Body Hair Transplants are useful in situations where there is not enough donor hair on the scalp for transplant purposes. Follicles can be harvested from areas such as the beard, legs, back or chest area and transferred to other areas of the body, such as beard, eyebrow or scalp. The most common method of transplant used in these situations is the Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) or Direct Hair Implant (DHI) . The surgeon will first identify the best donor site based on the purpose of the transplant and hair characteristics of the recipient area that needs coverage, the hair characteristics and the density of hair in the donor area. Local anesthesia is administered to the donor and the recipient area, which minimizes discomfort. Individual hair follicles are then extracted individually from the donor area using a specialized punch and transferred to the recipient area. These follicles are implanted at a specific angle and direction to achieve a natural appearance.
Beard hair follicles generally have a higher survival rate of between 80 and 90%. They are strong, thick and quite robust, which is effective for increasing the appearance of density but require careful blending with scalp hair. Hair from the chest, back and legs has a lower graft survival rate. This rate is about 70% for chest hair. Chest, back and leg hair grows at a slower rate than beard or scalp hair and has a shorter cycle. These hairs are typically used to provide density behind the hairline and are not ideal in every case for creating a natural looking hairline. To create a natural look, your surgeon will combine scalp and body hair grafts. Scalp grafts are used for the frontal hairline, while coarser body and beard hairs are used to fill in areas further back.
With body hair transplants the recovery is straightforward and less invasive than other transplant methods. You may have some minor swelling and redness that lasts one to two weeks. The new growth from the follicles will begin at three to four months with the full results typically visible. At 12 to 18 months. A good candidate for BHT are those who lacking sufficient scalp donor hair, have a robust supply of good quality terminal hair on their beard, chest or other areas of the body. Body Hair transplants have been successfully used for many who have been told there are no other options. Contact us today for a consultation.