Hair Transplant

How to prepare for the procedure?

It is necessary to run basic laboratory tests before the procedure. You need to discontinue taking anticoagulants after consultation with your doctor. On the day of the treatment wash your head with a mild shampoo and do not use any other cosmetics on your hair. You can have breakfast. We recommend putting on buttoned or zipped clothes to allow for easy handling without irritating your scalp.

Course of the procedure

The procedure is performed under local anaesthesia – you will be able to feel touch, but there is going to be no pain. Your hair in the donor site will be shaved to ca.1 mm length. All instruments are sterilized, the procedure takes place in fully aseptic conditions in the operating theatre. The transplant is performed by experienced personnel who also perform microsurgical operations, ensuring the highest level of precision and accuracy. The procedure lasts several hours, depending on its extent. During the procedure you are welcome to watch a movie or listen to music, or take a walk during breaks.

Hair transplant surgery can be broken down into three main stages:

Stage I :

– It starts with patient preparation for the procedure: your outer clothing will be changed to a surgical gown, the doctor will select the scope of the recipient area where hair follicles will be transplanted, he will designate the donor area, and then your head will be shaved.

– Local anaesthesia: the whole procedure is performed under local anaesthesia. You will feel some pain and discomfort only during the first pricks. The anaesthetic solution is administered with a special pump to further reduce any unpleasant sensations. Local anaesthesia mainly works on pain receptors, so you will be able to feel touch, pressure or rubbing.

– During this stage, you will remain lying on your stomach. Due to this rather uncomfortable position, you will be able to take short breaks, walk or use the bathroom.

– During the entire stage I, the doctor will be harvesting hair units, which are at the same time carefully pulled out by an assistant. The harvested hair follicles are then carefully checked for possible damage and divided depending on the number of follicles per unit. Hair units that are damaged, dry or cut do not qualify for implantation and are not included in the total number of transplants.

– Stage I ends when the appropriate number of grafts necessary for the procedure have been harvested.

Stage II:

– Before proceeding to stage II, you will take a few minutes’ break.

– Upon return, you will take a semi-seated position that will remain unchanged until the end of the procedure.

– Stage II starts with anesthetizing of the recipient area. Next the doctor makes microscopic incisions in the scalp to prepare the recipient area for grafting.

– At the end of stage II there is a longer lunch break, which takes about 45 minutes. You will be asked in the morning to choose the dishes available on the menu and during the break you will have lunch in a private room on the recovery ward.

Stage III:

– The procedure is continued in a semi-seated position.

– The hair is implanted into the previously prepared incisions in the skin. We use implantors of different sizes to implant the grafts. Their shape resembles a needle, and the greatest advantage of this system is that it offers maximum protection to delicate hair bulbs.  This eliminates the risk of damaging the graft, which translates into the final results.

– Once implantation is finished, the donor area is secured with a sterile dressing. The recipient area will be sprayed with a solution every 15 minutes.

After the procedure:

You can leave the Clinic on the same day. We recommend an hour’s rest in a private room in the recovery ward. After the surgery you are allowed to wear loose headgear. You will receive a set of necessary preparations to take care of the transplants during the first days, as well as detailed postoperative instructions in writing. Full recovery takes about a week, but you can return to work even on the next day. Immediately after the surgery, the treated area will be slightly reddened and swollen, there may be some itching or tingling. After the treatment, the donor area will be secured with a light pressure dressing. Small scabs will fall off after a few days, and the harvesting sites will become invisible with time.

For the next few days it is recommended that you sleep with your head slightly raised, wash the treated areas with a gentle stream of water and foamed shampoo without rubbing and leave to dry without a towel or dryer. For one week, avoid activities that get you hot and result in blood rushing to the treated areas (strenuous exercise, sauna, hot baths, alcohol consumption). The transplanted hair will grow for several weeks after the treatment and then fall out. This is normal. The transplanted hair follicles remain in the skin and will grow new hair. Preliminary, uneven growth will appear about 4 months after the treatment and final regrowth about 9 months after the treatment.

The first follow-up appointment is made 14 days after the procedure in order to check the healing process of the transplants. The next follow-up appointments are scheduled 3 and 6 months after the procedure, and the last appointment should be made at the clinic after 12 months to check the results and final regrowth of the transplanted hair.

If you’re interested in treating another alopecia area, we recommend waiting about 6 months after the first procedure. However, if the procedure is performed in the same area or close to it, the interval should be at least 12 months. After the hair transplantation procedure, you will receive a whole set of transplant aftercare products for the first days. The doctor will discuss with you in detail all post-operative recommendations directly after the surgery, and you will get care instructions in writing. It is essential to follow the recommendations and instructions received from the doctor who performed the surgery.