Why Correct Washing Is Critical After Hair Transplant
In the first 14 days after a hair transplant, the transplanted grafts are not yet anchored — they are held in place by the body's natural healing process. Incorrect washing — too much pressure, too much rubbing, or the wrong products — can dislodge grafts before they have secured. This is the most common patient error in the post-operative period.
At Hairmedico, every patient leaves Istanbul with the LOREW Paris aftercare kit and a personalised demonstration of the correct washing technique from the clinic team. This guide mirrors those instructions.
Day-by-Day Washing Protocol
Day 0 (surgery day): No washing
On the day of surgery, do not wet the scalp. Local anaesthetic has not fully worn off, sensation is reduced, and the grafts have not yet formed the fine blood supply that will anchor them — any contact with water or pressure in these first hours carries the highest risk of dislodgement. On day 1 (day after surgery), the first wash begins using the spray method only.
Days 1–7: Spray technique
- Fill a small spray bottle with lukewarm water (body temperature — not hot)
- Apply LOREW shampoo to damp hands — work into a gentle foam
- Spray water very lightly over the recipient zone to moisten
- Apply foam gently with fingertips — no rubbing, no circular motion, no pressure. Soft patting only.
- Rinse by spraying lukewarm water from a distance — allow water to run off naturally. No direct flow onto grafts.
- Pat dry with a clean, soft towel. No rubbing.
From around day 3–4, small crusts typically begin forming at the graft sites — a normal, expected part of healing, not a sign of a problem. Apply the LOREW aftercare lotion from your kit to the area before washing to soften these crusts, following the technique the Hairmedico team demonstrates before you leave Istanbul. Never pick, scratch or peel a crust away by hand — forcing it off risks taking the graft underneath with it. Left alone, crusts loosen and separate naturally within the first one to two weeks.
Water temperature matters more than most patients expect. Hot water increases blood flow to the scalp and can worsen swelling around fresh grafts; cold water causes unnecessary discomfort and tightens the scalp. Lukewarm, body-temperature water is the only setting used throughout the first two weeks.
Days 7–14: Transition to normal flow
By day 7, grafts are becoming more anchored. Gradually introduce a gentle flow of water (shower head at arm's length, not directly on the scalp). Continue to avoid rubbing. By day 10–14, you can begin to feel the scalp more normally during washing.
Day 14+: Normal washing resumes
Standard shampooing can resume — gentle pressure, avoiding strong rubbing for a further 2–4 weeks.
Water pressure and washing frequency return to normal from day 14, but keep using only the LOREW Paris shampoo until the 30-day programme is complete — introducing a new product early is one of the more common ways patients unintentionally irritate a healing scalp. From roughly week 3 to 4, many patients notice more hair coming out in the shower or on the towel than usual. This is shock loss, not graft failure — the transplanted hair sheds while the follicle stays healthy beneath the skin, and new growth begins from around month 3. It is an expected phase of recovery, not a reason to change or intensify the washing routine.
Does the Washing Protocol Change by Technique — FUE, DHI or Unshaven?
The schedule above applies whichever technique was used to place your grafts — FUE, DHI or Sapphire FUE. The technique determines how each channel is opened and each graft placed during surgery; it does not change how vulnerable a fresh graft is afterward, so the washing rules for days 0–14 are identical across all three.
Patients who chose an unshaven transplant keep their existing hair length through recovery, which means crusts at the recipient site are partly hidden under longer strands. Comb through gently with fingertips only — never a brush or a comb with teeth — and if you cannot tell whether something loosening in your fingers is a shed hair or a crust still attached to a graft, send a photo or short video to the clinic team via WhatsApp rather than pulling at it.
Washing the Donor Area — Back and Sides
Everything above describes the recipient area, where the grafts are placed — but the donor area at the back and sides of the scalp is a fresh surgical site too, and needs the same discipline. Extraction leaves a small punch wound at every site, and although any single one is far smaller than a graft, there are thousands of them spread across the donor area.
The donor area generally heals faster than the recipient zone — typically within 7–10 days, against 10–14 days for recipient-site scabbing to fully resolve — because the wounds there are shallower. That does not mean it needs less care in the first week: use the same spray technique, the same lukewarm water, and the same no-rubbing rule on the back and sides as on the top.
The donor area also takes more incidental contact than the top, simply because of where it sits — pillows, headrests, car seats and seatbelts all press against it. Use the same sleeping and seating precautions described in the flying section below for the donor area as well, and keep them in mind for at least the first week even once the redness on top has started to settle.
Washing When You Fly Home During the Protocol
Most Hairmedico patients stay 3 nights / 4 days in Istanbul and return home 2–3 days after surgery — while still inside the days 1–7 spray-technique window. The clinic team demonstrates the wash in person before you leave the hotel, but from around day 3 or 4 you are usually managing the routine yourself, often from an airport, a stopover, or a long-haul flight rather than a clinic setting.
The protocol itself does not change once you are travelling — spray technique through day 7, lukewarm water, no rubbing — but a few adjustments make it easier to follow without someone checking your technique in person:
- Pack the full LOREW kit in hand luggage, not checked baggage. You may need to wash before a connecting flight, and checked liquids can be delayed or lost on a day you cannot afford to skip the routine.
- On travel days, a brief spray-and-pat routine in an airport or hotel bathroom is enough. Skip a full wash rather than rushing one in an unfamiliar bathroom without your usual setup — missing a single day is not a problem; forcing a rushed one is more likely to cause the pressure or rubbing you are trying to avoid.
- Photograph the recipient and donor areas each morning for the first week. If something looks different from what you were shown before departure, the clinic team can assess it from a photo far faster than from a description alone.
- Keep the WhatsApp line to the clinic team open throughout your return journey — the same channel used for your pre-departure demonstration is the fastest way to confirm anything is normal.
Long-haul flights add their own friction: headrests, reclined seats and airline pillows all press against the back of the head, where the donor area is also healing. Choose an aisle seat where possible to reduce accidental contact, and if you sleep during the flight, lean slightly forward or use support that avoids pressure on the scalp itself rather than only the neck.
What to Avoid While Washing
Beyond the day-by-day steps above, a handful of everyday habits undo good washing technique without patients realising it. Each of the following puts fresh grafts at risk even when the wash itself was done correctly:
- Direct, high-pressure shower streams on the scalp for the first 14 days — keep the shower head at a distance and let water run off passively, as described above.
- Hot tubs, swimming pools, the sea and sauna steam — chlorine, salt water and heat all irritate healing grafts. Avoid on the scalp for the first two weeks; confirm timing with Dr. Arslan's team if you are travelling straight after surgery.
- Vigorous towel-drying or a hot hairdryer held close to the scalp — pat dry only, and let hair air-dry where possible during the first month.
- Hair colouring, perming or other chemical treatments — postpone until the scalp is fully healed and confirmed safe by Dr. Arslan's team. Standard product timelines are written for undamaged skin, not fresh grafts.
Warning Signs During Washing — When to Contact the Clinic
Contact Dr. Arslan's team via WhatsApp — the same channel used for the pre-departure washing demonstration — if you notice any of the following during the first two weeks:
- Active bleeding from the recipient or donor area that does not stop with gentle pressure
- Redness, swelling or pain that is worsening rather than settling after day 3–4
- Pus, a foul odour, or increasing warmth at the scalp — possible signs of infection
- Grafts that appear to have come away with the crust, or in visible numbers during washing
These situations are uncommon. Send photographs and the clinic team will advise directly, adjusting the washing technique or arranging a review if needed.
