Exercising After Hair Transplant: The Best Time to Get Started?

If you are a fitness junkie and a regular gym-goer, you might not like what you’re about to read a lot. 

Most people who are about to get a hair transplant to ask us the same question: ‘’Is exercising after hair transplant allowed?’’

We understand how hard it could be for you to change your fitness routine for a short period of time.

But taking a few weeks off the gym and sticking to your doctor's instructions post-hair transplant is worth it. After all, you won't only have the perfect physique but also, but you'll get the perfect hair.

So, why and for how long do you have to stop working out after a hair transplant?

You’ll find answers to all these questions in the following lines.

Exercising After Hair Transplant: Your Body Needs A Rest 

Since hair transplant is a minimally invasive procedure some patients think that they can resume their normal lives very soon including exercising.

Yet, what many people overlook is that the scalp goes through certain stages and the operation lasts for almost 6-8 hours.

This means that the healing process of the skin and the newly transplanted hair will need some time.

For that reason, any vigorous activities such as working out at the gym, running, playing football, and basketball are prohibited.

What Happens to The Transplanted Hair If You Work Out After Hair Transplant Immediately? 

When you exercise your heart beating rate increases and your blood pressure goes up. This means that the scalp and grafts will be under pressure because of too much blood flow.

This eventually impedes the grafts from anchoring in the scalp and it will be dislodged.

Freshly Transplant Hair Grafts

Not only do the grafts move from place, but also the chances that you sweat during working out is very high.

Too much sweating leads to infections because of the bacteria that build up on the open wounds. In addition to that and to keep your scalp clean you have to wash it after sweating.

Frequent washing of the hair more than once a day increases the chances of touching and rubbing the grafts. And this is something that we do not recommend especially during the first 2 weeks after hair transplant.

Workout Timeline After Hair Transplant and The Types of Exercises to Avoid

The time span to start exercising after hair transplant differs according to the type of sports that you are going to do. This is a breakdown of what kind of sports you can do during the first month after hair transplant:

The first 2 weeks after hair transplant:

During the first two weeks after hair transplant, you must avoid doing any sort of sports even aerobics.

The only thing that you can do 3 days after the operation is go for a short walk but avoid direct sunlight. 

After 2 weeks you can start doing some light workouts such as brisk walking, jogging, and walking on a treadmill.

NOTE
Walking immediately after hair transplant increases the risk of swelling. Give yourself a break for 3 days before you go out for a walk.

One Month After Hair Transplant: 

Any strenuous activities such as weightlifting, push-ups, and any sort of strength training is not allowed until about the one-month mark.   

Also, sports like football, basketball, and swimming are to be avoided for at least one month. 

After one month you can go back to your fitness program without any restrictions. By then there is no risk of infection and the grafts are settled in the scalp.

Finally,

Be assured that we’re not trying to disrupt your workout routine. However, hair transplant is a procedure that must be handled with so much care to get the best results.

And if you stick to our recommendations you will have a very satisfying result.

If at any time you are not sure if a certain kind of exercise is harmful after hair transplant. Please get in touch with one of our patient coordinators and they will assist you right away.