Recovery After Hair Transplant Surgery: Is It Okay to Bend Your Head Down? (Precautions by Recovery Stage)

After undergoing a hair transplant, many patients wonder, "When is it okay to bend my head down?"

The recovery processes for FUT and FUE differ somewhat, but one important thing in common is minimizing stretching of the scalp in the occipital area.

1. Differences Between FUT and FUE

FUT

This method removes follicular units by excising a strip of skin from the back of the head.

Therefore, care should be taken to prevent the incision scar from widening, and it is important to avoid movements that strongly pull on the occipital scalp.

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FUE

This method extracts follicular units one by one, so it places less tension on the occipital scalp than FUT.

However, caution is still needed until the tiny wounds at the extraction site have fully healed.

2. Bending the Head Down and Stretching the Occipital Scalp

After surgery, many patients worry that bending their head down will affect the transplanted area.

But the important thing is the tension on the occipital scalp.

What happens if the occipital scalp is pulled too much?

• FUT: There is a risk that the scar may widen.

• FUE: There is no major issue, but it is still better to be careful for the recovery of the occipital extraction site.

Is it okay to bend over to wash your hair?

• If the occipital scalp is not directly stretched, it is not a problem.

• In other words, rather than the act of bending over to wash your hair itself, the important thing is to be careful not to stretch the occipital scalp.

3. Activity Guide by Recovery Stage

1 week after surgery

• Avoid strenuous movements (exercise, bending the head down, lifting heavy objects, etc.)

• Protect the transplanted area (minimize external impact and friction)

• Careful management is needed to prevent inflammation

After 1 to 2 weeks

• Light daily activities are possible

• Movements that strongly pull the occipital scalp still require caution

After 2 to 3 weeks

• This is the period when the follicles begin to settle in place

• Light exercise is possible, but vigorous movements should be avoided

After 1 month

• Recovery of the occipital scalp is almost complete

• Normal bending of the head becomes possible

In the case of FUT, care should be taken so that the occipital scar does not stretch, and FUE is relatively more flexible, but caution is still needed during the early recovery period.

However, the act of bending over to wash your hair does not directly cause stretching of the occipital scalp, so it is generally not a major problem.

The key is to minimize tension on the occipital scalp.

Rather than worrying about bending your head down, it is more important to make sure the occipital scar does not stretch.

Because each patient’s condition is different, if any problems arise, consultation with a specialist is necessary.

It is time for hairhair, Kim Jin-oh.

필생신모(必生新毛).

[This post is written directly by a board-certified plastic surgeon to provide information in accordance with Article 56, Paragraph 1 of the Medical Service Act. Hair loss surgery and treatment may have side effects, so please make a careful decision through consultation with a specialist.]