A full, rich, youthful beard can be pivotal to your sense of identity. If your facial hair growth has stopped or you’ve seen patches of hair loss, there are many approaches to try, from topical medications to PRP injections, adjusting your lifestyle, or scheduling a beard transplant. So how do you fix a patchy beard?
Much might depend on any underlying reasons you have a patchy beard, and our hair restoration specialists can provide tailored, independent advice during a free consultation to help you make informed decisions about the best way forward.
In this article, we’ll discuss the reasons you may have found that your beard growth has changed with age, some of the multiple possible treatments, therapies, and solutions for a patchy beard, and clarify which might be most suitable to restore your confidence and beard.
Fixing Patchy Facial Hair Growth: The Basics
- Step one in correcting a patchy beard is to check for obvious causes since our recommendations might differ if you are suffering from alopecia barbae [1], also known as beard alopecia, or genetic and hereditary facial hair loss.
- There is almost always a solution, from topical medications like Minoxidil to slow the speed of hair loss to advanced, minimally invasive FUE beard transplants.
- KSL Clinic offers a completely cost and obligation-free consultation service. During this appointment, we’ll perform a clinical appraisal of your skin and facial hair to ensure you understand all the options available to you.
Common Reasons for Beard Growth to Become Thin or Patchy
For most men, beard hair loss is related to one of the following factors. However, it may be important to identify the reason for any sudden or dramatic changes to your facial hair to ensure that any contributing factors, like hormonal imbalances, have been addressed.
- Age-related beard thinning is common, given that the levels of dihydrotestosterone men produce, which drives hair growth, start to change gradually from around age 30 onward.
- Inherited genetic predisposition to hair loss. Men may find that their beards will only grow to a certain thickness or remain thick and full until a certain point and are more likely to experience patchy growth if this is common within their families.
- Beard alopecia, or alopecia barbae, is an autoimmune condition resulting in hair loss around the beard, usually round, smooth, circular-shaped patches.
- Sensitivities and skin conditions can cause hair loss, including those traditionally thought only to apply to the scalp. Potential causes for a patchy beard might include dermatitis [2], psoriasis [3], and yeast infections. [4]
In some clients, we see that prolonged exposure to stress, high levels of intense anxiety and other psychological or mental health-related issues are contributing to hair loss, usually because severe stress can trigger telogen effluvium – which can mean you see increased rates of shedding across your scalp and facial hair. [5]
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The Best Ways to Fix Patches in Your Beard Hair Growth
As always, there isn’t one solution or strategy we’d recommend to every client, and we wouldn’t advise you to try any option without first speaking with one of our highly accomplished hair restoration surgeons.
Dr Matee, Director of Surgical Services at KSL Clinic, says, “A patchy beard can often be improved with a combination of targeted treatments. For men struggling with uneven growth, a beard transplant using follicular unit extraction (FUE) can restore density by transplanting healthy hair follicles from the scalp. In some cases, microneedling and minoxidil can also stimulate new growth. The key is to tailor the approach to each individual’s hair pattern and goals.”
1. Using Minoxidil to Address Beard Hair Loss
Minoxidil is a medication applied topically to the area where you are experiencing hair loss. Although it isn’t a 100% solution that will guarantee your beard hair will regrow, it can slow down the pace at which hair sheds, keeping more extensive hair loss or growth in the size of patches at bay for longer.
2. Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy to Correct Patchy Beard Growth
PRP is one of our most in-demand non-surgical therapies and is a proven approach to correcting several types of hair loss, either to prepare your beard and skin for a transplant, expedite the recovery process, or as a standalone treatment.
Over a series of therapies, we extract the bioactive platelet-rich plasma from a small blood sample, eliminating allergy risks. Most clients see excellent results within a few months, including thicker hair, refreshed skin, and stronger signs of new follicular activity.
3. Improving Lifestyle and Nutrition to Help With a Patchy Beard
Alongside taking steps to reduce stress and anxiety, we may suggest focusing on your nutrition, given that a diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients is essential for healthy hair growth.
While better nutrition and hydration won’t necessarily reverse patchy hair loss, they can optimise the condition of your skin and hair to prevent further shedding, where this is down to vitamin deficiencies.
You might also wish to look into moisturising, cleaning, and caring for your skin and hair, especially if a condition such as an infection or skin irritation is causing or worsening the speed with which you see patches in your beard developing.
Issues with your skin, such as dermatitis, flaking, or pain, should be treated promptly. Normally, it is the irritation and scratching associated with these complaints that lead to patchy hair loss, alongside the inflammation in your skin.
4. A Beard Transplant as a Permanent Fix for a Patchy Beard
Finally, a beard transplant remains an option, especially if there is a minimal chance that other non-surgical approaches will be successful, or you want a permanent, natural way to restore the appearance and health of your beard or have tried every remedy on the market with little success.
KSL Clinic’s surgeons have an unparalleled reputation for excellent results and client comfort. We are the go-to for celebrities and public figures across the UK and can walk you through every step of the process and recovery timeline during your free consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Patches in My Beard Regrow Over Time?
Possibly, although a lot will depend on why you’ve seen hair loss or patchy growth to begin with.
For example, short-term shedding is often a side effect of telogen effluvium, usually promoted by stress, so those follicles might resume normal growth once your stress levels return to normal, provided the follicles are dormant rather than permanently damaged.
However, in the majority of cases, patchy hair loss will not self-correct, and a professional treatment, therapy, or transplant is the only surefire way to fix the issue.
Could a Patchy Beard Be Due to Low Levels of Testosterone?
We mentioned earlier the correlation between age and dihydrotestosterone, and yes, as we get older and have naturally lower levels of testosterone, this could potentially contribute to thinning or patchy beard growth.
Will Patches in My Beard Regrow Over Time?
Possibly, although a lot will depend on why you’ve seen hair loss or patchy growth to begin with.
For example, short-term shedding is often a side effect of telogen effluvium, usually promoted by stress, so those follicles might resume normal growth once your stress levels return to normal, provided the follicles are dormant rather than permanently damaged.
However, in the majority of cases, patchy hair loss will not self-correct, and a professional treatment, therapy, or transplant is the only surefire way to fix the issue.
Could a Patchy Beard Be Due to Low Levels of Testosterone?
We mentioned earlier the correlation between age and dihydrotestosterone, and yes, as we get older and have naturally lower levels of testosterone, this could potentially contribute to thinning or patchy beard growth.
