Pain management before and during the hair transplant surgery
There’s no escaping the fact that a hair transplant is a surgical procedure — so you can expect some slight discomfort.
No matter which type of procedure you have, your surgeon will administer a local anaesthetic before the surgery starts. This numbs the area to minimise the pain caused to the patient. Some people find the injection a little painful, but the surgery itself is pain-free.
Some patients report that the process can feel uncomfortable. Patients are awake throughout the surgery, so they have full awareness of what is happening. They can experience some pulling or tugging while the surgery takes place. However, with the local anaesthetic, this is usually uncomfortable rather than painful.
What to do about post-hair transplant surgery pain
While the procedure itself shouldn’t cause any pain, the scalp is likely to feel tender and sore when the anaesthetic wears off. The scalp tissue has been subjected to trauma, which will inevitably cause redness and some hair transplant swelling during the first few days. Often, the more grafts you’ve had, the longer it takes for the wounds to heal.
Patients can take mild painkillers to help ease any post-surgery pain and discomfort. This includes paracetamol for pain relief, prednisolone to reduce swelling, and tetracycline to prevent infection. Within a few days the soreness should subside.
After this, it’s pretty much plain sailing. Your scalp should no longer hurt, and you can look forward to your new hair growing in a few months’ time.
Can I speed up the hair transplant healing process?
RégimA Post Laser/Post Peel Gel encourages rapid hair transplant healing and reduction in redness. The gel holds in moisture, prevents crusting and accelerates the healing process. It reduces post-op scabbing and is safe to use on even new burns.
It’s essential to stick to the post hair loss surgery guidance you are given and avoid too much contact with the recovering area. You should take care when washing your hair after a hair transplant, wearing hats, and playing sports to avoid healing disruption.