Hair Transplants Using Body Hair

Doctors do not advise hair transplant using body hair and they have all the medical reasons to justify that. Still hair transplants using body hair is possible in the following cases:

• When hair is so thin in the donor area and thus the donor area is not considered a donor area any more.
• For final completions in the field of beard, mustache and eyebrows hair transplant procedures
• To mend the scars in the scalp, usually appear after a hair transplant procedure.

The followed procedure in the field of hair transplant using body hair is extracting follicles from other body parts for the patients who suffer from weakness in their donor areas in the scalp.

In such cases body hair can be used from other body parts like chest, beard, back and legs, and consequently the more body hair density you have the more it makes you eligible for a hair transplant procedure using body hair.

What is a body hair transplant?

If you’re thinking about getting a hair transplant but aren’t sure if your scalp is a potential donor location, you might be looking for a technique that will save you from the baldness. Yes, a procedure known as body hair transplanting exists. Body hair transplantation (BHT: Body Hair Transplant) is the extraction of follicular units from areas of the body other than the scalp. However, some factors must be addressed in order to achieve a satisfactory outcome, such as hair quality, texture, or thickness, growth rate, number of hairs per follicular unit, donor area density, and your surgeon’s experience.

Can body hair be used for hair transplant?

Hair transplantation is a rapidly expanding field where surgeons are constantly searching for better strategies to improve graft yield and the aesthetic end result of hair restoration procedures. Hair transplantation traditionally involves taking follicles from a safe donor area of the scalp and transplanting them into bald areas of the scalp. Nevertheless, there is only a limited supply of follicles that can be harvested from the safe zone of the donor area, namely a maximum of 6000 hair follicle units at optimal density of the donor area. This is not sufficient to achieve adequate coverage, especially in cases of advanced baldness. In such cases, hair follicles from other body regions such as beard, chest, arms and legs in hairy individuals can be used as an additional donor source.

In conclusion, yes, body hair can be used for hair transplant.

The Technique Used in Hair Transplants using Body Hair

In standard hair transplant procedures hair grafts are extracted from the patient’s donor area in the back of his/her head, which usually have high hair density. In transplants using body hair doctors extract grafts from other parts of the body. Hair grafts are going to be extracted directly from the donor area under local anesthesia using a small tool that is between 0.75ml and 1ml or a little thicker. The doctor creates a circular incision inside the skin surrounding the graft and then he pulls it out directly from its position and places it in the preserving solution and finally plants it in the receiving area.

Fears Related to Hair Transplant Procedures Using Body Hair

There are some considerable differences between the hair in the scalp and body hair, patients should be aware of these differences before going under the hair transplant procedure. The most affecting factors are the containing environment for the transplanted hair, color and thickness or hair structure.

There are four major concerns for patients who are receiving hair transplants using body hair

These fears are:

• The difference in structure between scalp hair and body hair.
• The process of removing body hair.
• The incompatibility between scalp hair and body hair.
• Hair death in two or three years after the procedure.

The disadvantage of this kind of procedures is usually that body hair has a lower quality than the hair in the scalp; this is due to the fact that the structure of hair in the scalp is more coherent than the hair around the body. In order to have a successful result after a hair transplant using body hair you need to plant more hair than you really need.

The degree of compatibility is so important as well in order to have the best possible result. You have also to remember that the success rates of hair transplants using body hair are less than those of the procedures that use donor areas from the scalp. The main cause for this is that body hair is not as restricted as the scalp hair. For example we took 2000 grafts from the body it is possible to get only 1000 healthy grafts. Normally in hair transplant procedures where the donor are is the interior area of the patient’s head we get 2000 out of 2000, that is why doctors recommend procedures where hair is extracted from the donor area in the scalp.

What are the benefits of transplant procedures using body hair?

It provides good density to cover a considerable space of the bold area.

Side Effects

The main source of concern for many patients who want to go under the hair transplant procedure using body hair is whether they are going to have obvious scars in the body donor area after the procedure. In fact there are going to be some stitches and scars in the donor area but these will heal within weeks. Here you can read about the other side effects to this procedure.

How much does a body hair transplant cost?

The cost of hair transplants is wildly heterogeneous and depends on a variety of circumstances. It normally ranges from $4,000 to $15,000 in the USA. Often, all of these expenses are paid by the patients, and insurance companies do not provide support. In the UK, however, can cost anywhere from £1,000 to £30,000, depending on the level of hair loss, the procedure, and the clinic’s and team’s experience and competence. To evaluate whether you are a candidate, discuss all of the concerns, and get an estimate of the cost, it is recommended that you meet with an experienced doctor in person.

 

 

FAQ

Is body hair transplant permanent and worth it?

If you’re thinking about getting a hair transplant, especially a body hair transplant, you might be wondering if the results are lasting.

Specifically, hair transplant results are not always permanent. They are, nevertheless, highly long-lasting and one of the most effective remedies for hair loss. Hair transplantation mimics the behavior of the donor area, which means that the hair must continue to grow as it did in the donor area.

So, it is worth to get the operation.

Is body hair transplant painful?

If you are considering a body hair transplant or another sort of hair transplant, you may be wondering whether it will be uncomfortable. You may experience minimal discomfort as the numbing agent is administered. Additionally, you may experience some soreness while the scalp heals following the surgery, but most people report little to no pain during and after the process.

What is the success rate of body hair transplant?

If you want to learn about the success rates of the body hair transplant process, you should read clinical study results.

According to clinical research, 85-95 percent of all implanted grafts thrive easily in the transplanted location. This high rate of success suggests that hair transplants are often quite successful. Some patients are concerned that, like with prior transplants, graft rejection will occur.

Is body hair transplant safe?

Although some doctors and experts advise against utilizing body hair for hair transplant surgeries in order to get a hairy appearance on the scalp, there is no risk in doing so.

Body hair transplantation can be utilized successfully and safely alone or in combination with scalp hair in severe stages of baldness, to improve the cosmetic appearance of hairlines, and in scarring alopecia when donor scalp hair is scarce.

Can you do a hair transplant with leg hair?

In theory, yes, the surgeons can use leg hair for the hair transplantation operation if the patient has severe baldness or an insufficient scalp donor reserve. Nonetheless, the success rates of this strategy are debatable. As a result, your surgeon should be quite experienced in these treatments, and you should follow any advice he or she gives you for the subsequent portion of the procedure.

Can chest hair be used for transplant?

You may have heard about procedures in which surgeons use body hair for hair transplantation surgery, such as leg, facial hair, and others. We can also use chest hair as a donor location on the body. Because chest hair is finer than facial or scalp hair, it is appropriate for the frontal hairline to produce a ruffled look or the crown area for additional coverage.

Is body hair the same as head hair?

You’ve probably heard of surgeons who use body hair to perform hair transplant surgery. But, does body hair have the same qualities as head hair? No, they do not have the same qualifications. Body hair, also described as anabolic hair, is transitory hair that grows on the human during and after adolescence. It is distinguished from the more visible head hair and therefore the less apparent vellus hair, which is far finer and lighter in color. They can, however, be used effectively.

Is pubic hair good for hair transplant?

Any androgen sensitive hair in the beard, trunk, axillae, and pubis is appropriate for body hair transplant. Body hair, on the other hand, grows shorter and thinner than scalp hair, and it is frequently curled, and post-transplant hair almost always curls as it develops beyond a certain length. However, by grooming and straightening the body hair, the curliness can be

Can Underarm Hair be Used for Hair Transplant?

Because the method of hair transplanting is basically taking hair from one region and planting it in another, and the optimum donor area is the area close to your neck, you may be thinking what if there is insufficient hair on the target donor zone.

Hair follicles from other body parts, such as the beard, chest, arms, and legs in hairy persons, can be used as an additional donor source in such circumstances. Furthermore, the hair we call underarm hair belongs to the terminal hair with the onset of adolescence, it is androgen sensitive type hair, and there is no reason why surgeons cannot utilize them for hair transplantation.