Antibiotics after a hair transplant

[KSA91]

Are antibiotics really necessary after a hair transplant?? I know they are issued by doctors after a hair transplant to avoid infection in the recipient area, but after doing research infection is incredibly rare after surgery anyway. So is it worth destroying the healthy gut bacteria in your stomach? 

[A_4_Archan]

@KSA91 but if it catches infection than the damage/consequences is worse so imo a week of destroying gut bacteria is worth 

[disTressedHairline]

Agree with @A_4_Archan - you're going to have a lot of tiny open wounds in an area that is perfect for bacteria, no since in risking it. You can always rebuild good gut bacteria by eating a proper diet and avoiding junk. 

Edited July 10, 2023 by disTressedHairline

[Al - Moderator]

Some Drs no longer prescribe antibiotics after a hair transplant. The holes are so small these days that it's usually not necessary.

 

[GoliGoliGoli]

My Dr (Nader) said most Dr's don't prescribe anti-biotics. He said he'd never had a patient get infected, but he still prescribes them anyways just as a pre-cautionary measure.

I personally didn't take any antibiotics for exactly the reasons you stated: it's really not a good idea to take antibiotics unnecessarily due to them wreaking havoc on your gut microbiome. 

[Chrisno]

My personal opinion is that you should absolutely take oral antibiotics. Yes, the risk of infection is small, but if you do get an infection you can say goodbye to your results. If you opt for a transplant, why take the risk? The risk of getting in a car accident is also low, but I guess you still wear a seatbelt.

Your gut bacteria will recover quickly enough. Take the antibiotics.

[Bhumik Shah MD]

On 7/10/2023 at 12:09 PM, KSA91 said:

Are antibiotics really necessary after a hair transplant?? I know they are issued by doctors after a hair transplant to avoid infection in the recipient area, but after doing research infection is incredibly rare after surgery anyway. So is it worth destroying the healthy gut bacteria in your stomach? 

You are right. The best practices these days suggest not using antibiotics routinely post hair transplant. Having said that there is so much variation in cleanliness and sterility standards between clinics and between different countries that this is absolutely a post op decision you should follow YOUR physician's recommendation and not listen to the forum voice. 
If you have concerns regarding your gut flora, or have a history of any gastrointestinal issues you should talk to your doctor regarding this so they can modify their treatment plan accordingly.

Edited July 19, 2023 by Bhumik Shah MD