Do Beard Hair Grafts Provide Better Scalp Coverage During a Hair Transplant Procedure?

This question comes from a member of our hair loss social community and discussion forums: 

I’ve already undergone a follicular unit extraction (FUE) procedure, and I’m anticipating more hair transplant surgeries in the future. Because of this, I’m wondering if I should investigate body hair transplantation (BHT), specifically a transplant using beard hairs? I’ve heard these grafts actually provide better scalp coverage? Is this true? Should I investigate a BHT procedure?

Technically, beard hairs are naturally coarser than scalp hairs and, therefore, could provide better scalp coverage. However, just because these grafts can cover more scalp does not mean they should be utilized as first-line treatment during a hair restoration procedure.

Unlike scalp hairs, beard hairs possess slightly different cycling characteristics and would not grow and shed at the same rate at the rest of the scalp hairs.  Many leading hair restoration physicians however, do feel that using beard hair is more viable than hair from other parts of the body, which possess even shorter growth cycles.

Most leading hair transplant surgeons suggest depleting the use of scalp hair prior to moving onto beard and body hair.  Although the beard grafts may provide thick coverage and can be a good source of secondary hair for repair procedures, they are still from a “foreign” source and may not appear as natural as hair attained through scalp FUE. While body hair transplants may serve an important purpose in repair procedures or situation where the traditional donor supply is depleted, they should likely only be utilized as a last resort and in extenuating circumstances.

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Blake Bloxham – formerly “Future_HT_Doc”

Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum

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