Hair transplant operations are revolutionary hair completion procedures that provide the most natural and realistic results possible to patients. Deciding to have a hair transplant can cause anxiety and one of the most curious questions is “Does hair transplant hurt?”

In this article, we will examine all the steps about hair transplantation together and let you know exactly what you will feel and how much it will hurt.

What’s a “hair implant”?

Hair transplantation is a surgical technique that removes hair follicles from one part of the body, called the ‘donor site’, to a bald or balding part of the body known as the ‘recipient site’. The technique is primarily used to treat male pattern baldness. In this minimally invasive procedure, grafts containing hair follicles that are genetically resistant to balding (like the back of the head) are transplanted to the bald scalp. Hair transplantation can also be used to restore eyelashes, eyebrows, beard hair, chest hair, pubic hair and to fill in scars caused by accidents or surgery such as face-lifts and previous hair transplants. Hair transplantation differs from skin grafting in that grafts contain almost all of the epidermis and dermis surrounding the hair follicle, and many tiny grafts are transplanted rather than a single strip of skin.

 

Since hair naturally grows in groupings of 1 to 4 hairs, current techniques harvest and transplant hair “follicular units” in their natural groupings. Thus modern hair transplantation can achieve a natural appearance by mimicking original hair orientation. This hair transplant procedure is called follicular unit transplantation (FUT). Donor hair can be harvested in two different ways: strip harvesting, and follicular unit extraction (FUE).

Is The Healing Process Painful?

The healing process of your hair transplant is also relatively painless, simple, and easy, and we give you everything you need to recover as soon as your procedure is over. We recommend not working for 7 to 14 days to rest, this will depend on the size of your procedure and personal healing characteristics.

 

In general, people who have hair transplantation are given a personalized care program, which is very simple and includes 4-day antibiotics to protect against infection and some optional drugs to prevent post-operative swelling.

 

Recovery

FUT and FUE may each take several hours to several days to complete. In part, this depends on the amount of work performed by the surgeon. You will go home the same day of the procedure.

Once the surgery is done, your surgeon carefully removes any bandages. The area may be swollen, so your surgeon might inject triamcinolone into the area to keep the swelling down.

 

You’ll likely feel pain or soreness at the transplant site as well as in the area where hair was taken from. For the next few days, your surgeon may prescribe:

 

• pain medications, such as ibuprofen (Advil)
• antibiotics to prevent infections
• anti-inflammatories, such as an oral steroid, to relieve swelling
• medications such as finasteride (Propecia) or minoxidil (Rogaine) to help stimulate hair growth

Here are some aftercare tips for hair transplant surgery:

• Wait a few days after the surgery to wash your hair. Only use mild shampoos for the first few weeks.
• You should be able to return to work or normal activities in about 3 days.
• Don’t press a brush or comb down over the new grafts for about 3 weeks.
• Don’t wear any hats or pullover shirts and jackets until your doctor says it’s OK.
• Don’t exercise for about a week.

 

Don’t worry if some hairs fall out. This is part of the process. The transplanted hair may not grow much or seamlessly match the hair around it for a few months.

 

In this article, we shared with you how hair transplant operations work and the stages of this process. The most frequently asked people who decide to have hair transplantation, “Does hair transplant hurt?” We have given the answer to the question. Before starting your hair transplant operation, we recommend that you investigate all the steps and techniques you will use in-depth.

Good luck to you in this process.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment.