Hair transplant is a surgical procedure. Because of this, there is a misconception that it is a painful affair. But, it is not true. There is little pain in the procedure compared to any other surgery. Since, scalp is a delicate part of the head; people have got a feel that it still hurts. Luckily, you hardly experience any pain thanks to the local anesthetic and post-operative medications. Although, it is a simple procedure, people need to understand what it includes and the level of pain and discomfort they might experience before, during and after the procedure
Pain before the Hair Transplant
The Donor area is numbed by administering the anesthesia before the Hair Transplant starts. There may be a slight discomfort while giving the anesthesia. Once the donor area is numbed, there will be no pain or discomfort on the scalp. The anesthesia normally lasts for 3 hrs. So, it needs to be reapplied multiple times depending on the duration of the procedure.
Pain during the Hair Transplant
Following the anesthetic injections, the donor area will be numbed. So, patient will not feel any pain or discomfort while extraction of follicles is going on. After the extraction procedure is over, another anesthetic injection is given on the recipient area. Again, patient might feel slight discomfort while receiving the anesthesia. After that there will be no pain or discomfort while the grafts are placed on the recipient area.
Pain during the Hair Transplant
The scalp will remain numbed till the time Hair Transplant is over. After the procedure, the doctors will give post operative medicines including antibiotics and painkillers to the patient. It will relieve them of any pain or discomfort. After 2 days, patient will feel comfortable. No pain killers might be needed beyond this period.