Before Hair Transplant Operation
It is a patient's responsibility to inform the consulting doctors about any past or present history of medications and any illnesses. The doctor should be well informed about all the comorbidities of the patient. A list of all the medications taken by the patient should be in the doctor's knowledge to avoid any drug reactions. History of any recent surgeries or any genetic or autoimmune disorders should not be concealed from the doctor.
Blood Work
After obtaining a complete medical history of the patient, the doctor curates a list of bloodwork that needs to be done before hair transplant surgery. After the blood reports are received, all the precautions and abstinence guidelines are explained to the patient in depth.
Things to Avoid Before Surgery
Smoking, caffeine, alcohol and any blood thinning medications should be stopped from 2 days before the surgery. Alcohol and caffeine might affect the effect of local anesthesia during the surgery, therefore should be avoided. Smoking acts by constricting the blood vessels and thus, causes a reduction in the amount of blood and nutrition reaching the hair follicles. This might lead to a low follicle survival rate and thus should be avoided 2 days prior to the surgery and till at least 1 week after the surgery. Blood thinners intake before the surgery might cause excessive bleeding during the hair transplant, therefore should be avoided as per your doctor’s instructions.
On The Day of Hair Transplant
All the pre-operative instructions are explained to the patient well in advance. The patient is asked to not trim the hair from 2 weeks before the surgery. The patient is asked to follow basic hygiene practices on the day of surgery like taking a shower and washing their head. Any styling products should not be used on the day of surgery. The patient should wear a shirt with openable buttons, so that the grafts remain untouched after the surgery. The patient should come after having a light breakfast as the surgery might last for 8-10 hours. The patient will be offered lunch at the clinic itself. The patient should avoid touching the grafts at all times, until advised to do so by the doctors.
