Overview
Facial hair has long-held cultural and cosmetic significance, especially as a symbol of masculinity. While some individuals grow facial hair with ease, others may struggle due to factors like genetics, health conditions, trauma, or ageing. Fortunately, beard restoration offers a permanent solution for achieving dense and natural-looking facial hair coverage.
Beard transplant is done using the follicular unit extraction (FUE) technique, where hair grafts are taken out from the back of the scalp. These grafts are relocated to the beard area and implanted via small incisions. Note that a beard transplant is not like a scalp transplant, and an experienced surgeon can make all the difference.
Candidates
Many individuals undergoing beard transplant surgery have sparse or patchy growth or lack beard hair altogether. Other reasons for having this surgery may include:
Concealing scars from trauma (burns), surgery, cleft lip, or acne
Addressing alopecia barbae (if in remission)
Correcting prior facial hair removal through laser
Managing traction alopecia (commonly seen in Sikh males)
Gender affirmation for female-to-male patients
Before deciding on a beard transplant, it’s important to inform your surgeon if you also plan to undergo a scalp transplant. This is because the donor area is finite, typically containing 6,000-7,000 follicular units for safe extraction.
Depending on the extent of baldness, the number of grafts you can need for scalp coverage can vary from 500 to 6,000.
If you choose a beard transplant, which may require 2,500 or more grafts, it will reduce the overall donor hair reserve. This can limit the density or extent of scalp coverage achievable, which is why advanced planning is important.
Donnor Planning
For beard transplantation, donor planning involves determining the number of grafts required, the density of follicular units/cm2, and the number of grafts available in the donor area, as well as the recipient area size. Typically, a beard transplant surgery requires 2,500 to 3,000 grafts, but this can vary from patient to patient.
Broadly speaking, facial hair can be divided into four different regions: the hair on the cheeks, the hair above the upper lip (moustache), the hair below the lower lip (goatee) and the sideburns. Depending on the area, the graft count can range from:
The density of grafts is usually 25-40 follicular units per cm2, but it can vary – being higher in the moustache and chin/goatee area – and have a gradient within each region to ensure natural results.
Additionally, the ethnicity of the patient, as well as the type of graft (how curly it is), hair thickness, the contrast between the skin and hair colour, and the number of hairs per graft, can all have an impact on the final density.
As mentioned above, the scalp is used as the donor area for a beard transplant. Specifically, there’s a “safe donor area” at the back of the scalp – where the hair continues to grow permanently even after transplantation – which is extracted for this surgery.
Around 6,000 grafts can be safely extracted from this area without leaving it patchy, so if you’re only getting a beard transplant, there should normally be a sufficient number of grafts available.
Donor planning also involves determining the size of the area that needs to be filled, and for this, it is important to discuss the desired shape of the beard with the patient.
While some want a fuller beard high up on the cheeks, others may desire more fullness around the jawline in what’s known as a low-strap beard. Your surgeon will draw the design of your beard on your face, and your surgery will only proceed once you approve the design.
Shaving
You do not need to shave your entire scalp for a beard transplant. Only the donor area will be trimmed to 1-2 mm at the clinic to help with graft extraction.
For the beard itself, it can remain unshaven if you opt for direct hair implantation using a Choi implanter pen. However, if you choose traditional FUE, your beard hair will need to be trimmed.
Graft Extraction
Under local anaesthesia, grafts are extracted from the donor area using a motorised punch tool around 0.8-1 mm in diameter.
The tool frees the graft from its surrounding attachments, and a technician gently pulls the grafts out with the help of forceps.
These grafts are then stored in a solution of isotonic water and adrenaline to ensure their survival outside the body.
Incision-Making
Making incisions is one of the most important parts of the surgery because it determines how your beard hair will grow, which affects the naturalness of the final result. Therefore, incisions are only made by the surgeon.
In a beard transplant, typically, 1-2 hair grafts are used, sometimes with 3-hair grafts placed at the centre of the cheeks for density. The size of the incisions can vary from 0.5 to 0.9 mm, depending on the graft size – larger grafts require larger incisions. These incisions can be made using metal blades or a Choi implanter pen, which offers greater protection for the grafts.
In addition to the size, the angles of these incisions need to be carefully controlled and follow that of the existing hair in the area. Generally, it is kept low as the direction of the hair is predominantly downwards, but it can be a bit sideways in the lateral portions of the moustache and the cheeks to reflect the natural hair growth pattern.
Incision density per cm2 also varies across facial areas. Cheeks typically have increasing density moving downward, tapering near the jawline where hair from above can improve coverage. Similarly, the density of the moustache and sideburns is higher at the top and decreases towards the bottom, benefiting from the layering effect that ensures adequate coverage in the lower half.
The entire process can take a couple of hours, but it depends on the number of incisions and the surgeon’s experience.
Graft Placement
After all the incisions have been made, experienced technicians place the grafts into each slit with the help of tweezers.
Single hair grafts are usually placed at the top and lower margins of the cheek beard, with 2 and 3-hair grafts in the middle. Sideburns are filled with single hair grafts along the outer edges as well, while multiple hair grafts are placed in the centre.
In the moustache, single hair grafts are placed at the top, followed by 2-hair grafts. The goatee area typically receives 1-hair grafts.
The entire procedure can take 6 to 8 hours – it can be more or less depending on the number of grafts being transplanted as well as whether you’re also getting a scalp transplant with it.
Recovery
Beard transplant recovery can include the following:
You may be advised to rest for 1 week after your beard transplant.
Some temporary side effects can include swelling, redness, itchiness and scabbing, but they should get better with time.
You’ll have to wait for 2 days before you can start washing your donor and beard areas. A foam and shampoo will be given to you for this, as well as directions on their usage.
For around 3 days, you’ll have to stick to a diet of liquids and soft foods (e.g. yoghurt, soup, and pasta) so you don’t experience pain. Avoiding salty foods is important as it can worsen swelling. You can resume your normal diet once the swelling is gone, which can take 3-4 days.
You can start talking normally after the beard transplant surgery. However, you should be careful about laughing too hard just a few days after, as that could potentially dislodge the newly transplanted grafts.
You’ll be advised to sleep on your back while elevated after your beard transplant. You might have to wait for 2 weeks before being able to lie down on your face.
Scissors can be used after 2 months, a trimmer after 3 months and a razor after 6 months to groom the beard after surgery.
Your beard hair can temporarily shed a couple of weeks or a month after the surgery. It can make the beard look patchy for a while, but it will not affect the final outcome.
A month after your beard transplant, you can resume routine exercising as well as swimming.
You will be provided with aftercare instructions in your follow-up appointment the day after the procedure. And if you have any further questions, you can always reach out to [email protected].
Results
Your beard hair can start growing 3 months after the surgery, and you can expect to achieve a more significant improvement at the 6-month mark. The final result can be seen after 12-18 months. Keep in mind that outcomes can vary between patients.
Cost
A beard transplant surgery can vary in price depending on where you have it done. In the UK, the surgery can cost anywhere from £3,000-£5,000, whereas in Turkey, it might cost you £1,500-£2,000, on average.
Longevita offers beard transplants in Turkey at the price of £1,500, which includes the maximum number of grafts the patient requires. The treatment plan is also all-inclusive.
Beard Transplant
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can start using scissors after two months, a trimmer after three months, and a razor after six months on your new beard.
You may need around 2,500 hair grafts for your beard transplant. However, it can vary according to the face shape/size, donor area, and the aesthetic goals of the patient.
This depends on you since you may be unable to grow a beard in your teenage years, the early or late twenties. There’s no minimum age requirement for a beard transplant.
All the surgeons at beard transplant Istanbul clinics have insurance against malpractice. So, you can rest assured.
Unfortunately, you can’t wear a face mask for at least a week after a beard transplant.
Turkey beard is not a specific trend or style of wearing the beard. However, it’s may be thought of as someone having more dark and bushy beard hair. In any case, Turkish beard styles are varied, and there isn’t just one type of Turkish beard, instead, there exists a variety of distinctive styles.