Man issues major warning after ignoring 'no sex' rule following hair transplant surgery

A man who underwent a hair transplant in Turkey has issued a warning to anybody thinking of undergoing the surgery after he ignored one of the recovery rules, ending up in the emergency room.

Last year, the Turkish Healthcare Travel Council reported that over one million people from across the globe were traveling to the country to undergo hair restoration treatments.

Now, there are a ton of reasons you may want to have a hair transplant. Some people suffer from premature baldness, while others just want to boost their confidence by having a full head of hair again.

Ruben Owen, a Welsh influencer, headed to Turkey for his hair transplant in 2022, due to having concerns with his hairline.

The then 22-year-old told the clinic that he’d model the results for them after and, after agreeing on a budget price, spent £800 on flights to and from the country.

The day after his surgery, Owen returned to Abersoch under strict instructions from his Turkish surgeons - he wasn’t to have sex for at least seven days post-procedure.

However, the man, now 24, recently recounted that he chose ‘not to listen’ to his surgeons and decided to engage in fornication.

A Welsh influencer has issued a warning after he 'ignored' expert advice about his hair transplant (SWNS)

Hours after having sex, Owen woke up with a puffed face and a tight scalp and eventually found himself in an emergency room with an enormous head.

Initially, he believed he might be suffering from a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI). However, he quickly realized his balloon-like head had its roots in his hair transplant.

Speaking about his decision to ignore expert direction, Owen said: “It all went ok, they went through the aftercare things of what you are not meant to do.

Ruben Owen said his face looked as if it had been punched hours after having sex (SWNS)

"I didn't quite listen about the sex part and because of that my face just went quite enormous. I had sex the night time. Woke up the next day and my head was just absolutely massive.”

Owen said his face looked like he’d been ‘stung by 100 bees’ and that the left-hand side of his head was ‘bigger than anything’.

His face was so swollen that he apparently looked like it had been punched.

Owen, who went to Accident and Emergency (A&E) believing his face was ‘going to explode’, was told there was ‘nothing to worry about’ and that his head would eventually return to its normal size.

“I looked like something out of a film - it was something else,” he said.

It unfortunately took a full week of recovery for Owen’s head to return to its normal size, with the content creator claiming he’s now learned ‘the hard way’ about obeying medical advice.

If your face also swells, experts advise you keep hydrated and prop yourself up on pillows (SWNS)

The social media star claimed that, while choosing to have sex was ‘stupid’, he does think the aftermath is 'really funny'.

According to KSL Clinic, post-transplant swelling is pretty ‘normal’ and is the body’s natural reaction to ‘damage or stress to tissue’.

“When the immune system activates an inflammatory response, it protects the area affected from damage or infection,” they added.

The experts have advised that if you avoid exercise, excess sweating, alcohol and smoking, then you’re likely to keep surgical swelling to a minimum.

However, if you do find yourself with a ‘balloon’ face like Owen, then staying hydrated, keeping your head elevated, and administering ice could all help alleviate discomfort.