Body Hair transplantation is the most common cosmetic surgery performed in Bangalore and India. It is the technique of replacing lost hair with permanent safe hair from the back of the head or other parts of the body.
While this surgery is most commonly done using the hair from the back of the head as donor hair, these are some scenarios where we use donor hair from other parts of the body like the beard and chest.
What is a hair transplant donor?
In any hair transplant, there are two areas where surgery is done- the donor and the recipient. The donor area for the hair transplant is the area from which hair is taken. The recipient is the bald area where hair is implanted.
A good donor area for Hair Transplant has the following features
- The hair is similar in thickness to the original hair of the bald area
- The donor area for the hair transplant has a good number of hair, enough to replace the lost hair
- The donor area is easy to harvest from without damaging the grafts
- The hair grows as long as the scalp hair
- The donor area does not leave any visible scars
What are the different donor areas?
Apart from the occipital scalp of the back of the head, which is the most commonly used donor area, other areas include
- The beard, below the jawline
- The chest
- Other areas like the pubis, and arms (These are very rare)
Rarely, in very fair individuals, lower beard area over the mandible has been used- but this cannot be done in brown-black patients
Why is the scalp the most preferred donor area?
The scalp is the most preferred donor area as it matches most closely with the lost hair. It grows long, up to 18-36 months (18-36 cm), and is easy to harvest from without leaving any visible scars. The scalp hair unit has 1-4 units and has more density per sq cm. It is also twice as thick as body hair & hence any transplant should use scalp hair as much as possible to get the best result.
When do we use body hair for transplant?
There is a limit to how much scalp hair can be harvested. If we try to harvest too much from the scalp, we can end up making the back of the head look empty. Hence in patients with advanced hair loss, who need a large number of grafts, and whose donor area is small, we can have a deficit of grafts from the scalp. In this situation, we need to look at body donor areas to get the required number of grafts.
How is the beard a donor area?
The beard is a good replacement for the scalp hair and is the second choice donor area after the scalp. This is because the hair grows long, up to 15-24 cm, and is as thick as or even thicker than scalp hair. It also grows fast-sometimes even faster than scalp hair. However it has mostly 1-2 hair units, is more difficult to harvest than the scalp and should be done by someone with experience. It is the second choice hair after the scalp.
What are the precautions to have a safe beard harvest?
- It is important not to overharvest the beard, as this can leave a patchy appearance.
- Only the part of the beard below the jawline should be harvested and not the part on the face.
- Also, in dark-skinned patients, the harvested scars can look a little lighter, and this should be kept in mind, by using a small punch to harvest.
How is the chest hair as donor hair?
The chest is less preferred donor area because
- The hairs are much thinner than the scalp- half the diameter of scalp hair
- The hair units usually contain a single hair
- The hairs initially don’t grow as long as the scalp. It grows only for about 3 months( and hence 2-3 cms) in contrast to scalp hair which grows for 18 -36months( hence 18 -36cms or even longer)
- The hairs are much more curly than the scalp
- Body hair extraction takes longer.
- Body hair extraction is more uncomfortable than scalp
Hence it is the third choice donor area after the scalp and beard. However, when done properly it can give a good additional volume.
Will body hair grow long when it is transplanted to scalp hair?
Yes, because of recipient influence. Scalp influences the grafted body hair- which then grows longer and thicker. However, this takes several cycles to establish and hence body hair growth takes 15-18 months.
Can hair from the abdomen, back, thighs arms be taken?
They are usually not taken as results are not consistent, the process is slow, the transaction is high & extraction is difficult. However, in rare cases, they can be taken, after proper discussion.
Pl. read our publication https://www.jcasonline.com/article.asp?issn=0974-2077;year=2013;volume=6;issue=2;spage=113;epage=116;aulast=Mysore;type=3
The below table gives the comparison of scalp, beard and chest hair:
| Feature | Scalp | Beard | chest |
| Growth | 18-36 months | 12-18 months | 2-4 months |
| Length | 18-36 cms | 12-18 cm | 2-4 cm- can grow longer later with scalp influence |
| Thickness or diameter | 70-90microns | 80-100 microns | 40-50 microns |
| Type of unit | 1-4 hairs | 1-2 hairs | Usually 1 hair |
| Type of growth | Straight | Straight | curly |
| Extraction | Quick | Quick | slow |
| Speed of growth | Early | Early | late |
For these reasons, the results achieved by scalp and beard are superior. Body hair is generally combined with scalp/beard hairs and into the central less visible scalp
How can I get the best result when using body hair?
Body hair transplantation when done properly can give good results. This can be done by the following:
- To follow the sequence of the first scalp, then the beard then the chest
- To use scalp hair for the most important area like the front. And to use chest hair for less visible areas such as the middle of the scalp
- They spread the body hair in between the scalp hair. Body hair is not put by itself
How should I plan if I need body hair?
In such cases, a large number of grafts, usually around 4000-6000 may be needed. This can be planned in two ways:
- Staged- with transplant to the front first, followed by the vertex. The advantage of this approach is a lesser one-time expenditure, and you can improve the vertex medically before planning a transplant. The front should always be given priority and done first, over the vertex. The best grafts should be done for the front. Remember, when people think of you, they imagine your face from the front.
- One shot- by covering both areas together. The advantage of this approach is you have to recover from surgery only once.
Why choose Venkat Center Bangalore for your Body Hair Transplantation?
A body hair transplant is tougher than a regular hair transplant procedure. It requires an experienced surgeon to harvest these grafts without damaging them and without leaving scars. Our center has one of the very first publications on this subject.
Dr Venkat and Dr Aniketh are experts in hair transplant, having authored a textbook on hair transplantation and operated on thousands of cases. They have performed several hundred body hair transplants.
