A hair transplant operation is simply taking hair grafts from a donor area and transplanting them into the bald areas on the head. The final results of this operation largely depend on the size of the bals are and the number & quality of the hair grafts.
At the consultation stage, the hair transplant expert may come to the conclusion that the hair on the back of the head will not be sufficient for the whole transplant. On that occasion, Body Hair Transplant is suggested for a fuller look that can please the patient.
#1 Why Are We Transplanting Body Hair?
Body hair transplant is simply suggested for patients needing a fuller coverage that the donor area can not supply. Body hair that can be used for this procedure comes from the beard, chest and back, in that order.
This is because the beard hair structure is the closest hair to the hair on the head in terms of thickness, shape & length. Other body hairs are usually thinner and weaker. Hair transplant experts only use chest & back hairs if there’s no other choice.
#2 Who Can Have Body Hair Transplant?
The hair transplant experts can decide if a patient can have a body hair transplant after the consultation. If the area that hair grafts need to be taken can supply enough hair grafts and the texture is similar to the hair on head, that patient is eligible for this procedure.
So first things first; a hair transplant expert has to determine how many grafts are needed in total for the hair transplant. Then an operation plan is structured with the decision of how many grafts are needed from each donor area (head + body hair) before applying local anesthesia to start the operation.
#3 How Is This Operation Performed?
Extracting body hair is done with the FUE method and not FUT. Hair transplant experts use FUE in these cases because individual body hair needs to be taken out unlike with FUT, experts would have to cut out strips which would leave scars on the body.
If you’d like to know more, click here to read a step by step hair transplant guide on both methods. When the area is outlined and cleaned, local anesthesia is applied to the patient. As the medicine starts working, the patient only feels the first few needles and then the pain will stop as the area gets numb.
The rest of the procedure is the same as a regular hair transplant operation. All grafts are compiled together as the hair transplant expert decides which ones will be transplanted to which areas. For the outcome to look as natural as possible, the hair grafts should be distributed evenly.
#4 When Can The Patients See Results Of Body Hair Transplant?
Just like a regular FUE hair transplantation, there will be minimal but visible growth, in the first few weeks. The head will then shed most of this hair, which is normal and expected.
New & permanent hair will start to grow back approximately a month later and it will take up to a year or a year and half to see the full result.
As New Look Guide, we only refer patients that need body hair transplant to the experts who are experienced in this area. After their careful consideration, we make sure our patients know everything before committing to this operation.