Transplantation of body hair in to the scalp has been an option to treat extensive cases of baldness with a poor donor scalp. In general, the preferred donor area to extract grafts for hair transplantation is the back of the scalp. Most of us have an abundance of donor hairs in this region – these hairs are also known to be DHT resistant, which is why it is the last area we lose our hair as we age. In some cases, other areas of the body such as the beard or chest, may be used as a source of transplantable hair follicles to accomplish one’s hair restoration goals.
Beard hair and other sources such as the neck, chest, and back are harvested most commonly using a minimally invasive FUE technique. Body hair transplant or BHT – is a reasonable option once your donor supply has been exhausted from the scalp if it is similar enough to your scalps hair to easily blend in – providing you with natural looking results.
Why body hair transplant?
Donor Replenishment – This is for those who have already had a few hair transplants in their lifetime and likely have exhausted most of their scalp donor hair, leaving this area not as dense as it once was. We typically see this in older men who have already had 2 or 3 hair transplants dating back to the old “hair plug” days where groups of 8 or more hairs were transplanted in a single site. Body hair transplant can ‘restock’ the weakened donor area due to previous hair transplant procedures.
Linear Scar Concealment – One of the main reasons Dr. Yazdan performs body hair transplants on patients with extremely weak scalp donors is due to grotesque scarring caused by unskilled or inexperienced doctors using the traditional FUT/Strip hair transplant method. The Strip method is known to leave a linear scar on the back of the scalp where an incision was made to harvest grafts. If you find yourself in the wrong physician’s hands, you could be their next victim like you see in the photo below. Finding a well-qualified physician will most certainly minimize the risk of being butchered on the back of the scalp, however it is inevitable to have some scarring which can easily be disguised if you tend to have a longer hairstyle. Beard or chest hair follicles can be obtained and transplanted into the scar for concealment or repair purposes. 
Crown/vertex density – If our scalp donor hair is in short supply, beard hair may be an option and can be harvested and transplanted to the crown or vertex region to give your head of hair some thickness.
As an extreme example, it would be tactical to avoid the use of course, curly body hair for transplantation into the hairline in a patient with thin, straight scalp hair. As you could imagine- this would not look natural. Don’t allow a physician to talk you into this type of procedure for his or her own economic gain. There are plenty of inexperienced physicians out there willing to make you their next victim.
Here at Modena Hair Restoration, we’ve had hundreds of successful repair cases over the years. Keep in mind, body hair transplants require a specific set of skills and tools and isn’t every physicians cup of tea. Most don’t have the proper training or take the time necessary for a successful outcome, so you don’t end up scarred or botched – you wouldn’t want hundreds if not thousands of 1mm scars on your beard or chest, would you? Dr. Yazdan uses some of the smallest punch sizes available in order to keep scarring at a minimum and performs 1 surgery per day unlike other clinics who shorten their time with each patient in order to push out 2-3 surgeries per day -This certainly isn’t the type of clinic you want to consider for a procedure like this. Beverly Hills Cosmetic Surgeon, Dr. Yazdan, also advises looking into other options such as PRP, laser hair therapy and scalp micropigmentation for their added benefits.
The takeaway from all this is, even from casual observation, it may be easy to see that beard hair typically does not possess the same exact qualities as your scalp hair. Dissimilarities in texture, curl, caliber, length and even hair growth rates of body hair may be considerably different than scalp hair making this procedure difficult (at best) for many physicians out there. The use of this hair type requires a careful decision made with you and your surgeon of choice. If this seems to be your last and final option- we advise you choose your doctor carefully as this is a tricky procedure in order to make it look as natural as humanly possible. Good technical skill on your physician’s behalf is crucial and should be left only for the professionals.

For questions or to schedule a consultation, call one of our offices conveniently located in Irvine, Newport Beach, Beverly Hills and Las Vegas at 888-717-5273 or contact via our website at contact Modena Hair Link