It may be feasible to complete a transplant based on beard hair, noting that the texture of these follicles isn’t necessarily identical to that on the head (Although it is not something we provide a KSL Clinic). Therefore, we wouldn’t recommend this approach to patients.
Using alternative donor hair sources, including the beard and potentially chest or body hair, is an area of hair transplants that has been under trial for some time.
This is part of efforts to find different ways of achieving hair restoration for patients who lack sufficient healthy donor hair on their heads or have no remaining hair growth at all.
The norm remains to select healthy follicles from the donor area back and sometimes the sides of the scalp, since these tend to be less affected by genetic hair loss, with enough density to ensure that extracting donor hairs will have no visible impact.
Need to speak to an expert about your hair loss? KSL Clinic offers a free initial hair loss consulation to assess your hair loss and discuss an appropriate treatment.
Are beard to scalp transplants possible?
- The precision and microscopic tooling used during FUE hair transplants means that, theoretically, any hair can be transplanted onto the head to correct hair loss and thinning – including follicles from the beard.
- Beard-to-scalp transplants can be considered for patients who lack sufficient donor hairs to complete a conventional transplant or where other factors, such as scarring or scalp damage, prevent a standard procedure from being effective.
- This alternative transplant technique isn’t common, primarily because facial hair tends to be much thicker and doesn’t always resemble natural scalp hair.
- Using beard hair is not advisable for any transplants around the hairline, as the contrast in texture may be noticeable. However, this can also mean it is possible to replenish other areas of thinning with fewer grafts.
Complexities in Using Beard Hair to Restore Hair Loss on the Scalp
FUE hair transplants are the most advanced and minimally invasive approach. Surgeons extract individual donor follicles, each selected for their characteristics, and prepare them into grafts to be transplanted into the required area.
This means that in theory we could extract beard follicles for scalp transplantation if there is a reason that the typical approach isn’t feasible. This could apply, for instance, to a patient who has suffered scarring along the scalp or has compromised tissue following burn injuries, where there are no available donor hairs or where extracting them would create a visible deviation.
The main reason beard-to-scalp transplants are rare is that beard hairs don’t look or behave in quite the same way as hairs that grow on the scalp:
- Beard hair is usually coarser than scalp hair, especially in areas around the hairline and temples, where using transplanted beard hair may not look natural.
- Most people have thick enough beard hair growth for follicles to be extracted without any visible impacts. However, it is crucial that enough hair remains to enable the patient to continue growing a natural beard.
- Facial hair often has varied angles and whorls that aren’t uniform, which can make selecting hairs difficult, and only follicles in specific areas may be suitable for scalp transplantation.
In summary, you can use beard hair for hair transplants and studies have backed this, however, this is not recommended for all individuals or will only be advisable for specific parts of the hair transplant procedure, such as replenishing hair loss along the crown.
Supplementing Donor Hairs From the Scalp With Beard Hair
One scenario in which beard hair can be used is when a patient has some viable, healthy donor follicles but also has a more extensive amount of hair loss. Extracting the right quantity of donor hairs might mean we can replace all lost hair, but it could result in patchy or thin growth in the donor area.
In this scenario, a patient might opt for a full transplant using finer donor hairs in the most visible areas of the scalp and thicker, more angular beard hairs in places where those donor follicles will blend in more easily and replicate natural growth.
The positive aspect is that patients who previously thought they weren’t candidates for a hair transplant may be able to access a transplant at a later stage of hair loss.
Find out whether you’re eligible for a hair transplant.
Every patient is different, and the suggestions we make will depend on the extent of hair loss and thinning, the number of grafts required to achieve the desired outcomes, and the availability of donor follicles.
Whilst we don’t offer beard to hair transplants as a solution, we can take a look at the extent of your hair loss and provide no obligation advice.
For further information or to schedule a free hair transplant consultation to discuss the best options for you, please contact your nearest KSL Clinic practice.
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