Is NeoGraft painful? Can you set an expectation on the level that might be experienced on a scale of 1-10?

The NeoGraft is simply a tool that a physician, or more likely a technician, uses to perform a technique of hair restoration called Follicular Unit Extraction, or FUE.  Regardless of whether FUE procedure is done with the NeoGraft device, the ARTAS robotic hair restoration system, or with a manual biopsy punch, the scalp is anesthetized the same way.  Once the anesthetic has been injected, there is zero pain felt.The scalp is anesthetized with an injectable medication such as lidocaine, no matter which method of hair restoration is being performed. The lidocaine is painful when injected, but largely depends on the rate of injection.  It causes a brief chemical reaction, which in turn causes pain, then nearly immediately causes the area to go numb.  But the rate of injection is critical; if one injects the anesthetic twice as fast, it's not twice as painful, it's more like 10 or 20 times as painful.  If other methods are used concurrently with the initial injection of the anesthesia, such as a specialized vibrator to distract the nerves (look up "gate control theory of pain"), it is virtually painless. It is the experience and care of the physician injecting that will determine how painful the procedure is. If the numbing medication is injected quickly, it can be 9 or 10 on a scale of 0 (no pain) to 10 (maximum pain).  With proper care, expertise, technique, and patience on the physician's part, the pain of the injection is typically 1-2 on a scale of 10.  For the duration of the procedure, there is zero pain.After the procedure, there is no pain where the follicles were placed (eg: the recipient area) and in the donor area patients sometimes report a slight pain, somewhat like a sunburn, that can easily be controlled with Motrin or Tylenol. 

The painful part of the procedure is limited to about 8 minutes for injections.  Once the lidocaine and/or  marcaine takes effect, the procedure is totally painless.  With percocet or valium on board, the procedure can surprisingly be even enjoyable to some.

The scalp is treated with anesthesia so that there is virtually no pain during the procedure. The point at which the patient may experience pain is during the injection of anesthesia into the scalp. As long as the anesthesia is injected at a controlled and appropriate rate, then the pain experience is rather mild. You could compare this pain to that you may experience before anesthesia injection before getting stitches. It only lasts less than one minute and then the area is numb. The scalp is numb during the procedure. After the procedure, there may be some soreness from the donor sites for a few days, like that of a sunburn. Overall, I would rate the pain level from 0-10 (0= no pain, 10= worst pain imaginable) as a 2 for anesthesia injections and short lasting discomfort after the procedure. During the procedure the pain rating is 0.