Post Op, hold up in hotel, what to do

Hair Transplant
1

Okay guys. I need advice on what to do after HT, hanging around in the hotel room waiting until the swelling goes down so I basically don’t scare anyone on the trip back home. I want to compare what each clinic recommends to patients to do immediately after HT. Are there differences between clinics on post op procedures or is it generally the same in the industry? What should I bring with me? What was really helpful during this time or what did you wish you had with you?

Secondly, what was your experience like and any advice on how to hide the fact that you had HT going through the airport?

My surgery date is slowly approaching (2 weeks to go) and these wacky thoughts are creeping in. Crazy nervous now, I guess I’m kind of freaking out.

2

How many days do you plan to spend in your hotel? The reason I ask is that I left the day after my procedure. I think this was a big mistake! My plan was to leave before the swelling started. While I did avoid it, I had to wear a bucket hat through the airport. This put me at risk of dislodging some of the grafts. Not to mention the fear of taking off my hat in public. Thankfully the airport security didn’t make me remove it! I would recommend staying an extra 5 to 7 days. This way the swelling will have subsided and the recepient area will also look better. Than if you have to take your hat off in the airport it won’t be as noticeable. That’s what I am going to do in the future.

3

Oh yeah and take a PSP, laptop and a few books with you to pass the time. Good luck!

4

whynot:

If you are going for FUE, your nervousness is really unwarranted. You will discover that it really is no big deal. Strip is another story, entirely. I have had both and there is a MAJOR difference.

For my first four strip procedures, I would fly to Chicago early in the morning, have the procedure and go directly to the airport for the flight home. This made for a long day, but it was worth it to me.

For my strip with Armani and my two FUE procedures in Toronto, I would fly in late on the night before the procedure. I had my procedures the following day and would leave in the morning on the following day. I highly recommend this if you are having any frontal work, because you will get swelling. I got home from the airport following one procedure and did NOT recognize myself in the mirror and just had to laugh. I could not imagine what the other passengers must have been thinking. If anyone asked (and they did), I just told them that I was in a car accident and that was the reason for the surgical cap and gauze. You see all kinds of strange people in an airport - you probably will not stand out all that much. I, of course, had to go through customs travelling to Canada. They never once asked me to remove my hat or asked about the surgical cap on the return flight. I was pleasantly surprised. The reason I opt for leaving as soon as possible is that it is WORLDS more comfortable sitting in MY living room than sitting in a hotel room on an uncomfortable bed. I guess it all depends on where you are most comfortable. When it comes down to it, who really gives a rat’s ass what people think of you in an airport - people that you will more than likely never see again.

Good luck with your procedure. Who is doing it and how many grafts are you getting?

5

» Okay guys. I need advice on what to do after HT, hanging around in the
» hotel room waiting until the swelling goes down so I basically don’t scare
» anyone on the trip back home. I want to compare what each clinic recommends
» to patients to do immediately after HT. Are there differences between
» clinics on post op procedures or is it generally the same in the industry?
» What should I bring with me? What was really helpful during this time or
» what did you wish you had with you?
»
» Secondly, what was your experience like and any advice on how to hide the
» fact that you had HT going through the airport?
»
» My surgery date is slowly approaching (2 weeks to go) and these wacky
» thoughts are creeping in. Crazy nervous now, I guess I’m kind of freaking
» out.

For me, it didn’t happen until 24-48 hours AFTER the procedure. If you are not traveling too far, I would suggest go straight home after the procedure. This way you can recoup in the comfort of your own home.

6

» » Okay guys. I need advice on what to do after HT, hanging around in the
» » hotel room waiting until the swelling goes down so I basically don’t
» scare
» » anyone on the trip back home. I want to compare what each clinic
» recommends
» » to patients to do immediately after HT. Are there differences between
» » clinics on post op procedures or is it generally the same in the
» industry?
» » What should I bring with me? What was really helpful during this time
» or
» » what did you wish you had with you?
» »
» » Secondly, what was your experience like and any advice on how to hide
» the
» » fact that you had HT going through the airport?
» »
» » My surgery date is slowly approaching (2 weeks to go) and these wacky
» » thoughts are creeping in. Crazy nervous now, I guess I’m kind of
» freaking
» » out.
»
» For me, it didn’t happen until 24-48 hours AFTER the procedure. If you are
» not traveling too far, I would suggest go straight home after the
» procedure. This way you can recoup in the comfort of your own home.

Yikes, so everyone recommends going straight home. Well I guess its too late now for me. I will be going to Brussels from New Jersey (USA)so its going to be burning a day on travel for me. This is my first time going to Europe and its to get hair. Gotta say life is freaking funny!

7

» whynot:
»
» If you are going for FUE, your nervousness is really unwarranted. You will
» discover that it really is no big deal. Strip is another story, entirely. I
» have had both and there is a MAJOR difference.
»
» For my first four strip procedures, I would fly to Chicago early in the
» morning, have the procedure and go directly to the airport for the flight
» home. This made for a long day, but it was worth it to me.
»
» For my strip with Armani and my two FUE procedures in Toronto, I would fly
» in late on the night before the procedure. I had my procedures the
» following day and would leave in the morning on the following day. I highly
» recommend this if you are having any frontal work, because you will get
» swelling. I got home from the airport following one procedure and did NOT
» recognize myself in the mirror and just had to laugh. I could not imagine
» what the other passengers must have been thinking. If anyone asked (and
» they did), I just told them that I was in a car accident and that was the
» reason for the surgical cap and gauze. You see all kinds of strange people
» in an airport - you probably will not stand out all that much. I, of
» course, had to go through customs travelling to Canada. They never once
» asked me to remove my hat or asked about the surgical cap on the return
» flight. I was pleasantly surprised. The reason I opt for leaving as soon as
» possible is that it is WORLDS more comfortable sitting in MY living room
» than sitting in a hotel room on an uncomfortable bed. I guess it all
» depends on where you are most comfortable. When it comes down to it, who
» really gives a rat’s ass what people think of you in an airport - people
» that you will more than likely never see again.
»
» Good luck with your procedure. Who is doing it and how many grafts are you
» getting?

Thanks for posting your experience. I’m going with Dr.Bisanga in Brussels for 2000 graph FUE. This is my first obviously, hopefully my last but from what I’ve read on this forum regarding hairloss its probably not going to be that easy.

8

» Yikes, so everyone recommends going straight home. Well I guess its too
» late now for me. I will be going to Brussels from New Jersey (USA)so its
» going to be burning a day on travel for me. This is my first time going to
» Europe and its to get hair. Gotta say life is freaking funny!

As for going through the airport, that should be the least of your worries. I wore a baseball cap (some people used a bandana for fear of hurting the grafts). I took my baseball cap off only when I went through the metal detector gate, literally 5 seconds exposure to the public.

I hope you are able to time your trip properly taking into account of the fact that for most people, the swelling can last anywhere from 2-4 days.

9

» Okay guys. I need advice on what to do after HT, hanging around in the
» hotel room waiting until the swelling goes down so I basically don’t scare
» anyone on the trip back home. I want to compare what each clinic recommends
» to patients to do immediately after HT. Are there differences between
» clinics on post op procedures or is it generally the same in the industry?
» What should I bring with me? What was really helpful during this time or
» what did you wish you had with you?
»
» Secondly, what was your experience like and any advice on how to hide the
» fact that you had HT going through the airport?
»
» My surgery date is slowly approaching (2 weeks to go) and these wacky
» thoughts are creeping in. Crazy nervous now, I guess I’m kind of freaking
» out.

Hi Whynot,

Immediate post-op care begins as soon as you leave the clinic. At about 18 hours post-op, you basically want to gently wet your hair and begin to gently dab non-medicated shampoo onto your scalp. After applying the shampoo, you may gently rinse by pouring cups of water on your head. You can dry your hair by gently dabbing a bath cloth onto your head. The donor area can be cleaned more aggressively than the recipient. Please remember that you want to continue this process each day for about a week.

You usually experience swelling on day 2 or 3 post-op. We recommend that our patients take anti-swelling medication (Prednisone). We also recommend that patients sleep in a 45 degree angle or with their head elevated if possible. You may also apply an ice pack in 15 minute intervals to help alleviate the swelling. Around day 7 your scabs should start to fall off. The scalp usually turns red from inflammation that may last up to a month or more for some patients.