With the development of the FUE method, there is an increase in people’s expectations for hair transplantation. Because day by day, people want to see more hair on their heads. Here, other body hairs have become an excellent support and an alternative auxiliary solution method in the inadequacy of the nape area hair used as a donor area.
According to ISHR statistics, it is reported that body hair is used in an average of 5% of hair transplant recipients. This rate is higher in AHD clinic.
Who is a good candidate for body hair hair transplantation?
The main purpose of using body hair is to ensure a higher number of grafts in the recipient area.
- Extensive androgenic baldness such as Norwood 6-7: Nape hair is not enough to cover the recipient area. Because in these people, at least 7000-8000 grafts may be required to cover the balding area. In addition to nape hair, body hair such as beard and chest hair are used the most. In other words, in cases of extensive baldness, chest and beard hair is a very valuable backup source.
- Second or third session hair transplants: People who have run out of donor area hair due to previous hair transplants
- People with thin hair: For people with fine hair, hair thickening can be performed with body hair for a fuller look. The aim is to increase the hair density per square centimeter. It is appropriate to use hair and body hair in combination.
- Transplantation on a scar, burn or FUT scar: body hair is a good alternative.
- Body hair can be used for the bald or bad looking area as a result of excessive graft extraction from the donor area with the FUE method. Because the nape hair is already depleted due to incorrect graft harvesting.
- In previous hair transplantation, chest hair can be used to soften the unnatural hairline and for hair transplantation in the temple area.
- For hair transplantation to the vertex area called vertex
- With the sex reassignment operation, those who want a feminine or masculine appearance
Which body hairs can be used in hair transplantation?
The following body hairs can be used as alternative body hairs.
- Beard hair: The most commonly used body hair is the beard.
- Chest and abdominal hair: In general, the chest hair of 5 people out of 100 is very suitable for hair transplantation.
- Arm, leg, back, armpit and genital hair: We do not use body hair other than beard and chest hair because it does not give very positive results even if it is theoretically used. We hear about Dr. Umar’s successful results in arm and leg hair and congratulate him.
As AHD clinic, we have been using beard and chest hair as an alternative reserve for hair transplantation since 2010. In our clinic, we use beard hair in one out of every 5 people and chest hair in 5 out of every 100 people. We have explained beard hair transplantation in detail in another article. For this reason, in this article, we will mostly talk about hair transplantation from chest hair.
How to transplant hair from chest hair?
This procedure is quite similar to classic fue hair transplantation. Only the donor area to receive grafts is different. Therefore, graft harvesting from the sac or chest area has its own characteristics and difficulties. Let’s take a brief look at the stages of this operation.
1) Preliminary preparation:
The area to be grafted is marked with a pencil and sterilized with antiseptic solution. After sterilization, the area to be harvested is anesthetized with local anesthesia. There are no special anatomical points for anesthesia in the chest area. Therefore, local anesthesia is more difficult than in the neck area. Because the amount of anesthetic substance required will increase. The most accurate anesthesia procedure is to divide the area into small areas and to divide the anesthesia into sessions. In other words, only the divided area is anesthetized and the grafts are removed. Then the procedure continues by moving to the other divided area. Thus, the risk of complications due to local anesthesia is reduced. It is necessary to stretch the skin by giving saline with local anesthesia. This facilitates the removal of the grafts.
It is necessary to stretch the skin by giving saline with local anesthesia. This facilitates the removal of the grafts.
2) Graft harvesting
The harvesting of the grafts is performed with the classical fue method. Depending on the surgeon’s preference, grafts can be removed manually or micromotorized. It is ideal to use a punch with a diameter of 0.6 – 0.8 mm depending on the graft thickness. If the width of the punch diameter increases, punctate scars can be seen prominently.
There is an important point to be considered here. Chest hairs grow at a narrower angle than scalp hairs and are almost horizontal to the skin. Therefore, the direction and depth of the punch angle to be entered into the skin should be adjusted correctly. In other words, the process of collecting grafts from the chest is an application that requires higher skill and knowledge than the fue process in the normal hair area. If the doctor who removes the grafts is inexperienced, the rate of loss of grafts called transection will increase. The graft collection process should be slower than in the hairy donor area. At this stage, which requires high skill, the duration is longer.
3) Channeling and graft placement
This stage is no different from classical hair transplantation. The recipient area is first numbed with local anesthesia. Incisions are made in the recipient area for the grafts and the grafts are placed in micro channels. Depending on the surgeon’s preference, this stage can also be performed with the unshaven dhi method. In other words, canal opening and graft placement can be performed simultaneously. At Ahd Clinic, we prefer the dhi method because of its advantages.
As you can see, body hair collection and transplantation is an application that requires more technical knowledge than classical hair transplantation. If you choose an experienced hair surgeon, your chances of successful results in body hair transplantation will increase.
How many grafts can be taken from the breast?
This number is proportional to the frequency and thickness of the hair in the donor area. 3000-3500 grafts can be taken from a good density of chest and abdominal hair. However, it is absolutely not correct to take this in 1 day. 2-3 days should be planned for 3000 grafts from the chest. A 1-day period of up to 1500 grafts is ideal.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using chest hair in hair transplant?
Since the anagen phase is short, not every man’s chest hair is suitable for hair transplantation. For this reason, the rate of using chest hair in our clinic is 5%.
The chest hair must be thick and hard with sufficient density. Otherwise, a sufficient number of grafts cannot be obtained. In addition, the rate of loss during graft removal increases. Even if thin hairs are transplanted, the chance of retention and growth in the recipient area is low.
- If donor hair in the nape area will also be transplanted to the recipient area, it would be more accurate to transplant by mixing body and hair hair.
- Breast grafts are usually single roots and are thinner than hair. More grafts may be required for adequate coverage. However, it is an ideal solution if hair thickening is aimed. Beard hair, on the contrary, is thicker than hair.
- Since the anagen phase of chest hair is short, it grows at most 5 cm. This length is ideal for someone who does not keep their hair long.
- It will be useful for a person who is planned to graft in chest hair to shave his/her chest hair periodically starting 1-2 months in advance. It is also useful to apply minoxidil lotion to this area beforehand in order to prolong the anagen phase of the grafts.
- In dark-skinned and black patients, punctate scars are definitely visible in the chest area.
- If a high number of grafts are planned to be harvested due to anesthetic overdose, it would be medically correct to divide the operation into consecutive days.
Process after hair transplantation from body hair
The person can return to his/her home or hotel after the operation. Within a few days, he/she can start his/her social and business life again. The post-operative healing process is the same as with classical hair transplantation. There are spot crusts in the areas where extraction and transplantation were performed. These will disappear in about 1 week – 10 days. Side effects such as redness, swelling, crusting and shock spillage in the donor and recipient area are the side effects of traditional hair transplantation.
It will be useful to apply antibiotic ointment to the graft area in the chest area. Minoxidil application to the transplanted area contributes positively to the result of transplantation from body hair.
In addition, PRP application after hair transplantation can positively affect the growth of grafts.
After shock hair loss, hair begins to grow from the 4th month. At the end of 9 months, 90 percent of the hair is expected to grow. For the desired full result, 1 year is expected.
Body hair transplant prices in Turkey
Body hair transplantation prices are more expensive than traditional hair transplantation prices both in the world and in Turkey. Because this method is a procedure that requires a deep technical skill and knowledge. In fact, there are not many surgeons and clinics in the world that can take grafts from the body and transplant hair.
Body hair hair transplantation prices are in the range of 5,000 – 20,000 USD on average in the world. These prices may vary depending on the number of grafts, geographical location and the brand value of the hair surgeon.
In the AHD clinic founded by Dr. Hakan Doganay, beard and chest hair have been successfully used in hair transplantation for many years.
If you are considering hair transplantation from body hair, you can take a step by having a free consultation with AHD clinic, which is one of the rare clinics that can do it successfully.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does chest hair grow?
Beard hair is the only body hair that grows without limit. Chest hair can grow up to 5 cm. If body hair is transplanted mixed with hair, it is possible to get very successful results.
Is body hair permanent?
If chest or other body hairs are strong hairs that do not fall out in their own area, they will not fall out in the transplanted area and are permanent. Of course, for this, the grafts must be placed at the right depth. However, thinning and loss of body hair may also occur with advancing age.
Does body hair hair transplantation work?
Body hair is never the first choice. It is very useful as a reserve in case of insufficient nape hair. The main purpose of using body hair is to increase the density of the sparse area in the absence of grafts.
Is hair transplantation from beard and chest hair painful?
You will definitely feel pain during local anesthesia. For chest hair, topical anesthesia patches to be used 1 day in advance can relatively reduce pain. There is no serious pain after anesthesia.
What is the success rate of body hair transplantation?
If the chest hair is thick and strong, the likelihood of a successful result will be high. In other words, the success rate will be directly proportional to whether you are suitable for the operation. In addition, if you choose an experienced doctor, your chances of a successful result will increase. The retention rate of strong chest hair in the transplanted area is over 80%.