Facial hair follicle transplantation involves the beard, mustache, chin, and sideburns. As one might expect, beard transplantation is the most popular.
Facial Hair Restoration with Beard Transplantation
Facial hair is a prominent male trait that forms an integral part of a man’s appearance and is a defining symbol of masculinity. In fact, according to studies, men who adopt an unshaven look are perceived as more masculine, dominant, and assertive, and are found to be more attractive to women compared to those with a clean-shaven face.
However, there are cases where facial hair growth is simply not… enough! Today, modern hair follicle transplantation has the ability to restore hair growth in the area, enhancing male appearance and delivering a completely natural result that lasts a lifetime!
The Most Common Causes of Beard Loss
- Injury to the area and subsequent healing (with or without stitches)
- Medication or surgical procedures that resulted in the loss of facial hair
- Systemic or localized diseases that caused facial hair loss (e.g., alopecia areata)
- Trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling)
- Genetic or hormonal factors leading to sparse facial hair or complete absence of beard growth.
Beard Transplant for Aesthetic Reasons
Some people choose to undergo a beard transplant for aesthetic reasons, primarily to enhance density in the area depending on the style they wish to adopt. Typically, those who opt for beard transplantation are individuals with very fine or sparse facial hair (beard or mustache) who want a fuller look, or those who wish to cover a scar.
However, there are also congenital conditions that affect hair growth in the area, such as atrichia, hypotrichia, or anisotrichia.In all cases—regardless of the underlying cause—patients seeking beard transplantation usually ask for a “thicker mustache”, “fuller beard”, or a “more defined goatee”.
Ideal Candidates for Beard Transplantation
People with scarring alopecia on the face are usually excellent candidates for beard transplantation. This type of scarring alopecia may be caused by injury, burns, surgery, cleft lip/palate, or may occur following folliculitis.
There is also a small percentage of individuals who experience thinning in the beard area due to traction alopecia (e.g., from tight styling such as “dreadlocks” in the beard).
What the Evaluation of Beard Transplant Candidates Involves
The first factor a doctor should consider is the patient’s age, as full beard development in men typically occurs around the age of 30. Therefore, a younger age may actually be a contraindication. Additionally, the reasons behind the patient’s desire for a beard transplant must be explored and evaluated—specifically, whether the patient fully understands the procedure or whether an underlying psychological condition may be influencing the decision.
It is also important to consider ethnic differences in beard density. For example, individuals from India and the Middle East tend to have very dense beards, while Caucasians and Africans generally have moderate density. The lowest beard density is usually observed in East Asian populations—although exceptions do exist.
Finally, the patient’s expectations must be realistic. For instance, a person with naturally sparse facial hair (hypotrichia) may require up to 2,500 grafts for full coverage of the entire beard area—something that may be impractical or even prohibitive.
Beard Transplant Candidate Evaluation at Anastasakis Hair Clinic
The doctor must perform a full medical evaluation, looking for any condition that could pose a risk to the patient’s health or compromise the outcome of the procedure. Certain diseases—such as mumps, diabetes, or blood clotting disorders—are considered serious contraindications.
In addition, a careful examination of the donor area is conducted to rule out skin conditions that could be transferred to the facial area during the transplant, potentially causing issues such as psoriasis, vitiligo, or acne.
How Is Beard Transplantation Performed at Anastasakis Hair Clinic
Beard transplantation is a highly demanding aesthetic procedure, mainly because it involves restoring an area that is in direct visual contact with everyone. In such a transplant—though this applies to all types of hair transplantation, regardless of the area—the medical team at our clinic is called upon to replicate nature as faithfully as possible. Our goal is a completely natural result that goes unnoticed.
The first step in a successful beard hair transplant is precise design, based on the unique facial features of each individual patient. Typically, single-hair grafts are harvested using the FUE technique from the permanent hair zone of the scalp. The follicles selected from this area are those with darker, thicker hairs so that they resemble the natural texture of facial hair, which is usually coarser than scalp hair.
However, in cases where only a small number of grafts are required, the follicles may be harvested from the area beneath the chin and neck, provided that region is dense enough to serve as a donor area. In fact, this approach offers the advantage of using hair with the exact same texture and color as the natural beard hair.
Beard transplantation requires experience, precise technique, and specialization. Depending on the area to be covered, the doctor will use a different number of grafts in order to achieve a natural-looking density. An important and critical detail in both the creation of the recipient sites and the placement of the grafts is that the angle of hair growth varies across different parts of the face. The direction, depth, and angle of the recipient sites and the graft placement are adjusted according to the nine distinct facial zones, and even within each zone individually, to ensure the result is not only dense but also completely natural in appearance.
Beard Transplantation: The Post-Operative Course
Beard transplantation is a refined form of hair follicle transplantation. Just like in scalp hair transplantation, the results of beard transplantation are permanent. The transplanted hairs grow naturally and can be shaved or trimmed just like the rest of your facial hair.
Immediately after the procedure, you will receive detailed instructions for aftercare, along with a complete kit containing everything you’ll need.
Post-operative care includes thorough cleaning of the area, so that by around day 10, all the small scabs from the grafted follicles have cleared. Around four months after surgery, your beard will begin to grow, and by nine months you will have a very clear picture of the final result. At Anastasakis Hair Clinic, our follow-up protocol includes 2–4 visits within the first month, and additional check-ups at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months.
If your beard is sparse or difficult to grow due to genetics, scarring, or trauma, we can help through facial hair transplantation. Beard transplants restore hair in areas with little or no growth, such as the sideburns, cheeks, jawline, or mustache. Dr. Konstantinos Anastassakis has many years of experience helping people restore not just their facial hair, but also their confidence. To find out if you are a suitable candidate for beard transplantation, call Dr. Konstantinos Anastasakis at +30 210-80-11-000, or submit your photos and basic details using the free evaluation form — and you will receive a personalized assessment, usually within 3 business days.
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