Pre-medication for Hair Transplant Surgery Makes Awake Patients More Comfortable

At Sound Plastic Surgery, we offer outpatient NeoGraft® hair transplant surgery while patients are awake. An awake patient is ideal for hair restoration surgery because he or she is able to reposition during the surgical procedure. Avoidance of deeply sedative types of anesthesia, such as general anesthesia and twilight sedation allow our patients to recovery rapidly and return to work and family much sooner. How are we able to perform an extensive hair transplant surgery on an awake patient ? On the morning of the surgical procedure, our patients take a relaxing medication called Xanax and a narcotic pain medication by mouth. In the operating room, we numb up the scalp completely with local anesthetic. This renders the scalp completely insensate in the zones where hair follicles are taken from and transplanted to. The combination of local anesthesia with the calming effects of Xanax and a mild oral narcotic make the procedure a smooth and confortable one for our patients. Incidentally, we use a similar technique for in-office tumescent liposuction.