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Does Hair Transplant Hurt? How to Manage Pain After Surgery

The short answer to the question “Does hair transplant hurt” is simply no. This is because hair transplant surgery is done under local anesthesia, meaning the patient won’t feel any pain. However, there may be slight discomfort during the procedure and after. 

There is no need to be concerned about the inconvenience or even pain of this procedure because you won’t feel anything throughout the operation. A team of professionals is in your presence to make sure you are pain-free following the procedure.

In this article, we will talk about the following subjects in detail:

  • YOU WON’T FEEL ANY PAIN DURING OR AFTER THE HAIR TRANSPLANT PROCEDURE
  • LEVELS OF DISCOMFORT DURING A HAIR TRANSPLANT SURGERY: MILD TO  MODERATE
  • THE LEVEL PAIN OF IN DIFFERENT HAIR TRANSPLANT TECHNIQUES: PAIN IS MORE FELT AFTER FUT COMPARED TO FUE AND DHI
  • PAIN MANAGEMENT: PAINKILLERS AND SOFT FUE
  • FOLLOWING RECOVERY TIPS FOR A SMOOTHER AND LESS PAINFUL PROCESS: COLP COMPRESS AND NSAIDS

Does Hair Transplant Hurt During The Surgery?

The procedure of getting a hair transplant surgery does not hurt. The surgeon numbs the scalp with the help of some local anesthesia injections, so you won’t feel any pain during the transplantation. Yet, the patients might feel slight inconvenience when the first injection is applied. 

Since this is a surgical procedure with trauma to the scalp, some mild levels of pain are expected after the surgery. However, there’s no need to worry as this is completely controllable by painkillers.

What Is The Discomfort Level During A Hair Transplant?

Patients experience a level of mild discomfort during this operation. They will feel slight pain because of the needle with a tiny bit of pressure. 

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The average pain scale during the procedure reported by patients is 1 to 2 out of 5 due to local anesthesia injection. Many patients claim they have a pricking sensation while the anesthesia is being injected.

It is important to remind you that people have different pain thresholds. There are also different pain perceptions among individuals. This term explains that people perceive and experience differently than one another during and after the procedure. 

Do Different Methods Impact The Pain Level?

Yes, the level of discomfort and pain after hair transplantation is highly related to the technique.

For instance, in the FUT hair restoration surgery, patients will feel scalp stretching mostly throughout the planting. Especially in regard to postoperative pain, the technique matters. Studies show that pain was less severe in patients who underwent FUE compared to FUT and DHI.

Since this is a surgical procedure with trauma to the scalp, some mild levels of pain are expected after the surgery. However, there’s no need to worry as this is completely controllable by painkillers.

Is The Extraction Of Hair Follicles Painful?

Generally, the patient does not feel any pain while extracting hair follicles because they are under the influence of local anesthesia. If the effects of the initial injection start to wear off, the process can be quite painful. 

If you start to feel mild pain during the procedure, inform the surgeon or anyone from the operating team. The hair transplant doctor will have another anesthesia injection to relieve you from the pain and continue the surgery.

How To Manage Discomfort During The Hair Transplant Procedure?

As we mentioned earlier, patients will not feel anything during the procedure. Yet the stress and anxiety cause tension and lead to inconvenience.

There are some ways of creating a comfortable and relaxing environment. What we use to make the environment convenient for our clients are:

  • CHOOSING SOFT FUE METHOD
  • RELAXING AND SOOTHING MUSIC
  • RELAXING ODOR BY PATIENT’S PREFERENCE
  • VISUALLY PLEASANT STATUES AND PAINTINGS FOR DISTRACTION


We perform a new technique called
Soft FUE Hair Transplant. In this technique, the procedure is carried out while the patient is sedated. This is a great way to help our patients who have Trypanophobia (needle phobia).

Do You Regret Getting A Hair Transplant Because of the Pain?

No, people do not regret getting a hair transplant because of the pain they experience. Hair transplants are not nearly as painful as it is scared.

What Is The Most Painful Part of a Hair Transplant?

The pain levels for a hair transplant are usually on a lower level. Nevertheless, the most pain you will experience will probably be the local anesthesia injection, and with that, you won’t feel any pain until after the procedure. 

Devices To Reduce Pain For Needle

There are different types of practices to apply local anesthesia pain-free. These methods have been developed specially to reduce the needle pain and its infamous sensation.

Two of these methods align with the hair transplant procedures the most:

  1.  Jet injector: A jet injector (air gun or pneumatic injector) helps to apply local anesthesia with high pressure. This injector doesn’t have a needle, and penetrates under the skin, opening up a hole smaller than a single hair strand. It is quicker than half a second, which minimizes the whole anesthesia process.

 

  1.  Vibration stimulus: Vibratory stimulus is a technique that helps to reduce the discomfort of local anesthesia. It can be imagined as an enhanced hand massager. The team can apply the vibration both to the donor and recipient area. It is actively used and effective to reduce needle pain.

Does It Hurt After The Surgery?

Yes, just like every other surgical procedure, patients can feel mild to moderate pain after hair restoration procedures. This is why you are given analgesics, aka painkillers, immediately after the operation is over. This prevents the pain from surfacing and you won’t feel it.

Will There Be Pain In The Donor Area After A Hair Transplant?

All the affected sites on the scalp tissue including the recipient and donor regions are sore and painful following this cosmetic procedure.

This is because of the trauma in the surgical sites. Not only do patients feel minor pain but also they face tenderness, redness, slight inflammation, and headache. This pain and tenderness are manageable by over-the-counter painkillers.

How Long Does The Pain Last After A Hair Transplant?

Patients usually start to feel slight pain one day after the procedure as the anesthesia wears off. The timeline given in the table below is a general estimation.

 

TYPE OF HAIR TRANSPLANT

 

PAIN DURATION

 

FUT


5 DAYS TO 2 WEEKS

 

FUE


3 TO 7 DAYS

 

DHI


3 TO 7 DAYS


Typically, the pain after the surgery depends on several factors such as:

  • THE NUMBER OF GRAFTS
  • THE TYPE OF HAIR TRANSPLANT TECHNIQUE
  • INDIVIDUAL’S PAIN TOLERANCE


For this reason, pain varies among individuals. The more a patient receives hair grafts, the longer they might feel the pain. As you can see, the pain and discomfort after FUT take the longest to go away. This is because a strip of scalp is removed to provide the grafts, thus lasting for a longer time to heal. 

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Tips For A Smoother Recovery With Less Pain

Here is a list of tips for a painless recovery process:

  • DO NOT MISS YOUR FIRST POST-OP APPOINTMENT
  • APPLY COLD COMPRESS TO THE SURGICAL SITES
  • GENTLY MASSAGE THE DONOR AREA
  • TAKE NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS OR NSAIDs
  • BE PATIENT

The success of hair transplants relies on both the surgeon’s expertise and the aftercare during the recovery time. For a smooth recovery period with less pain, patients should follow the post-op instructions given to them by the surgeon, including the use of prescribed pain relievers immediately after surgery.

Do Not Miss Your First Post-Op Appointment

The doctor will check your wounds and give you instructions on how to manage the pain. If you are feeling discomfort or pain that concerns you, consult your doctor and ask for solutions.

Apply A Cold Compress To The Surgical Sites

A very easy yet useful way to alleviate pain at home is applying a cold compress to the surgical sites. Keep in mind that the cold compress should not come in direct contact with your scalp. Wrap it in a clean towel or sheet and put it on the site with any pressure.

Gently Massage The Donor Area

By gently massaging the donor site you increase the blood supply to this area, resulting in pain reduction. Your doctor will teach you how to properly massage the site to stimulate increased blood flow without damaging the grafts.

Take Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Or NSAIDS

This group of drugs that reduce inflammation is very useful for pain alleviation. Ask your doctor for proper dosage and use.

Be Patient

The pain will be gone a few days after the surgery. Be patient and give your scalp enough time to heal and get you the result you were waiting for.

What Should I Do If I Experience Excessive Postop Pain?

If you experience persistent or severe pain that hasn’t faded away within two weeks of the surgery, you should visit your surgeon and discuss this with them. The surgeon will provide you with proper treatment and medications. 

Prolonged and excess pain can indicate several problems:

  • FOLLICULITIS
  • POST-OP INFECTION
  • POOR HEALING
  • OVER-HARVESTING

If you wish to know more about the least painful hair transplant procedures at our respectable clinic, leave us a message here and we will get back to you in no time.

(1) Kim YS, Na YC, Park JH. Comparison of postoperative pain according to the harvesting method used in hair restorative surgery. Arch Plast Surg. 2019 May;46(3):241-247. doi: 10.5999/aps.2018.00843. Epub 2019 May 15. PMID: 31113186; PMCID: PMC6536877.

(2) Nusbaum BP. Techniques to reduce pain associated with hair transplantation: optimizing anesthesia and analgesia. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2004;5(1):9-15. doi: 10.2165/00128071-200405010-00003. PMID: 14979739.