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hair transplant
Hair transplantation is a surgical technique that removes hair follicles from one part of the body, called the 'donor site', to a bald or balding part of the body known as the 'recipient site'. The technique is primarily used to treat male pattern baldness.
Hair transplantation is a surgical technique that removes hair follicles from one part of the body, called the 'donor site', to a bald or balding part of the body known as the 'recipient site'. The technique is primarily used to treat male pattern baldness. In this minimally invasive procedure, grafts containing hair follicles that are genetically resistant to balding are transplanted to the bald scalp.
*Reference text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. Verify with a qualified clinician before treatment.*
Average recovery for Sapphire FUE is 0 days. Individual recovery varies — always follow your surgeon’s specific guidance.
Immediate
First 24–48 hours post-procedure. Monitoring, anaesthesia recovery, initial pain management. Most clinics expect you to remain on-site or nearby.
Early recovery
Wound care, swelling or bruising peaks, restricted activity. Typical window for follow-up visits and drain removal if applicable. Travel is usually not advised.
Intermediate recovery
Gradual return to non-strenuous daily activity. Many international patients fly home during this window. Surgeon may require medical clearance for long-haul travel.
Full recovery
Return to full activity, exercise, and work. Final results may still be settling. Final follow-up with local doctor recommended.
Your surgeon will tell you how to look after your graft. You should be given a spray to use to help recovery and hair growth. You may need 1 to 2 weeks off work after having a hair transplant. You need to be very careful with your transplanted hair for the first 2 weeks after your operation. The grafts will not be secure. You may be told to cut down on exercise in the first month to reduce scarring. - After 2 to 5 days: any bandages can usually be removed, but you should not touch the grafts. - Day 6: you should be able to wash your hair gently by hand. - After 10 to 14 days: any non-dissolvable stitches can usually be removed. - After a few weeks: the transplanted hair will often fall out, and later start to grow back. - After 4 months: new hair will usually start to appear. - After 10 to
*Reference text adapted from NHS UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0.*
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A hair transplant in the UK can cost anywhere between £1,000 and £30,000, depending on the extent of hair loss, the type of procedure you have, and the quality of the clinic and its team.
If you're thinking about having a hair transplant in England, check with the [Care Quality Commission (CQC)](https://www.cqc.org.uk/) to see if the hospital or clinic is registered with them.
A hair transplant is usually carried out under [local anaesthetic](https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/local-anaesthesia/) and sedation, which means you'll be awake but will not feel any pain.
A hair transplant is generally a safe procedure, but as with any type of operation there's always a small risk of:
Cosmetic surgery can sometimes go wrong and the results may not be what you expected.
Sapphire FUE is a variant of Hair Transplant (FUE). See the parent procedure for the broader category context.
Other hair transplant procedures in our registry