Hair Transplant Surgery Day: What Happens Hour by Hour from Morning to Evening?

Hair Transplant Surgery Day: What Happens Hour by Hour from Morning to Evening?

Once you have decided to have a hair transplant, one of the things you are most likely to wonder about is the day of surgery itself. What will happen throughout the day, which part will be uncomfortable, and when will it finish? In this article, we describe a typical surgery day hour by hour, from morning registration to your return to the hotel in the evening.

The times below are an example schedule. The duration of surgery varies depending on the number of grafts, the technique and the clinic's arrangements; most procedures begin in the morning and finish in the late afternoon. If you would like more detail about the technical stages, you can read our guide to the stages of an FUE hair transplant.

The evening before and the morning of surgery

The day before surgery, follow the preparation instructions your clinic has given you. These usually cover alcohol, smoking and certain medicines. If you take blood thinners or any regular medication, your doctor—not you—should decide whether you need to stop taking them; we have covered this separately in this article.

In the morning, have a light breakfast unless your clinic has told you otherwise. Fasting rules may differ if you are having sedation; ask about this in advance. Wear a button-front or zipped top that you can take off without pulling it over your head. In the evening, you will need to get dressed and undressed without rubbing the transplant area. You can find more detail about clothing in this article.

08:00 – Registration, tests and consent

The day begins with registration. If the required pre-operative blood tests have not already been done, blood samples will be taken at this point; your blood pressure and pulse will also be checked. You can find out which tests are requested in this article.

At this stage, you will be given an informed consent form. Read it before signing: check the risks of the procedure and whether the planned number of grafts and technique match what was discussed during your consultation. If you have any questions, this is the best time to ask them.

08:30 – Meeting the doctor and drawing the hairline

The doctor assesses the transplant area one last time and draws the hairline on your scalp with a pen. This is one of the most important moments of the day: the line drawn will be the hairline you live with for years. Look in the mirror and share your views on the height of the line and its shape at the temples. Your before photos are usually taken at this stage too.

You should meet the doctor whose name you were given during the consultation at this point. If you do not, ask about this before surgery begins. We have covered other signs to look out for on surgery day in our article on red flags.

09:00 – Shaving and preparation

Unless an unshaven technique is planned, your hair will be trimmed short. You then move to the operating room, where your scalp is cleaned. As grafts are usually taken from the back and sides of the head, you will spend the first few hours lying face down or on your side.

09:30 – Anaesthesia for the donor area

Local anaesthetic is administered at the back of the head using small needles. For many patients, these few minutes are the most uncomfortable part of the day; once the area is numb, graft extraction is generally painless, with only a sensation of pressure and movement. Some clinics use methods to reduce the sting of the injections; you can ask in advance whether these are available.

10:00 – Graft extraction

Grafts are extracted one by one from the donor area using a small-tipped instrument. This stage can take several hours, depending on the number of grafts. The team counts the extracted grafts, sorts them by the number of hairs they contain and keeps them in a special solution until implantation.

During this time, you can talk, listen to music or rest. Let the team know if you want to change position or take a toilet break; short breaks are normal.

13:00 – Lunch break

Once graft extraction is complete, the donor area is dressed and there is a short break. You can have something light to eat during this time. After spending a long time in the same position, it helps to stand up and take a few steps.

13:30 – Anaesthesia for the recipient area and channel creation

You now move into a position lying on your back or sitting semi-upright, and local anaesthetic is administered to the area where the grafts will be implanted. Small channels are then created to receive the grafts. The angle and direction of these channels determine the direction in which the transplanted hair will grow, making this stage crucial to the appearance of the result. With DHI, channel creation and graft placement are performed in a single movement using an implanter pen.

15:00 – Graft placement

The grafts are placed into the channels one by one. Single-hair grafts are usually placed along the front hairline, with grafts containing more hairs placed further back to create a natural transition. This is one of the longest stages of the day and can take several hours, depending on the number of grafts. Tell the team if the anaesthetic begins to wear off; an additional dose can be given.

18:00 – Completion, bandaging and instructions

Once placement is complete, the transplant area is checked. The donor area is usually covered with a bandage, while the transplant area is often left uncovered. You will be told which medicines to use, how to sleep on the first night and when the first wash should take place. The first wash is usually on day 1–3, following the clinic's instructions.

On your way back to your hotel or home, take care not to touch the transplant area or bump your head. Getting into the vehicle and taking off clothing are the moments when this is most likely to happen.

Evening: The first night

The anaesthetic wears off within a few hours. You may feel tightness or mild pain in the donor area; the painkiller provided is usually enough. For the first night, you are advised to sleep on your back with your head slightly elevated and the transplant area not touching anything. You can find details about sleeping positions in this article.

What to bring

As it will be a long day, the following will make things easier: a phone charging cable and headphones, comfortable shoes, your regular medicines and a list of them, identification and a copy of the contract. If possible, arrange for someone to collect you in the evening and stay with you for the first night; you should not travel back alone, particularly if you have had sedation.

What you should have by the end of the day

Before leaving the clinic, make sure you have been given the following: a written list of the medicines you will need to use, care instructions for the first two weeks, a phone number you can call even at night if there is a problem, and your first follow-up or washing appointment. Some clinics also provide a report showing the number of grafts extracted and implanted; even if yours is not required to provide one, asking for the number and noting it down will be useful if you consider a second session in the future.

You can find a day-by-day guide to the first two weeks after surgery in our article on the first 14 days.