It can be hard to juggle family, work, and business trips as a mom. Back in the day, men would do most work trips, but 45% of American business travelers today are women. When the mom is gone, it's often up to dads to take care of the kids.
But the dad in this family claimed he couldn't take care of the kids since he had recently had a hair transplant overseas. Wondering whether it's just poor planning on his part or a deliberate attempt to ruin her work trip, the mom turned to the internet for advice.
A husband protested his wife going on a work trip after he had just come back from getting a hair transplant
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Claiming he needs to recover after surgery, he said he can't take care of their kids
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Key_Boot964
Image credits: Kaboompics.com / Pexels (not the actual photo)
There are some things patients can't do after having a hair transplant
For those unfamiliar with what a hair transplant surgery entails, here's a short rundown. Dermatologists or plastic surgeons take hair follicles from other parts of a patient's head or body (beard, chest, or abdomen) and move them to the parts of the head that are thinning or balding.
Although it's only minimally invasive, it's still surgery. There are some things patients can't do right after having a hair transplant, but is looking after kids one of them? There are the things that doctors who perform hair transplants recommend avoiding:
- Scratching and touching their scalps (during the first three days post-procedure);
- Same goes for wearing hats, caps, and even sleeping on their side to avoid friction with the affected areas;
- Applying ice directly to the affected areas. If patients want to prevent swelling, they should only put ice just above the eyebrows;
- Alcohol, as it can interfere with blood flow to the head;
- Going out into direct sunlight. This might cause sweating, which, as explained below, might seriously complicate the healing process.
Swelling most often is an unavoidable part of having a hair transplant. And this is where this husband's worry about over-exertion and stress might come from.
Image credits: KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Rigorous sweating and physical overexertion might complicate the healing process
The experts at Nashville Hair Doctor claim that swelling usually happens on the third or fourth day after the procedure. Because rigorous physical activity can cause the swelling to get worse, specialists recommend that patients take it easy.
"You have to be careful with exertion," experts at Nashville Hair Doctor say. "Your blood pressure and heart rate need to stay in a safe zone until the risk of swelling has subsided." They note how this applies to gym buffs the most. "You may have to swap pumping that iron and taking a run for some light cardio instead."
The general rule is this: don't engage in any activity that might cause you to swell heavily. Experts at the Treatment Rooms London advise taking walks if patients insist on some form of exercise.
"However, it is important that for the first 14 days after surgery that you keep your exercise to a minimum," they note. "You can resume your usual exercise routine two weeks post-surgery." Why is sweating so bad post-hair transplant? It can cause hair grafts to dislodge, too much strain may cause them to pop out, or it might even cause an infection.
However, it's also advised to take some time off work after having the procedure. Most experts say that five days after having the hair transplant is the ideal time to go back to work. In effect, that same logic could be applied to taking care of the household and children.
Generally, most experts also advise patients not to overexert themselves after having a hair transplant. However, none also mention that a patient needs to be on bed rest. "Rest as much as possible in the first few days after your hair transplant," experts at HQ Hair Transplants write. "This is not only because the procedure tires your body out, but because resting helps speed up your recovery."
What do you think, Pandas? Does having a hair transplant warrant a husband to be absolved of looking after the kids while his wife goes on a work trip? Or is this whole story just a big case of miscommunication and poor planning on the husband's part?
People didn't understand what his surgery had to do with the situation: "If he could fly home, he's fine"
People who have had experience with similar surgeries criticized the husband and his poor planning skills, too
