People seeking a hair transplant often fear a slow recovery process. Many of them don’t even get a hair transplant as they think that the recovery might take months to years.
Hair transplant is categorised into two different types:
FUT – Follicular Unit Transplantation uses a strip method which leaves a linear scar on the back of head, and
FUE – Follicular Unit Excision is a more popular procedure that transplants single, double, triple or quadruple hair follicles.
If you plan to have a FUE treatment, but don’t know the length of the recovery period, then we will get all your queries answered in this article.
But before getting on to the recovery part, let’s have a brief introduction to FUE treatment.
FUE (Follicular Unit Excision)
FUE is a type of hair transplant procedure that is recommended to people with mild to moderate hair loss. At AHI Clinic we measure this using the Norwood scale – a leading classification system that helps us to identify the extent of male pattern baldness, to deliver the Best FUE Hair Transplant in London. We usually recommend FUE when a patient appears to meet the characteristics of Norwood stage 2 – 5. People with a higher degree of hair loss can also have the FUE procedure but they might need more than one session, and donor hairs may need to be harvested from the body (i.e back and sides of the head and sometimes from the beard or chest).
The procedure involves extracting hair follicles from the donor area and then transplanting them into the area of hair loss, one by one. It is quite a slow process and requires great skill and attention from the surgeon and their team of technicians. In many cases the entire process can take between 8 and 12 hours to complete, depending on the number of grafts / hairs that need to be transplanted. Advances in technology and procedure techniques has enabled FUE to also be carried out using robotic equipment – assisting the surgeon with their precise and intricate manoeuvres.
The process is super-advantageous and leaves behind minimal, hard to detect scarring, especially when performed by an experienced Hair Transplant Surgeon. The key is to harvest evenly from the donor area and not to over extract. It leaves very small, rounded scars on the back and sides of the head which can be easily covered.
Recovery period
As FUE is a surgical procedure, side effects are likely. We follow very strict and stringent protocols and policies to minimise any risks during and after the surgery. AHI provides all patients with online and written postoperative advice to help with a smooth recovery, however, you may experience the following:
SWELLING – Swelling of the donor area usually fully resolves within 3-5 days. However, swelling of the transplant area can take 5-7 days. If the treatment is successful and postoperative advice is followed carefully, then swelling of the transplanted area may resolve sooner – within 5 days. Our suggestions for successful healing includes: not washing the treated and donor area for the first 2 days, wearing comfortable clothes, ensuring you take the prescribed anti-swelling drug, sleeping on your back and propped up with pillows (so your body is at a 45 degree angle) for the first 4 nights, using the travel neck pillow – provided by us and avoiding scratching the treated area for the first 14 days.
SENSITIVITY – everyone has their own level of tolerance, and whilst many professionals will say that FUE is simple and causes minimal postoperative discomfort, some patients will experience minor pain sensations which usually last for a few days. Patients can also feel some tightness and tenderness at both the donor and transplanted area, which can easily be managed by taking Paracetamol or by spraying the area with the hair spray provided to you by our Surgeon. This postoperative spray helps to expedite the healing process as it contains Normal Saline mixed with an ATP (Adenosine 5’ – Triphosphate) solution.
Healing of the treated area
Within a week or two, the treated area has significantly recovered. In the majority of cases, within 3 – 4 weeks, most of the area is fully recovered and it’s hard to notice that you even had a hair transplant.
FUE HAIR TRANSPLANT SHOULD ONLY BE CARRIED OUT BY A TRAINED DOCTOR / SURGEON – not a technician
FUE surgery is an intricate procedure that requires the knowledge and skill of a highly trained and experienced medical professional. This helps to ensure the procedure is carried out properly, and the risk of developing further complications is low. At AHI Clinic Dr. Waqas Chaudhary performs the best FUE hair transplant procedures in London.
