Knowing exactly what will happen on procedure day significantly reduces anxiety and helps patients arrive prepared. Here is a complete step-by-step account of a typical FUE hair transplant day.
Arrival and preparation (1 hour): You arrive at the clinic, are greeted by the nursing team, and shown to your room or preparation area. Photos are taken for the record. Blood pressure and general observations are checked. Your surgeon meets with you to review and finalise the hairline design — this is drawn on your scalp while you are standing, so both you and the surgeon can assess it from normal viewing distance and angle. You confirm the design before anything else happens.
Anaesthetic administration (30-45 minutes): The donor area is anaesthetised first. You sit in a chair, and the surgical team administers the local anaesthetic through multiple small injections. Once the donor area is numb, extraction begins.
Extraction phase (2-4 hours): You lie face down on the procedure table. The surgeon uses the FUE punch to extract follicular units one by one from the donor area. You feel no pain — only occasional pressure sensations. The extracted grafts are immediately placed in chilled storage solution and sorted by a technician team.
Break (30 minutes): Most clinics pause between extraction and implantation for lunch and recovery. The anaesthetic in the recipient area is then administered.
Implantation phase (3-5 hours): You lie on your back while the surgeon creates recipient sites and implants grafts according to the hairline design. This is the longest phase.
Completion and dressing (30 minutes): The donor area may be dressed lightly. Post-operative instructions are given in full. You are ready to leave.
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