How Long Does a Hair Transplant Take?

Michael Seutin Written by Michael Seutin, founder — former nurse, researching transplant pricing.

Published · every medical statement links to its source.

A hair transplant usually takes one day: the NHS says you should not need to stay overnight[1], and the surgery itself runs roughly 4 to 10 hours depending on how many grafts you have. In a 2024 series of 158 men having FUE, operations took 4 to 10 hours, 6.3 on average, for 500 to 4,000 grafts[2]. The result takes far longer: the NHS says new hair usually starts to appear after about 4 months, and the full result after 10 to 18 months[1].

Hours on the day

In the published figures, session length tracks graft count. The ISHRS patient brochure gives 3 to 8 hours[4]; a 2008 review describes sessions of up to five or six hours for 2,000 to 3,000 grafts[5]; and a 2026 series of 236 large sessions, each over 2,500 grafts and done without shaving the head, averaged 8.25 hours[3].

Bigger is not free. A 2018 review lists very large sessions among the factors behind swelling, and says fainting tends to happen at the end of surgery, particularly a long one[8].

When it is two days

If a large area is being treated, the NHS says you may need two or more sessions on different days[1]. Some unshaven techniques add a day before surgery: in the 2026 series, patients attended on two consecutive days so donor hairs could be trimmed in advance[3]. A second, separate procedure is a different thing; a 2008 review says it should be at least three to six months after the first[5].

What fills the hours, and who does each part

The ISHRS describes the steps: marking the donor and recipient areas and the hairline, numbing the scalp, making the recipient sites, harvesting the grafts, and placing them, the placing most often done by trained staff[6]. It lists the parts it believes only a licensed physician should do: the consultation and planning, donor harvesting, hairline design, recipient site creation, managing medical issues, and post-operative care[7].

Its suggested question for any clinic is the one worth asking about a long day[7]: who will be involved in performing my surgery, and what role will they play? The answer tells you more about the hours you are paying for than the hour count does.

The rest of the timeline

After the day itself, the tiny scabs are usually gently rubbed away 1 to 2 weeks later[6]. The ISHRS minimum before going back to work is one week after FUE and two after FUT[9]. The transplanted hair will often fall out after a few weeks, new hair usually appears after about 4 months, and the full result shows after 10 to 18 months[1]. Hairs grow about 1 cm a month, the ISHRS notes, which is why the full result often takes a year or more[6].

Below: what clinics' own websites say about who operates, read from our directory, and what grafts cost where clinics publish a rate.

What these clinics' own sites say about who operates

Each of these clinics states on its own website who does the work, or how many patients the team takes in a day: the two facts that decide what your hours in the chair are spent on. In their words, as recorded in our directory:

Civas & Akpınar Hair Transplant

Ankara, Turkey · Dr. Ekrem Civas, Dr. Ümit Akpınar

Ankara dermatology and hair restoration clinic open since 1999, run by Dr. Ekrem Civas — the first surgeon in Turkey certified by the ABHRS (2011) and the first to become an ISHRS Fellow (2015) — with Dr. Ümit Akpınar. One procedure per day, and openly published pricing: from €1.75 per graft for men, €2.50 for women and unshaven FUE, against a €4,500 baseline. FUE, FUT, DHI and Sapphire, plus scarring-alopecia and repair work.

Checked against the clinic's own site, July 2026.

DK Klinik

Antalya, Turkey · Prof. Dr. Ümit Kemal Şentürk, Dr. Meltem Şentürk

Antalya clinic operating on the Lara coast since 2002, led by Dr. Meltem Şentürk and Prof. Ümit Kemal Şentürk. States it was the first clinic in Antalya accredited by the Turkish Ministry of Health and is an ISHRS member. DHI and FUE, physician-led, capped at two patients per day. One of the few Turkish clinics to publish a flat package price: £2,200 all-in (~$2,800).

Checked against the clinic's own site, July 2026.

TurHair

Istanbul, Turkey · Dr. M. Sıraç Demir

Istanbul clinic built around Dr. M. Sıraç Demir, whose ISHRS membership we confirmed in the society's own member directory — a Full Member since 2017, not merely a badge on his website. The clinic's stated distinguishing feature is that Dr. Demir opens the recipient channels himself rather than delegating to technicians, which is the single step patients most often discover was handed to someone else. Prices are quoted per case after a photo consultation and are not published.

Checked against the clinic's own site, July 2026.

Vera Clinic

Istanbul, Turkey · Dr. Salim Öz Aysu, Dr. Emin Gül, Dr. Aidin Chadordouz Jeddi, Dr. Tolga Varol, Dr. Ahmet Azak

Istanbul clinic operating since 2013, founded as EsteVera Clinic and renamed Vera Clinic in 2016. Its site names five hair transplant doctors (Dr. Salim Öz Aysu, Dr. Emin Gül, Dr. Aidin Chadordouz Jeddi, Dr. Tolga Varol and Dr. Ahmet Azak) and says they perform extraction and implantation themselves. Publishes packages from €3,200 (Sapphire FUE) to €5,190 (DHI Max). Türkiye's Ministry of Health lists two Vera facilities among those authorized for international health tourism: Özel Vera Clinic Polikliniği in Kartal (authorization ST-5175) and Özel Veraclinic Tıp Merkezi in Ataşehir (ST-0704). The clinic states ISO 9001 and ISO 10002 certification, which the medical centre's HealthTürkiye listing also gives. With five doctors on the team, confirm in writing which doctor is assigned to your case.

Checked against the clinic's own site, October 2026.

Ulusan Clinic

Izmir, Turkey · Dr. Sibel Ulusan, Dr. Zafer Ulusan

Izmir clinic in Alsancak run by Dr. Sibel Ulusan and Dr. Zafer Ulusan, both qualified in the 1980s, with roughly 15 years focused specifically on hair restoration and patients from 45 countries. FUE, DHI and Sapphire FUE. Unusually, the clinic's own pricing tool separates doctor-performed from technician-performed FUE — the distinction most Turkish clinics blur. Prices quoted per case and not published.

Checked against the clinic's own site, July 2026.

What grafts cost where clinics publish a rate

Only 2 of the clinics we track publish a per-graft rate on their own site, too few for a middle band, and they run from $1.90 to $3.92 per graft. Read from our directory each time this page loads. We never divide a package price into a per-graft rate to fill the gap.

Estimate your grafts → Cost calculator

Sources

Primary sources only: the NHS, the FCDO, the ISHRS and peer-reviewed papers on PubMed and PubMed Central. Each was opened and read on the date shown.

  1. Hair transplant — NHS. Read 2026-10-22.
  2. Using the follicular unit extraction technique in treatment of male androgenetic alopecia (Wang et al., BMC Surg, 2024) — PubMed Central. Read 2026-10-22.
  3. Nonshaven Follicular Unit Extraction with Pretrimming Method and a Large-Session Hair Transplantation (Muricy et al., Aesthet Surg J Open Forum, 2026) — PubMed Central. Read 2026-10-22.
  4. Medical and Surgical Options to Restore and Maintain Scalp Hair (patient brochure, 2005) — ISHRS. Read 2026-10-22.
  5. Hair transplantation surgery (Khanna, Indian J Plast Surg, 2008) — PubMed Central. Read 2026-10-22.
  6. FUE Hair Transplant: Benefits, Process & Recovery — ISHRS. Read 2026-10-22.
  7. Seeking Hair Restoration Surgery? Be sure a properly trained and licensed physician is responsible — ISHRS. Read 2026-10-22.
  8. Complications in Hair Transplantation (Kerure & Patwardhan, J Cutan Aesthet Surg, 2018) — PubMed Central. Read 2026-10-22.
  9. Top 5 Things to Know About Hair Transplantation — ISHRS. Read 2026-10-22.

Read next

Who actually does your surgery → The donor area → 10 days after a hair transplant →

← The full hair transplant recovery timeline, day by day to month 12

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Questions, answered

How many hours does a hair transplant take?

Roughly 4 to 10 hours, depending on graft count. A 2024 series of 158 men having FUE reported 4 to 10 hours, 6.3 on average; the ISHRS patient brochure gives 3 to 8 hours.

Can a hair transplant take two days?

Yes. The NHS says a large area may need two or more sessions on different days, and some unshaven techniques need you at the clinic the day before surgery so donor hairs can be trimmed.

How long until I see the result of a hair transplant?

About a year. The NHS says new hair usually starts to appear after about 4 months and the full result should be seen after 10 to 18 months.