Skiing 38 Days Post-Hair Transplant and After PRP: Safety Assessment
Yes, it is safe to ski tomorrow—at 38 days post-transplant your grafts are fully anchored and no longer at risk of dislodgement, and the PRP injection you received today does not increase infection risk or compromise graft stability. 1
Graft Security Timeline
Your transplanted hair follicles are now permanently secured:
- Grafts become mechanically stable by day 6 when pulling on individual hairs no longer dislodges them from the scalp 1
- Complete graft anchoring occurs by day 9, after which grafts cannot be dislodged even when adherent crusts are pulled 1
- At 37-38 days post-transplant, you are well beyond the critical anchoring period and grafts are fully integrated into your scalp tissue 1
The only caveat during the first 9 days is that crust formation extends the risk window—but this is irrelevant at your current timeline since any crusting would have resolved weeks ago 1.
PRP Injection Safety Profile
The PRP injection you received today poses minimal risk:
- PRP for hair restoration has an excellent safety profile with the most common complication being sterile folliculitis (inflammation around hair follicles), which occurred in only 7% of patients in a large 10-year case series 2
- Infection after PRP is exceptionally rare—in the same series of 2,896 hair transplant patients receiving adjuvant treatments, only 2 diabetic patients developed infection (0.07% rate) 2
- Your PRP injection at 37 days aligns with standard protocols that recommend the third PRP session at month 3 (approximately day 90) post-transplant, so you are actually receiving treatment earlier than typical timing 3
Infection Risk Context
Hair transplant procedures themselves carry very low infection risk:
- A prospective study of 542 hair transplant cases over 6 years found zero surgical site infections when proper aseptic technique was maintained, even without prophylactic antibiotics 4
- The overall rate of significant complications in hair transplantation is 0.10%, with life-threatening complications being zero 2
- Infection historically occurs only when technique is compromised or in patients with specific risk factors like diabetes 2, 5
Skiing-Specific Considerations
There are no contraindications to skiing at your timeline:
- Physical trauma risk is negligible since grafts cannot be dislodged after day 9, and you are at day 38 1
- Cold exposure and helmet use pose no risk to fully anchored grafts 1
- The PRP injection site (intradermal, 2-4 mm depth) heals rapidly and does not create an open wound susceptible to environmental contamination 3
Common Pitfall to Avoid
Do not confuse early post-transplant restrictions with your current timeline. The critical period when patients must avoid physical activity, sweating, and graft trauma is days 0-9 post-transplant 1. You are more than 4 weeks past this window and can resume all normal activities including vigorous exercise and outdoor sports.