Alternative donor areas can also be used in hair transplantation when the nape hair is exhausted or insufficient as a donor area. Two basic body hairs can help us in such a situation. These are;

  1. Beard hair The beard is the most commonly used replacement donor area. In our clinic, hair transplantation from beard hair is performed in one out of 5-6 people on average.
  2. Chest and other body hair: Unfortunately, in only 5 out of every 100 patients, chest hair is suitable for hair transplantation.

What is beard to hair transplantation?

In special cases, it is possible to harvest beard hair instead of hair with the FUE technique. The transfer of these beard grafts to balding or sparse areas on the head is called beard hair transplantation. Our main goal in the application is to increase the amount and density of visible hair on the head. As the FUE method has advanced, the use of beard hair in hair transplantation operations has also increased.

Beard hair has been used in hair transplantation by Dr. Hakan Doğanay at AHD clinic for many years. You can see this by looking at the publication date of the Youtube video you will watch. The publication date of the video is 2010.

In which cases is beard hair used for hair transplantation?

  • Large bald patches like the Norwood 6-7: The hair on the back of the head is probably insufficient to cover the balding area. In such a case, using beard hair for hair transplantation is a very logical solution.
  • Second session hair transplantation: In the first operation, the donor area hair may have been consumed unconsciously and there may be no donor left. In this case, it is possible to utilize beard and chest hair.
  • Correction to the donor area with hair: If an excessive amount of hair has been removed from the donor area in the previous FUE hair transplantation, there may be a visual disturbance in this area. It is possible to achieve successful results by using beard hair to repair the nape area.
  • FUT and other scar repair: It is very advantageous to use beard hair to cover FUT and other surgical scars.

What are the advantages of using beard hair in hair transplantation?

  • Beard hair is the closest body hair to hair follicles in terms of anagen phase duration. In other words, it is highly resistant to hair loss in the transplanted head area. Therefore, the life of the transplanted beard hair is quite long.
  • Beards are thicker and harder than hair follicles. Therefore, it is advantageous in terms of coverage and volume increase in the target recipient area. In fact, the patients’ desire is to have more hair on their head.
  • Compared to other body hairs, the beard has a better chance of holding on in the transplanted area.

How is hair transplantation from beard done?

The only difference of this procedure from traditional hair transplantation is the use of beards instead of nape hair as the donor area. Of course, the graft harvesting stage has its own special tricks that require expertise. A beard hair transplant is completed in 4 stages. Let’s examine these stages briefly.

1) Preparation phase

Before harvesting the grafts from the beard area, the area to be harvested is marked and drawn with a crayon. It is then disinfected with antiseptic solution. The cleaned area is anesthetized with local anesthesia. The aim is to prevent the patient from feeling pain during graft harvesting. After local anesthesia, numbness around the tongue and lips may be observed for 3-4 hours. This is a normal condition due to anesthesia.

2) Graft harvesting

After local anesthesia, beard grafts are harvested one by one using the FUE method. The harvesting process can be done manually or using a micromotor. We prefer to use a micromotor because this stage needs to be completed faster. It is ideal to use a punch with a punch diameter of 0.7-0.8 mm. If a larger punch is used, the possibility of scarring in the harvested area will increase.

Things to consider when harvesting beard grafts

Mistakes made during graft harvesting may result in facial disfigurement or a decrease in the number of targeted grafts. The following tips should be followed during graft harvesting.

  • The beard skin is very soft and mobile. An assistant must be present to assist the surgeon during graft harvesting. The assistant’s job is to stretch the moving skin. If adequate stretching is not done, the possibility of extracting a healthy graft will decrease.
  • After entering 2 millimeters deep, beard grafts can be easily removed from the stretched skin. There is no need to go deeper. Otherwise, these roots may be damaged.
  • An equal amount of beard graft should be taken from each square centimeter. If homogeneous harvesting is not done, an unpleasant patchy appearance may appear on the face.
  • Dilution should be done in a balanced and proportional way with the beard frequency of the person.
  • It is not right to take a large number of grafts in a person who shaves his beard with a razor daily. However, more grafts can be collected from a person who does not shave every day.
  • It would be correct to keep the number of grafts low in dark-skinned people. The risk of scarring increases in excessive graft harvesting. This possibility is lower in light-skinned people.
  • It will be useful for people with white beards to dye their beards 1 day before.
  • Beard roots grow at different angles and directions in different parts of the face. During harvesting, the skin must be entered in accordance with these directions. If the doctor who performs graft harvesting is not experienced, the loss rate of grafts may increase.
  • The supporting fat tissue around the beard follicles is considerably less than hair follicles. In other words, the waiting time outside is lower than hair grafts. Therefore, it would be better to transplant the beards quickly without waiting too long.

3) Beard hair transplantation to the recipient area

The last stage is the transplantation of the collected beards to empty or sparse areas on the head. In fact, this stage is no different from a classic hair transplant. It will only be useful to pay attention to a few details during transplantation.

The targeted balding or sparse area is numbed with local anesthesia. After the numbing process, the collected beards are transplanted one by one to the targeted recipient area. FUE or dhi method can be used for placing the grafts. As AHD clinic, we prefer the dhi technique.

In the hair transplantation phase;

  • It is not correct to use beard hair in the front hairline and temple area. Because nape hair is more suitable in terms of naturalness.
  • Beard hairs will give very successful results in the middle region or the crown area called crown.
  • If hair follicles will be used in the operation, it is best to mix hair and beard follicles to create a more natural appearance.

Post-operative process

The growth process of the roots from the beard is the same as that of conventional hair. Crusting and redness disappear with washing. At the end of shock spillage, the spilled roots begin to grow after 3-4 months and the desired goal is achieved after 1 year.

The beard area heals rapidly within a few days. You can shave your beard after 1 week at the latest. If a homogeneous and balanced graft is taken, it is not understood that the procedure is performed on your face.

The results of beard hair transplantation are quite satisfactory. It is not difficult to obtain a very natural and dense appearance, especially if the transplantation is mixed with sense hair.

If your donor area is insufficient and you want to use your body hair such as beard and chest hair in hair transplantation, you can have a consultation with AHD clinic. At the end of the consultation, if you are suitable for the operation, we can produce realistic solutions for you.

AHD clinic was founded by Dr. Hakan Doğanay, one of the most respected hair surgeons in Turkey. Dr. Doğanay has been successfully using beard hair in hair transplant surgeries since 2010.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does beard hair transplantation leave scars?

There is a risk of scarring at the end of every surgical intervention. If the grafts are taken homogeneously with fine tips, there is almost no possibility of scarring. In addition, the possibility of scarring is much lower in light-skinned people. In the picture below, you can see the image of a person who had a beard graft harvested 10 days later.

Will the beard grow back from the area?

Beard hair is removed together with its root. Therefore, there is no hair regrowth in the area where the beard is removed. During the operation, a homogeneous and balanced dilution process is performed.

How many grafts of beard can be removed?

This number may vary according to the hair density on the person’s face. For a person who has a very dense beard and does not shave every day, 4,000 to 5,000 grafts can be removed. Of course, it is best to divide this number into 3-4 sessions. In people with normal beard frequency, 1000-1500 grafts can be taken.

Is beard graft harvesting painful?

Yes, pain is felt during local anesthesia. But after anesthesia, you can have a comfortable operation process without feeling pain.