Aftercare calendar after an eyebrow transplant
Before you leave I give you a written, dated plan; this page is the skeleton of that plan. From the first 48 hours to the check-up at month 12, I set out in order what to do in each period, what is normal and when you should write to me.
How to use this page
The dates and instructions in your personal plan always take precedence over this page. The periods written here are general ranges; the detail your brow, your skin and the method used require is something I can only settle with you in person. I follow the same calendar over WhatsApp: in each period I ask briefly how you are and, when needed, for photographs. Answering those messages is the easiest way for me to keep the follow-up going.
Decisions about medication, creams and sprays change only through the written instructions you were given. This page names no product, and must not.
Before you leave the clinic
Do not leave without:
- Your written plan with its dates: the first wash, the check-up and, if any, the suture-removal day.
- Having been shown how and how often to use the care kit and the spray.
- Knowing how to reach me and my team; the same channel works after you return home.
- Having discussed the sleeping position for the first night (head raised, on your back) and an old towel for the pillow.
The first 24–48 hours
The day of the procedure counts as day 0. These two days are the most delicate period, when the grafts are taking hold; the most important thing to do is nothing at all.
Do:
- Sleep on your back with your head raised (about 45 degrees) for the first 3–4 nights.
- Use a cold compress on the forehead and temples for swelling, never on the brows themselves.
- Apply the spray you were given as often as described, without touching.
- Drink plenty of water; put an old towel on the pillow for the first night.
- If the donor area oozes slightly, press a clean cloth on it for 15–20 minutes.
Do not:
- Touch, scratch, wash or apply anything to the brow area.
- Lie face down or on your side; wear tight-necked clothing.
- Drink alcohol, smoke, or take blood-thinning painkillers (aspirin, ibuprofen) — only what is in your written instructions.
- Do strenuous work, bend over for long, or exercise.
- Let glasses touch the brows; for the first 5 days avoid glasses altogether where you can.
Days 3–10: the first wash and the crusts
We do the first wash together on day 3. On the following days you wash yourself, once a day, the same way. The crusts come off on their own between days 7 and 10; the pink skin underneath is normal.
The washing method:
Soften
Apply the lotion described without touching the brows and wait; softened crusts need far less water.
Rinse
Pour lukewarm water from your palm, without pressure. Never point the shower head at the brows.
Lather
Lather the shampoo described in your palm and apply it with the palm — not the fingertips — in light dabs along the direction of the hair.
Dry
Pat dry with paper towel; do not rub, do not use a hair dryer.
In this period:
- Do not pick the crusts: a crust removed early can take the graft underneath with it.
- Light walking is fine from day 7; sweaty exercise, sauna, hammam, pool and sea are not yet.
- No make-up, brow pencil or serum on the brow area; the rest of the face can be made up after day 10.
- Wear a hat if you will be in the sun for more than 10 minutes.
- You can return to desk work on day 7 and to client-facing work once the crusts have gone.
Days 10–15: check-up and, where applicable, suture removal
Once the crusts are gone I ask for photographs around day 14 and call you in for a check if needed. By the end of this period you feel comfortable in public.
What to know about sutures:
- There are never sutures in the transplanted brow area.
- If the individual-extraction (FUE) method was used at the donor area, there are no sutures; the tiny dots close on their own.
- If the strip (FUT) method was used at the donor area, the sutures are removed at the clinic between days 10 and 14. Never remove them yourself; if dissolvable sutures were used, your plan says so.
Now allowed:
- Swimming and moderate exercise after day 14.
- Sunscreen on the rest of the face from day 11; on the brow area only once I say so.
Weeks 2–6: the expected shedding
Most of the transplanted hairs shed from week 2 onwards, and this can continue until week 6. I write this so that you know in advance: the root is not lost; the follicle enters a resting phase and keeps connecting to the blood supply. In this period the brow can look sparser than before the procedure; that is the expected picture.
In this period:
- Brow make-up and brow tint are allowed after week 4.
- Waxing, threading and tweezing of the brow area not before 6 months; if shaping is needed, trim with scissors only.
- Heavy weights and contact sports start after week 3.
- Do not count shed hairs or compare photographs; I ask for photographs at month 1 and we look together.
Months 1–3: the first new hairs and trimming
New hairs usually start to appear from month 3: fine, light and irregular. Because the transplanted hairs are scalp hairs they grow faster and longer than brow hair, which is why regular trimming is a permanent part of the care.
Trimming:
When
From month 3, every 2–4 weeks. I show you how to do the first trim.
How
With small, blunt-tipped scissors: comb the hairs along the brow line and shorten what goes past the line. Never pull from the root.
Direction
New hairs may point in different directions at first; brushing them gently a few times a day is enough to guide them.
In this period:
- Peels, skin treatments and sunbeds stay away from the brow area until month 3.
- Use SPF 30 or higher outdoors.
- I ask for photographs at month 3; it is usual for the two brows not to progress at the same pace.
The check-ups at month 6 and month 12
Month 6
The hairs thicken, darken and the shape begins to settle; density becomes truly visible for the first time. I ask for photographs and, where possible, see you at the clinic; we do the first shaping trim together at this visit.
Month 12
This is when it makes sense to talk about density and shape. We close the follow-up with photographs and a check-up; only at this point is a decision made about whether an additional session is needed. An earlier judgement misleads, in either direction.
When you should write to me
Usually normal:
- Redness, mild swelling, a feeling of tightness; swelling descending to the eyelids.
- Crusting, followed by the shedding.
- Tenderness or numbness at the donor area for a few days.
- The two brows not healing at the same pace.
Write to me without waiting:
- Pain that increases day by day instead of easing.
- Redness spreading beyond the brow border, increasing warmth, yellow discharge.
- A temperature of 38 °C or above.
- Hairs falling out within the first 5 days with a dark root fragment at the end.
- Sudden swelling on one side only.
If you cannot reach me and things are getting worse, do not wait — go to the nearest health facility where you are, then let me know. The same applies after you return home.
In the long term
After month 12 the brows are permanent and need no special care beyond regular trimming. Waxing and threading of the brow area are possible, but I recommend not tweezing the transplanted hairs from the root so the follicles are preserved. If you have a question years from now, the same channel still works.
Questions
- When can I fly after an eyebrow transplant?
- You can fly the day after the procedure. On the plane, do not touch the brow area, avoid resting your head against the seat, and use the spray as often as described. Remember that the first wash is on day 3; your plan says where it takes place.
- Do sutures need to be removed after an eyebrow transplant?
- There are never sutures in the transplanted area. If the individual-extraction method was used at the donor area, there are none there either. Only with the strip method are the donor-area sutures removed at the clinic between days 10 and 14, and that date is written in your plan.
- How often should transplanted eyebrows be trimmed?
- Once new hairs start growing, usually from month 3, they are trimmed to the brow line with small scissors every 2–4 weeks. Because the transplanted hairs are scalp hairs they grow longer than natural brow hair; trimming is part of the permanent care.
- When can I go back to make-up and brow tint after an eyebrow transplant?
- The rest of the face after day 10; brow pencil and brow tint on the brow area after week 4. Waxing, threading and tweezing of the brow area not before 6 months.