Video Transcript
I would say the number one complaint about hair transplantation is the itching people experience afterwards. So I want to make a quick video on things you can do to remedy your itching that you may have. Now remember in a hair transplantation, there’s actually two different procedural sites that you have. The area where we collected the hairs from, and the area we put the hairs into. We’re going to treat these in two different ways, because we don’t want to harm the new grafts.
Let’s start talking about the area where we collected the hairs from. This is on the back and side of your head. We have a couple different options for itching here. Remember the itching is caused by inflammation affecting your nerves. So we’re going to do a couple things to control both of those. Probably the number one treatment you can start using is a ketoconazole shampoo. Ketoconazole has an anti-inflammatory effect. It can calm down the inflammation in that area. Use it every day. You’re going to leave it in for six minutes before you wash it out, almost like a normal shampoo.
The second option you have is a hydrocortisone cream. Hydrocortisone is also an anti-inflammatory agent. However, it can slow down the healing process, so we discourage people for using it more than five days. If you’re going to use it, you apply it to back your scalp about two to three times a day.
The other options you have are antihistamines or anti-allergen options. That can be something like Benadryl. You can take 25 to 50 milligrams Benadryl two to three times a day. And sometimes that can help control the itching because it has an anti-allergen effect. Other anti-allergens, like Claritin, Allegra, and Zyrtec work for some people. However, remember whenever you’re putting a drug into your body you’re expecting to work in a very local location, it’s not going to have as much effect as something you apply topically. So those are the options you have for the hair collection site.
Let’s talk about the hair insertion site. Because we place new grafts in this area, we want to be more careful about the things we do. So the number one thing you can do to control itching in the graft insertion site is keeping your grafts moisturized, using your mister to keep them hydrated. However, you don’t want them to get damp or wet. The second option you have is using oil. Around day five, you can start taking mineral oil on a cotton ball and dabbing it onto your new grafts. These will keep the grafts even more moisturized than using normal water. However, you want to wait until day five after your procedure to start doing this.
So I know itching is a common complaint after FUE. Sometimes it can last anywhere up to three to six weeks. However, it will resolve as your nerves calm down.
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