FUE Hair Transplant

FUE hair transplant surgery usually takes 8-10 hours to complete. The total amount of time taken depends on the size of your transplant and how your operation progresses on the day.

All FUE hair transplants take place at The Treatment Rooms London in its dedicated surgical theatre in Putney. Surgery can normally be completed in 1 day and in some large cases over 2 days.

In the morning you arrive and are greeted by our Surgeons. They will go through your transplant again and answer any questions you may have. Your donor area will be shaved. The area is then injected with local anaesthetic to numb it entirely. This means that you do not feel pain during the period where our hair transplant surgeons are extracting hairs. Once you have been numbed, our surgeons will use a 0.8mm-0.9mm punch to extract your hairs from the scalp. Our surgeons are able to safely extract up to 2100 grafts (approx 6000-7000 hairs) in one day.

Once we have extracted the desired number of grafts, you are treated to a personalised lunch and break. Once you have finished, your recipient area (area of balding or hair thinning) is numbed with injections containing local anaesthetic. Once you are completely numbed, you may enjoy our suite of entertainment whilst our surgeons and nurses meticulously re-implant each hair graft back into your scalp. Our Surgeons control the direction, angulation and density of each hair that goes into the scalp to ensure you are left with a natural hair growth result.

Your surgery is complete once you have had all your hairs re-implanted. After this, you will be debriefed by your hair transplant surgeon and given a take home bag full of instructions and medications to ensure your recovery is smooth and worry-free. More information can be found here:

• Patient Journey
• Aftercare and Recovery

Hair loss is primarily driven by dihydrotestosterone (DHT) acting to thin your hair and make it fall out. This process only affects the hairs on the front, top and on the crown. Hairs at the back and sides of the head are resistant to this process. Therefore, we call these hairs DHT- resistant and this is your donor area where hairs from the area can be extracted, one by one using the FUE technique, and relocated/ transplanted to an area of balding. These hairs retain their resistance after transplantation and they continue to grow in their newly implanted location following surgery.

To find out more, read our dedicated blog on this topic: What is hair transplant surgery?

After hair transplant surgery you will see your newly implanted grafts immediately post-surgery. Some of these grafts may grow immediately. However, some may shed a few weeks after treatment- this can last up to 3 months and this is completely normal. The hair root remains under the skin despite the hair being shed. The root will start to grow new hair in the next 5-12 months and these hairs will be healthy and permanent.

Full results will be seen at 8-12 months with thickening of the hair seen up until the 18th month post hair transplantation. Our hair transplant surgeons follow up every patient following their FUE procedure. They routinely follow up every patient at 12 months post surgery. However, many patients come back sooner for a review as they are delighted with their results- this can happen as early as 6 months post hair transplantation.

As our surgeons only use DHT- resistant hair during the transplant process, your transplant should last for a long time (decades/ lifelong). The DHT-resistant hair retains its resistance to hair loss even though it is relocated from the back/ sides of the head. Our surgeons are particularly skilled in being able to only pick those hairs that are resistant and not take any hairs that potentially could bald in the future.

A hair transplant should also be considered together with other hair loss prevention treatments- mitigating against hairs being lost around any newly implanted grafts. By preventing further hair loss you ensure you won't need to undergo a second hair transplant and also you preserve the results of your first hair transplant. As a result, hair loss stabilisation and treating any underlying cause for hair loss is equally important as undergoing a hair transplant.

Read more about this topic with our dedicated blog: Is a hair transplant permanent?

As a female you can normally have an unshaven hair transplant. We are able to conceal your transplant at the back of the head by shaving small areas of hair and covering the area with your hair above.

As a male, you can choose to have a shaven or unshaven hair transplant. Normally we will need to shave the back and sides of your head so that we can extract your hairs. However, depending on your preference and the extent of your balding you can choose to leave the hair on top long or shaven. Having an unshaven hair transplant requires a high amount of surgical skill and it may lengthen your procedure but allows you to conceal any signs of your surgery easier. This is particularly important for those who are in the public eye. These options can be discussed in full with your hair transplant surgeon.

An FUE hair transplant can be performed whilst you are awake. Using local anaesthesia our surgeons are able to numb the back and front of your head. This means that you should not feel pain following these initial numbing injections.

The total number of grafts/ follicles (1 graft or follicle = roughly 2.5 hairs) that you require for your transplant depends on a number of factors such as:

• The total area that needs to be covered
• Your required density
• The thickness of your hair

The total number primarily depends on the factors above and therefore can only be assessed in a face to face consultation. Your surgeon will provide you details of the total number of grafts required for your surgery in your consultation.

The cost of a hair transplant depends on a number of factors. Our price can only be determined in our FREE face to face consultation. Your hair transplant price will be dependant on:

• How bald you are
• Which areas you want transplanted and your preferred density
• Your hair type
• Your preferences around shaven or unshaven hair transplant surgery

As a guide, our FUE hair transplants are priced from £2000 with a price per graft of £4. Visit our fees page for more information.

The Treatment Rooms London is a Surgeon-led and patient-focussed clinic dedicated to hair transplant surgery. We have a high patient satisfaction rate because our surgeons and clinical Directors take an active role in making sure every patient receives a high standard of care and service alongside strict health and safety guidelines set out by the Care Quality Commission and the British Association of Hair Restoration Surgery. For this reason, our prices reflect our professional standards, surgeon skill and experience with our patient's results testament to the quality of care we deliver. You can see our cases here:

• Who We've Helped
• Before & After FUE Hair Transplantation

You can technically go back to work the following day after having a hair transplant. However, we tend to advise at least a 5-7 day rest after having the procedure. This allows you to take care of your precious newly implanted hair in the first few days after surgery.

In your initial consultation, you will be given ample time to discuss any previous medical or surgical conditions you have. Our surgeons will be able to advise you on whether you can have a hair transplant depending on your previous history. As every condition is different, it is important to ask all the questions you have around surgery with your Surgeon in your face- face consultation. That way you can have all your concerns answered.

Donor hair is the hair at the back and the sides of your head that are resistant to your body's balding process (DHT). This means that this hair is the best quality hair to transplant during surgery. Our hair transplant surgeons at The Treatment Rooms London only use the hair located here in your surgery. They do not take hairs outside the "donor zone"- i.e. hair that is not resistant to DHT. As a result you can be assured that your hair transplant will be of a high quality and last you a long time.

The surgery is performed by the hair transplant surgeons in The Treatment Rooms London- in its purpose-built hair transplant surgical room. All surgeries take place in our Putney clinic which is CQC licensed.

Hairs can't be transplanted from one person onto someone else. This is because the new scalp will reject the new hair like a normal organ transplant unless you take extra medication for the rest of your life. These medications have a lot of side effects that increase the risk to your health compared with the benefits of having a hair transplant. Therefore, we do not perform such hair transplants.

In some patients who do not have enough donor hair on their scalp, we can use donor hair from other parts of the body. For more information please contact us to book your consultation.

For most people, they will only require 1 hair transplant. As we take DHT-resistant hairs, hairs that are transplanted should stay and grow in their new transplanted location for a significant period of time.

However, some patients may find that they would like particular areas densified after their first transplant or that their hair loss has progressed and require a second transplant to fill in new areas of balding. Further transplants will always depend on the health of a patient's donor area. Our hair transplant surgeons will always assess your donor area to check if patients can undergo a further procedure without sacrificing too much hair and leaving behind a "see-through" effect where the back of the head has had so many follicles taken out that you can see the scalp.

Our hair transplants surgeons will always recommend at least 1 year between a first and second hair transplant procedure so that they can assess the growth following one procedure. That way they can plan where new follicles need to be implanted to achieve the desired result a patient wants.

A natural hair transplant depends on a few factors:

• Your natural hair density
• Your hair type and colour
• The hair transplant surgeon's skills and experience

At The Treatment Rooms London our goal for every patient is to achieve a natural result for them. This takes into account their hair loss history and their predicted hair loss journey. In terms of natural results, our hair transplant results speak for themselves, please take a look at them by navigating the links below:

• Before & After FUE hair transplantation
• Who We've Helped

After your FUE hair transplant- your surgeon will go through your aftercare and recovery in detail. You will be given a personalised bag by The Treatment Rooms with all the kit and medications you need to make your aftercare as simple and worry-free as possible!

In the first few days after surgery you will:

• Take the prescribed medications we have advised (Steroid medication, antibiotic and stomach acid medication)
• Spray your implanted hairs regularly with the spray solution and bottle we provide

Spraying regularly will prevent your newly implanted grafts from drying out before they fully embed and "take root". Avoid touching the area in the first 5 days following surgery. On the 5th day after your hair transplant, you will be able to wash your hair, allowing foam and water to gently soak into your newly implanted grafts and letting water wash it away (without direct spray from a shower head). By the 14th day after surgery your newly implanted grafts will have fully embedded and you can go about your usual grooming routine.

With regular follow up with our hair transplant surgeons, you shouldn't find yourself alone with no-one to check on your progress during your recovery period. You will have follow up appointments throughout your recovery and hair re-growth periods to ensure your recovery is on track as well as access to our 24 hour emergency line should there be any acutely concerning issues.

As with any surgery, FUE hair transplant surgery does involve scars. When we take grafts from the donor area, the donor area heals with small pin-point shaped scars. As our hair transplant surgeons use a very small cutting device (0.8mm-0.9mm) these scars are very small and are not noticeable if you do not shave your hair to a grade 0. The art of FUE hair transplantation is being able to disguise the fact that any surgery has been done and this is what we at The Treatment Rooms London take pride in being able to provide to our patients. Take a look at the photo below to see an example of the recovery.

1 week after hair transplant surgery- you can see the small dot scars are no longer visible as hairs have grown to conceal them

At The Treatment Rooms London, we advise that you rest for a week before travelling on holiday or flying. Importantly, whilst you are abroad please take care not to expose your hair grafts to direct sunlight for a minimum of 2 weeks post-surgery as this can cause sun damage to the follicles.

Our Surgeons advise avoiding alcohol 7 days before and 7 days after surgery to ensure your transplant heals well.  Alcohol can affect the blood supply to the follicles and can compromise your transplant if you drink any. It can also interfere with the medication that you are taking after the transplant. If you had any questions regarding alcohol and medications then please ask your FUE hair transplant surgeon who will go through your concerns in detail.