Hair transplant operations, which have been developing continuously since the 1950s, have improved considerably over time. With the introduction of new technologies and modern techniques, your experience today is nothing like your grandfather’s or father’s hair transplant experience. But are hair transplants painful?

 

Although hair transplantation is a minimally invasive operation, it is still considered a surgical procedure. However, for many patients the term “surgery” evokes a fear of slow healing and painful side effects. Fortunately, the age of fear in hair transplant operations is over. You may feel discomfort as your scalp starts to heal right after the hair transplant operation, but it is quite simple compared to other surgeries. A mild local anesthetic is applied to your scalp so that you do not feel pain during the procedure.

 We would like to tell you that there is nothing to be afraid of in a hair transplant operation. Here are a few reasons for this:

Local and General Anesthesia

You will sleep with a combination of general anesthesia and medical drugs under the supervision of the surgical team. Doctors use general anesthesia for more relevant types of surgery, it will be very important for you to be conscious during the procedure. Medical professionals, doctors prefer local anesthesia for less invasive jobs, including hair transplant operations. Local anesthesia, as the name suggests, is applied to certain parts of the body when you are fully awake and comfortable.

 

Local anesthesia creates little or no discomfort for the individual. In this case, the anesthesia process is applied by the doctors in the areas where the hair transplant operation is targeted. Local anesthesia rarely causes complications and you stay awake throughout the procedure. In hair transplantation operations performed without the use of general anesthesia, the recovery of the skin takes much less time. In cases where general anesthesia requires a hospital or similar medical center, such expenses will be added to the costs. However, local anesthesia is much easier and cost effective to apply. You also don’t need to worry about post-operative nausea or other complications typically caused by general anesthesia.

No Incisions, Stapling, or Scarring

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).

Individual Follicle Extraction isn’t Painful And Heals Easily

Especially patients who undergo more than one hair transplant by strip method could experience stretching of the scalp. This means the scar resulting from the strip removal could look worse over time. This is why FUE is preferable especially for patients who seek a second hair transplant.

Hair Transplant Recovery

Hair restoration surgery using the FUT i.e. the Strip Method requires several steps: cutting a strip of skin at the back of the scalp, stapling the remaining skin back together, removing each individual follicle of donor hair from the collected scalp portion and transplanting the donor hair to the new site. NeoGraft, the premier technology based on the FUE technique, eliminates most of these steps. It is a machine that allows a skilled technician to extract hair follicles directly without the need for further manipulation, and without the need to sew up any incisions in the donor site. The tiny holes created during extraction are so insignificant that they heal entirely on their own.

 

Your recovery time after FUE may vary based on a variety of factors, such as your response to the grafting procedure and your own medical history. Most patients experience only slight discomfort as the numbing agent is applied. After the procedure you might feel slight discomfort as the scalp heals, but typically patients experience little to no pain during and after NeoGraft hair transplants.

Recovery after FUE hair restoration is fast and easy

Best of all, you can expect good hair transplant results with the NeoGraft method. This approach uses technology similar to a vacuum in extracting individual hair follicles, allowing doctors to remove donor hairs from any part of the body and reinsert them into needed areas. If you’re interested in learning more about FUE or seeing hair transplant before and after photos, then contact the friendly team at Nashville Hair Doctor today to arrange an initial consultation.

 

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.