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One
to two months before the hair transplant
This is not intended as a comprehensive guide and each clinic
has its own particular preferences so check with the clinic conducting
your hair transplant to find out the all the guidelines you need
to follow.
1) Grow you hair long ready to comb over the donor and recipient
sites once the bandages come off.
2) Talk to the clinic about potential drug interactions and find
out what drugs, herbs, vitamins, and foods you should avoid or
keep to a minimum in the month before surgery.
3) Find out the time your procedure will start and the approximate
time it will end. The exact time the hair transplant will be
complete cannot be guaranteed. Most transplants start early
in the morning
and take a full day to complete. Make sure to avoid arranging
appointments etc around the time of the procedure. Leave some
days after the
procedure free so that you can get your bandages and sutures
removed as and when required. You might have this done at the
transplant
clinic or it may be done by your family doctor. Find out which
and make the appointments for bandage and suture removal.
4) If you do not live close to the clinic make arrangements
to travel and book a hotel room. Many clinics have special
deals
with hotels nearby and can arrange a place for you to stay.
They might
also arrange airline flights for you too. You should stay
for at least one day after the procedure so the surgeon can
follow
up
with you.
One
to two weeks before surgery
1) Stop drinking alcohol.
2) Possibly stop smoking.
3) Stop taking any drugs known to reduce blood coagulation (but
consult with your doctor and hair transplant surgeon first).
4) Do not have permanent waves, hair coloring, or hair relaxing
procedures.
4) Buy some bags of frozen peas or similar that you can apply
to your scalp as a cold compress after the hair transplant.
One
to two days prior to the hair transplantation 1) Don’t party all night - gets lots of sleep. If you take
sleeping pills check with the clinic in advance that the type of
pills you use are okay and won’t interfere with the drugs
used in the hair transplantation.
2) Wash you hair with an antiseptic / antibacterial
soap / shampoo each day for the two days prior to the hair transplant.
There
are several over the counter
products available. The hair transplant clinic should advise you of the best
one to use. Do not use Nizoral shampoo as it can interfere with some antibiotics.
You may be given antibiotics to reduce the risk of infection in the hair
transplant procedure.
3) Travel to the clinic where the transplant is to be done if
you are not living nearby.
4) Arrange for taxis or for someone to drive you to and from
the clinic before and after the operation. The drugs involved
will likely impair your
ability
to drive so you should avoid this. Make sure you can get to the clinic
on time for the start of your operation. Check the route and the time
it takes
to get
to the clinic.
On
the day of hair transplant surgery
1) Wash your hair with an antiseptic / antibacterial
soap / shampoo. It is probably worth taking a shower too!
2) Have a normal breakfast. It may be best to avoid caffeine so
you are as relaxed as possible for the procedure. If you are
a liquids only breakfast
person you should eat something.
3) Take antibiotics if they are prescribed by the clinic.
4) Wear clothes that can be removed without pulling
them over your head. Ie. wear a shirt with a button or zip front,
don’t wear a T shirt or sweater.
After the surgery you will probably (a few
clinics do not bandage the scalp) have a big bandage on your head
and you do not want to dislodge the bandaging as you remove your
clothes.
Wear
loose, comfortable
clothes as you will be in the clinic for a long time and may be asked to lie
or sit in various positions for the donor and recipient procedures.
5) Prior to the procedure, go to the lavatory – I’m
not kidding! There will be long periods when you have to lie /
sit still for removing the
donor area and for implanting the hair follicles. You can't go for a leak half
way through.
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