What You Need to Know About Beard Transplants

You’ve always wanted a full beard but struggle with patchy growth. You’ve seen pictures of beard transplants online. You may have scoured Reddit threads about beard growth and even researched the costs involved in facial hair transplants — anywhere from about $3,000 to $15,000 depending on your unique needs. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Allied Market Research data shows that the beard transplant market is booming and expected to grow at a rate of 21.1% a year by 2032. It makes sense when you combine the fact that beards are often seen as a symbol of masculinity with the growing popularity of cosmetic treatments for men. RELATED: Best Beard Oils If you’re thinking about doing a beard transplant, you may be wondering if it’s worth it. You may also have questions around the process and the results. Here’s what you need to know about the procedure, according to hair surgeons. How Beard Transplants Work Beard transplants are just like hair transplants, but on your face. Your surgeon harvests donor hair, often from the back of the scalp and sometimes from under the chin, and implants it in the areas where facial hair growth is sparse. Nowadays, the most common technique is follicular unit extraction (FUE), which means that surgeons work with individual follicles instead of a strip of hair. This allows for natural-looking results with minimal scarring. “As a hair surgeon who performs beard transplants regularly, I can tell you the procedure is surprisingly straightforward for patients,” says Dr. Ross Kopelman, a hair transplant surgeon at Kopelman Hair Restoration. The surgery is performed under local anesthesia. You’ll be awake, but you won’t feel pain. You might feel some pressure or tugging sensations. When implanting hair follicles, your surgeon will make tiny incisions at an angle to emulate the growth of your beard in a downwards direction, according to Dr Mohammed Ditta, lead hair transplant surgeon at Harley Street Hair Transplant Clinics. The procedure can often be completed in one session, but it might be split into two depending on the number of grafts needed — this is something to discuss with your surgeon based on your situation. As for downtime, Kopelman says that most men are back to work in a day or two. You might experience some redness, swelling and tiny scabs, which usually resolve in about a week. Pros and Cons of Beard Transplants Before committing to any cosmetic procedure, it’s important to consider its potential benefits and drawbacks. One of the biggest appeals of a beard transplant is the permanent results. That’s right — because you’re using your own hair, once the follicle takes root, your beard will grow for life. The other benefit is customization. You can request all sorts of different looks. “I can design anything from subtle sideburns to a full, thick beard,” says Kopelman. Plus, while self-worth is an inside job, you might enjoy a confidence boost when rocking your new facial hair. That said, you have to be pretty committed to the look you choose. Yes, you can shave, but there will be some visible scarring under the hair, according to Ditta. It’s also possible for the donor hair to have a slightly different color and texture than the rest of your facial hair. Finally, it’s a surgical procedure, so it’s also costly, and there’s always a rare risk of infection. Beard Transplants: Results and Maintenance Now let’s talk about what to expect once you go home and heal. You won’t see the full effects of the beard transplant until a few months after the fact. “The transplanted hairs fall out after a few weeks, which is completely normal, and then begin to regrow around three to four months after the procedure. By eight to 12 months, most men see the full effect,” according to Kopelman. If you choose the right surgeon, that effect can be impressive. “I wish men understood that this is not just about filling in gaps, it is about creating a natural, masculine frame for the face. In my work the artistry matters just as much as the surgery. The angle, direction and density of each graft must mimic natural facial hair growth, and when it is done well the results are virtually undetectable,” adds Kopelman. Are You the Right Candidate for a Beard Transplant? Wondering whether you’re the right candidate for a beard transplant? Consider the look you’re trying to achieve. If you’re going from nearly zero facial hair to a very full beard, you may require multiple surgeries, notes Ditta, and you also want to think long-term. “Statistics show that by the age of 50, 85% of men will experience some level of hair loss. So when it's a larger beard, the advice is to think about it a bit more because extracting hair from your donor area is depleting resources that could be needed further down the line for a hair transplant,” says Ditta. But if you’re healthy and have good donor area hair with strong follicles, you’re likely a good candidate for a beard transplant once you’ve weighed the long-term implications involved. You Might Also Dig: How to Choose a Beard Style for Your Face ShapeHow to Maintain Your BeardWhat Your Beard Says About You