Should Patients Avoid Caffeine After Hair Transplant Surgery?

This question comes from a member of our hair loss social community and discussion forums:

I’m undergoing hair transplant surgery and want to make sure I’m taking care of the new grafts after the procedure. I know cigarettes and direct heat exposure should be avoided after surgery, but what about caffeine? Can drinking caffeine after hair transplant surgery affect the newly implanted grafts and final yield? Should I avoid caffeine after hair transplantation?

The post-operative period is an important time for the newly implanted follicular unit grafts. To help protect the new grafts and eventually obtain good growth, hair restoration surgeons provide patients with a strict set of post-operative instructions. These instructions help patients care for the new grafts, and also provide information about what type of substances and activities should be avoided in the post-operative period. Although avoiding some activities and substances, like tobacco cigarettes and excessive sunlight, are recommended by all hair transplant surgeons, other doctors may have more specific requests, like avoiding caffeine.

However, while many hair transplant surgeons could argue that excessive amounts of caffeine in the post-operative period may cause constriction of blood vessels in the scalp or inappropriate physiological stress, most state that caffeine is okay in moderation. For example, when asked about caffeine usage in the post-operative period, Coalition hair transplant surgeon Dr. Glenn Charles said the following:

I agree that moderation is the key. It is unlikely that small amounts of caffeine consumption will cause negative effects. On the other hand I do think that consuming significant amounts of caffeine on a regular basis will at some point lead to negative effects on the patient.

So, like Dr. Charles stated: in moderation, caffeine is not likely to have any effect on the newly transplanted grafts. However, large, excessive amounts of caffeine could have some negative effect and should be avoided during this period. Despite all this, the most important aspect of the post-hair transplant period is receiving a copy of your surgeon’s specific post-operative instructions and following these closely. If your hair transplant surgeon recommends completely avoiding caffeine for a certain period of time, it is important to follow these instructions exactly as written. However, in general, most physicians seem to believe caffeine is “okay” in moderation.

If you do have a question about your hair transplant surgeon’s post-operative instructions, we always recommend calling the clinic directly and asking the operating physician or a trusted member of the staff.

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Blake Bloxham – formerly “Future_HT_Doc”

Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning

Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum

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