Body hair transplant to head

By Prof. Dr. Soner Tatlidede 2019-07-04

The body hair transplant to head is a reality nowdays. The rapid progression of the technical skills using FUE in Turkey has brought forward the idea of hair transplantation from body hair outside the donor area in the head. Especially for the people with inadequate hair on donor area, hair transplantation from body hair is a hopeful alternative. Beard and chest hair are the most preferred parts for this kind of hair transplant.

So, can you transplant body hair to your head? The answer is yes. However, it does not mean that it´s going to be perfect. The results of a body hair transplant to head can´t be the same; in fact, it is not possible to achieve a complete hair transplant only using body hair, as no sufficient density and quality can be gained in this way.

Body hair transplant to head in Turkey with FUE technique

The technique used for a transplant to the head with the body hair is also the FUE method, which has made Turkey famous all over the world because of having the best professionals in this procedure. However, the cost of a body hair transplant to head varies greatly, and depends on several factors. We must take into account some considerations, too. 

The hair on the body has different survival cycles, thickness, curl, colour, thinning, etc. Body hair is generally shed in less time than the hair on head, too. In terms of thickness and survival cycle, beard is the most similar to scalp hair. When body hairs are planted on scalp, they retain their characteristic features, survival time and structural properties, so they do not come out like the original hair. In addition, the possibility of survival is less than the hair follicles on head.

In Norwood 5-7 cases, where the balding area is excessive, the number of hair follicles on the nape may not be sufficient to cover the entire balding area. In this cases, firstly patient’s own hair follicles are planted to ensure a natural looking frontal hair line, and then chest and beard hairs are planted to cover the empty areas and provide density, usually to cover the back side of head.

Hair follicles extracted from beard don’t leave any scar at all, but there is slight possibility of scar when extracted from chest area. We don’t recommend using the hair on other parts of the body such as arm, leg, shoulder, axilla, genital etc. for hair transplant, since hair follicles extracted from these areas leave a scar on the extraction area. In addition, hair follicles in these areas grow very restrictedly and do not comply with the hair follicles on the head.

Hair transplant from beard hair: characteristics

• 1,000 to 3,000 grafts can be obtained from this area in a single session, without leaving any scar.
• Recovery period after extraction is 3 to 7 days. Since hair does not come out again on the extracted area, a thinning may be seen on beard.
• As the thinning after extraction is only of 30%, it does not cause any bad appearance.
• Beard grafts are thicker than hair grafts, but each graft contains a single hair follicle.
• Despite having a single hair follicle, beard grafts cover more area due to their thickness.
• Since beard follicles are different in structure, they are not used in front hair lines. However, they give very good results in the middle and top regions of the head.

Hair transplant from chest hair: characteristics

• 300 to 1,000 grafts can be extracted from this area.
• Grafts taken from chest area are thinner than those in the beard and the scalp. Thus, they are not planted on themselves. They are usually combined with head or beard hair, or they can be planted to squeeze between the existing hairs.
• Contrary to the hair on the head, chest follicles may be curved to another side in a slightly curly form beneath the skin; therefore, they must be taken very carefully, and extracted without damaging the follicle. This may lead to less -or even no grafts- be extracted.

What results can I expect? 

As we explained before, a body hair transplant to head must be always seen as an alternative in case there are not enough hairs in the donor area of the scalp; but not as the only source for a transplant as the hair follicles of the body are very different in properties compared to those in the head. Anyway, a skilled doctor will always recommend you the best way to restore your head hair with the most natural look.