Hair transplant aftercare: your questions answered by Dr Cinik

Yes, a repair procedure is possible, but first we need to understand why the earlier ones did not work: how the grafts were handled, the aftercare, a medical reason, or simply a limited donor area. We examine your scalp and donor area under magnification to see how much donor hair you have left and whether a different technique would give you a better outcome. More here: corrective surgery after a failed hair transplant.

No. Most modern antihistamines have no effect on healing. The non-drowsy ones, like cetirizine or loratadine, are safe to carry on with and can even take the edge off the itching after surgery. Keep taking your allergy medication unless we tell you otherwise.

Usually not. Extrasystoles are most often harmless, especially at your age. As long as your cardiologist has ruled out an underlying heart problem, a hair transplant is generally safe. We ask for a pre-operative ECG and a clearance, and we watch your heart rhythm during surgery.

Yes, it is. A transplant is perfectly possible when your condition is well controlled, with a healthy CD4 count and an undetectable or very low viral load. We follow strict hygiene precautions with every single patient. We will simply ask for clearance from your specialist and recent blood work before scheduling.

Only after a proper cardiac work-up. We will ask for written clearance from your cardiologist, including a recent ECG (and a Holter recording if needed) confirming that your rhythm is steady. With that in hand, we operate with continuous heart monitoring and an anaesthetist in the room.

Aspirin thins the blood, which means more bleeding during surgery, so it usually needs to be paused beforehand. How long for depends on your dose and why you take it. Never stop it on your own: we will agree a safe pause with the doctor who prescribed it.

No, the medication itself is not the issue. What counts is that your thyroid is stable and well managed. With balanced hormone levels and a green light from your endocrinologist, you are clear to proceed.

None of this rules out a transplant. What matters is that both are stable: thyroid levels in range and diabetes well controlled, with a steady HbA1c. Those medicines are generally fine to keep taking. We will liaise with your endocrinologist and may ask for recent thyroid and fasting glucose results before we book you in.

If it is well controlled, it is not a problem. We will want recent readings and a quick clearance from your doctor. Uncontrolled pressure raises the risk of bleeding during surgery, so we get it stable first and keep an eye on it the whole time. Carry on with your medication as prescribed.

Yes, provided we put the right precautions in place. You will need to be seen again by your cardiologist just before surgery, with an echocardiogram and a written go-ahead specifically for a hair transplant. On the day, we keep adrenaline to a minimum or leave it out altogether, give the anaesthetic slowly and carefully, and monitor you throughout (blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen, breathing), ideally with sedation overseen by an anaesthetist. So the answer is yes, but only once both your cardiologist and the anaesthetist have cleared you in writing.