Can You Wear a Hat After a Hair Transplant?

Many clients ask us: Can I wear a hat after a hair transplant? Looking after your scalp and newly transplanted follicles after a hair transplant is crucial. After the procedure, the grafts will still be delicate and often sensitive, and we advise you to follow the aftercare guidance carefully, ensuring you take any recommended medications such as pain relief. 

Although we appreciate that some clients might assume wearing a hat is a quick and easy way to conceal their hair transplant in these early days, it is hugely important you avoid wearing hats and tight headgear for at least the first two weeks.

Wearing a restrictive hat, cap or head covering can impact and impede the healing of the transplanted grafts, dislodge the follicles, or exacerbate swelling and soreness.

Instead, we’d recommend you only wear a loose hat at the earliest ten days to two weeks after your transplant or consider a softer, non-fitted fabric head covering from day ten at the earliest.

Hat-Wearing Post Hair Transplant: The Guidance

In the first ten to 14 days after a hair transplant, you need to be careful not to disrupt or affect the healing process when the tiny incisions made during a FUE hair transplant are still in the initial period of recovery.

Wearing a hat, exposing your scalp to perfumes, shampoos, and toxins, swimming, or performing exercise could all contribute to a risk of infection, a slower-than-necessary recovery, pain and discomfort, or damage to the follicles that will reduce the outcomes.

During this time, we suggest you rest as much as you can, avoid wearing any hats, and allow your scalp to heal as the new follicles embed themselves. Hats can cause compression, restrict the blood flow to your scalp, or even dislodge the grafts.

Another reason we strongly advise against wearing a hat or any head covering, however loose, is that it might generate sweat or moisture trapped between your scalp and the fabric. Humidity and sweat can cause irritation and infections, including folliculitis.

Wearing a Loose Head Covering or Soft Hat From 10 Days After a Hair Transplant

While we would recommend you avoid hats altogether for two weeks, there is the potential that you may be able to wear a hat from day ten onwards, depending on the location of the transplant, assuming all swelling has subsided, and only based on a very light and soft, loosely fitting cap for short periods of time.

This may seem overly cautious, but the reality is that the thicker parts of even a light baseball cap, such as the lining or sweatband and the closure band on the back, could press on your hair.

If you are concerned about attending events or being in public immediately after a hair transplant, it’s wise to speak with one of our hair transplant surgeons during your free consultation to understand the full details of our aftercare guidance and to pick a procedure date when you will have the time to focus on your recovery.

Advice on Wearing a Hat Two Weeks Post-Transplant Procedure

After 14 days, your scalp and hair transplant site will normally have healed sufficiently for the grafts to be stable and safe. This means you may be able to wear a hat if you want to, but you should still steer clear of tighter beanies or caps.

However, it’s worth checking with your hair transplant surgeon before making any changes or if you’d like to verify that your hair transplant is now recovered enough to ensure you can wear a hat without causing unintentional damage.

Taking good care of the newly transplanted follicles, avoiding direct sunlight, chemicals, and abrasion, and giving the scalp plenty of time to recover will ensure your healed transplant meets your expectations.

For further advice about aftercare and recovery after a hair transplant and why we recommend spending as much of the initial two weeks recovering as possible, please schedule a consultation with your preferred KSL Clinic at your convenience.