Beard Surgery and Why It’s on The Rise
You’re a guy, and your beard is thinning. You’re trying to hold on to what you have left, but it’s not working. If only there were some ways to get more hair from somewhere else so you could grow a full thick beard! Well, now there is. It may sound too good to be true, but beard transplants are becoming more and more common these days because they work so well at restoring men’s facial hair.
What is Beard Transplant?
Beard transplants are a type of hair restoration surgery that takes hair from another part of the body and moves it to your beard area. The area is divided into multiple sections and the doctor extracts hair follicles from other parts of the body, such as an arm, leg or chest, and inserts them into your beard area. Depending on where you take hair from, the growth should take place over two to five months, during which you will be closely monitored. Facial hair restoration surgery is an effective, permanent way to get back your beard.
What’s the Procedure Like?
The procedure is performed under local anesthetic and can last anywhere from a few hours to all day long, depending on how much hair you need to transplant.
Harvesting the Hair
First, the doctor will take a small hair sample and use it to test your skin and the environment, so they know when to harvest the hair. Then they’ll scrape a sliver of skin along the area where they will be taking hair. They’ll use this piece of skin as a template for where each follicle needs to be inserted.
Implantation
Next, the doctor will remove hair from the body by either stripping it out or cutting it out. The follicles are then inserted into the area where you want your beard. You can get a fairly thick beard after treatment because of the multiple insertion sites and harvesting sites. Even people with patchy beards can experience a drastic change in hair growth.
Recovery
Unfortunately, the process can take some time. You’ll need to be on bed rest, but you’ll also need to take it easy for a few weeks. You may have some swelling and mild bruising at first, and while it will fade, you won’t be able to work out or do anything that puts a lot of stress on your neck or head. You’ll probably have to shave around the area where the hair was taken and can expect the new hair to grow thin and patchy for a while until it grows fuller and thicker.
Who is a Good Candidate for this Procedure?
The best candidates for beard transplants are men with sparse, patchy beards that grow properly. If you don’t have a lot of facial hair but would like more, this is a great option. The hair on your chest, back and arms are likely to grow thicker than the hair in your beard area, so it’s a perfect option for filling out your face and making it look fuller. You do need to make sure that you aren’t taking the hair from one area and putting it into another area where there’s not enough blood flow or oxygen, though. That way, you won’t have problems with the follicles staying alive after they’ve been transplanted.
How do you Know that a Beard Implant is Successful?
The only way to know that your beard implant was successful is to wait and see if the hair starts to grow.
The Touch Test
The first way to tell if the beard transplant was a success is by feeling your face. You should be able to feel your beard growing in about two or three months. When you touch your facial hair, you should feel it getting a little thicker and fuller. It may take longer, though. It depends on the density of the hair that you still have and how slow it’s growing naturally.
The Shower Test
Another way of knowing if things are working is by seeing how much shorter your beard gets every time you brush it or wash it out during the day. If you have a lot of hair coming out, you know that the new hair grows.
Precautions or Side Effects to be Aware of?
As with all surgeries, there are some risks involved. Since you take hair from another part of your body and insert it into your face, you run the risk of infection and bleeding. There is also a chance that you won’t grow any new hair in the transplanted area. The best thing to do is talk to your doctor and get as much information as possible. I don’t think that you can do it and then let it go at that, though. Be sure to meet with your doctor several times before actually agreeing to the transplant.
How Much Does it Cost?
The cost of a beard transplant depends on where harvesting and implantation are done. How much work needs to be done, and how many sessions are needed. One of the ways that prices can vary is in what’s involved. Some clinics will charge more if they do additional procedures like massage or laser hair removal. Most people considering this procedure will probably want the surgery done over a series of visits and not just one so that you can pay a lower rate upfront.
Benefits of a Beard Transplant
There are several benefits to beard transplants. One of the best things about this type of surgery is that the hair is permanent. Another benefit is that you can get your beard to grow back in any style and continue shaving it off the same way you shave any other facial hair. It’s also good because it’s a permanent change. You won’t have to worry about your new beard falling out as you might with temporary fillers or treatments. For some men, not having to worry about whether or not their facial hair will grow back can be an incredible relief, especially considering many men use their beards as a way to express themselves or their personalities.
Having a strong, full beard is an ideal goal for most men. While many have tried different kinds of grooming to achieve it, most are not satisfied. With a beard transplant, you can finally shave your beard and not have to worry about your facial hair growing back.
The process is fairly simple, and anyone with the financial means can have it done.
