One of the main concerns of hair transplant patients is the pain during and after the surgery. Often, we get asked whether hair transplants hurt or not. For some people, the answer to this question can even make it or break it as they don’t want to go through a painful procedure.
Even though the answer to the question “is hair transplant painful?” is short and sweet, it is a good idea to get more details about each step and what you should expect.
Knowing the details of your hair transplant operation can help you be psychologically more prepared and confident.
Before we explain whether hair transplants hurt or not, you may want to watch the video below which is recorded just after the operation. You’ll to see how comfortable Emilio was!
How painful is a hair transplant?
According to our patients’ experience, the hair transplant pain level is quite low. Of course, the pain that you may feel throughout your hair transplant journey may vary in relation to your threshold for pain and the hair transplant method you opted for.
Even though hair transplant operations generally do not hurt, there can still be some discomfort depending on the
An experienced and skilled medical team will understand the patient well and conduct the operation accordingly. Also, experienced surgeons make minimum incisions to conduct the operation which decreases the potential pain and shortens the recovery period.
Medical equipment plays a big role throughout the operation. They can make the operation less or more painful. Especially, unprofessional clinics tend to use low-quality equipment that may increase the pain and decrease the success rate of the operation.
There are multiple techniqes for a hair transplant. The old method, FUT, tends to be more painful as it invloves the removal of the skin. Whereas FUE and DHI methods are considered more safe techniques.
Up to 5000 hair grafts can be transplanted in one session, and the duration of the operation has a positive correlation with the number of grafts. The operation can be more uncomforable for a 3000 grafts operation than a 5000 grafts operation as more grafts means more incisions.
How much pain a person can reasonably handle varies from person to person. Even though an experienced medical team will do their best to make the patient comfortable, if the pain tolerace of the patient is extemely low, then they may call the operation ‘painful‘ while other patients don’t.
Hair transplant techniques
In order to achieve your dream hair, you can choose to go through with different hair transplant options. The follicular unit extraction (FUE) and follicular unit transplantation (FUT) techniques are the most commonly used methods for hair transplant. These methods have different approaches to achieving the same goal.
Is an FUE hair transplant painful?
The shortest answer to this question is no!
The FUE hair transplant method is one of the most sophisticated hair transplant techniques. In this method, the hair grafts which contain 1-4 hair follicles are extracted individually from the donor area. The extracted hair grafts are then transplanted into micro-incisions created at the target area. Your surgeon will apply local or general anaesthesia to prove maximum comfort. Because of the anaesthesia and much less invasive procedure, the FUE hair transplant is usually not a painful operation but may cause some mild discomfort at the beginning.
So, if you have been concerned about the pain level of a hair transplant surgery, you can be sure that there is nothing to worry about.
Is a FUT hair transplant painful?
The FUT hair transplant method involves the removal and transplantation of an entire strip of hair from the back of the head. Because this technique is much more invasive than the FUE technique, it may be a little bit more painful. Your surgeon will use local anaesthesia to ensure that you feel as little pain as possible.
Our medical team at Heva Clinic does not use FUT hair transplant technique.
Hair transplant anaesthesia
Is a painless hair transplant possible? Using anaesthesia in hair transplant can get you as close to a painless hair transplant as possible and is also necessary since it is a surgical operation. Using local anaesthesia ensures that you are as comfortable as possible throughout the operation. You won’t be feeling any significant pain during the surgery but you can still feel some pressure and movement on your scalp. Your surgeon can also apply a sedative along with local anaesthesia to help you have a more relaxed experience and for a painless hair transplant.
Does a beard transplant hurt?
Similar to a hair transplant operation, a beard transplant operation is not painful. The FUE technique is usually used for beard transplant operations. So, the operation will be performed under local anaesthesia to minimise the pain and discomfort during the procedure.
Hair transplant pain after surgery
After your hair transplant operation, you will have to care for the donor and transplant areas. Due to the extraction and incisions, you need to give your scalp some time to heal. There might be mild pain or discomfort after your hair transplant surgery because of this healing process. The pain level after a hair transplant usually depends on your pain threshold and the hair transplant technique. However, the pain shouldn’t be anything you can’t handle or too disturbing.
Right after surgery
Right after your hair transplant surgery, you will be feeling the most pain. The donor and transplant areas might have a stinging sensation. Painkillers can be used to relieve this initial pain. You may feel some head and neck pain for a week after your surgery. However, these should be much milder than the initial pain after your surgery.
7 days after surgery
A week after your surgery you can still feel some discomfort around the donor and transplant area. However, this is usually because your scalp being more sensitive. You may feel some itching or sting on your scalp.
Hair transplant healing time
The healing period after your hair transplant operation is extremely important in terms of how painful a hair transplant is. This healing time can differ depending on how many grafts were transplanted, the hair transplant method, and how good you are with the aftercare instructions.
The initial healing time can take anywhere between 7-14 days. However, don’t forget that the full recovery period after a hair transplant takes 6-12 months after the operation. Although you won’t feel much discomfort after the first 1-2 weeks as long as you avoid any inflammation by following the aftercare instructions strictly.
