The fear of pain is consistently cited as one of the top reasons patients delay pursuing a hair transplant. The reality — for the vast majority of patients — is that the procedure is significantly more comfortable than anticipated.
The procedure is performed under local anaesthetic. The injection of anaesthetic is the most uncomfortable part: a series of small injections around the scalp that cause a brief stinging sensation. Most patients describe it as no worse than a dental injection and significantly less unpleasant than they expected. Some clinics use a topical numbing cream applied 45 minutes before the injections to reduce this further.
Once the anaesthetic is in place, you should feel no pain at all. You may feel pressure, movement, or vibration — particularly during extraction — but the sensation should not be painful. If at any point you feel discomfort, alert your surgeon and the anaesthetic can be topped up.
Post-operatively, the donor area tends to be more uncomfortable than the recipient area, with a tightness and dull ache in the first few days that most patients describe as mild to moderate. Standard paracetamol controls this well. By day three or four, most patients are comfortable without any medication.
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