Most people planning a medical trip to Delhi have the same unspoken concern: what does it actually look like, day to day? Not the clinical parts — those are explained in detail elsewhere — but the texture of the experience. Where will I be? What will I be doing between appointments? Will I be sitting in a hotel room staring at the ceiling for a week?
The honest answer is: the experience is far more pleasant than most patients anticipate. Delhi is a functioning, fascinating city. Your hotel will be comfortable. The clinic will feel professional and calm. Recovery time is real — but manageable, and there is genuine pleasure to be found in the enforced rest.
This is a realistic, day-by-day itinerary for a patient undergoing an FUE hair transplant — the most involved procedure we coordinate, and therefore the most useful template. Patients having shorter procedures (Botox, fillers, PRP, thread lifts) would have a lighter schedule, but the structure of travel, acclimatisation, recovery, and departure is similar.
Day 1: Arrival
Airport to hotel
Your Incostra driver meets you at arrivals — typically at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Terminal 3. The drive to Gurugram (where most of our partner clinics are based) takes 30–60 minutes depending on the time of day. Delhi traffic is dense; early morning or late evening arrivals are more comfortable for the drive.
Hotel check-in
We recommend a three-star or four-star property within easy distance of the clinic — typically a 5–15 minute drive. Rooms are clean, air-conditioned, and comfortable. Most hotels used by Incostra patients include free breakfast, reliable WiFi, and a good restaurant or room service. This matters — on post-procedure days, you will not want to leave the hotel to find food.
The rest of Day 1
Rest. Seriously. Long-haul flights are dehydrating and disruptive to sleep. Your most important job today is to drink water, eat a light meal, and sleep at a reasonable hour. This is not the day for sightseeing or a full Delhi dinner-and-drinks experience. A short walk, a meal at the hotel, and an early night will serve you far better going into your consultation tomorrow.
Day 2: Consultation and Orientation
Morning — clinic consultation
Your consultation appointment is typically scheduled for 9:30–10:00am. This is the in-person assessment: your surgeon will examine your scalp using trichoscopy, discuss the hairline design in detail, run through your medical history and pre-procedure checklist, and answer every question you have brought. Photograph your hairline before you leave — this is the 'before' that your 'after' will be compared against.
Pre-procedure blood work (if not completed before travel) may be taken today at the clinic's in-house laboratory. Results are available by early afternoon.
Afternoon — city orientation
You have a free afternoon, and if you are feeling alert after the long journey, this is a good moment to get your bearings. Gurugram (Gurgaon) itself is a modern, glass-and-steel business district — efficient but not particularly charming. If you want a first impression of a more atmospheric Delhi, consider a 20-minute taxi ride to Hauz Khas Village in South Delhi: independent cafes, art galleries, and a 14th-century monument beside a lake. Low-key, pleasant, and walkable.
Eat well this evening — a proper meal. You will be having surgery tomorrow and you want to be fuelled. Most hotel restaurants have a reliable north Indian menu; your Incostra coordinator will suggest additional local options near your hotel.
Day 3: Procedure Day
Morning — arrival at clinic
You arrive at the clinic between 7:30 and 8:30am. No breakfast (or only a very light one, at least two hours before arrival). Wear a button-up shirt — nothing that goes over your head.
Design session
The first 20–30 minutes are spent in a final review of the hairline design with your surgeon. This is a collaborative session — your surgeon will propose the design, you will give feedback, and you will agree on a final plan before anything else happens. Photographs are taken for records.
The procedure — 6 to 8 hours
The procedure itself takes six to eight hours. You are lying comfortably in a treatment chair or bed. After the local anaesthetic is administered (the most uncomfortable part — about 10 minutes), the scalp is numb and you feel nothing. Most patients watch films, listen to music, or sleep during the extraction and implantation phases. Your phone and earphones are your most important companions today.
Lunch break
Mid-procedure, there is a scheduled break of approximately 45–60 minutes. A light lunch is provided by the clinic, or you can use room service if your hotel is close. Use this time to move around gently and rehydrate.
Completion and departure
The procedure typically finishes between 3:00 and 6:00pm. The clinical team cleans the donor area, provides your aftercare kit (saline spray, medications, shampoo), and walks you through the first-night protocol in detail. Your driver takes you back to the hotel. You will feel tired, mildly sore (particularly the donor area), and possibly slightly swollen around the forehead. This is all completely normal.
Evening of Day 3
Room service. A gentle evening. Sleep on your back with your head elevated on two pillows. Set a reminder to use your saline spray on the transplanted area every 30–60 minutes for the first 48 hours.
|
Book a free virtual consultation — plan your Delhi medical trip with Incostra |
Day 4: First Post-Op Check-Up
Morning — clinic visit
Your first post-operative appointment is at the clinic in the morning. The clinical team inspects the grafts, checks the donor area, answers questions, and instructs you on the washing protocol that begins today or tomorrow. This takes approximately 30–45 minutes.
The rest of Day 4 — recovery day
This is your rest day. Your scalp will have small scabs forming around the grafts; there may be mild oozing at donor sites. Forehead or eye swelling may peak today — this looks alarming if you were not warned, but it is caused by local anaesthetic fluid tracking downward by gravity, and it resolves completely within 24–48 hours.
Do not go outdoors unnecessarily. Stay cool (air conditioning is your friend in Delhi's summer heat). Hydrate. Watch something long. Order good food to your room. Your job today is to rest and follow the aftercare protocol. You are doing exactly what you should be doing.
Day 5: Second Check-Up and Gentle Re-Entry
Morning — clinic visit
A second post-operative check confirms that graft healing is progressing normally. Any remaining questions from the previous 48 hours are addressed.
Afternoon — light activity if you feel well
Many patients feel significantly better by Day 5 and are ready for gentle, low-key activity. If this is you, here are two ideal options:
Do not over-exert. Do not drink alcohol. Do not expose your scalp to direct sun without protection. But do not feel compelled to stay in your room either — gentle movement and fresh air are good for morale.
Day 6: Final Clinic Visit and Preparation to Leave
Morning — final check-up and discharge
Your final in-clinic appointment covers: a full inspection of the grafts and donor area, the complete discharge protocol (what to do at home over the next 14 days, the washing schedule, medications to continue, activities to avoid), and confirmation of your virtual follow-up schedule at months 1, 3, and 6.
Your surgeon will give you their direct contact details for urgent questions, and your Incostra coordinator will confirm the same. You leave the clinic with a clear written protocol and every question answered.
Afternoon — packing and a final meal
Pack carefully — your aftercare kit items need to be liquid-compliant if in hand luggage (check sizes). Your departure transfer is booked for the following morning. Have a good final dinner, reflect on what was genuinely a significant thing you have done, and rest well before the flight home.
Day 7: Departure
Your Incostra driver collects you from the hotel with enough time for a comfortable airport arrival. International check-in at Terminal 3 recommends arriving three hours before departure. The return journey is straightforward. Sleep if you can — you will be back in Europe by the evening.
Recovery Nutrition: What to Eat
Food choices during recovery matter more than most patients expect. During your Delhi stay:
What Patients Wish They Had Known
We ask every Incostra patient for feedback after their trip. The most consistent responses:
The Emotional Journey
Something worth acknowledging: having any medical procedure is emotionally significant. You may feel anxious the night before, relieved the evening after, impatient during recovery, and uncertain during the shock loss phase (if applicable). All of this is normal. The patients who fare best are those who go in with realistic expectations, good information, and a support network — both in Delhi and at home. Incostra's job is to provide the first two. Your friends and family provide the third.
Most of our patients describe the overall experience — not just the clinical outcome, but the trip itself — as positive. The combination of an efficient, professional clinical environment, comfortable recovery, and the sense of having made a decisive, well-considered investment in yourself is genuinely satisfying. We hope that is your experience too.