Hats, helmets, combing, haircuts and hair color after PRP, from Paradise Medical Center Dermatology & Aesthetics in Miami.
Call (786) 738-9515Wait about 24 hours before putting anything tight on your scalp. Loose hats are usually fine at 24 hours, helmets at 24 to 48 hours, gentle combing the same evening, a haircut at about 3 days, and hair color or bleach at about 7 days.
Not sure about your own schedule? Call the dermatology clinic at (786) 738-9515.
The usual instruction is to keep anything off the treated scalp for the first 24 hours. In that window the injection channels are still closing, the scalp is often tender, and pressure can trap sweat against skin that has tiny open punctures.
After 24 hours a loose, clean, breathable hat is fine. Choose cotton over synthetic, size it so nothing presses on the crown or hairline, and avoid anything with an internal seam that digs in. If your hat leaves a mark on your forehead, it is too tight for the first few days.
Two practical notes. Wash the hat before you wear it again, because a hat that has been sitting in a car collects bacteria. And if you work outdoors in Miami sun, tell us before your session so we can schedule you at the end of a work day rather than the start.
Helmets are a different problem from hats. They press firmly at fixed points, they hold heat, and the padding is rarely clean. Give it 24 to 48 hours, and wipe the liner down before the first ride.
The same applies to a construction hard hat, a motorcycle helmet, swim caps, and over-ear headphones with a tight headband. If you cannot avoid a helmet for work, tell us and we will plan your session around your days off.
If you must wear one sooner than 48 hours, keep it on for as short a time as possible, and rinse the scalp with lukewarm water afterwards rather than leaving sweat to dry on it.
Yes, gently, and you do not have to wait a day. What we ask you to avoid is aggressive brushing, tight ponytails, buns, braids, hair ties, clips and extensions that pull on the root for the first 48 hours.
Use a wide-tooth comb, start at the ends and work up, and do not scrape the scalp with the comb teeth. Patients occasionally notice a few hairs on the comb in the first week and assume PRP caused it. That is normal daily shedding being noticed more closely than usual.
Skip dry shampoo, hairspray, gel, pomade and volumizing powders for the first 48 hours. They sit on the scalp surface and are hard to rinse off skin that you are not meant to scrub.
About 3 days. A haircut involves clipper pressure, comb tension, sharp scissor tips near the scalp and somebody else's hands and tools on freshly treated skin, so it is worth a short wait rather than doing it the next morning.
If you have a wedding or a photo shoot on a fixed date, get the haircut first and the PRP session afterwards. That order is always easier than trying to squeeze a barber visit into the 72 hours after treatment.
Tell your barber you had a scalp treatment so they go lighter with the clippers and skip the hot towel and aftershave tonic on the neckline.
Wait about 7 days. Permanent color, bleach, chemical relaxers and perms all use strong alkaline or peroxide chemistry that stings and irritates skin with recent micro-punctures, and irritated skin is exactly what we are trying to avoid while the platelets do their work.
If you color at home on a fixed schedule, book PRP right after a color appointment rather than before one. Semi-permanent, ammonia-free color on a scalp that is no longer tender is usually tolerated sooner, but ask us first for your specific case.
Keloid-prone, eczema-prone and very sensitive scalps sometimes need longer. Your provider will tell you at the visit if your timeline should be extended.
Between the heat and the humidity here, sweat is the practical challenge after a scalp treatment, not the hat itself. Heavy sweating in the first 24 hours softens the scabs, increases itching, and is the most common reason patients call us about irritation.
Stay out of direct sun for 48 hours where you can. Once you are past 24 hours a loose hat is the better sun protection than sunscreen directly on the injection sites, and after 48 hours a mineral sunscreen on the hairline and part is fine.
No pools, ocean, sauna, steam room or hot tub for 48 to 72 hours. Chlorine, salt water and heat all belong to the same category of avoidable irritation.
Yes, after about 24 hours, as long as the hat is clean, loose and breathable. Avoid anything that presses on the scalp or leaves a mark in the first few days.
Wait 24 to 48 hours and clean the liner before you use it. A helmet presses harder and holds more heat than a hat, so it needs the longer end of the window.
Yes, gently and on the same day. Use a wide-tooth comb, avoid scraping the scalp, and skip tight ponytails, buns and clips for 48 hours.
About 3 days. Clipper pressure, comb tension and scissors near freshly treated skin are best delayed for 72 hours.
About 7 days for permanent color, bleach, relaxers or perms. Ask your provider first if your scalp is eczema-prone or still tender.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Teresa Moreno, DNP, founder of Paradise Medical Center. This article is patient education, not a substitute for an in-person evaluation. Always follow the specific instructions given to you at your appointment.
Paradise Medical Center Dermatology & Aesthetics — 8364 SW 8th St, Westchester, Miami, FL 33144.
Call (786) 738-9515