Beard to beard transplant doctors?

[Rafael Manelli]

It's hard to find many results for beard (re)creation even from the most popular doctors.

Perhaps it's a more niche surgery, but I've seen more and more men opting to get their beards filled in, preferably using donor from the underside of the beard, below the chin or on the neck. I know clinics like Eugenix have become renowned for using the beard as a donor for scalp hair restoration, but I'm particularly interested in using grafts on the face as a recipient site. Especially the cheeks, mustache area and the area below the lower lip on the chin.

Dr Gary Linkov said in a recent video of his that implanting on the face, particularly below the lip, has a risk of cobblestoning.

Has anyone got any experience, insight or recommended doctors for this? 

[New_Barnet_Please]

If it’s for yourself you could try topical minoxidil on the beard, it takes a year of daily application but if you are a responder the results are permanent (unlike with the scalp). See Reddit.com/minoxbeards for others that have achieved it.

Unfortunately I was an apparently rare non-responder for this, so I did have a beard to beard FUE surgery a few months ago. I won’t comment on it yet as for this one I’m just going to create a thread when the result is in at 8-9 months 🙂

[Gatsby]

I have to agree with @New_Barnet_Please that using minoxidil would be my first choice before surgery. There are some results that have been posted on the forum. @DrTBarghouthi has performed some. All the best. 

[AladdinSane]

I’m interested in this topic too but in my case, scalp to beard. Not to create a full beard but just to create some facial hair growth on the lip and chin which is absent on me. The burning question I’ve been trying to get consistent answers too are wanting to ensure if done, that when clean shaven it won’t have cobblestones or any other complications that will mean the hair can’t be clean shaven without showing signs of a procedure.

 

I know Dr. Konior does beard to beard and my guess is that being the perfectionist he is, that he wouldn’t provide such an option if it meant the facial could not be clean shaven ever. I mean not many would want to keep designer stubble or a full beard forever. It still has to be functional with the option to shave clean. I’ve been told by a few HT doctors that if done properly there’s no visible scarring and that cobblestones or pits are because of bad technique as to how the grafts are trimmed.

[AladdinSane]

40 minutes ago, New_Barnet_Please said:

If it’s for yourself you could try topical minoxidil on the beard, it takes a year of daily application but if you are a responder the results are permanent (unlike with the scalp). See Reddit.com/minoxbeards for others that have achieved it.

Unfortunately I was an apparently rare non-responder for this, so I did have a beard to beard FUE surgery a few months ago. I won’t comment on it yet as for this one I’m just going to create a thread when the result is in at 8-9 months 🙂

Thus far can it be clean shaven to skin surface level or are there raised bits? The thing most want to know is that the skin surface is as flat as a natural beard is.

[New_Barnet_Please]

1 hour ago, AladdinSane said:

I’m interested in this topic too but in my case, scalp to beard. Not to create a full beard but just to create some facial hair growth on the lip and chin which is absent on me. The burning question I’ve been trying to get consistent answers too are wanting to ensure if done, that when clean shaven it won’t have cobblestones or any other complications that will mean the hair can’t be clean shaven without showing signs of a procedure.

 

I know Dr. Konior does beard to beard and my guess is that being the perfectionist he is, that he wouldn’t provide such an option if it meant the facial could not be clean shaven ever. I mean not many would want to keep designer stubble or a full beard forever. It still has to be functional with the option to shave clean. I’ve been told by a few HT doctors that if done properly there’s no visible scarring and that cobblestones or pits are because of bad technique as to how the grafts are trimmed.

I have no cobblestoning, it looks the same as pre-surgery, now just waiting for growth. Recipient area is a little red still after 2 months, donor area of the neck and below chin heals so well - no scarring there at all already!

From my research I think scalp hair to beard is actually a very different procedure to beard to beard as the hair can be quite different. In that case it seems to have more chance of looking unnatural and more complications. For me personally I don’t think I would do scalp hair to beard, but I am fortunate to have enough donor on the neck and under the chin for the cheeks. Also the risk is less in my case as I don’t want a very thick beard so the density isn’t that great, just to have something there on the cheeks to have a consistent beard.

I don’t want to go into it much as I’d rather just create a thread in a few months with all the details but good luck with your research 👍🏼

Edited March 25, 2023 by New_Barnet_Please

[AladdinSane]

12 minutes ago, New_Barnet_Please said:

I have no cobblestoning, it looks the same as pre-surgery, now just waiting for growth. Recipient area is a little red still after 2 months, donor area of the neck and below chin heals so well - no scarring there at all already!

From my research I think scalp hair to beard is actually a very different procedure to beard to beard as the hair can be quite different. In that case it seems to have more chance of looking unnatural and more complications. For me personally I don’t think I would do scalp hair to beard, but I am fortunate to have enough donor on the neck and under the chin for the cheeks. Also the risk is less in my case as I don’t want a very thick beard so the density isn’t that great, just to have something there on the cheeks to have a consistent beard.

I don’t want to go into it much as I’d rather just create a thread in a few months with all the details but good luck with your research 👍🏼

Thank you for all your help. For me matching isn’t an issue because I have nothing there so scalp hair wouldn’t need to be similar to existing facial hair. I’m after a lower density moustache / soul patch and a little under the chin. Something akin to what a baby faced teenager would have.

[NegativeNorwood]

Dr Mwamba has the best results I've ever seen for beard to beard transplants:

 

Also not discussed here in any form or shape, ideal beard shape has to have a certain height, and has to be right below the cheekbone, to give good facial framing and the impression of sharpness.  This is better seen with beards shorter than 5-7 mm ("stubbles"), but all the beard transplants I've seen, understandably, want to keep the beard longer than that. A good jaw development and a low body fat percentage obviously help a lot with framing and determining the actual beard shape, as it is much easier to see without excess adiposity distorting the jawline and cheeks.

 

Examples of perfect beards. Notice how everything above is a constant despite the different ethnicities:

 

My case would be similar to this, the difference is what I want to get transplanted with beard grafts:

I'm lucky to have a decent beard but with some grey hairs that are not very visible (this should improve with dye) and only lack the upper part for my desired beard shape. I don't know how many grafts that would be but it doesn't seem like a huge number of them (albeit the difference they make is big). Along with eyebrow and a small temple transplant, this would be my other priority.

 

Scalp hairs are a subpar solution compared to beard grafts. Sadly, not everyone has enough beard donor to get a satisfactory beard to beard transplant.

Copy pasted from Bruno Ferreira's website, he advocates for beard to beard transplants when possible instead of scalp to beard:

"The best area to extract beard hairs from is right below and up to the edge of the mandible, as this zone usually has a higher hair density and is less visible. I can say though that healing in this area is remarkable and extractions are imperceptible after recovery, which is very good since it’s still a very exposed area and of course we wouldn’t want to make something look significantly worse whilst trying to fix/improve something else. I can actually go as far as to say that even from the cheek, hairs can be extracted as it heals excellently, although I do prefer to avoid that zone.

Extraction isn’t especially difficult and it’s also not very painful for patients (anesthesia is rather simple and painless). I tend to make shallower cuts and usually will resort to the manual punch for beard extractions as it’s more easy to handle when you’re extracting in a more odd angle. You do need to be a bit more gentle when excising the grafts as they are a bit more tightly anchored and will break if you aren’t perfect with your cuts.

Some beards are very rich and have a total donor capacity of more than 1500 grafts, but we do have to take into account that beard follicular units are usually limited to single hairs (the most common ones) and doubles."

 

PS: Minoxidil won't grow hair where there isn't any. It will strenghten existing hair, but it won't create new follicles. I've seen an Oscar Muñoz video where he said it would strenghten existing hairs by 20-25% at most (rough estimate), but of course it won't cause new hair follicles to grow and give someone like me a beard like Toni Mahfud's. Only a transplant can do that.

Edited April 5, 2023 by NegativeNorwood

[New_Barnet_Please]

43 minutes ago, NegativeNorwood said:

Dr Mwamba has the best results I've ever seen for beard to beard transplants:

 

Also not discussed here in any form or shape, ideal beard shape has to have a certain height, and has to be right below the cheekbone, to give good facial framing and the impression of sharpness.  This is better seen with beards shorter than 5-7 mm ("stubbles"), but all the beard transplants I've seen, understandably, want to keep the beard longer than that. A good jaw development and a low body fat percentage obviously help a lot with framing and determining the actual beard shape, as it is much easier to see without excess adiposity distorting the jawline and cheeks.

 

Examples of perfect beards. Notice how everything above is a constant despite the different ethnicities:

 

My case would be similar to this, the difference is what I want to get transplanted with beard grafts:

I'm lucky to have a decent beard but with some grey hairs that are not very visible (this should improve with dye) and only lack the upper part for my desired beard shape. I don't know how many grafts that would be but it doesn't seem like a huge number of them (albeit the difference they make is big). Along with eyebrow and a small temple transplant, this would be my other priority.

 

Scalp hairs are a subpar solution compared to beard grafts. Sadly, not everyone has enough beard donor to get a satisfactory beard to beard transplant.

Copy pasted from Bruno Ferreira's website, he advocates for beard to beard transplants when possible instead of scalp to beard:

"The best area to extract beard hairs from is right below and up to the edge of the mandible, as this zone usually has a higher hair density and is less visible. I can say though that healing in this area is remarkable and extractions are imperceptible after recovery, which is very good since it’s still a very exposed area and of course we wouldn’t want to make something look significantly worse whilst trying to fix/improve something else. I can actually go as far as to say that even from the cheek, hairs can be extracted as it heals excellently, although I do prefer to avoid that zone.

Extraction isn’t especially difficult and it’s also not very painful for patients (anesthesia is rather simple and painless). I tend to make shallower cuts and usually will resort to the manual punch for beard extractions as it’s more easy to handle when you’re extracting in a more odd angle. You do need to be a bit more gentle when excising the grafts as they are a bit more tightly anchored and will break if you aren’t perfect with your cuts.

Some beards are very rich and have a total donor capacity of more than 1500 grafts, but we do have to take into account that beard follicular units are usually limited to single hairs (the most common ones) and doubles."

 

PS: Minoxidil won't grow hair where there isn't any. It will strenghten existing hair, but it won't create new follicles. I've seen an Oscar Muñoz video where he said it would strenghten existing hairs by 20-25% at most (rough estimate), but of course it won't cause new hair follicles to grow and give someone like me a beard like Toni Mahfud's. Only a transplant can do that.

Good stuff, I agree with most, I would take issue with the idea that you can’t grow new follicles with minoxidil though - that’s what it does! See the Reddit link in my previous post on this thread for a huge amount of evidence of that. Although it’s true if there’s no hair there at all there’s less chance of getting a good result on the beard with minox.

[NegativeNorwood]

1 hour ago, New_Barnet_Please said:

Good stuff, I agree with most, I would take issue with the idea that you can’t grow new follicles with minoxidil though - that’s what it does! See the Reddit link in my previous post on this thread for a huge amount of evidence of that. Although it’s true if there’s no hair there at all there’s less chance of getting a good result on the beard with minox.

Thanks! Maybe there was some hair that was not visible to the naked eye, and minoxidil made it grow. It happens to people who lost some scalp hair, but regrows it with minodixidil. The hair was there in the scalp, but not visible. No one gets a better hairline, with larger temples than at 16 years old with minoxidil. Same with beard.

I wish it improves mine, I'm at 2 weeks with oral minoxidil and oral finasteride with no sides, but I'm sure that to achieve a beard like the ones above, I would need a beard to beard transplant. If I'm lucky enough (and I'm skeptic) to get such a beard with oral minoxidil, I would be extremely happy tbh, as I don't want to bother with topical.

Eager to see your results man, best luck! It's super rare to see a beard to beard transplant here ngl.

Edited April 5, 2023 by NegativeNorwood

[mr_peanutbutter]

hi,

mattdominance on youtube got a beardtransplant, it looks ok

 

however id try minox 1-2 years first like people here already suggested.

 

also i have full coverage beard now, but my cheeks didnt fill in propertly until 32! beard can definitely happen later in life too

[Rafael Manelli]

On 3/25/2023 at 2:46 AM, New_Barnet_Please said:

If it’s for yourself you could try topical minoxidil on the beard, it takes a year of daily application but if you are a responder the results are permanent (unlike with the scalp). See Reddit.com/minoxbeards for others that have achieved it.

Unfortunately I was an apparently rare non-responder for this, so I did have a beard to beard FUE surgery a few months ago. I won’t comment on it yet as for this one I’m just going to create a thread when the result is in at 8-9 months 🙂

I’m skeptical about it as most results seem to be from young guys who just got older, and the results may be due to simple aging,

[Rafael Manelli]

2 hours ago, mr_peanutbutter said:

hi,

mattdominance on youtube got a beardtransplant, it looks ok

 

however id try minox 1-2 years first like people here already suggested.

 

also i have full coverage beard now, but my cheeks didnt fill in propertly until 32! beard can definitely happen later in life too

I believe Matt used scalp hairs for it

[Melvin- Admin]

Try oral minoxidil or topical minoxidil before getting a beard transplant.

[Rafael Manelli]

9 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Try oral minoxidil or topical minoxidil before getting a beard transplant.

I keep hearing it causes skin aging and other damage. Or at least that it might. 

[mr_peanutbutter]

9 minutes ago, Rafael Manelli said:

I keep hearing it causes skin aging and other damage. Or at least that it might. 

how old are you? 

[Melvin- Admin]

20 minutes ago, Rafael Manelli said:

I keep hearing it causes skin aging and other damage. Or at least that it might. 

 

[Rafael Manelli]

I think I may be more inclined towards the topical minoxidil as a spot treatment rather than the oral. I suspect the oral could just increase body hair everywhere, instead of just where it’s wanted.

[blackpink]

On 3/24/2023 at 11:25 PM, AladdinSane said:

I know Dr. Konior does beard to beard and my guess is that being the perfectionist he is, that he wouldn’t provide such an option if it meant the facial could not be clean shaven ever. I mean not many would want to keep designer stubble or a full beard forever. It still has to be functional with the option to shave clean.

This has been my biggest question regarding a beard transplant since I prefer to clean shave 1-2 times per week. Do you know if Dr. Konior would still accept patients for beard transplants?

 

My goal is actually to cover a scar in my beard, so my overall beard is fine but there's a small rectangle of missing hair due to a small surgical scar. I know transplanting onto scar tissue is a bit different but I do still have hairs growing through the tissue already, and my density isn't crazy, so I'd hope maybe it's possible? I'm curious if Dr. Konior would still be open to this type of transplant - and I'd also be curious to hear from @New_Barnet_Please if they ever decide to create a thread on their progress! My biggest concern is the cobblestoning/pitting and being able to still clean shave the area down to the skin. Sorry for bumping an old thread but I'm very interested in anyone else's experience with this!

[AladdinSane]

I haven’t spoken in depth with Dr. Konior about it but simply mentioned that in addition to hair restoration that I was looking to add some facial hair too in a separate procedure and in passing he said in general he prefers beard-to-beard if there’s existing facial hair to match as sometimes scalp hair can be too different in colour and texture. I’ll know more in the coming months once I discuss this with him further.

I’ve asked other surgeons who have all said cobblestoning only occurs with poor technique when grafts are not adequately trimmed. Dr. Rassman said in a post he trims the FUs to prevent cobblestoning.

Here’s one of his quotes:

”With bumps at the base of recipient sites, the transplants could be a problem as you suggested so I would go back and see your doctor and ask the question you asked above. You should not have cobblestonning of these grafts.”

Based on what New_Barnet_Please said, his post-op site looked smooth just as it did pre-surgery aside from some redness which is a good sign it can be done without scarring or cobblestoning.

Edited August 28, 2023 by AladdinSane

[blackpink]

On 8/28/2023 at 5:21 PM, AladdinSane said:

I haven’t spoken in depth with Dr. Konior about it but simply mentioned that in addition to hair restoration that I was looking to add some facial hair too in a separate procedure and in passing he said in general he prefers beard-to-beard if there’s existing facial hair to match as sometimes scalp hair can be too different in colour and texture. I’ll know more in the coming months once I discuss this with him further.

This is awesome to hear, and if you remember in the future to update this thread I'd be very interested to know more if Dr. Konior can share anything else.

 

Do you know if he's still accepting new patients at all? Or is he referral-only at this point? I've seen his scalp work where there's basically no scars from donor areas so I'd imagine he's just as good at beard work too.

[AladdinSane]

On 8/29/2023 at 4:59 AM, blackpink said:

This has been my biggest question regarding a beard transplant since I prefer to clean shave 1-2 times per week. Do you know if Dr. Konior would still accept patients for beard transplants?

 

My goal is actually to cover a scar in my beard, so my overall beard is fine but there's a small rectangle of missing hair due to a small surgical scar. I know transplanting onto scar tissue is a bit different but I do still have hairs growing through the tissue already, and my density isn't crazy, so I'd hope maybe it's possible? I'm curious if Dr. Konior would still be open to this type of transplant - and I'd also be curious to hear from @New_Barnet_Please if they ever decide to create a thread on their progress! My biggest concern is the cobblestoning/pitting and being able to still clean shave the area down to the skin. Sorry for bumping an old thread but I'm very interested in anyone else's experience with this!

I’ll be sure to let you know what I’m told. Here’s hoping it can be done without any issues. It’s admittedly a difficult topic to find information on as most who do this tend to show off longer beards as opposed to (hopefully) pristine skin underneath.

Edited August 30, 2023 by AladdinSane

[HairCrazy666]

On 4/5/2023 at 3:45 PM, New_Barnet_Please said:

Good stuff, I agree with most, I would take issue with the idea that you can’t grow new follicles with minoxidil though - that’s what it does! See the Reddit link in my previous post on this thread for a huge amount of evidence of that. Although it’s true if there’s no hair there at all there’s less chance of getting a good result on the beard with minox.

@New_Barnet_Please Would you mind sharing results? and clinic you used?