Clinical standard . Open reference

The UK Pre-Hair-Transplant Bloodwork Standard

A canonical, UK-specific reference for the blood tests that hair restoration surgeons typically require before scheduling a transplant. It covers what to test, why, the timing window, and what an out-of-range result may mean for surgery planning. The standard is intended for patients, GPs, hair-restoration surgeons and trichologists, and it is freely citable.

Maintained by the clinical team at WMG Health (Westminster Medical Group, 134 Harley Street, London). Last reviewed: 30 May 2026. Reviewed annually and whenever a UK guideline that affects pre-operative bloodwork changes.

How to cite this standard

WMG Health Clinical Team. The UK Pre-Hair-Transplant Bloodwork Standard. Westminster Medical Group, Harley Street, London. Last reviewed 30 May 2026. Available at: https://wmghealthcare.com/standards/pre-hair-transplant-bloodwork/

You are welcome to cite, link to, embed or excerpt this standard in patient information, surgeon-facing materials, training documents, and other clinical or educational contexts. We ask only that you cite the source and link to this page so future updates remain trackable.

Why this standard exists

Pre-operative bloodwork for hair transplant surgery in the UK is not standardised. Different surgeons request different panels. Patients arrive with bloodwork done elsewhere that is partially correct, missing critical markers, out of date, or carried out in a way that affects accuracy (for example, an afternoon testosterone sample). This costs patients money and time, and it costs surgeons the certainty they need to schedule surgery confidently.

This page is our attempt at a canonical reference: the markers we believe should be in any UK pre-hair-transplant panel, the clinical justification for each, the recommended timing, and what should happen when a result is out of range. It is written to be useful to a patient preparing for transplant, a GP being asked to run the bloods, and a hair restoration surgeon defining their pre-op requirements. We update it openly whenever the underlying guidance changes.

The standard panel

Marker groups in clinical priority order. Items marked optional are added on surgeon request rather than as standard.

Group 1

Haematology and clotting safety

Establish baseline red and white cell counts and confirm that platelet counts and clotting parameters are within range for safe surgery.

  • Full blood count (FBC) with platelets. Confirms haemoglobin, mean cell volume, platelet count and white cell count.
  • Coagulation screen (optional). PT and APTT where the surgeon requests them. Not routine for FUE / FUT in healthy patients.

Group 2

Iron studies and oxygen-carrying capacity

Iron deficiency, even without anaemia, slows wound healing and is associated with poorer graft uptake. Optimising iron status before surgery is one of the highest-yield preparations a patient can make.

  • Ferritin. Iron stores. Many surgeons request a level above 70 ng/mL (UK convention) before scheduling surgery.
  • Serum iron. Circulating iron.
  • Total iron binding capacity (TIBC). Capacity of transferrin to carry iron.
  • Transferrin saturation. Proportion of binding sites occupied by iron. Useful to distinguish true deficiency from inflammation-driven ferritin changes.

Group 3

Vitamin and nutritional status

Vitamin D, B12 and folate deficiencies impair healing and follicle cycling. Identification at this stage gives time to correct before the procedure.

  • Vitamin D (25-OH). UK target above 50 nmol/L; many surgeons aim above 75 nmol/L pre-surgery.
  • Vitamin B12. Cobalamin level; folate may be added where the FBC suggests it.

Group 4

Thyroid function

Both under- and over-active thyroid affect skin healing, anaesthetic safety and hair cycling. A baseline screen identifies undiagnosed disease and confirms control in patients on levothyroxine.

  • TSH. First-line thyroid screen.
  • Free T4. Confirmatory measure where TSH is borderline or symptoms are present.

Group 5

Inflammatory markers

Active subclinical inflammation is associated with poorer surgical outcomes and may suggest infection or autoimmune disease that warrants further work-up before proceeding.

  • C-reactive protein (CRP). Acute-phase marker.
  • Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Chronic inflammation marker. Useful in combination with CRP.

Group 6

Metabolic baseline

Undiagnosed diabetes or significant insulin resistance affects wound healing and graft survival. A baseline metabolic screen identifies it before surgery.

  • HbA1c. Average blood glucose over 8 to 12 weeks. Diabetes diagnosed at 48 mmol/mol or above (NICE).
  • Fasting glucose (optional). Where HbA1c is unreliable (haemoglobinopathies, recent blood loss).

Group 7

Blood-borne virus screen

Standard pre-procedural screen for any operating environment that involves potential blood exposure. Most UK hair restoration surgeons require it before scheduling.

  • HIV (4th generation: P24 antigen + HIV-1/2 antibodies). Standard combined assay.
  • Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Active infection screen.
  • Hepatitis C antibodies. Past or current infection screen. May trigger reflex HCV RNA testing.

Timing window

  • 4 to 6 weeks before surgery. The ideal window. Long enough that an out-of-range result can be corrected (typically iron, vitamin D, or thyroid optimisation). Short enough that values still reflect the patient's pre-op state.
  • Less than 2 weeks before surgery. Often too late to action significant deficiencies; useful only as a check on otherwise-known healthy values.
  • More than 3 months old. Most surgeons request a repeat, particularly for the BBV screen and inflammatory markers. Iron studies and vitamin D in particular can shift meaningfully over a few months.
  • Morning sample preferred. Not strictly essential for these markers but enables hormones to be added later if the surgeon requests them, without an extra appointment.

What out-of-range results usually mean for surgery

Low ferritin. The most common reversible finding. Typically corrected with 8 to 12 weeks of oral iron and re-tested before scheduling. Many surgeons defer surgery until ferritin is above 70 ng/mL.

Low vitamin D. Correctable in 8 to 12 weeks with supplementation (typically 1000 to 4000 IU daily, higher in established deficiency on clinician guidance). Generally not a reason to defer surgery unless severely low.

Abnormal thyroid function. Optimise levothyroxine or stabilise hyperthyroidism before surgery. New diagnoses are usually deferred for specialist review before proceeding.

Raised inflammatory markers. Investigate the cause before scheduling. Mild post-viral elevation often resolves; persistent unexplained elevation warrants review.

Raised HbA1c. Confirm diagnosis with the patient's GP and stabilise glycaemic control before surgery.

Positive BBV screen. Does not automatically preclude surgery; protocols vary between surgical centres. Follow the surgical centre's protocol and ensure appropriate specialist input.

Getting the standard panel run

WMG Health offers two panels designed around this standard:

Pre-Transplant Screening
From £199

Groups 1 to 6 of this standard. Suitable where the surgeon has not required a BBV screen.

View panel
Pre-Transplant + BBV Screen
From £309

Full standard panel including HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. The version most UK surgeons require.

View panel

Same-day appointments at 134 Harley Street, London. Most results clinician-reviewed within 4 hours; BBV serology within 2 working days (urgent 2-hour option available). On your written authorisation we can email the report directly to your surgeon.

For UK hair restoration surgeons

Use this standard with your patients

If you are a UK hair restoration surgeon and would like to use this standard for your patients, you are welcome to. Link to this page from your pre-op information, copy the panel into your own protocols, or send patients here directly. We do not require any commercial arrangement to refer patients to other providers; the standard is published so that it is consistent wherever the bloodwork is run.

If you have a clinical comment, would like us to add a marker, or believe an aspect should be updated, write to [email protected]. We review comments from practising surgeons individually and credit contributors on the page where appropriate.

Email the clinical team Speak to the WMG Health clinic

Sources and underlying guidance

The panel composition draws on the following UK and international clinical sources.

This page is a clinical-standard reference, not personal medical advice. Decisions about your individual care should be made between you and your treating clinician. See our Editorial Policy for how we write and review content.