Using scalp vs body/beard hair with a hair transplant

[Understanding Hair]

A hair transplant needs a healthy source of hair to remove and restore areas of hair loss. While scalp hair is the obvious and first choice, for years now there´s been an alternative that expands on the traditional scalp donor hair, that being, beard hair and in general body hair.

Male pattern baldness, triggered by a by-product of testosterone, called DHT, Dihydrotestosterone. DHT triggers the male pattern baldness gene. However, ironically, this same process can help stimulate healthy strong hair growth over the body, including the beard. As a result, DHT inhibiting hair loss treatments may work to the detriment of body hair.

Regardless of the hair type or characteristics. Hairs grow in cycles. However, facial hair has a much shorter growth cycle compared to scalp hair. Scalp hair grows for years, whereas facial hair is a matter of months. Beard hair tends to be thicker than scalp hair. Scalp hair can be straight or with only a slight wave, whereas beard can have a kink to the shaft as it grows longer. This is due to the shape of the follicle in the skin. As there are differences between the hairs, it´s important there is a similar match. Otherwise, they will not blend and result in an unnatural pattern of hair growth. As well as the positioning or distribution of the hair being crucial to looking natural, for instance the hairline can expose any unnatural hair characteristics or hair growth.

All hair grows in natural groups, bunches, or follicular units. While scalp hair groups vary in size from one to four hairs. Beard hair growth is single and two hair units, with hardly any three and four. This difference in the hair count between the two hair types will affect the hair distribution. As scalp hair follicular units can cover twice, three times the surface area.

While body hair can be successful, it´s limited. BH is ideal as a “filler” rebuild thinning areas and to mix or blend with scalp hair to improve the density, this way any hair differences become lost within the surrounding scalp hair. Opposed to being stand-alone hair, for example along the immediate front hairline, where the different hair characteristics can really stand out. This is also true using body hair to totally rebuild a crown, it can leave an obvious circular area highlighting the difference in hair type. It is ideal to help with camouflage scarring, Especially FUT/Strip scars can respond well using BH and specifically beard hair. Often placing into scar tissue, a lower placement density as it improves the long-term yield.

Any hair transplant requires technical and artistic skills. But it is especially true when considering using BH/beard hair. Your doctor should be proficient in understanding the physiology of hair and how it changes dependent on the area of the body. Also, how scarring can differ around the body, for instance chest scarring compared to under the chin scarring visibility. Try to see cases in person, even clear pictures do not always reflect how the scalp and BH blend, so important you feel happy how it looks. Also, if you can always judge with similar characteristics to yourself.

 

[josh145]

When extracted and transplanted does body hair have the same successful survival rate as scalp hair?

 

[Understanding Hair]

When extracted and transplanted does body hair have the same successful survival rate as scalp hair?

Hi @josh145,

BH, often used in repair cases, when placing into scar tissue, and regardless of BH or scalp this is likely to affect the yield. But, performed by a Dr that understands BH well, the yield can come near to scalp hair. This is from the extraction process, the number of grafts removed to cleaning, and placement, differences will occur. For instance, considering the differences in the graft length or size of the follicular unit. However, if the dr doesn´t understand the differences, it can easily be a lower yield and dramatically, giving BH a bad name. Why it´s important to see BH results from a dr before considering using them. It´s not just another hair that is being transplanted. From the different BH areas, beard hair appears to be the most robust, especially when placed into scar tissue, has a better yield, compared to chest or leg hair which is usually wispy, certainly not as coarse, or as strong as beard hair, and arguably the finer hair maybe should not be used at all.

That said, managing expectations, because BH grafts are single and double hair units it can confuse that the yield is low when simply counting graft numbers. Unless you are comparing single scalp hair to single BH hairs. But, in general, don´t expect to get a similar hair coverage and density using BH compared to scalp.

 

[mohanskincentre]

I think it is a good idea to use BH for crown area and scalp hair for hairline cover.

 

[Understanding Hair]

I think it is a good idea to use BH for crown area and scalp hair for hairline cover.

Certainly, it is unlikely body hair is going to create a natural looking hairline. Besides creating the immediate front of a hairline aside, placing BH anywhere, but best as a filler as said. It´s rare for scalp and body hair characteristics to be unrecognisable from each other. Consequently, rebuilding one area solely or even predominately with body hair is likely to cause the area to stick out for all the wrong reasons. The body hair will be over exposed and, using the crown as an example, create an island of body hair surrounded by scalp or scalp/BH mix, but the variant will be too great for the areas to blend without drawing attention to the difference in hair characteristics.