Hair Transplant Procedure
What Should I Expect?
Day of Procedure
Hair transplantation is a typical outpatient procedure in that it can last anywhere from 3-8 hours (or possibly longer depending on the number of follicular units being transplanted). The physician will once again review with you the hairline that you want and that the physician plans to create and confirms your expectations of the results. In general, you will feel little to no discomfort. Hair Club Medical GroupTM doctors use mild sedatives and a local anesthetic.
The doctor will review the procedural steps (see below) and answer any questions you may have. During the procedure, you simply need to relax and pass the time.
Step 1
Donor Area Preparation
A donor strip is taken from the back and/or sides of the head, where hair is genetically resistant to hair loss. The hair surrounding the donor strip is taped or secured while the hair in the donor area is trimmed. The donor area is then numbed with a local anesthetic.
Step 2
Harvesting
The strip of donor tissue is surgically removed and then the area is sutured together. Once healed, it will typically leave a very fine cosmetic line or scar covered by your existing hair. Even immediately following the suturing of the donor area, the affected area is hardly visible.
Step 3
Separating
A team of highly trained medical assistants use stereo microscopes to divide the hair from the donor strip into natural follicular groupings. Your hair naturally grows in groupings of one, two, three and four hairs.
Step 4
Recipient Sites
The creation of recipient sites is the most artistic part of the procedure. Your doctor will make incisions to the depth of each follicle that follow the exact direction and angle of your hair growth. There is no substitute for experience when it comes to creating the recipient sites.
Step 5
Placing
Follicular units are carefully placed into the recipient sites by the physician's experienced medical team. The one- and two-hair follicular units are primarily used in the frontal area of the hairline while the three- and four-hair follicular units are usually placed behind them.
Hair Wash & Post-Procedure Checkup
Day after procedure
During your first post-operative appointment, you meet with the medical staff to review your procedure and receive your first hair wash, after which you will be given our exclusive medical kit and Guide to the First Ten Days.
Suture Removal & Post-Procedure Checkup
7 to 10 days after procedure
You return to the doctor's office located at the Hair Club Center to have the sutures removed by
the doctor or a medical assistant. The area where the donor strip was removed has healed and a cosmetic line is barely visible.
Healing
7 to 10 days after procedure
Following your hair transplant procedure, you will have many tiny incisions with short hair stubble showing from the recipient sites. The tiny recipient site incisions will heal rapidly. Any redness, minor swelling and scabbing usually clears up within approximately a week. Once complete healing has occurred, there is virtually no visible scarring where the new hair will grow.
Growing
Approximately 2 to 3 months after the procedure (results may vary)
Once all the follicular units are placed, the hair will go into a resting phase. It then takes about two to three months for the follicle to produce a new hair. You will normally see a cosmetic difference within the first 9 months.
Want to get an even closer look at the hair transplant procedure? Click here to see Hair Club Medical GroupTM patient Julian White's journey from Bald to Bold [link to Julian's main page] where his entire procedure was filmed and you can see exactly what takes place throughout the entire process.
Medical services are provided by Hair Club Medical GroupTM.
