One question a lot of people considering hair transplants often have is: Where does the hair come from in a hair restoration?
Or to put it differently: What areas of the body can be used as hair donor sites?
The answer to both is that many areas of the body, including your beard, can be used as donor sites for hair transplantation.
More Options, Better Results Using Beard Hair
While the first donor area choice for many hair restorations is usually the back of the head, the hair back there may not be sufficient if:
- Overall hair loss is extensive
- The individual hairs have thinned considerably—a common issue with age
- The area has already been harvested for previous hair transplants
A survey done by the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery found that while scalp donor hair was used in 92.5% of transplants, beard hair was used in 7.5%, chest hair in 2.4%, belly 0.3%, leg 0.2%, and other sites 0.5%.
Why Use Different Donor Areas for Hair Transplantation?
When donor sites on the scalp are not enough to achieve the desired results, different donor areas like the beard, chest, stomach, and legs may be used.
That’s great news for those with extensive hair loss – and for those who look at hair restoration surgery as part of a long game to keep a healthy, more youthful look for years to come.
Choosing donor sites carefully and not overharvesting them means you’ll have more options down the line for hair restoration as your hair keeps thinning.
Using hair on the body for transplant in addition to – or instead of – the scalp can help you achieve the look you want both now and in the future.
So which donor areas on the body are considered best for a hair transplant?
It largely depends on the hair transplant patient – an expert hair transplant surgeon will look at your case individually and assess which donor sites might be best for your particular needs.
Considerations For Choosing The Right Donor Area
Your hair restoration surgeon will assess a few key factors to decide which donor areas might be the best choice for your transplant. These factors include:
- The type and cause of your hair loss
- Your age and health history
- The results/look you want to achieve
- How much hair you have left on your head
- The volume, thickness, texture and color of hair on other parts of your body
The donor site needs of someone facing the early stages of male pattern baldness will be different from someone with, say, traction alopecia.
And factors like ethnicity, age, gender and previous transplant history should play a role in the decision, too.
Finally, your doctor will need to take aesthetic factors into consideration in order to make sure your hair transplant results look just as natural and healthy as they can be.
So be sure to choose a hair transplant surgeon with a solid track record of great-looking results for patients just like you—you should always ask to see a portfolio of previous work as part of your vetting process.
Advantages Of Using Beard Hair For Scalp Transplants
The beard is often the preferred second choice for donor hair when harvesting solely from the scalp is not sufficient.
Why is beard hair considered a good source for hair transplantation?
Several features of beard hair make it a good choice for transplant to the scalp:
- Individual beard hairs are thicker, making it easier to get coverage with fewer grafts.
- Beard hair often has a coarser texture, which can also provide more coverage.
- Unlike head hair, beard hair does not tend to thin or fall out with age, so there’s usually plenty to harvest.
- Beard hair follicles are not usually affected by male pattern baldness, so the transplanted follicles can endure and grow hair for years!
Of course, there are a few challenges to using beard hair for a hair transplant—namely that the thickness, texture and color of beard hair often doesn’t perfectly match the hair on the head.
That’s why, in order to achieve natural-looking results with beard hair, a good hair restoration surgeon will need to carefully choose the individual follicular units for transplant, then place them well to skillfully blend them in.
Choose a Doctor With the Right Skills for Your Beard to Head Hair Transplant
Not all hair restoration surgeons are good at this — which is why it’s important to do your research and choose one skilled in advanced hair transplant techniques, such as Shave-Less FUE.
These cutting-edge techniques can be used to more naturally blend in beard hair used for transplant, since they harvest individual follicular units instead of the unsightly strips used in FUT (follicular unit transplants, also known as strip transplantation).
And be sure to choose an accredited surgeon who has performed a lot of beard and body hair transplants – hair clinics that don’t specialize in this type of transplant may not be able to achieve the natural-looking, enduring results you desire.
An Expert in Beard Hair Transplants
Daniel A. Danyo, MD, MBA is one of less than 250 doctors who hold the title of Diplomate from the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery, the only recognized certification for hair restoration surgery.
He and his team at North Atlanta Hair Restoration are highly skilled at FUE beard and body hair transplants, and they have the experience to ensure you get the hair restoration results you want.
Schedule a consultation today by calling us at 678-845-7521, or click here to book online – we offer both in-person and virtual consultations.
We think you’ll be surprised at just how good your results can look – don’t wait to find out all your hair restoration options!
