Nights 1 to 5
Snugalo travel pillow
Keeps your head off the pillow while you sleep upright.
The kit
After the clinic foam
Faith in Nature, fragrance free
Gentle on a healing scalp. My clinic approved it.
Three times a week
Nizoral anti-dandruff shampoo
Ketoconazole dandruff shampoo. Recommended by my clinic.
What it does
Ketoconazole is an antifungal. It treats dandruff and calms an itchy, flaky scalp. A few small studies suggest it may help thinning hair, but that is not what it is licensed for.
From week 4
Regaine for Men foam
For hereditary hair loss in men. Start when your clinic says.
What it does
Minoxidil 5%, licensed for hereditary hair loss in men. It only works while you keep using it, and extra shedding in the first weeks is common. Keep it off a healing scalp until your clinic agrees.
From week 3
The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Serum
Cosmetic and unproven. I used it anyway.
What it does
A leave-on scalp serum with peptides and caffeine. It is a cosmetic: it can make hair look fuller, but there is no good trial evidence that it regrows hair.
Months later
Hydra derma stamp
No trial evidence over grafts. Ask your surgeon first.
What it does
Fine needles pressed into the scalp, known as microneedling. Studies outside transplant patients suggest it can help minoxidil work. There is no trial evidence on transplanted areas, so get your surgeon’s go-ahead.
With the antibiotic
Optibac, for those on antibiotics
Some evidence probiotics ease antibiotic stomach upset.
What it does
Antibiotics can upset the gut. These are probiotic strains made to be taken alongside a course. Evidence suggests probiotics can reduce antibiotic-related diarrhoea.
From a month before
Oxford Vitality zinc
For general recovery. The NHS limit is 25mg a day.
What it does
Zinc supports normal immune function and wound healing. It only helps hair if you are low in it. Stay under 25mg a day unless a doctor says otherwise.
From week 1
Nutrition Geeks Biotin Growth+
Only shown to help if you are deficient. Can skew blood tests.
What it does
Sold for hair, skin and nails. Trials only show a benefit in people who are deficient, which is rare. High doses can give false blood test results, so tell whoever takes your bloods.
At bedtime
Doctor’s Best magnesium glycinate
For sleep, not hair.
What it does
Glycinate is the form of magnesium usually taken at bedtime. I take it for sleep. It has no known effect on hair.
Surgery was on 16 January 2026. The after photo is about 10 months on.
Days out 16
Before and op day
Dry.Packed.Ready.
I stopped drinking sixteen days before the op. Clinics ask for anything from a few days to a week or more.
- Finasteride
-
Started two months before the op, through an online pharmacy consultation.
Oxford Online Pharmacy, where I get mine
More on finasteride
A daily tablet that works on the hair you still have. For most men it slows or stops further loss. A transplant does not stop the rest thinning, so the two go together. It only works while you take it: stop, and the loss resumes. Start now, take forever.
- Clinic rules
-
Most ask you to stop nicotine, skip caffeine on the day and avoid aspirin, ibuprofen and vitamin E for about a week. Check before stopping anything prescribed.
- Pack
-
Button-up shirts only, so nothing goes over your head. Buy the travel pillow before you fly.
- Op day
-
The anaesthetic injections hurt. After that I felt nothing for six and a half hours. 3,723 grafts. Take headphones for the afternoon session, with podcasts or audiobooks downloaded.
Days 10
First 10 days
Foam.Dab.Trickle.
Clinic foam only, twice a day. Dab it on and rinse under a trickle. Nothing else touches your head.
- Sleep
-
Upright for five nights, with a travel pillow round the nape of the neck so the grafts touch nothing. Clinics ask for three nights to a week.
- Dryness
-
It scabs and feels tight. I used a saline spray for about a week, until the scabs started coming off. My clinic told me to stop, so ask yours first.
- Alcohol, hats
-
No alcohol for a week. A loose hat only to keep the sun off. Otherwise wear nothing on your head.
- Scabs
-
Mine came off between day 7 and day 10, using the clinic’s method. Then a gentle shampoo, and Nizoral three times a week.
Months, at least 12
Week 4 onwards
Shed.Sprout.Wait.
New hairs shed between week 2 and week 8, which is normal. Regrowth starts around month 3 or 4. The final result takes 12 to 18 months.
- Regaine
-
Started four weeks after the op. Ask your clinic when you can.
- Clippers
-
My clinic says no clippers for six months. I started after one month, at my own risk. Hover above the scalp and never touch the transplanted area.
- Rest
-
No gym, swimming or sun on the scalp for several weeks. Your clinic sets the dates.
- Spots
-
Common between months 2 and 4. If they are painful or spreading, call the clinic.