{"id":212515,"date":"2026-07-13T15:53:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T14:53:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vincihairclinic.com\/?page_id=212515"},"modified":"2026-07-13T15:53:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T14:53:23","slug":"surgery-day-at-vinci-what-to-expect","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/vincihairclinic.com\/en\/surgery-day-at-vinci-what-to-expect\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Expect on Surgery Day at Vinci Hair Clinic | Patient Walk-Through"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>@import url('https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Inter:wght@400;500;600;700&family=Playfair+Display:wght@600;700&display=swap');:root{--navy:#0b2545; --navy-700:#13315c; --blue:#1b75bc; --gold:#c8a24a; --ink:#1a1a1a; --muted:#5a6675; --bg:#f6f8fb; --line:#e5eaf0; --white:#fff; --radius:10px; --shadow:0 2px 10px rgba(11,37,69,.06);} .vfg *{box-sizing:border-box} .vfg, .vfg{margin:0;padding:0;font-family:\"Inter\",\"Helvetica 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.vfg .hero p.lede{color:#cfd7e3;font-size:1.15rem;max-width:720px;margin:18px 0 0} .vfg .breadcrumb{font-size:.85rem;color:#aab6c9;margin-bottom:18px} .vfg .breadcrumb a{color:#cfd7e3} .vfg .layout{display:grid;grid-template-columns:260px 1fr;gap:48px;padding:48px 0} .vfg .toc{position:sticky;top:90px;align-self:start;border-left:3px solid var(--gold);padding:6px 0 6px 18px;font-size:.9rem} .vfg .toc h4{margin:0 0 10px;font-size:.78rem;color:var(--muted);text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:1px;font-family:\"Inter\",sans-serif} .vfg .toc ul{list-style:none;padding:0;margin:0} .vfg .toc li{margin:8px 0} .vfg .toc a{color:var(--navy)} .vfg .content p{margin:1em 0} .vfg table{width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;margin:1.5em 0;font-size:.95rem;box-shadow:var(--shadow);border-radius:var(--radius);overflow:hidden} .vfg th, .vfg td{padding:14px 16px;text-align:left;border-bottom:1px solid var(--line);vertical-align:top} .vfg thead th{background:var(--navy);color:var(--white);font-weight:600;font-size:.82rem;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.5px} .vfg tbody tr:nth-child(even){background:var(--bg)} .vfg .callout{background:var(--bg);border-left:4px solid var(--gold);padding:18px 22px;margin:1.8em 0;border-radius:0 var(--radius) var(--radius) 0} .vfg .callout strong{color:var(--navy)} .vfg .grid-3{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(3,1fr);gap:22px;margin:1.5em 0} .vfg .grid-2{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(2,1fr);gap:22px;margin:1.5em 0} .vfg .card{background:var(--white);border:1px solid var(--line);padding:24px;border-radius:var(--radius);box-shadow:var(--shadow)} .vfg .card h3{margin-top:0;font-size:1.1rem} .vfg .pill{display:inline-block;background:rgba(200,162,74,.15);color:#8a6d25;padding:4px 10px;border-radius:20px;font-size:.78rem;font-weight:600;letter-spacing:.3px} .vfg .faq-item{border-bottom:1px solid var(--line);padding:18px 0} .vfg .faq-item summary{cursor:pointer;font-weight:600;color:var(--navy);font-size:1.05rem;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center} .vfg .faq-item summary::after{content:\"+\";color:var(--gold);font-size:1.6rem;font-weight:300} .vfg .faq-item[open] summary::after{content:\"\u2212\"} .vfg .faq-item p{margin-top:10px;color:var(--muted)} .vfg footer.site{background:var(--navy);color:#a7b3c6;padding:40px 0;margin-top:60px;font-size:.9rem;text-align:center} .vfg footer.site a{color:#cfd7e3} .vfg .layout{grid-template-columns:1fr} .vfg .toc{position:static;display:none} .vfg .grid-3, .vfg .grid-2{grid-template-columns:1fr} .vfg .nav ul{display:none} .vfg .hero h1{font-size:2rem} @media(max-width:900px){.vfg .layout{grid-template-columns:1fr}.vfg .toc{position:static;display:none}.vfg .grid-3, .vfg .grid-2{grid-template-columns:1fr}.vfg .nav ul{display:none}.vfg .hero h1{font-size:2rem}} .vfg .vfg-author{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:14px;max-width:1140px;margin:0 auto;padding:22px 24px 22px;border-bottom:1px solid var(--line)}.vfg .vfg-author-pic{width:54px;height:54px;border-radius:50%;object-fit:cover;flex-shrink:0}.vfg .vfg-author-meta{font-size:.9rem;color:var(--muted);line-height:1.45}.vfg .vfg-author-meta span{display:block}.vfg .vfg-author-meta strong{color:var(--navy);text-decoration:underline}<\/style>\n<div class=\"vfg\">\n<section class=\"hero\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumb\"><a href=\"#\">Home<\/a> \u203a <a href=\"#\">Hair Transplant<\/a> \u203a <a href=\"#\">Patient Resources<\/a> \u203a Surgery Day<\/div>\n<p>  <span class=\"pill\">Patient Walk-Through \u00b7 8 min read<\/span><\/p>\n<h1>What to Expect on Your Surgery Day at Vinci<\/h1>\n<p class=\"lede\">A full hour-by-hour walk-through of a hair transplant day at our London Harley Street clinic \u2014 from arrival to going home. Written for patients who want to know exactly what they&#8217;re walking into.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"vfg-author\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"vfg-author-pic\" src=\"https:\/\/vincihairclinic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Site_Medical_Group_Salvar.png\" alt=\"Dr Salvar Bj\u00f6rnsson, Medical Director\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"vfg-author-meta\">Reviewed by <strong>Dr Salvar Bj\u00f6rnsson<\/strong>Written by Our Editorial Team<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container layout\">\n<aside class=\"toc\">\n<h4>On this page<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#night-before\">The night before<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#arrival\">Arrival and welcome<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#consult\">Pre-op consultation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mapping\">Hairline mapping<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#shave\">Shaving the donor<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#anaesthetic\">Local anaesthetic<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#procedure\">The procedure<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#lunch\">Lunch break<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#wrap\">Wrap-up and aftercare<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#going-home\">Going home<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#kit\">Your aftercare kit<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#faq\">FAQs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"content\">\n<p>Most patients arrive nervous and leave surprised by how routine the day actually was. The Vinci procedure has been refined over 20 years and 100,000+ patients \u2014 every part of the day is designed to be predictable.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"night-before\">The night before<\/h2>\n<p>You&#8217;ll have received a pre-surgery checklist by email. Don&#8217;t drink alcohol for 48 hours before. Don&#8217;t take aspirin or ibuprofen for 7 days. Eat normally. Wash your hair the night before \u2014 no products. Get a good sleep; we won&#8217;t start until you&#8217;re rested.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"arrival\">Arrival and welcome<\/h2>\n<div class=\"timeline\">\n<div class=\"tl-step\">\n<div class=\"tl-when\">8:30 AM<\/div>\n<h3>Reception<\/h3>\n<p>You&#8217;re greeted by name. Quick paperwork: consent form review, photographic consent, payment confirmation if not yet completed. You&#8217;re given a food menu for the day&#8217;s lunch (the procedure is several hours and you&#8217;ll need a break).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"tl-mood\">Tone: calm, unhurried<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-step\">\n<div class=\"tl-when\">8:45 AM<\/div>\n<h3>Pre-op consultation<\/h3>\n<p>You sit down with your surgeon \u2014 not a salesperson, not a coordinator. Final review of your hair history, your goals, your Norwood stage, your donor density. Anything that has changed since your consultation gets discussed now.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"tl-mood\">Tone: clinical, reassuring<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-step\">\n<div class=\"tl-when\">9:00 AM<\/div>\n<h3>Hairline design<\/h3>\n<p>Your surgeon draws your new hairline directly on your scalp with a sterile marker. This is the most important 15 minutes of your day. Look in the mirror. Speak up. The line gets adjusted until you&#8217;re happy.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"tl-mood\">Tone: collaborative<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-step\">\n<div class=\"tl-when\">9:20 AM<\/div>\n<h3>Pre-op photographs<\/h3>\n<p>Standardised photos from five angles. These are matched against post-op photos at 7 days, 3 months, and 12 months. We use the same lighting and same angles every time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-step\">\n<div class=\"tl-when\">9:35 AM<\/div>\n<h3>Shaving the donor<\/h3>\n<p>This is the part most patients describe as the scariest. We shave the donor area \u2014 usually the back and sides of your head \u2014 to a uniform 1mm length. If you&#8217;ve never had your head this short, it&#8217;s a surprise. Within a week the hair regrows enough to be unnoticeable.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"tl-mood\">Tone: brief, practical<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-step\">\n<div class=\"tl-when\">9:50 AM<\/div>\n<h3>Re-marking and final photos<\/h3>\n<p>With the donor shaved, your surgeon re-confirms the hairline plan and takes one more set of photographs. Now you&#8217;re ready for the medical part.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-step\">\n<div class=\"tl-when\">10:00 AM<\/div>\n<h3>Local anaesthetic<\/h3>\n<p>Local anaesthetic is administered to the donor and recipient zones. This is the only painful part of the day \u2014 a series of injections, finished within 5\u201310 minutes. After this you feel pressure and sensation but no pain.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"tl-mood\">Tone: honest \u2014 this part stings<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-step\">\n<div class=\"tl-when\">10:15 AM \u2013 1:00 PM<\/div>\n<h3>FUE extraction<\/h3>\n<p>Your surgeon and the surgical team extract follicular units one by one from the donor area. You&#8217;re lying on your front, headphones in, watching whatever you want on the in-room screen. Most patients are surprised how comfortable this is.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"tl-mood\">Tone: long but easy<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-step\">\n<div class=\"tl-when\">1:00 PM<\/div>\n<h3>Lunch break<\/h3>\n<p>You move from the surgical chair to a recovery room. You eat the lunch you chose this morning. Most patients take photos here (&#8220;Eden the dog has been known to make appearances in patient TikToks&#8221;). You stretch, walk around, message family.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"tl-mood\">Tone: relaxed<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-step\">\n<div class=\"tl-when\">2:00 PM \u2013 5:00 PM<\/div>\n<h3>Graft placement<\/h3>\n<p>You move back to the surgical chair, this time on your back. The team places each graft into the channels your surgeon prepared. This is the slowest and most technical part of the day \u2014 angle, depth, and density all decided graft-by-graft.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"tl-mood\">Tone: meticulous, slow<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-step\">\n<div class=\"tl-when\">5:00 PM<\/div>\n<h3>Final review<\/h3>\n<p>Surgery is finished. Your surgeon reviews the result with you in the mirror. You&#8217;ll look striking \u2014 the new hairline is visible immediately, though it&#8217;ll go through several phases of change before the final result at month 12.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-step\">\n<div class=\"tl-when\">5:15 PM<\/div>\n<h3>Aftercare briefing<\/h3>\n<p>A 20-minute walk-through of what to do for the next 14 days \u2014 sleeping position, washing protocol, what to eat, what to avoid, how to recognise something going wrong. You also get a printed instruction sheet, not just a verbal briefing.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"tl-mood\">Tone: thorough<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tl-step\">\n<div class=\"tl-when\">5:35 PM<\/div>\n<h3>Aftercare pack and discharge<\/h3>\n<p>You&#8217;re given your leather aftercare bag (saline spray, shampoo, foam, sleep pillow, instructions). You&#8217;re walked to your car or taxi. Surgery is over.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<h2 id=\"kit\">Your aftercare kit \u2014 what&#8217;s in the bag<\/h2>\n<div class=\"kit-grid\">\n<div class=\"kit-card\">\n<h4>Saline spray<\/h4>\n<p>To gently rinse the grafts during the first 7 days.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kit-card\">\n<h4>Specialist shampoo<\/h4>\n<p>pH-balanced, no parabens or sulphates. Use from day 4.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kit-card\">\n<h4>Foam cleanser<\/h4>\n<p>Pre-wash foam for soaking off scabs gently.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kit-card\">\n<h4>Cervical sleep pillow<\/h4>\n<p>Designed to keep your scalp off the pillow at a 45\u00b0 angle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kit-card\">\n<h4>Printed instruction sheet<\/h4>\n<p>Day-by-day protocol. Read it twice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kit-card\">\n<h4>Antibiotic course<\/h4>\n<p>Prescribed standard 5-day course as a precaution.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"callout\">\n<h4>The honest version<\/h4>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom:0\">Six to eight hours is a long day. You will be tired. You will feel a tightness in the donor and recipient areas. You will sleep badly the first night. By day three you&#8217;ll feel mostly normal. By day seven you&#8217;ll be questioning why you waited so long.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2 id=\"faq\">FAQs about surgery day<\/h2>\n<details>\n<summary>Can I drive home?<\/summary>\n<p>No. We strongly recommend a taxi or family member. You&#8217;ll be tired, lightly bandaged, and on prescription anti-inflammatories that affect reaction time.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Can someone wait with me?<\/summary>\n<p>A companion can be in our waiting area but is not present during surgery. Most patients find they prefer the privacy. Your companion can collect you at discharge.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>What do I wear?<\/summary>\n<p>A button-up or zip-up shirt. Do not wear anything that has to go over your head when leaving.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Is the procedure really 6\u20138 hours?<\/summary>\n<p>For a Medium-size procedure, yes \u2014 including breaks. Large and Max sizes can extend to 10 hours, but always within a single day.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Can I eat normally during lunch?<\/summary>\n<p>Yes. We provide a menu in the morning. We recommend something filling but not heavy.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>What if I need the bathroom?<\/summary>\n<p>You will, and that&#8217;s planned for. The procedure is paused; you&#8217;re walked to the bathroom; nothing is rushed.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Will I be able to see the result that day?<\/summary>\n<p>Yes \u2014 your new hairline is visible immediately, although the area will look red and scabbed for the first 7\u201310 days. Final density emerges between months 6 and 12.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Can I document the day (photos, video)?<\/summary>\n<p>Yes, with a few restrictions during the surgical phase itself. Several of our patients have documented their day on social media \u2014 we&#8217;re comfortable with patient-led content.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<div class=\"callout\" style=\"margin-top:3em\">\n<h4>Book a consultation<\/h4>\n<p>Once you&#8217;re ready, your surgery day will look like this \u2014 predictable, structured, and led by a doctor who has done this thousands of times.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top:14px\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"cta\">Book Consultation<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer style=\"background:var(--navy);color:#cfd7e3;padding:32px 0;text-align:center;font-size:.85rem;margin-top:60px\">\n<div class=\"container\">\u00a9 Vinci Hair Clinic 2026 \u00b7 Reviewed by Dr Salvar Bj\u00f6rnsson \u00b7 Mockup \u2014 noindex<\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A full hour-by-hour walk-through of a hair transplant surgery day at Vinci Hair Clinic \u2014 arrival, consultation, hairline mapping, anaesthetic, procedure, lunch, aftercare pack, and going home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-212515","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vincihairclinic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/212515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vincihairclinic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vincihairclinic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vincihairclinic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vincihairclinic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212515"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vincihairclinic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/212515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":212530,"href":"https:\/\/vincihairclinic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/212515\/revisions\/212530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vincihairclinic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}