The method of using hair from other parts of the body to be placed into the scalp has been used for several years now. The Unfortunate thing is the change which occurs in the life cycle of body hair makes body hair the last option for scalp hair restoration. Body hair tends to have a long resting phase and short growth phase, meaning the majority of the hair which was transplanted will stay in the resting phase and have no visible hair growth.

 
When seeing a side-by-side comparison of the scalp hair (left) vs. the facial hair (right), there is an obvious difference in the density of hair on the surface area and the average number of hairs in each follicular unit. Scalp hair is denser with more hair per grafts (over 2-4 hair/graft) while beard hair has less density with fewer hair per grafts (1-2 hair/graft)

On the other hand, mustache and beard hair has a shorter resting phase and longer growth phase. Because of this, men can grow their facial hair very long. For most people, facial hair is much thicker than scalp hair. Thicker hair could be translated as more bulk of hair after hair transplantation. Both thicker hair shafts and longer growth phase make beard hair a better option for scalp hair restoration in comparison to body hair transplant from other areas.

Unfortunately, there are two issues with beard hair restoration. The first is the fact they are very sparse, and removing hair only needs to be done through a strip procedure. The second regarding using facial hair for scalp transplant is follicular units found on the face have a fewer number of hairs per unit, which means there is less hair per grafts removed with FUE techniques.

Beard transplants are gaining popularity annually, and the newest technology in hair transplantation allows for hair loss doctors to use scalp hair for transplanting to the balding area in people which do not have good quality facial hair. Modern technology continues to advance the art and science of hair restoration further into new realms of possibilities, with an large annual growth reported yearly.

There are times when I receive inquiries as to why professionals such as hair stylists and dermatologists do not recommend hair restoration surgery to their clients or patients. I have scratched my head to this quandary as to why this is, since hair restoration surgery is the only method which is proven, permanent, and natural! The fact is, when it is done by a skilled hair restoration surgeon, the final product looks GREAT!!!

In the past twenty years, hair restoration surgery has progressed significantly, but with the most noticeable changes happening in only the past five years. The most profound breakthrough in this time is the current method of dissecting hair grafts to maximize accuracy for long-term growth as well as the ability to transplant larger quantities of hair grafts (up to 5,000 in one sitting) which is known as a giga-session.

Unfortunately many stylists, and shockingly physicians as well, are not up to speed with modern hair transplantation techniques or the positive effects a surgery can have on their clients or patients. It is our goal at US Hair Restoration to continue to educate physicians, hair stylists, and the public about the science and art of current hair transplantation techniques.

We are intentional about inviting professionals such as physicians and hair stylists to hear about our services, witness a live surgery, and see life changing results just months after an operation. This knowledge helps them to be more informed of how to better direct their clients and patients. When it comes to hair and hair loss in general, hair stylists are seen as having great credibility for making suggestions. At US Hair Restoration we have a progressive campaign for educating them called the “LA’s Top Style List” and we believe our message will be made known.

Q:

To Dr. Mohebi:

17 days have passed since my hair restoration procedure at your office in the San Fernando Valley.  As I remember, I had an FUT procedure with bi-lateral trichophytic closure performed for about 650 grafts to reinforce my front hairline. I want to make sure to say first off that I’m extremely grateful for the time you took to answer the questions I had in a well-informed and honest manner. Also, I’d like to say I had a wonderfully positive experience and was treated kindly by everyone at your office. It was a much different experience than the first time I had a hair transplant with someone else.

Included are five photographs (recently taken) of my grafts about fourteen days after the surgery. I got rid of the scabs on the grafts and donor area. I noticed the hair grafts are now growing, and a few have fell off the scalp. I have a few inquiries.

• One snapshot reveals, at the pinnacle of the front hairline, a red circle and the particular area looks bald and bare. Do you remember planting any grafts in this part of my head. I expected this part to have hair growing on it because the front tip sticks out.
• The donor area feels sensitive and it’s still painful but also numb in other parts. I’m wondering if this is what usually happens after a fortnight.
• The back of my head (donor area) feels stretched and makes it hard for me to look at my shoes or look down when urinating. It’s a bit painful. I don’t think I had this issue after my first hair transplant. Or maybe the pain wasn’t as prolonged as it is now. Maybe it’s because the bi-lateral trichophytic closure is on another scarline? When do you think the pain in my donor site will go away?

Thanks again for the well-done procedure. I look forward to hearing back from you.

A:

It warms my heart that you enjoyed your visit with us when getting your hair transplant. You underwent a donor scar revision procedure to enhance the look of your donor linear scar on the back of your head with a two sided tricophytic closure to ensure hair growth into the scar for the highest invisibility. About your questions, I’ve written below my responses to them in chronological order.

• Intentionally, we made the frontal area irregular so it wouldn’t appear to look linear and reconstructed. After the hair transplant, you ought to have lost a good number of grafts. The way your hair looks now and is not the way it will look eventually. I’d advise you to wait at least another six or seven months so all your hair will have grown out. It will look much better.
• As part of the healing process, a bit of inflammation is normal and will appear about two weeks after a hair transplant procedure. But, if the inflammation doesn’t eventually go away or if it becomes more inflamed, come to my office immediately.
• You may feel more pain and stretching on the back of your head because you’ve had previous surgeries. There wouldn’t be as much pain in the donor site if you hadn’t ever had a hair transplant. Try not to look down too much or in a herky-jerk manner for the following eight weeks after surgery because there’s a risk of stretching out the donor scar. On the second month, if there’s still pain, visit me and we’ll take a look at it. In the meantime, if there are other questions you may have about hair growth or other inquiries regarding your hair transplant, call and make an appointment to see me.
  I’m eager to meet with you again in later visits.