What is Beard Transplant?

Beard transplant is a surgical method which picks hair from the different areas of the body,  to match consistency with the facial hair like moustache, beard, or goatee and fills more hair in the bald spots of the face. 

On one side your best friend is popular because of his thick and bushy beard, on the other side growing a beard is more and more becoming a daunting task for you. Hurtful right? But not anymore, read-ahead and boost up your hair growth to compete with Tom Hardy himself.

Numerous reasons are stopping beard growth such as low testosterone level, your age can be less, genetics, poor lifestyle, sensitive hair follicles. In the beard transplant, usually extra hair is taken from the chest and the backside of the head because these areas have good and thick hair which are enough for an implant and are placed on your chin, jawline, and in the other bald patches on the face. Right after the surgery, in a short span of time, you will start noticing decent growth. Patience is the key, here don’t get discouraged if hair takes more time to grow after the procedure as the root area and follicle region can take time to nourish. Beard transplant can be done with no or partial beard.

Who Is The Right Candidate For Beard Transplant?

• Beard scarring due to burning injuries, accidents, or acne.
• Piercing in the beard region which is slowing the facial hair growth
• Thin beard
• Sideburns

How Surgery Of Beard Transplant Is Done?

There are various approaches which doctors take, but thoroughly accepted ones are 2:

1. Follicular Unit Extraction

People are very familiar with FUE and it is in demand. Step by step surgeon will take hair individually from the donor site ( chest or backside of the scalp) and will put it in the beard to give it a thick appearance where the hair is less or absent. FUE is becoming similar to a hair plug. 

• The surgeon will give you anaesthesia and will mark the transplant area.
• Then micro punch or surgical punch will be used to take out follicles. 
• The surgeon will make mini cuts through a scalpel or needle in the beard region and will fill in donor sites follicles into this.
• Around 3000 to 8000 hair is required for a beard transplant.
• After 2-4 hours surgery will be done and the surgeon will close the beard area with a bandage and antibiotics will be given to you.

In some cases, the session takes more hours about 6-8 hours if:

• The surgeon is new or aged.
• Bald patches are more
• Infection 
• Excess bleeding

As this procedure is outpatient and invasive you can go home just after the surgery.

Side Effects Of Beard Transplant In Follicle Unit Extraction Method:

You will see some side effects on your face and donor area ( chest or back of the scalp) after the surgery, like :

1. Follicle Swelling
2. Rough crust or scabs
3. Tingling sensation
4. Numbness
5. Heaviness/tightness
6. Sensitivity
7. Bruising
8. Scarring in the donor area

All these side effects are common and non-dangerous but if all these last for more than 14-15 days, talk to your doctor.

Before And After The Beard Transplant (Fue)

Before :

• Take drugs like Finasteride( Propecia) or Minoxidil(Rogaine). 
• Don’t smoke
• Electrocardiogram and blood tests must be done 4-5 days prior to the surgery.
• An intake of aspirin should not be done.
• Eat vitamin c rich fruits and take supplements of vitamin C as it helps you with instant healing.
• Do not drink coffee or tea before the surgery you can still have green tea as it doesn’t have caffeine in it.

AFTER:

• After surgery skin becomes tough and tight to get out of this situation start using moisturizer/cream it helps to soften the skin.
• Don’t shave in the surgical area for 1-2 months.
• Also don’t shave your donor area ( chest) for 10-14 days at least.
• Take a leave of  4-5 days from the job.
• Don’t sleep on your stomach, because rubbing will happen in the surgical area to decrease the pain, swelling, and redness.
• Don’t panic if the face is swollen as it will stay the same for 3-7 days.
• Do not touch the transplanted area even if you feel itchiness, distract yourself from that.
• Use the doctor’s recommended shampoo for transplanted and donor area.

Cost Of Fue Beard Transplant

It heavily depends on the quality of the graft around $8000-$15000. This procedure is not covered under the insurance as it doesn’t have anything to do with circumstances, the patient himself is choosing this so you will be paying for the procedure out of the pocket. Cost also depends upon your provider’s fees and geographic location.

2. Follicular Unit Extraction

Its other name is strip procedure because the strip is used in the donor area to extract the hair. The strip’s length and width depend on bald patches but on an average size range from 0.4 to 0.6 inch and surgeons typically don’t prefer size more than 0.6. Follicles are taken out with the help of a strip and added back to the area. FUT is an older and quicker method than FUT. Males with alopecia should definitely go for this surgery. 

• The surgeon will give you anaesthesia.
• Then the area of transplant will be marked.
• The donor site’s hair will be cropped to about 0.1 to 0.2 cm.
• The cut will be made to remove the skin’s strip along with the hair follicles later it will help to form the graft.
• From the strip, one by one hair follicles will be taken out to make it ready for transplantation.
• Once everything is done and dusted, the surgeon will close the surgical area with liquid stitches or sutures. Antibiotics will be used along with some bandages.

Side Effects Of Beard Transplant In Fut

• Cyst formation
• Folliculitis
• Numbness
• Pain 
• Swelling

Before And After Beard Transplant (Fut)

Before :

• Take drugs like Finasteride( Propecia) or Minoxidil(Rogaine). 
• Don’t smoke
• Drink enough water before the surgery because surgery takes more than 2 hours.
• Come to the clinic with a companion on the day of the surgery.
• Electrocardiogram and blood tests must be done 4-5 days prior to the surgery.
• An intake of aspirin should not be done.
• Eat vitamin c rich fruits and take supplements of vitamin C as it helps you with instant healing.
• Do not drink coffee or tea before the surgery you can still have green tea as it doesn’t have caffeine in it.

After :

• Do not go out during afternoons when the sun is up,  for the first few weeks.
• Don’t do exercise 
• Avoid alcohol and smoking
• After surgery skin becomes tough and tight to get out of this situation start using moisturizer/cream it helps to soften the skin.
• Don’t shave in the surgical area for 1-2 months.
• Also don’t shave your donor area ( chest) for 10-14 days at least.
• Take a leave of  4-5 days from the job.
• Don’t sleep on your stomach, because rubbing will happen in the surgical area to decrease the pain, swelling, and redness.
• Don’t panic if the face is swollen as it will stay the same for 3-7 days.
• Do not touch the transplanted area even if you feel itchiness, distract yourself from that.
• Use the doctor’s recommended shampoo for transplanted and donor area.

Recovery Of FUT And FUE  Beard Transplant

By keeping minor side effects aside, the recovery period is between 10-15 days after that you can shave or trim your hair and if hair growth is taking so long then wait, in some people, it is seen 2-3 months, in others 5-6 months or even 8-10 months. 

Cost Of Fut Beard Transplant

It heavily depends on the quality of the graft around $8000-$15000. This procedure is not covered under the insurance as it doesn’t have anything to do with circumstances, the patient himself is choosing this so you will be paying for the procedure out of the pocket. Cost also depends upon your provider’s fees and geographic location.

Alternative For Beard Implant

If the above-mentioned treatments are very costly for you then Minoxidil (Rogaine) vasodilator is very effective and to date, it is the best alternative. It comes in different states liquid state and foam are well-known. Although foam is costly but drying time is less so people prefer and refer to others. 

Side Effects Of Minoxidil In Beard Implant Are :

• Soreness at the root hair
• Skin redness
• Swelling

How To Choose A Clinic And Doctor While Beard Transplant

• Before visiting the clinic check the ratings of hospitals and reviews of surgeons and entire medical staff/services.
• Always select a clinic that is good at performing FUT and FUE both because FUE is relatively new and complex so the hospital with a good experience of FUE is safe because that can be pro at FUT.
• Choose a surgeon who is good at the traditional manual and modern automatic techniques.
• The surgeon who just doing a hair transplant is safest because multitasking doctors can mess up with the treatment. 
• Take detailed information about the clinic’s popularity in the town or state. If people don’t know about the clinic on which you are putting your finger on then definitely back off.
• Ask the doctor to arrange a consultation ask all the questions which are wrapped around the mind regarding a beard transplant.
• On your first appointment, request the surgeon to see the clinic and instruments/equipment.
• A doctor who gives you references about the past patients is someone on which you can trust.

Beard Transplant Cost In India

Beard transplant cost in India can range from 50,000 to 4 lakh rupee ( $700-$5500), spending on the doctor doing surgery as well as on the clinic’s location.

FAQs :

 

• What is the success rate of a beard implant?

The report shows that the success rate is between 10-98% so it can fail also and can become successful also.

• Is it ok to shave daily after the beard transplant?

Yes, you can shave daily once the recovery period is over.

• When can a person wash his face after a beard transplant?

He can wash his face with water after 2-3 days.

• How many hairs grow if one graft is inserted?

It depends on your skin in some 4 hair grow by using 1 graft, while in some 2 hair grows.

• Is it possible that implanted beard hair stay permanently?

         Yes,  in many people it stays throughout life.