Understanding exactly what happens during a FUE hair transplant — from the moment you arrive to when you leave — removes a significant amount of pre-operative anxiety and helps you prepare both practically and mentally for the day.
Arrival and preparation typically take around an hour. The scalp is cleansed, photographs are taken for your records, and the hairline or recipient area is marked with a white pencil. Dr Qurbain reviews the design with you before any instruments are picked up. Once you are satisfied with the plan, the donor and recipient areas are shaved where required.
Local anaesthetic is administered to the donor and recipient areas. This is the most uncomfortable part of the procedure and typically causes a brief stinging sensation. Once the anaesthetic has taken effect — usually within a few minutes — you should feel no pain for the remainder of the procedure.
Extraction begins at the donor area at the back of the scalp. Individual follicular units are removed using a micro-punch of 0.8 to 1.0mm, leaving tiny circular wounds that heal into barely visible dots. Extraction typically takes two to four hours depending on graft count.
Channel creation involves making tiny incisions in the recipient area at the correct angle, direction, and density to accommodate the grafts. This phase requires the most surgical precision and has the greatest impact on the naturalness of the result.
Implantation of grafts into the prepared channels follows. Each graft is carefully placed to match the surrounding hair growth direction. This phase takes approximately the same time as extraction.
You will be given breaks throughout the day. Most procedures take six to nine hours total. You leave the same day with post-operative instructions, medication if required, and a follow-up plan.
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