Its been one week since I had the HT and was wondering when I can start being more aggressive in my washing technique. I still use the cup of water and use very little hand pressure on my grafts. Im scared to even touch them little guys. There still red, and havent seen any change since day one.

I'm 5 days post op bud and i'm still very red and tender myself, but it is getting better.

My doctor told me to only mist my grafts with saline solution for the first 7 days but shampoo/wash the suture area starting at day 2. The misting seems to keep my head nice and moist which helps with the scabs and i guess promotes healing. With saline solution being sterile, it also keeps it very clean. On which day did you start pouring water over your grafts with the cup?

I think after 7 or 8 days, the grafts are in there pretty darn good so you can start being more aggresive. Someone on here also recommended using a q-tip after showering, and going around the graft gently to help break apart the scabs. I'm thinking of trying this myself in a few days.

Falc stated it pretty good in his article here:

http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/news/article.asp?CopyID=387

Aggressive? It depends I guess.

I got my hair pretty clean by gently rubbing the JnJ baby shampoo from day 5 - 12. Dr. Cooley said I could scrub it good around day 10 I think, but I didn't really see the need as I can clean my hair without aggressive scrubbing.

I was lucky, I suppose, as I haven't had any itching at all up there.

My doctor told me to wash with the cup starting 2nd day post op. Basically I mixed the graft shampoo in the cup and then poured. That spray stuff is great by I used it all already.

after a week you can gently massage the shampoo with your fingertips,they aint going nowhere mate.

hounddog,

I think the below article may interest you. Keep in mind that it is important to follow the postoperative instructions of your own physician however, this is what worked for me:

How Should I Wash My Hair After a Hair Transplant?

Keep in mind that every hair transplant clinic has their own hair restoration postoperative instructions and they vary. Therefore it is always best to get detailed postoperative hair washing instructions directly from the hair transplant surgeon.
That being said, I thought I’d share my personal experience with hair washing after hair transplant surgery that worked well for me.

Day 0: (day of hair restoration surgery): Just relax. Do not wash your hair at all.

Day 1: If at all possible, visit your hair restoration clinic for a postoperative hair wash. If not, fill a cup with water mixed with shampoo and pour it gently over your head several times. Gently massage the shampoo into the donor area, cleaning the area around the scar.

Day 2 and 3: Fill a cup with water mixed with shampoo and pour it gently over your head several times. Gently massage the shampoo into the donor area, cleaning the area around the scar. Wash donor area normally working around the scar with care to work off any dried blood. Apply as much pressure as needed however, avoid using so much pressure that it causes pain.

Day 4: Assuming that your shower pressure is reasonable and not too harsh - let the water from the shower head hit your head normally. Massage shampoo in your hands until it lathers. Gently touch the grafts with the shampoo in the palm of your hands and gently touch with your finger tips. Avoid any massaging of the transplanted hair at this point. Continue washing donor area normally from this point on paying extra attention around the scar as to work off any dried blood and keep the area clean.

Day 5: Repeat the instructions from day 4 however, add very gentle back and forth motions with your finger tips through the transplanted hair. Avoid using your nails at all costs.

Day 6: Resume normal hair washing but be extra gentle with the hair grafts.

Day 7+: Begin showering twice a day normally however, use a little extra care of the follicuar unit grafts. Spend 10 extra minutes in the shower both in the morning and evening massaging with shampoo the hair grafts in a circular motion with your fingertips in order to start working off the scabs. Avoid using your fingernails at all costs. Do not apply a lot of pressure. The trick is to apply a constant circular motion to gradually work off the scabs rather than simply picking them off. Picking the scabs should be avoided at all costs. Whatever scabs don’t come off in the shower will come off after subsequent showers and circular massaging. Additionally, when you come out of the shower and after looking in the mirror see some loose scabs, feel free to perform additional soft circular massaging over the scabs in front of the mirror to work off loose scabs. Scabs still tightly secured to the scalp should not be worked too much. These scabs will come off after subsequent showers in the coming days. Patience is important and don’t force anything off.

I have found that by using the above method, scabs typically come off between 8-12 days.

Best wishes,

Falc