How To Sleep Just After A Hair Transplant?
Hair transplant has been proved to be a boon to many people who were earlier suffering from hair loss or baldness. There are two types of hair transplants that are routinely done, Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), and the procedure and precautions that need to be taken afterward depend on the kind of transplant that the patient has undergone.
But the most common question that most people have after their transplant is about the way they should sleep after the transplant. What is the best posture, what precautions are needed while sleeping, are the common questions that come to a patients mind?
In this article, we will discuss the answers to all these questions in detail.
Table Of Contents
Feel free to skip ahead if one topic catches your eye:
- Why is it important to sleep in the right posture just after a hair transplant?
- What is the right posture of sleeping after a hair transplant?
- When do you get back to a normal sleeping posture?
1. Why Is It Important To Sleep In The Right Posture Just After A Hair Transplant?
The hair transplant procedure leaves your scalp more sensitive than it was before. Also, the new hair follicles that are transplanted onto your scalp are very delicate initially. They need time to get secured firmly onto your scalp. Thus, it is very important that you sleep in the right posture, taking all the necessary precautions to allow your scalp to heal properly after the procedure and also the hair follicles to get secure completely.
Sleeping in the correct posture also ensures that there is no swelling over your scalp, cheeks, etc. All these precautions are very important to get the best desired results after the hair transplant procedure.
Not sleeping in the right posture can cause the delicate hair grafts to get damaged and fall off, requiring the procedure to get repeated. This may also increase the swelling in your scalp and forehead which may further prolong the recovery period.
Therefore, irrespective of the type of hair transplant procedure done for you, it is very important that you sleep in the correct posture.
2. What Is The Right Posture Of Sleeping After A Hair Transplant?
Now the obvious question that comes to mind is “what is the right posture of sleeping after a hair transplant?’
The correct posture for sleeping aims at keeping the hair grafts safe from any damage and reducing the amount of swelling present in your scalp and forehead.
The best way is to sleep in a supine position, which means sleeping on your back, with your head and back a little elevated, preferably at an angle of 30- 45 degrees. You can keep pillows under your head and back to keep them elevated and provide you support and comfort while sleeping.
You can also use a neck pillow to support your neck and keep the hair grafts away from damage while you toss and turn during sleep. A cushion or a pillow can also be used as a barrier between your head and the headboard of your bed to avoid hitting the headboard at night. Minor traumas like this can lead to damage to the delicate hair follicles.
Sleeping on a recliner or a sofa is the best option for you to minimize the tossing and turning and the rubbing of the hair grafts while sleeping. The armrest of the sofa can be used to keep your head elevated.
You should not sleep in the prone position, which means sleeping on the stomach because this position increases the damage to the hair grafts and also increases the amount of swelling, prolonging your recovery period.
One more thing that you should keep in mind is that all the surfaces where you sleep should always be clean. Change the bed sheets and pillow covers daily to ensure cleanliness. This helps prevent any kind of infection that might occur due to microbes.
3. When Do You Get Back To A Normal Sleeping Posture?
The normal healing process varies from person to person and there is no specific day that can be defined as the end of the recovery period. For most people, the hair grafts seal completely in about 7 to 10 days, extending maximally to about 14 days. By this time, the swelling also resolves in most people.
The doctor will tell you about all the precautions that need to be taken while sleeping after the hair transplant and the time period for which you have to sleep in a particular posture. This time period is usually around 10 days for most people, after that they can go back to their previous sleeping postures.
But this will vary from person to person. Your doctor would decide the exact time for you depending on your body type and your specific condition.
Take Away
These were all the precautions that you need to take while sleeping after your hair transplant procedure. Listen to your doctor when he tells you about all these necessary precautions.
Consult with Dr Ritesh Anand, Hair Specialist in Delhi, you will get the right information and suggestions for better results.