It’s a normal part of the healing process. So don’t worry about that. However, it won’t be the most attractive look you’ve ever sported. It may look offputting. In fact, it most likely will. After all, you just had your head poked and prodded repeatedly. So let’s be real. It may look a bit weird. But remember, it’s only temporary.

It Can Take Some Time Before You See The Best Hair Transplant Results, But Don’t Worry!

Frequently, it can take upwards of two weeks for your new grafts to take root. Yes, just like a potted plant, it can take some time for your hairs to get over the shock of the transplant process and resituate into their new “pot”. Additionally, like transplanting a plant, some of your grafts may be damaged in the process. This is completely normal as well.

In fact, you may see some grafts that didn’t fully take root. This is standard but you must be careful not to disturb the healthy grafts as they are in the process of taking root. Again, this will take a bit of time. But trust us, it’s worth the wait. Just make sure not to pick at your scalp or incisions during this time. If you do, you can damage your grafts and cause additional bleeding to occur.

Think of it as a pinprick. Maybe you poked your finger on a sewing needling and drew blood. Depending on how hard you got yourself, it may leave a mark and it may bleed. It may even scab over and take some time to fall off. So it is the same with hair transplant incisions. However, remember that these are small slits and not pricks.

Therefore, you can expect a longer healing time than a simple prick. Either way though, unless you have a medical condition, you will heal up just fine and you won’t be able to see any scabbing within a short amount of time.

FUE Hair Transplant 1 Week After Surgery

Below are images of a patient’s head 1 week after surgery. He received an FUE hair transplant. While it may not look pretty, that’s to be expected. After all, the patient had a large number of incisions created in his scalp. Depending on the number of grafts and how severe your hair loss is, there will be more holes to fill. And with more holes comes more bleeding. That is what you see below.

As you can see, this patient had a large area that needed to be filled in. As a result, he required a large number of incisions in the scalp. While you can see that most of the holes are healing nicely, you’ll also notice some spotting and scabbing. This is completely normal. Even the larger scabs are normal for many patients. You can also see that 1 week after surgery, this patient has a number of smaller scabs from all the transplant incisions. Again this is completely normal. In a couple more weeks, if not sooner, you will see that these, like any small wound, will heal up nicely.

Additionally, 1 week after surgery, you should notice most swelling has subsided. At this point, many of your scabs may begin to come off naturally. Some may have already started to do so. Also, keep an eye on your donor area and make sure to treat that area carefully as well. It too can take some time to heal up. In the end, most patients will see noticeable results about 16 weeks post-op and transformative changes within 6-9 months.

1 Week After Surgery: How to Go About Your Daily Life Until You’ve Healed Up

So now that you’ve seen what a hair transplant may look like 1 week after surgery, you’ve probably realized it may not look too appealing at first. Again, the results above are completely normal and will heal in time. However, it’s not like most people are going to walk around with their hair looking like this. After all, patients who choose to get hair transplants are usually self-conscious about their hair…. or lack thereof. If they weren’t they probably wouldn’t be here at Best Hair Transplant trying to restore their lost hair.

Until they completely heal up, many patients choose to wear hats for this period of time. However, you should not wear tight-fitting caps or beanies until at least the initial two weeks have passed. Additionally, don’t do anything that might cause unnecessary sweating or friction. Again, the grafts take about 14 days to fully take root so you don’t want to do anything to aggravate them during the healing process. This also includes exercising, showering vigorously, and grooming or touching the scalp. It’s best to just let it be. It may be tough but that’s the best course of action and you’ll be glad you were patient.

While your head will look much better in a matter of weeks, you’ll still have an uneven or strange-looking “hair cut” for some time. To combat this issue, patients will thicker hair may choose alternative grooming methods. They may simply opt for a new hairstyle to cover the scars. Other patients choose to shave their heads after healing has occurred. That way, their hair will grow in a more uniform fashion and won’t look out of place or uneven while the new grafts begin to take root and regrow your missing hair.

To Tell or Not to Tell?

Some patients looking to avoid the topic may choose to save up vacation time and simply take a few weeks off to heal up. Coupled with other tactics, this can be a great way to come back looking completely normal and avoid awkward question-and-answer sessions.

Finally, some patients just choose to be honest with their friends, family, and loved ones. After all, they’re going to notice your new hair at some point, and that’s not just something that happens out of nowhere. Even if you successfully hide it for six months to a year, at some point, people are going to notice the drastic change in your look. It’s like losing 100lbs and thinking people won’t notice the change.

At Best Hair Transplant, we support whatever choice you choose to make. After all, it’s your life and your body. However, we feel that being honest is usually better in the end. As long as you surround yourself with supportive people, they’ll be excited for you. Additionally, it’s a lot easier to just let it all hang out and not have to obsess about hiding your transplant for an extended period of time. Then all you have to do is sit back, relax, and know that you’ll be looking like a million bucks within no time!

THE BEST HAIR TRANSPLANTS IN LA

Best Hair Transplant is the best place to schedule your hair transplant in Los Angeles. But don’t take our word for it. We suggest learning as much as possible about hair restoration. Do so prior to making a decision on how to address your hair loss. Not every procedure is right for everyone.

At Best Hair Transplant in Redondo Beach, we pride ourselves on helping our patients choose the best procedure for them. Do your homework. Research your hair restoration doctor. After all, not all doctors are equal. For your benefit, ask to see “Before & After” photos.

At Best Hair Transplant, we’re proud of our results and happy to provide hair restoration services. Additionally, we’re proud to make hair transplants affordable and help you save money on a variety of hair transplants.

To ensure your ease of mind, you can view our customer recommendations on our Testimonials page. Furthermore, you can also see our Google reviews and Yelp reviews. We can’t wait to help you start restoring your lost hair.