How Long After Hair Transplant Can I Wear A Helmet (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 3 Weeks to 1 Month

It can be a huge relief to get back on your bike after months of recovering from a head injury. But before you hit the pavement, some important safety precautions need to be taken. 

You have about a month post-operation before wearing a helmet becomes mandatory in most circumstances. However, it’s still important for people who’ve had hair transplants to take extra care and ensure they’re not putting themselves at risk. So what should you do? 

For starters, don’t cover up your newly-shaved areas with anything too tight or heavy – this could cause scalp irritation or create pressure that would inhibit blood flow and disrupt healing processes. Read more to find out how long after a hair transplant you can wear a helmet.

How Long After Hair Transplant Can I Wear A Helmet?

It is not advisable to wear a helmet for at least three weeks because of the risk of developing a hard clot that might turn into a hematoma under the packing.

In addition, if blood clots develop after the surgery, they can travel from any surgical site (including an incision in the scalp) and block a far away artery that can cause stroke or death. Therefore, blood thinners like aspirin are contraindicated for 10 days after the transplant. 

1. It is advisable to avoid wearing a hat or cap for a minimum of 3 weeks. One-week power hairspray should be used as needed if desired.
2.  Avoid products that contain alcohol as it can cause damage to newly transplanted skin cells by drying them out prematurely, causing discomfort and severe itching where the skin has been.

Overall, it depends on the type of transplant. Modern hair transplants have a fairly quick “exchange period” where transplanted follicles cannot accept hair strands. So a patient must avoid active stimuli (like towel drying your head), which could pull the still-sensitive grafts out from their new bed. This exchange lasts about two or three weeks before it’s permissible to wear a helmet again and resume other common activities.

Why Does It Take So Long After Hair Transplant To Wear A Helmet?

A hair transplant is a delicate procedure that should be undertaken with care. After the surgery, it’s recommended not to exercise, do strenuous activities, or athletic and contact sports for at least 20 days post-surgery.

Hair transplant surgery is a complex procedure to consider and has many risks and benefits. The scalp needs healing before it can safely be encased inside a hot, heavy protective garment. In addition, wearing the helmet too soon increases the risk for wound infection, leading to serious complications in the near term or down the line.

 You also need to wait about 10-14 days before washing your head, which can lead to hair loss. In other words, in total, it will take around 40-50 days after the procedure before you’ll be able to wear any hat or helmet comfortably.

Once hairs start to grow back on the scalp, you should be able to wear a helmet again.

The period it takes for the hair to regrow may depend on many factors, such as genetics and the recipient’s age. You might also want to consider that when a person suffers an aggressive trauma loss of their hair going into surgery, they still need at least one year from the date of their surgery before returning to work. 

The point is that each individual’s case is different and depends on what type of procedure was performed beforehand. But in most cases, if you are looking at transplantation as your surgical option, you would have no worries until around six months after your last stitch has been removed.

Procedure:

The transplant surgeon has to balance hairline restoration with the transplanted follicles because most people want a nice coverage and density. Typically, this means that the hairline will be fixed first — which entails removing all scar tissue for a good form. T

This can take anywhere from 4-6 months, depending on how aggressive they are in fixing the hairline. Once that is done, it takes 1-2 months for tactile sensation to come back post-op and then another month for devices like wigs and hats to fit right on top of scarred areas after surgery, so they don’t show while not wearing one of these items as it is unwise due to sun exposure.

Conclusion

Firstly, there are a few science-backed reasons to wear your helmet if you want to avoid getting too many “What’s up with that?” questions. 

Secondly, while it might seem like hair loss is something only older people deal with, one out of every four men will experience some form of male pattern baldness before they turn 40 years old. 

You might experience a little discomfort in the first few days after your hair transplant, but it’s important to start thinking about what you will be doing soon. For example, will you need to wear a helmet? If so, talk with your transplant surgeon and wait for a while to get back to normal activities.

Reference 

1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1524-4725.2009.01283.x 
2. https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0031-1283055