Aftercare at Swiss Hair Life
Aftercare after a hair transplant
The first few days matter most: protect the grafts, sleep on your back with your upper body raised for the first 3 nights and wash your hair as instructed. Check-ups in the first 10 days follow your personal aftercare plan and how you are healing. After that, it is mostly a matter of patience: the new hairs usually start to grow after 3 to 4 months.
Day by day
Aftercare at a glance
Everyone heals a little differently. Your personal aftercare instructions always take precedence.
Day 0
Treatment day
Do not touch or scratch the recipient area, and do not bump it against anything. The newly placed grafts are not yet firmly anchored.
Days 1 to 3
Take it easy
For the first 3 nights, sleep on your back with your upper body raised and a neck pillow, and get plenty of rest. No exercise until day 9. Slight swelling of the forehead is possible.
Day 3
First hair wash
You can of course wash your hair at home as instructed. On request, we will do the first wash at the clinic, remove the bandage and show you how to wash your hair yourself.
Days 4 to 10
Washing as instructed
Wash gently every day, with a careful washing motion from day 7. The scabs gradually come away. Do not scratch. How to wash your hair correctly
Day 10
Check-up as per your aftercare plan
Depending on your personal aftercare plan and how you are healing; if needed or on request, at any time with an appointment at the clinic. Swelling and scabs have usually gone down considerably. Our aim is for the scabs to be removed or to have fallen off by day 10, day 11 at the latest, provided healing is normal. From now on, light activity and a loose cap are possible and, if healing is progressing normally, so is sleeping normally again.
Weeks 2 to 8
Temporary shedding
The shafts of the transplanted hairs often fall out, but the roots remain. Your own hair can also shed temporarily (shock loss).
Months 3 to 4
The first new hairs
Fine at first, then stronger, and not everywhere at the same time.
Months 12 to 18
The result
For many patients, the final result can now be assessed. The crown sometimes takes longer.
All phases in detail, with what is normal and when: Hair Transplant Recovery: Day by Day
Aftercare topics
What you should know after a hair transplant
Washing your hair and scabs
From when, how often and step by step. And how the scabs come away.
Exercise after a hair transplant
When activity, strength training, swimming and sauna are possible again.
Sleeping after a hair transplant
How to lie in the first nights and when you can sleep on your side again.
Recovery day by day
From day 1 to month 18, with scabs, swelling, itching and redness.
Can transplanted hair fall out again?
Temporary shedding and shock loss explained clearly.
How many grafts do I need?
Guide values, a calculator and real cases from our practice.
What can I do again after a hair transplant, and when?
The key dates at a glance, if your healing is progressing normally. Your personal aftercare instructions always take precedence.
Hats and capsfrom day 10
A loose, clean hat or cap with room above the grafts from day 10. A tight-fitting hat or beanie only from day 30.
Sunavoid for the first 4 weeks
Avoid direct, intense sun on your scalp and stay in the shade.
Exercisefrom day 10
Rest until day 9, light activity from day 10, sport and strength training from day 30 if healing is progressing normally. More on exercise
Helmetfrom month 4
A helmet, for example when cycling or riding a motorbike, presses firmly on the scalp.
Cutting your hairfrom month 4
With clippers on the transplanted area (1) only from month 4, on the donor area (2) from day 20.
Colouring your hairfrom month 5
Hair colours can irritate the freshly healed scalp.
All dates at a glance
| Activity | When? |
|---|---|
| Check-ups in the first 10 days | depending on your personal aftercare plan and how you are healing; if needed or on request, at any time with an appointment at the clinic |
| Washing your hair | First wash on day 3, at home as instructed or at the clinic on request; then daily as instructed until day 10 |
| Loosening scabs | from day 7 with a careful washing motion; aim: fully removed by day 10, day 11 at the latest |
| Normal shampoo | from day 11 |
| Sleeping with your upper body raised | the first 3 nights, on your back with a neck pillow |
| Sleeping normally, also on your side | from day 10, if healing is progressing normally |
| Light activity | from day 10, for example walks |
| Sport, strength training | from day 30, if healing is progressing normally; strength training with light weights at first |
| Swimming | from day 30 |
| Sauna, steam bath | from day 30 |
| Intense sun | avoid for the first 4 weeks |
| Loose hat, cap | from day 10, clean and loose-fitting |
| Tight hat, beanie | from day 30 |
| Helmet (bicycle, motorbike) | from month 4 |
| Hairdresser, careful cutting with scissors | from day 30 if healing is progressing normally |
| Clippers on the donor area | from day 20 |
| Clippers on the transplanted area | from month 4 |
| Colouring your hair | from month 5 |
| Alcohol | from day 3 |
| Smoking | possible from day 3, but still as little as possible |
| Minoxidil | after 2 weeks at the earliest, once the scalp has healed |
How we support your aftercare
- Personal aftercare instructions: You receive them on the day of treatment, with the dates for washing, exercise, sun and sauna.
- Washing your hair at home: You can of course wash your hair at home as instructed. On request, we will do the first wash and remove the bandage in person at the clinic on day 3.
- Check-ups according to your aftercare plan: Check-ups in the first 10 days follow your personal aftercare plan and how you are healing. If needed or on request, you can book a check-up at the clinic at any time, with no limit.
- Follow-up checks included: We support you until the result, and the follow-up checks are included in the fixed price of the hair transplant.
- Dedicated contacts: in Zurich and Oftringen, even weeks and months after the procedure.
- PRP as a complement: A PRP treatment can support the regeneration of the scalp and existing hair growth. We will discuss in the consultation whether it makes sense for you.
When should you contact us?
Get in touch with us if:
- the pain increases rather than decreases after the first few days,
- your scalp is very red, hot or increasingly swollen,
- pus or cloudy fluid comes out,
- you develop a fever,
- bleeding does not stop after a few minutes of light pressure with a clean compress,
- grafts have fallen out with bleeding,
- you are unsure whether your recovery is normal.
If in doubt, better once too early than too late: you can reach us on 062 557 15 57, Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 19:00. You will find all the ways to contact us on our contact page.
Outside our opening hours:
For non-urgent questions, you can leave us a message. In an acute medical emergency, please do not wait for a reply by WhatsApp or email, but seek emergency medical help.
Frequently asked questions about aftercare
What does aftercare at Swiss Hair Life include?
Personal aftercare instructions and check-ups according to your aftercare plan and how you are healing. You can wash your hair at home as instructed; on request, we will do the first wash at the clinic on day 3. If needed or on request, you can book a check-up at the clinic at any time. All follow-up checks until the result are included in the fixed price.
How do the check-ups in the first 10 days work?
Check-ups in the first 10 days follow your personal aftercare plan and how you are healing. If needed or on request, you can book a check-up at the clinic at any time.
Can I wash my hair at home?
Yes. You can of course wash your hair at home as instructed. On request, we will do the first wash at the clinic on day 3.
Does aftercare cost extra?
No. We support you until the result, and the follow-up checks are included in the fixed price.
When can I wash my hair after a hair transplant?
The first wash is on day 3, at home as instructed or at our clinic on request. After that, you wash your hair gently every day until day 10, following our instructions, and from day 11 with normal shampoo again.
How long do I need to sleep with my head raised?
For the first 3 nights, on your back with your upper body raised and a neck pillow. From day 10 you can sleep normally again, also on your side, if healing is progressing normally.
When can I exercise again?
No exercise from the day of treatment until day 9. From day 10, light activity such as walking is possible, and from day 30 normal training and strength training, if healing is progressing normally.
When can I wear a hat or cap?
A loose, clean hat or cap with room above the grafts from day 10. A tight-fitting hat or beanie from day 30.
When can I drink alcohol or smoke again?
Alcohol from day 3. Smoking is possible from day 3, but still as little as possible, because nicotine can reduce blood flow to the scalp and therefore impair wound healing.
Is it normal for the transplanted hairs to fall out?
Yes, in the first few weeks. The hair shafts often fall out temporarily; the roots remain and later produce new hairs.
When will I see the first new hairs?
Usually after 3 to 4 months, fine at first, then stronger. For many patients, the result can be assessed after about 12 to 18 months.
Questions about your aftercare?
Our team in Zurich and Oftringen is here for you Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 19:00. Not had treatment yet? Get a free assessment of your hair loss.
Medically reviewed by: Dr. Sabrina Tahery and Dr. Moustafa Kassar
As of 14 November 2026
Sources: Swiss Hair Life aftercare instructions, as of November 2026; guide Hair Transplant Recovery: Day by Day, medically reviewed on 10 November 2026.