Body Hair Transplant Question ?

[jooeey]

I wanted to know which area hair can be considered for Body Hair Transplant ? is it only beard or other areas aswell. I have very less hair on my body over all, of course I am also out of the donor area on my head. Do Hair Transplant Doctors also do armpit hair and pubic hair transplant ? If a person's beard is also not thick ?

[Al - Moderator]

Beard and chest is best. However I know Dr Umar in California has used hair from all over including arms, legs, and I think pubic and underarms as well.

[gillenator]

Sorry to hear that you are out of scalp donor...how many procedures did you have?...or is it also an issue of low donor density?

 

The thing about BH is not only its unpredictability but also the visual compatibility depending where the BH is harvested from.

 

The chest is probably the most reliable after the beard area.

[Speegs]

Typically chest hair is optimal for individuals that have hair to spare in that area.

 

It has less of a cosmetic impact on the body than a facial hair donation would and I'd never advise that as an option, surgery to the face is just not advisable as a first resort.

[jooeey]

Sorry to hear that you are out of scalp donor...how many procedures did you have?...or is it also an issue of low donor density?

 

The chest is probably the most reliable after the beard area.

 

Yes After having a couple of procedures, I am out of the donor area. I have scanty hair on chest aswell, It is there but not as much as others have it. Can Chest Hair be used to give some more density in the frontal region of hair like near the hairline ?

 

The thing about BH is not only its unpredictability but also the visual compatibility depending where the BH is harvested from.

 

When you say unpredictability do you mean, uncertainty about will the graft survive or not ?

Edited February 18, 2018 by jooeey

[Sean]

The only way body hair, chest hair, beard hair may work is if you have those 10,000 plus graft surgeries or so. It is like a garden, you plant thousands of seeds but only like 25% may take. I think the graft survival in that type of hair may be terrible. It is probably a hit or miss. Nape hair also seems to be crap and unnatural looking and due to its fine nature and most of those hairs may not even survive extraction.

 

Which area on the scalp in particular do you need this type of hair? Crown or midscalp or hairline or everything?

 

It will also depend on your hair texture, but if done properly, beard hair can be used as filler hair for crown and midscalp.

 

I know, from experience, from being operated on, this type of hair can make the actual hair look more unnatural.

 

Right now, i need to get this issue resolved which is now turning into a bigger issue. FML

[jooeey]

The only way body hair, chest hair, beard hair may work is if you have those 10,000 plus graft surgeries or so. It is like a garden, you plant thousands of seeds but only like 25% may take. I think the graft survival in that type of hair may be terrible. It is probably a hit or miss.

 

Oh I see, so is the survival rate of Body Hair Graft compared to Scalp hair graft very low?

 

Which area on the scalp in particular do you need this type of hair? Crown or midscalp or hairline or everything?

 

Just at the hairline, near the hairline, I would say something around 200-300 hair grafts would be suffice. Of course depending on how many of them survive ?

 

It will also depend on your hair texture, but if done properly, beard hair can be used as filler hair for crown and midscalp.

 

Yes exactly I am looking at them mostly as a filler something like one uses Toppik or something, the same way. Because I know they alone cannot add density, because of perhaps of the texture but they can blend in with some existing scalp hair to cover up the area and increase the volume ? Isn't it ?

 

I know, from experience, from being operated on, this type of hair can make the actual hair look more unnatural.

 

Oh really ? Even if I want to use them as just some camouflaging, supporting hair and not the hair which actually defines my hair, just to blend in with my frontal hairline ? Even that would not work ?

[gillenator]

Yes After having a couple of procedures, I am out of the donor area. I have scanty hair on chest aswell, It is there but not as much as others have it. Can Chest Hair be used to give some more density in the frontal region of hair like near the hairline ?

 

When you say unpredictability do you mean, uncertainty about will the graft survive or not ?

 

What I meant was the unpredictability of the rate of regrowth...with BH, it's very hit and miss and that's just the honest truth.

 

And I think what Sean was referring to is the visual compatibility of BH hair to the appearance of natural scalp hair especially occurring natively on the hair line.

 

Foe example, many guys have a completely different characteristic of their beard hair as compared to their scalp hair so mixing the 2 of them together does not end up being visually compatible.

[California]

I wanted to know which area hair can be considered for Body Hair Transplant ? is it only beard or other areas aswell. I have very less hair on my body over all, of course I am also out of the donor area on my head. Do Hair Transplant Doctors also do armpit hair and pubic hair transplant ? If a person's beard is also not thick ?

 

Hi Jooeey,

 

You might find this discussion thread interesting.

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/188428-beard-body-head-hair-transplant.html

 

I am copy/pasting an excerpt from the above mentioned thread here:

 

Dr. Bhatti has a very different approach to a client with a balding issue, which he feel shall be progressive in the long term. He encourages all his Patients with a long term plan for their progressive balding to allow him to harvest beard grafts (besides scalp grafts of course) for a better hairline definition and mid-scalp fill and to keep their remaining scalp grafts as a rain check for future requirements especially in the crown.

 

For example, for a 25 year old Patient, with a type 3 pattern baldness, Dr. Bhatti would plant scalp grafts within the first 1.5 cm along the hairline, mix scalp grafts with beard grafts in a laid down optimal ratio till the highest point of the head. For the crown area he would encourage the Patient to accept a low density preferably with chest grafts or chest grafts with a sprinkling of scalp grafts. He never uses beard hair for the crown area. It is only to be used for the mid-scalp and just behind the hairline.

 

For Dr. Bhatti, “only ABC is GOOD”. (A- Axilla, B- Beard, C-Chest). He is not fond of using any hair other than beard, chest and axilla (in this order of preference) since leg, arm, belly hair, in his experience, take a long time to grow if at all.

In darker racial group he does not venture outside the ‘shadow area’ of the beard which lies on and behind the jawline and above the Adam’s apple due to the possible risk of visible scarring.

 

Given the fact that in a second session (FUE), you can harvest usually half the number of grafts again after a gap of 6 months, realization shall dawn upon you that an average patient (except East Asian) has a large donor area just waiting to be harvested. This realization is fast becoming the game changer today in the field of surgical hair restoration. As a result of this, more and more clinics the world over are busy honing their skills to harvest more and more body grafts with lesser and lesser transection rates. Time is also of the essence and therefore the growing demand for motorized systems, especially the Safe Scribe which is simple, safe and efficient.

 

Body hair, mostly alone, has been routinely used at our clinic for the following indications:

 

1. Extensive baldness with a poor donor area of the scalp and,

2. Camouflaging wide FUT scars.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

 

Best regards,

California

[jooeey]

Hi Jooeey,

 

You might find this discussion thread interesting.

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/188428-beard-body-head-hair-transplant.html

 

I am copy/pasting an excerpt from the above mentioned thread here:

 

Dr. Bhatti has a very different approach to a client with a balding issue, which he feel shall be progressive in the long term. He encourages all his Patients with a long term plan for their progressive balding to allow him to harvest beard grafts (besides scalp grafts of course) for a better hairline definition and mid-scalp fill and to keep their remaining scalp grafts as a rain check for future requirements especially in the crown.

 

For example, for a 25 year old Patient, with a type 3 pattern baldness, Dr. Bhatti would plant scalp grafts within the first 1.5 cm along the hairline, mix scalp grafts with beard grafts in a laid down optimal ratio till the highest point of the head. For the crown area he would encourage the Patient to accept a low density preferably with chest grafts or chest grafts with a sprinkling of scalp grafts. He never uses beard hair for the crown area. It is only to be used for the mid-scalp and just behind the hairline.

 

For Dr. Bhatti, “only ABC is GOOD”. (A- Axilla, B- Beard, C-Chest). He is not fond of using any hair other than beard, chest and axilla (in this order of preference) since leg, arm, belly hair, in his experience, take a long time to grow if at all.

In darker racial group he does not venture outside the ‘shadow area’ of the beard which lies on and behind the jawline and above the Adam’s apple due to the possible risk of visible scarring.

 

Given the fact that in a second session (FUE), you can harvest usually half the number of grafts again after a gap of 6 months, realization shall dawn upon you that an average patient (except East Asian) has a large donor area just waiting to be harvested. This realization is fast becoming the game changer today in the field of surgical hair restoration. As a result of this, more and more clinics the world over are busy honing their skills to harvest more and more body grafts with lesser and lesser transection rates. Time is also of the essence and therefore the growing demand for motorized systems, especially the Safe Scribe which is simple, safe and efficient.

 

Body hair, mostly alone, has been routinely used at our clinic for the following indications:

 

1. Extensive baldness with a poor donor area of the scalp and,

2. Camouflaging wide FUT scars.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

 

Best regards,

California

 

Thanks California for your input. So My question to you is and also if you could ask this to Dr.Bhatti. I am reasonably happy with my Hair Transplant Journey so far with the only exception that I wish my hairline could have been more defined by using some more hair, I wish I had some more donor hair grafts left, unfortunately that's not the case. So can I lets say for e.g. despite considering how coarse the chest hair are, can some more amount of chest hair grafts be added to the front hairline like say in the very beginning of the hairline to make it look more thick ? Can it blend in the Scalp Hair of the Hairline or will they stick out and stand out because of being coarse in texture?

[gillenator]

Does your chest hair have different characteristics than your scalp hair?

[Dr Tejinder Bhatti]

Hello Mr. Jooey,

 

This is a subjective issue based on the calibre of your chest hair compared to the traditional scalp donor you have already transplanted. However, there is also the approach that if the current hairline density is good enough then even somewhat more coarse hair can be used strategically in and around the grafts just behind the very front. Interspersed with the finer hairs a more natural appearance can be achieved while simultaneously adding more density.

 

To learn more about my body hair harvesting approach you can watch the following video.

 

 

[jooeey]

Hello Mr. Jooey,

 

This is a subjective issue based on the calibre of your chest hair compared to the traditional scalp donor you have already transplanted. However, there is also the approach that if the current hairline density is good enough then even somewhat more coarse hair can be used strategically in and around the grafts just behind the very front. Interspersed with the finer hairs a more natural appearance can be achieved while simultaneously adding more density.

 

 

 

Thank you Dr Bhatti for your expert input, So If I understand you correctly you are saying depending on what the current hairline is ? Chest hair can be used to further densify it, no matter how coarse it is ? is that correct ? So I have 2 more questions for you, I am also told that Body Hair Graft be it chest or beard or any other area, the survival rate of these hair grafts when put on scalp is very low. is that the case ? And second if even Body Hair grafts are transplanted on the scalp, they do not achieve and grow the same length as the Scalp Hair grow ? How much truth is in this story ?

Edited February 24, 2018 by jooeey

[jooeey]

Does your chest hair have different characteristics than your scalp hair?

 

Well, I would say nearly nearly same but not 100% identical. But my feeling is my chest hair looking at its texture can be camouflaged and blended with Scalp hair, Just like as we use a product called Toppik, which uses artificial hair fibres on your existing scalp hair to make it look thick in volume basically a camouflaging job. This is all if there is any guarantee of the chest hair grafts surviving and growing in length. Which I have a question as of now.

[gillenator]

It does not have to be 100% identical but the closer, the better.

 

Some guys have very straight scalp hair with no wave or curl to it. But their beard and chest hair does. Not a good match.

 

And beard hair tends to have a higher degree of coarseness to it than scalp hair.

 

The other factor is the blend ratio which I think Dr. Bhatti was referring to. If you are blending in a much smaller percent of BH grafts, that will make a difference in the visual compatibility factor.

[Rashid36]

mine used to be very thick and similar until I had it laser hair removal it still grows back but more finer, would it still be possible to use it?

[Sultsay]

Has anybody used back hair for transplant? I have plenty on my back which is straighter than my chest hair. I will need to increase density at the crown and mid scalp if donor area allows.

[jooeey]

It does not have to be 100% identical but the closer, the better.

 

Some guys have very straight scalp hair with no wave or curl to it. But their beard and chest hair does. Not a good match.

 

And beard hair tends to have a higher degree of coarseness to it than scalp hair.

 

The other factor is the blend ratio which I think Dr. Bhatti was referring to. If you are blending in a much smaller percent of BH grafts, that will make a difference in the visual compatibility factor.

 

Yes, I am looking for Body Hair Transplant just to blend with my already existing front hairline hair. But like Dr.Bhatti said in his above video that the Body Hair a grafts are very fragile in their life and have to be quickly put in the preserving solution and put back, so my question also to Dr.Bhatti is what are the chances of Body Hair Grafts surviving ?And growing and increasing in length ?

[gillenator]

mine used to be very thick and similar until I had it laser hair removal it still grows back but more finer, would it still be possible to use it?

 

Don't know of any reason why it could not be used however only an experienced BH surgeon could really give you feedback on this.

[Dr Tejinder Bhatti]

Thank you Dr Bhatti for your expert input, So If I understand you correctly you are saying depending on what the current hairline is ? Chest hair can be used to further densify it, no matter how coarse it is ? is that correct ? So I have 2 more questions for you, I am also told that Body Hair Graft be it chest or beard or any other area, the survival rate of these hair grafts when put on scalp is very low. is that the case ? And second if even Body Hair grafts are transplanted on the scalp, they do not achieve and grow the same length as the Scalp Hair grow ? How much truth is in this story ?

 

 

Mr. Jooey,

 

I have been busy with my new facility, 5 Rivers Hospital, so please forgive the delay.

 

If adding any hair to a hairline, or any place on the scalp, we are adding density so this is a simple matter. The challenge, again, lies in the type of hair that is being used and we cannot categorize the hair type based on it's original donor source alone. As you have noted, you have fine chest hair whereas others have chest hair that may be more coarse. Thus, we can only make plans based on the absolutes of what each patient's donor characteristics provides. This is where donor photos and/or video can help via long distance assessment.

 

To answer your two questions:

 

1. Survival rates are lower than those found with scalp hair, but in experienced hands, this is reduced greatly and a positive aesthetic can be achieved. We must simply remember what we are doing and adjust expectations accordingly. Body hair takes patience, both for the physician and for the patient as scalp donor is "king" (as some would say). This is why body hair is not the primary donor source for most patients.

 

2. Body hair can and does take on the characteristics of scalp hair, but it will not be a perfect match. The baseline variance is a strong determinant in this equation but if the donor is fairly similar to the recipient then a blending can be achieved. Body hair can grow longer on the scalp as well, generally speaking. This is due to the scalp being generally more vascular as well as potential signalling from neighbouring hairs influencing the growth.

 

I hope his helps.

[jooeey]

Mr. Jooey,

 

I have been busy with my new facility, 5 Rivers Hospital, so please forgive the delay.

 

If adding any hair to a hairline, or any place on the scalp, we are adding density so this is a simple matter. The challenge, again, lies in the type of hair that is being used and we cannot categorize the hair type based on it's original donor source alone. As you have noted, you have fine chest hair whereas others have chest hair that may be more coarse. Thus, we can only make plans based on the absolutes of what each patient's donor characteristics provides. This is where donor photos and/or video can help via long distance assessment.

 

To answer your two questions:

 

1. Survival rates are lower than those found with scalp hair, but in experienced hands, this is reduced greatly and a positive aesthetic can be achieved. We must simply remember what we are doing and adjust expectations accordingly. Body hair takes patience, both for the physician and for the patient as scalp donor is "king" (as some would say). This is why body hair is not the primary donor source for most patients.

 

2. Body hair can and does take on the characteristics of scalp hair, but it will not be a perfect match. The baseline variance is a strong determinant in this equation but if the donor is fairly similar to the recipient then a blending can be achieved. Body hair can grow longer on the scalp as well, generally speaking. This is due to the scalp being generally more vascular as well as potential signalling from neighbouring hairs influencing the growth.

 

I hope his helps.

 

That was a great explanation Dr Bhatti. Thank You for it.