Is A Hair Transplant Painful?

You should not feel pain during your hair transplant after your scalp has been numbed using local anaesthesia. At The Treatment Rooms London, we also provide light sedation for extra comfort. This means an FUT or an FUE hair transplant is a comfortable process for most patients, a procedure which takes between 6-8 hours to complete. Despite most patients being very anxious about potential pain, we make every effort at The Treatment Rooms London to ensure they are kept as comfortable as possible. In this blog, you can find out more about whether having a hair transplant is painful.

Pain Management During A Hair Transplant

In the scalp, there are many nerves, so these must be anaesthetised (blocked from working) so that when our Surgeons perform hair transplant surgery, their patient does not feel any pain whatsoever. Our Surgeons perform this using different techniques:

1. Using local anaesthetic injections
2. Giving pain-relieving medications
3. Giving light sedation so the patient feels sleepy, comfortable and relaxed during the procedure

Local Anaesthesia Injections

The primary technique your Surgeon will use to numb your scalp are local anaesthesia injections. These are tiny injections into the areas where your surgeon will remove hair and implant it, such as the hairline, temples, or crown. The injections are performed using a tiny needle (nearly the width of a human hair).

Even though the needle is small, our Surgeons go the extra mile. They use a TENS device on your skin to distract your brain from receiving all the pain signals. This means that any soreness from the initial numbing injections is significantly reduced. After this stage, your entire scalp will be numb, and you shouldn’t feel pain during the procedure.

Giving Pain-Relieving Medications

In addition to local anaesthetic, our Surgeons will also provide you with some pain-relieving medications. These help reduce any discomfort throughout the procedure and further relax you.

Techniques used to minimise discomfort

Being stressed increases your brain’s perception of pain. So keeping every patient friendly and relaxed is one of our main priorities. Our custom-built hair transplant clinic is designed to keep every patient relaxed. We use different techniques such as:

• Giving a tablet that makes you feel sleepy and relaxed
• Music
• Temperature Control

This means that whilst patients are undergoing surgery, they often feel so comfortable they fall asleep. If you’d like to learn more about undergoing a hair transplant at The Treatment Rooms London, watch the video below!

Is It Painful During Hair Transplant Surgery?

During the hair transplant, you should not feel pain following your initial local anaesthetic injections. Once the procedure starts, you will feel the hair transplant surgeon’s light touch on your scalp. With calming music, you may find yourself falling asleep.

If you stay awake during the procedure, you are kept as comfortable as possible with your choice of entertainment. This includes music, podcasts, TV shows, films, and more.

By choosing to have your hair transplant at The Treatment Rooms London, you can expect the highest level of attention to your comfort. We take pride in making sure the process is as relaxing as possible. One of our patients has even described having surgery at The Treatment Rooms London as:

“It’s like sitting in a First Class plane seat and having a hair transplant”

Pain After FUE Hair Transplantation

After your hair transplant, you will be given a recovery pack and instructions. Any pain you may feel will be easily managed with simple painkillers such as:

• Paracetamol
• Ibuprofen
• Co-codamol if required- particularly in patients who have had FUT hair transplant surgery

After surgery, most patients are pain-free and don’t require any further medications.

Our Surgeons will keep in contact with you regularly following your surgery. This means your recovery should go to plan, and if needed, you will have access to our specialist advice with our dedicated caretaker service.

Pain After FUT Hair Transplantation

After your FUT hair transplant, you may feel some pain in your donor site. This is a common occurrence and tends to worsen in the first two weeks post-procedure. At The Treatment Rooms London, we will provide you with codeine based medication to help alleviate this pain. As a side effect, this medication can make you feel itchy and can also make you feel constipated. If you experience issues with this tablet, please notify your surgeon.

Will pain affect my transplant?

Pain should not affect your hair transplant. If you have pain lasting longer than 28 days, you should contact your surgeon at your hair transplant clinic, who will want to assess you further.

Post hair transplant sensations and care

After surgery, it is normal for your scalp to feel numb in certain areas and sensitive in others. We find that these abnormal sensations can last a few weeks before returning to normal. Sometimes, we recommend specific lotions for the scalp to alleviate discomfort, especially if patients experience pain at night while lying on their donor area. Most of our patients can return to work within 10 days after a hair transplant, especially if the unshaven technique has been carried out.

Can you have a hair transplant without feeling any pain?

It is possible to undergo a hair transplant without feeling any pain apart from one injection. This is a technique called conscious sedation where you are put to a very drowsy state, reducing any anxieties. You are able to follow instructions but are unlikely to remember the injections being carried out to numb your scalp. We offer this service to our patients who have particular anxieties when it comes to a procedures and having injections.

Book a Consultation at The Treatment Rooms London

One of the most common questions we are asked by our male, female and transgender patients is whether having a hair transplant is painful. We can reassure patients during their one-on-one consultation with a Surgeon about the surgical process and how we go to great lengths to ensure their comfort during the procedure.

If you want to understand more about the procedure and how we can help you with your hair loss, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our hair transplant clinic today.

Pain and Hair Transplant Surgery FAQs

1. Is a hair transplant painful during the procedure?

Patients should not feel pain during a hair transplant procedure once the local anaesthesia injections have been completed. You may feel pressure, mild tugging, or a slight vibration from the instruments, but not sharp pain.

2. Does the anaesthesia used in a hair transplant hurt?

The initial injections of local anaesthesia can sting briefly, similar to a pinprick. Surgeons often use a fine-gauge needle and inject slowly, which significantly reduces discomfort. After the area is numb, you won’t feel further injections or pain.

3. What level of discomfort can I expect in the week following a hair transplant?

In the first 2–3 days, you may experience:

• Mild soreness or tightness in the recipient and donor areas
  
• Swelling around the forehead and temples, tiny scabs around the grafts

Most patients manage this with over-the-counter pain relievers (e.g paracetamol or ibuprofen) and feel comfortable returning to light activities within 7 days. Any discomfort typically subsides by day 7–10.

References

1) Y Kim, Y Na and J Park, 2019. Comparison of postoperative pain according to the harvesting method used in hair restorative surgery, Arch Plast Surg 46 (3): 231

2) BP Nusbaum, 2004. Techniques to reduce pain associated with hair transplantation: optimising anethesia and analgesia. Am J Clin Dermatol 5(1):9-15

3) Teoli and An, 2019. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)