How To Remove Edema After Hair Transplant? Almost all patients undergoing hair restoration surgery encounter some hair transplant side effects, whether they be complications like infection or soreness and scabbing after a hair transplant. Since hair transplants are typically very safe, serious complications are extremely uncommon.
Post-transplant swelling from hair transplants is one of the most frequent adverse effects of the procedure, occurring in about 50% of patients. A few days after hair transplantation, swelling around the eyes and forehead is possible. Despite the potential for visual discomfort, the swelling is not harmful to the person’s health. It will correct itself within a few days. However, there are ways to stop and lessen swelling after a hair transplant.
What Causes Edema After Hair Transplant?
Internally and externally, swelling describes the body part’s unusual region expansion. It can happen as a result of swelling or too much fluid in the body. The body responds to trauma of any kind in this way. Surgical wounds can also result in infection and edema. Anesthesia, which results from too much fluid being injected into the head before the hair transplant procedure, is another potential factor. Aside from surgery itself, medications given during surgery may also cause swelling. To ease pain, hair transplant surgeons administer local anesthetic to the scalp. After surgery, as this anesthetic drains away, it may cause facial and forehead swelling.
Swelling can also frequently be caused by inflammation. Your blood vessels near an injury enlarge to allow more red and white blood cells to travel there, preventing infection and accelerating healing. The area may be red and puffy in the short term, but it helps your hair transplant heal more quickly.
It is not surprising that swelling affects so many patients who have had hair transplants because it is a very common side effect of any kind of surgery. Elements like loose skin, patient age, and the length of the procedure can also cause excessive swelling.
Is Edema After Hair Transplant A Sign For Botched Hair Transplant?
Edema is rarely harmful after a hair transplant. After a few days, it usually goes away without any aftereffects. However, there are some situations where swelling can be problematic.
Driving and operating heavy machinery is dangerous for you and other people if you are unable to open your eyes due to swelling. Stay away from these activities until the swelling subsides and your vision returns to normal.
A hair transplant infection may also be indicated by persistent or excessive swelling, particularly if it is accompanied by pus, pain, or itching. If the swelling lasts longer than two to three weeks, contact your consultant.
Ahead of time, be sure to let your surgeon know if you’ve ever had anaphylaxis. Inflammation and excessive swelling can both cause hair loss in the donor area. Donor effluvium is typically only temporary, and your hair will begin to grow back within a few weeks, even though this can be upsetting.
How Common Is Edema After Hair Transplant?
One of the most frequent side effects of both FUE and FUT hair transplantation is swelling. Using steroids helped the remaining 45% of patients avoid swelling, which occurred in 55% of them. According to additional research, 42% of patients who underwent hair transplant surgery experienced post-operative edema, the most frequent adverse effect.
Therefore, it’s a coin toss as to whether you’ll develop swelling if you don’t take any preventative measures. Even if you do, swelling is typically mild, so by the time you return to work, most inflammation ought to have subsided.
However, there are ways to stop swelling after a hair transplant. There are a variety of suggestions for preventing swelling after a hair transplant, from frozen peas to steroid injections.
Ways To Remove Edema After Hair Transplant
You experienced swelling in your forehead a few days after your hair transplant. Additionally, this may affect your eyes, resulting in puffiness around this region of your face. You can do a few things to lessen the effects of forehead swelling following a hair transplant.
Applying a cold compress can help reduce swelling after a hair transplant. Helping to constrict the blood vessels, this will lessen the likelihood of eye puffiness brought on by post-hair transplant forehead swelling.
Additional non-steroidal techniques for reducing swelling include:
- Using a headband or adhesive tape to cover the forehead can stop excess fluid from seeping into the cheek and eye tissue.
- Applying ice packs will cause dilated blood vessels to constrict, which will lessen inflammation.
- Elevating your head while you sleep will encourage extra fluid to drain away more quickly, reducing swelling.
Although these treatments are typically less effective than steroids, some patients may experience symptom improvement.
The best way to encourage healing and minimize swelling after a hair transplant is to adhere to your surgeon’s aftercare instructions.
Take your medication as directed. Your doctor may have prescribed steroid tablets for you to take following surgery. learn more about the drugs used for hair transplants
Drink a lot of water before, during, and after surgery because dehydration and a lack of fluids can cause inflammation to worsen. Sleep with your head raised at a 45-degree angle to promote fluid drainage and prevent your hair grafts from falling out while you’re asleep.
Ibuprofen should be avoided because it can cause water retention and worsen the swelling in the area around the forehead. Instead, manage any pain with paracetamol.
Avoid Exercising And Sweating
Exercise should be avoided for the first three days following your procedure to minimize head swelling. Exercise-induced sweating can affect your follicles, causing swelling after a hair transplant, the possibility of blood clots forming, or even an infection.
Change Sleeping Position
After receiving a hair transplant, you should try to sleep with your head elevated to lessen swelling. Sleeping on your back with a pillow under your head will help lessen swelling following a hair transplant. If you want the best chance of reducing swelling after a hair transplant, try to maintain a 45-degree angle on your head.
Stay Hydrated
Drinking enough water is crucial after hair transplant surgery. This is because water helps to clean the liquids that are injected into the application region during the procedure. The patient is advised to drink plenty of water to help with swelling reduction. Water consumption above 2-3 liters per day can hasten the healing process. Water is essential in such procedures because it speeds up the lymphatic system’s removal of fluids.
Use a gentle sweeping motion from the center of the forehead to the side to press the liquids under the skin. During this time, avoid pulling on the skin.
What Should You Do If Edema Isn’t Going Away After Hair Transplant?
Since you underwent surgery, it is probable that there will be some level of inflammation following the procedure.The skin tissue in the scalp will swell and feel tight due to the inflammation. Sometimes, this can descend the forehead and affect the eyes. In significant hair transplant cases, swelling may occasionally last a little longer than 7–10 days or may even begin to impair your vision. Now is the time to contact your hair transplant surgeon. They will be able to offer guidance on how to handle the side effects the best. Rest assured that this side effect ought to go away.
To ease any discomfort that may develop during hair transplantation and to hasten the healing process, the doctor will prescribe specific medications. A factor influencing the efficacy of treatment, in addition to therapy, is strict adherence to post-procedure recommendations. On the other hand, aspirin and other blood thinners should not be used for longer than one week as they may cause blood thinning and edema.
A common but minor side effect of hair transplantation is swelling, which goes away on its own in a few days. However, in some cases, the swelling gets worse and may last for a very long time. In this case, it is important to take the doctor’s advice regarding treatment.