Do Hair Transplants Hurt?

Hair loss experts are often asked if hair transplants are painful.   A hair transplant involves removing healthy hair from a donor area and grafting it into an area that has thinning hair or no hair. This type of procedure has been around for about 60 years, but the techniques and methods have continued to improve as technology has advanced. These improvements have allowed for the procedure to become less painful and less invasive for patients.

This outpatient procedure will usually take 4-8 hours, depending on how much hair will be transplanted. Even though this is an outpatient procedure that will take less than a day, it is important to remember that it is a surgery, so there will be some minor discomfort afterwards. A local anesthetic will be given prior to the procedure and once the anesthetic starts to numb the skin, it should eliminate the patient from feeling anything throughout the procedure.

Some patients have said that they felt a minor pulling or tugging feeling during the procedure, but the anesthetic makes it so you will not feel any severe pain. Most patients are usually very surprised at the ease of the procedure and appreciate that there is only minor pain associated with it.

The recovery process is usually fairly simple for most patients. Patients can expect to have some redness on their head where the hair was transplanted and their scalp may feel a little tender for a few days. There may also be some mild pain and an anti-inflammatory can be taken to reduce it.

Most patients can go back to their normal activities within 1-2 days. Patients will receive post-procedure instructions from their physician and if they follow that care plan, it will minimize and ease any discomfort from the procedure.

Hair transplants have really progressed and changed and the procedure has become faster and less invasive. The pain from the procedure is minimal and the benefits of the surgery far outweigh any mild discomfort that the patients may experience. Hair transplants are the only permanent solution for hair loss and the results are very real and natural-looking hair.

If you are experiencing some thinning hair or balding you would like to know the cause, you can contact the experienced hair loss physician, Dr. Yates. He will be able to determine what is causing your hair loss and will let you know what your options are for treatment.