It is recommended to wait around 1-2 weeks to exercise after a hair transplant. Before exercising, the scalp needs to recover from the surgery, the transplanted hair grafts need to settle and healthy hair growth needs to be ensured. You may not think of a hair transplant as a surgical procedure, but it actually is, the operation causes trauma to the scalp and it requires time to heal.
Exercising affects the whole body. You move and spend effort, and some changes occur in the body such as sweating and an increase in blood pressure. If these processes happen when the scalp is not recovered from the procedure, it can lead to undesired results such as bleeding, infection, and dislodging hair grafts.
In this article, we are going to answer the most asked questions about exercise after hair transplant and give you a timeline so that you can have detailed information about the subject. Here are some of the important points from the article:
- YOU CAN EXERCISE 1-2 WEEKS AFTER THE PROCEDURE.
- SCALP NEEDS TO HEAL BEFORE EXERCISING.
- ITCHING, BLEEDING, INFECTION, DISPLACING HAIR GRAFTS ARE SOME OF THE RISKS OF THE PROCEDURE.
- SWEATING CAN ALSO DAMAGE HAIR TRANSPLANT.
- YOU CAN DO LIGHT EXERCISES EARLIER THAN STRENUOUS ACTIVITIES.
- WEIGHTLIFTING, TEAM, AND CONTACT SPORTS NEED TO WAIT FOR A MONTH.
- TO ENSURE A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME YOU SHOULD AVOID HEAD DAMAGE WHILE EXERCISING.
- WASHING THE HAIR GENTLY RIGHT AFTER THE EXERCISE CAN REDUCE INFECTION RISK.
- WEARING CLOTHES THAT DON’T MAKE CONTACT WITH THE SCALP CAN PROTECT TRANSPLANTED HAIR WHILE EXERCISING.
Can You Exercise After Hair Transplant?
Yes, you can exercise after a hair transplant. However, you need to wait until your scalp recovers from the procedure. The surgery is not complex but it needs some time to recover. The transplanted hair grafts need to settle in their new place and the donor area needs to heal.
How Long After A Hair Transplant Can I Exercise?
You can exercise 2-3 weeks after a hair transplant surgery. The reason for the two-week waiting period is to give the scalp time to heal and to prevent any possible problems that may occur due to exercising. After all, the exercise process affects the whole body including the head.
Exercising Timeline After A Hair Transplant
Let’s look at the timeline we prepared and learn more about when to exercise after the transplant.
Timeline | What to do? |
First 3 days | Avoid any exercise or physical activity. Have some rest. |
4-9 days | You can do a slow walk or easy yoga. Try to avoid sweating. |
After 10 days | If you can tell that your scalp looks healed to an extent, you can start running or doing some cardio workouts. |
After 1 month | You can start doing some heavy exercises such as weight lifting, boxing, and other team sports. |
Since we provided the recovery timeline after the hair transplant for exercising, now it is time to learn the risks of exercising before the scalp is healed from the procedure.
What Are The Risks Of Exercising Too Soon After A Hair Transplant?
The risks of exercising too soon after a hair transplant operation are listed below.
- SWEATING
- INFECTION
- HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
- BLEEDING
- HEAD INJURY
- DISLODGING HAIR GRAFTS
- INCREASED SWELLING
- SLOWED HEALING
- UNDESIRED RESULT
Not to experience the points mentioned above, it is important to wait around 1-2 weeks to exercise after a hair transplant.
How Does Sweating Damage Hair Transplant?
Sweating can cause infection and itching on the scalp. The skin contains bacteria, such as staphylococcus, and these bacteria can cause infection.
Sweating can also create an itchy feeling on the scalp. Scratching can damage or dislodge freshly transplanted hair follicles. You must avoid scratching your head after a hair transplant procedure.
How Does High Blood Pressure Damage Hair Transplant?
High blood pressure can damage hair transplant results by increasing the bleeding risk in both transplant and donor areas. Excessive bleeding on transplanted hairs can lower hair graft survival. During exercise, your heart rate increases to send more blood to the muscles. This rise in heart rate increases blood pressure, which can cause bleeding on the scalp.
How Does Head Injury Damage Hair Transplant?
Head injury after a hair transplant can cause inflammation and scarring, and it can even dislodge or make the transplanted hair grafts fall out. After the surgery, both the scalp and the transplanted hair grafts are vulnerable to any damage. Any kind of trauma to the head can negatively affect the hair transplant results.
Can I Participate In Mild Or Low-Impact Exercises?
Yes, you can start to participate in low or mild activities sooner than heavy exercise after hair transplant surgery. On the fourth day following the procedure, you can start doing light physical exercises such as gentle walking and yoga, which don’t make you sweat and require real effort.
However, to go to the gym after a hair transplant, you need to wait a little bit more. To do a mild to high-impact activity, such as running or cardio, you should wait for about 2 weeks.
This is because low-impact activities don’t have much effect on your transplanted area. Low impact requires less energy and less effort. It doesn’t require you to push yourself too hard, it doesn’t make you sweat, or doesn’t increase your blood pressure, so it is less likely to damage transplanted hair.
Exercises to Avoid After Hair Transplant Surgery
You should avoid any kind of contact sports, martial arts, and swimming for a month during the hair transplant recovery process. The exercises that you should avoid after a hair transplant are listed below.
- SWIMMING
- BOXING
- WRESTLING
- JUDO
- KARATE
- FOOTBALL
- BASKETBALL
- RUGBY
Swimming should be avoided because the chlorine in the pool and the contaminants in the sea, lake, or river can lead to postop infection. Contact sports and martial arts can cause trauma to the scalp, damage transplanted hair follicles, or dislodge them.
Precautions To Take While Exercising To Protect Transplanted Hair Grafts
Considering the following points can help to protect transplanted hair grafts while exercising after a hair transplant.
- GENTLY WASH YOUR HAIR AFTER EXERCISING
- CHOOSE LOOSE-FITTING CLOTHES, AVOID TIGHT HEADBANDS AND CAPS
- AVOID HEAD DAMAGE
Taking a shower right after exercising can reduce the infection risk that may be caused by sweating. Loose-fitting clothes that don’t contact with the scalp and protecting your head from damage can reduce the chances of damaging transplanted hair grafts.
What Kind of Gym Accessories You Can Wear?
While choosing gym clothes after a hair transplant, choose the ones that don’t make contact with the scalp. Avoid wearing caps, or tight headbands that can rub the scalp and cause damage. Also, avoid tight neck clothes that can make contact with the transplanted hair while putting it on and off. You can also choose to wear lightweight breathable fabrics that don’t make you sweat extremely.
How to Know When To Stop Exercising
Below, we listed the symptoms that may indicate a problem with your hair transplant healing while exercising.
- SWELLING
- BLEEDING
- IRRITATION
If you experience the symptoms we mentioned, you should take a break from your exercise routine and consult your surgeon.
Should I Consult Doctor Before Resuming My Exercise Routine?
Yes, you should consult your surgeon before resuming your normal exercise routine. This way the surgeon can check the current state of the scalp, ask questions about your exercise routine, and give you a proper answer of whether you should get back to your workout routine or not.
References:
[1] Dua, Aman, and Kapil Dua. “Follicular unit extraction hair transplant.” Journal of cutaneous and aesthetic surgery vol. 3,2 (2010): 76-81. doi:10.4103/0974-2077.69015
[2] Kerure, Amit S, and Narendra Patwardhan. “Complications in Hair Transplantation.” Journal of cutaneous and aesthetic surgery vol. 11,4 (2018): 182-189. doi:10.4103/JCAS.JCAS_125_18
[3] Scharschmidt, Tiffany C, and Michael A Fischbach. “What Lives On Our Skin: Ecology, Genomics and Therapeutic Opportunities Of the Skin Microbiome.” Drug discovery today. Disease mechanisms vol. 10,3-4 (2013): e83-e89. doi:10.1016/j.ddmec.2012.12.003
