Pick any activity and see if it is allowed now, allowed from a set day, or something to ask us first. Add your surgery date to see exact dates.
Most activities come back step by step: a loose cap from day 4, light exercise from day 10, all sports from day 21, sauna and haircuts from month 1.
The eight questions patients ask us most.
Yes, a wide, loose cap from day 4. A tight cap or beanie is fine after your final wash, and a helmet from day 10.
See the cardSleep semi-upright at 45° with two pillows and the neck pillow for the first 3 nights. From day 3 you can sleep on your back and sides.
See the cardLight exercise such as walking is fine from day 10. The gym, weights and contact sports are fine from day 21.
See the cardA haircut with scissors or a clipper is fine from month 1, including a fade on the donor area.
See the cardFrom month 1, including steam rooms and the ozone pool.
See the cardIn the sea from day 10. Wait until month 6 for a chlorinated pool.
See the cardHerbal dye is fine from month 3. Ask us before any chemical dye.
See the cardDo not touch or scratch the grafts, bend forward or lift heavy things in the first days. Avoid alcohol for 5 days and smoking for 10 days.
See the cardTap any activity to see if it is allowed now, from which day, or if you should ask us first.
A wide, loose cap that does not press on the grafts. Put it on and take it off carefully.
After your final wash.
After your final wash.
After your final wash.
Avoid it in the first days; it increases swelling. Bend at the knees instead.
Heavy lifting waits until all sports are allowed.
Ask us when it is fine for you; avoid heavy sweating and pressure on the head in the first days.
Never on surgery day. Ask us when you can drive again.
The band can press on the grafts. Earbuds are fine.
Earbuds do not touch the scalp.
Put them on and take them off without touching the hairline.
Wear button-up tops until your final wash, so nothing rubs the grafts.
Hold it at eye level in the first days to limit swelling.
Your first wash is done with the team. Then use lukewarm water, make the foam in your palms, pat it on and rinse with a cup or low shower pressure.
Until your final wash, follow the routine the team shows you. After the final wash, wash normally.
Lukewarm only, never hot. Test it on your wrist first.
Pour water with a cup or use low shower pressure on the transplanted area until your final wash.
Shower your body from the first evening. Keep water off your head until your first wash.
After month 1, at a salon basin without strong pressure or scrubbing on the transplanted area.
Scissors are fine from month 1.
Clippers are fine from month 1.
A clipper fade is fine from month 1. Wait until month 6 for a razor shave or skin fade.
Tell your barber about your transplant and ask for no hot towels or strong massage on the area.
Do not touch, scratch or pick the grafts. If it itches, use your spray and press gently with a fingertip.
Do not pick them. The scabs come off at your final wash on day 9 or 10, at the clinic or by video.
Use the spray as the team showed you, until the bottle is finished.
Use it on the donor area if it feels dry or tight.
Ask us before massaging the transplanted area.
Keep your spray routine on the plane, wear only a wide, loose cap and carry your kit in your hand luggage.
Keep them in their original boxes. Declare liquids over 100 ml and ask us for a clinic letter.
Most desk work is fine once the swelling is down. Ask us for your date.
Heavy work and sweating wait until all sports are allowed.
The same rules as flying home. Keep your daily photos going.
Rinse your scalp with clean water afterwards.
Chlorine dries the new hair; the sea is fine earlier.
Including steam rooms.
From month 1.
Short time outside is fine; wear a loose hat for longer.
Beach and long hours in the sun from week 3. Use a hat at first.
Sea is fine from day 10; long hours in strong sun wait until week 3.
Wear a hat for the first months and avoid sunburn on the scalp.
Before day 10, cover your head with a loose hood or umbrella.
Sweat is fine from day 10. Before that, stay in the shade and rinse gently at your next wash.
Including heavy weights.
Start light from day 10. Full training from day 21.
Including contact sports.
Walking and light cardio. Avoid heavy sweating at first.
Pressure and long time under water: ask us before you dive.
Sea water is fine from day 10, but falls and boards can hit the head. Ask us first.
Wear a loose hat in the cold. Ski helmets are fine from day 10.
Let your hair dry naturally at first. Ask us before using a dryer.
Ask us before using heat tools on the new hair.
Use the shampoo in your kit first. Ask us before switching back to your usual one.
Some contain strong ingredients. Ask us before using one.
Gel, wax and spray are fine from month 3.
Ask us before using dry shampoo on the transplanted area.
Ask us before putting oils on the transplanted area.
Ask us before using rosemary oil, like any other oil.
Use the serum in your kit after the final wash. Ask us before adding another one.
Ask us before any chemical hair dye.
Herbal dyes only at first, from month 3.
Ask us before using them on the transplanted area.
Ask us before using any spray-on concealer.
Ask us before wearing anything glued or clipped over the grafts.
Ask your doctor about supporting treatments.
Ask your doctor if it suits your plan.
Ask us before any needling on the transplanted area.
Ask us when to start and how often.
A personal decision with your doctor. Do not start or stop anything on your own.
We recommend one hair supplement during regrowth. Ask before adding others, including biotin.
Ask us before facial treatments near the hairline.
Ask us before any laser near the hairline or scalp.
Ask us before forehead injections, which sit close to the hairline.
Ask us before any SMP or tattoo on the scalp.
Tell your dentist about your surgery and the medicines in your kit, and ask us first.
Tell the staff you had a hair transplant and ask us if you are unsure.
Blood services have their own rules after surgery. Ask them and us before you donate.
Tell us before a planned vaccine in the first weeks.
We only discuss a second session after month 12 to 18, once the first result is complete.
Use your spray, do not scratch or pick. Message us if it comes with spreading redness.
Do not squeeze them. Send us a photo if they are painful, spreading or full of pus.
Patchy numbness fades by itself.
Pink skin fades slowly. Message us if it comes with heat, pain or pus.
It moves down to the forehead and eyes. Message us if it keeps increasing after day 4.
Small crusts around each graft come off at your final wash.
Transplanted hairs fall out; the follicles stay and new hair grows from month 3.
Some of your own hair can shed and usually grows back within 3 to 4 months.
Use the lotion in your kit if it feels dry or tight.
Sleep semi-upright at 45° for the first 3 nights, then on your back or side.
Your face and grafts can press on the pillow. Ask us when it is fine.
Use it for the first 3 nights to keep your head at 45°.
10 minutes every hour on your temples, never on the grafts. Stop on day 4 if the swelling is down.
The same rules apply: 45° for the first 3 nights, clean pillowcase, nothing touching the grafts.
Use a clean pillowcase from the first night and change it every few days until your final wash.
Use clean ones and keep your own towel. Pat, never rub, the transplanted area.
Keep pets off your bed and pillow until your final wash.
Do not let pets touch your head until your final wash.
Alcohol slows healing in the first days.
The longer you wait, the better the blood flow to the grafts.
Ask us about coffee and energy drinks in the first days.
Skip spicy food for the first 5 days.
Salt increases swelling. Skip it for the first 5 days.
Drink 3 litres a day for the first 5 days.
Eat normally, with enough protein. Your doctor may recommend a supplement after the first week.
If your hairline was treated, ask us how to pray comfortably in the first days.
Until your first wash, ask us how to do it without wetting the grafts.
Not on the list? Ask us on WhatsApp.
Ask on WhatsAppItching, redness, swelling, crusting and shedding are normal in the first weeks. Some signs need a message the same day.
Yes. Mild to moderate itching is common in the first 3 weeks while the skin heals and the grafts settle. The spray in your kit eases it. Do not scratch or pick at the grafts.
Usually normal if it is:
Message us the same day if:
Yes. Swelling usually starts on day 2, moves down to the forehead and around the eyes, and goes down by day 5. Sleeping semi-upright at 45° for the first 3 nights helps.
Usually normal if it is:
Message us the same day if:
Yes. The grafted area usually stays pink for weeks, sometimes for a few months, and the colour fades slowly as the skin heals.
Usually normal if it is:
Message us the same day if:
Yes. Small crusts form around each graft and come off at your final wash on day 9 or 10. Do not pick or rub them off before then.
Usually normal if it is:
Message us the same day if:
Yes. Between day 15 and day 90 most transplanted hairs fall out. The follicles stay under the skin and new hair starts to grow from month 3.
Usually normal if it is:
Yes. Small pimples can appear in months 1 to 3 where new hairs push through the skin. Do not squeeze them, and send us a photo if you are unsure.
Usually normal if it is:
Yes. Patchy numbness in the grafted and donor areas is common. It fades by itself over weeks to months.
Usually normal if it is:
Some of your own hair around the grafted area can shed in months 1 to 3. This is called shock loss, and the hair usually grows back within 3 to 4 months.
Usually normal if it is:
Message us today if…
More questions: Burning in the donor area · Bumped your head?
Dear Guest,
The service we provide is not limited to a single operation; it is a journey to open a brand-new chapter in your life. We are a team passionate about our work, paying attention to every detail with utmost care.
Our goal is not only a physical transformation, but to help you feel stronger, happier and more confident when you look in the mirror. Remember, you are not alone. We will stay in touch and be by your side every step of the way.
Thank you for trusting us with this new beginning.
With my warmest regards,
Dr. Servet Terziler Founder, Dr. Terziler Exclusive Clinic
Washing, sleeping, sun and hats on a printable page, with your care timeline from night 0 to month 6.
Medically reviewed by
Dr. Servet TerzilerAACI-accredited surgeon, inventor of the Robotic DHI machine, founder and president of TÜSATDER, ISHRS workshop alumnus (34.55 AMA PRA Category 1 credits), and the surgeon internationally referred to as the "Picasso of Hair."
Last medically reviewed:
This page is written according to current clinical practice and reviewed by licensed hair transplant surgeon Dr. Servet Terziler. Days and months follow our clinic protocol. Your doctor may adjust them to your healing.This guide is general information; the plan your doctor gives you always comes first.
Free assessment by our doctors, with a reply on WhatsApp.
