When can I go back to work?

Desk work, typically within days. Physical work waits until the grafts are secure — usually around two weeks.

Nothing that raises a sweat for the first ten days to two weeks, then a gradual return. Swimming waits a little longer.

Will people be able to tell?

For the first week, yes, up close — small scabs are visible. A loose hat is fine after the first few days, and most patients time the procedure around a quiet fortnight.

When can I go back to work?

Desk work, typically within days. Physical work waits until the grafts are secure — usually around two weeks.

Nothing that raises a sweat for the first ten days to two weeks, then a gradual return. Swimming waits a little longer.

Will people be able to tell?

For the first week, yes, up close — small scabs are visible. A loose hat is fine after the first few days, and most patients time the procedure around a quiet fortnight.

Hair Transplantation

Recovery, month by month

The honest timeline — including the shedding phase that patients find hardest.

Days 1–3

Swelling, tenderness and small scabs around each graft. Sleep slightly upright, follow the washing instructions exactly, and let the scabs be — they protect the grafts.

Days 4–10

The scabs lift away on their own. Most patients return to desk work within days. No gym, no swimming, nothing that raises a sweat into the grafts.

Weeks 2–8

The shedding phase: the transplanted hairs fall out. This is normal, expected, and the part patients find hardest — the follicles remain, alive, beneath the skin. It looks like nothing happened. It is supposed to.

Months 3–4

New growth begins — fine and soft at first, like new hair always is.

Months 6–9

Noticeable density. The hair thickens, darkens, and starts behaving like hair.

Months 12–18

The final result. Growth continues to mature past the first year.

Reviews

Your recovery is reviewed in person at day 3, week 2, month 3, month 6 and month 12. (Schedule to be confirmed by the practice.) Between reviews, you can reach the practice directly — questions during recovery are normal and expected.

When to call us, same-day

Increasing pain rather than settling pain; spreading redness, warmth or swelling; any discharge or fever; bleeding that doesn't stop with gentle pressure; or anything that simply feels wrong to you. Call the practice — do not wait for a scheduled review.

Questions

Start with a hair assessment

Diagnosis first. Then the right treatment — which is not always a transplant.

Recovery, month by month

When to call us, same-day

When can I go back to work?

When can I exercise?

Will people be able to tell?

Start with a hair assessment