Beard and Mustache Transplants: The Ultimate Guide
Struggling with a patchy beard? Discover how facial hair transplants work, where the hair comes from, and how to achieve a dense, natural look.
The Rise of Facial Hair Transplants
While scalp hair transplants get all the attention, beard and mustache transplants have seen a massive surge in popularity over the last five years. Whether due to genetics, scarring, or conditions like alopecia areata, many men struggle to grow a full, dense beard. Fortunately, the exact same technology used for the scalp applies to the face.
Where Do the Grafts Come From?
Just like a regular hair transplant, the grafts are extracted from the safe donor zone at the back of the scalp. The texture of scalp hair is surprisingly similar to beard hair. Alternatively, if a patient has a very thick beard on the neck but patchiness on the cheeks, beard-to-beard transplants (extracting from the neck) can be performed to perfectly match the texture.
The DHI Advantage for Beards
The DHI (Direct Hair Implantation) method using the Choi Pen is the absolute gold standard for beard transplants. The face is highly visible, and DHI allows the surgeon to implant the grafts without opening prior channels, minimizing scarring and redness. More importantly, DHI allows for absolute control over the angle (usually very flat to the skin) and direction of the hair, which is crucial for a natural-looking beard.
Recovery and Results
The face has excellent blood supply, so healing is very fast. The scabs fall off within a week. Similar to the scalp, you will experience shock loss of the transplanted beard hairs within the first month. The permanent beard starts growing in month three. One unique aspect: because the hair comes from the scalp, it will grow like scalp hair, meaning you will need to trim it regularly.