A beard hair transplant is a type of facial hair restoration procedure for men. These unique transplants utilize the same techniques of follicular unit extraction (FUE) in which the clinical team extracts follicular units from the donor areas and places them into the recipient area.

This procedure is aimed at enhancing beard hair density, improving beard appearance, or filling in patchy areas. After beard restoration, men can feel confident that the shape and texture of their facial hair will look and feel all-natural. For those who are only able to grow sparse facial hair, a beard hair transplant can recreate whichever form of hair growth they desire. After a minimal recovery phase, these follicles will continue to produce hair, providing a fuller, better-defined beard.

If you have felt self-conscious about uneven or thinning facial hair, scheduling a complimentary consultation with an FUE specialist like Dr. Goran Jezic will give you an opportunity to learn more and decide if a beard transplant is right for you. At his practice, Houston Hair Transplant Center (HHTC), he works alongside Josh Simpson, PA-C to deliver these revolutionary services to both men and women struggling with hair loss. With over a decade of experience, Dr. Jezic creates personalized results that flatter your facial features and align with your desires.

To request your consultation appointment today, visit his location in Houston or Houston, Texas. Call (713) 864-2300 or use our contact form to schedule an in-person or virtual consultation. 

What is Donor Dominance?

Just like the scalp, the beard can be subject to hair loss due to age, genetics, and the accompanying hormonal fluctuations. Oftentimes, hair loss in the scalp is diagnosed as androgenic alopecia. With this extremely common condition, men shed hair from the crown or hairline due to follicles’ sensitivity to androgen hormones like testosterone. For these types of hair restorations, physicians often take follicles from the back of the scalp, an area that is not affected by these hormones. These follicles are not only viable and healthy, but they often match the texture, length, and rate of growth needed to replenish the crown and/or hairline. This is an example of  “donor dominance” in action, a principle that states that follicles from a “donor” area continue to grow in the new area, sporting the same characteristics. Dr. Norman Orentreich was credited with pioneering this research in the United States during the 1950s. (1)

Dr. Jezic applies this rule to guide his harvesting techniques to restore the beard, ensuring that he utilizes transplanted follicles that match the patient’s facial hair. For some individuals, he may collect from the back of the head, and for others, he may choose a donor area of body hair, most likely from the chest or abdominal areas. The results are highly customizable and will harmonize well with the existing facial hair, especially since all follicles will have matching color and density and grow in a natural-looking direction and angle. He will also consider the unique outlines and styles the patient would like to wear.

What Are Hair Follicles?

Hair follicles are not just the hair strands themselves, they are a complex network of hair-producing cells and other structures that support their growth. FUE requires that the physician extract each follicular unit with a tiny hole punch-like incision into the skin. FUE instruments are designed to preserve the hair itself and all necessary parts of the follicle, including:

  • The hair matrix, commonly referred to as the “bulb”, stores keratinocyte stem cells that produce one or more hair shafts.
  • The sebaceous gland that releases moisturizing oil
  • The arrector pili muscle that allows the hair to stand up

By transferring all of these parts of each follicle, patients can continue to grow, shed, and regrow new hair within the beard. The transplanted tissue that is implanted into the recipient sites is known as a graft.

The Benefits of FUE

Follicular unit excision or extraction comes with a range of benefits that uphold it as the most reliable form of restoring hair fullness to the face and/or scalp:

  • With incisions of less than a millimeter, FUE harvesting techniques leave behind subtle scarring that your surrounding scalp hair covers up. (2)
  • Dr. Jezic extracts follicular units from the donor area in a scattered fashion to prevent creating any bald spots.
  • You will be able to go back to your usual routine and exercise within a few days.
  • Dr. Jezic only needs to apply local anesthesia to the donor area and the thinning areas of the chin, cheeks, and upper lip.
  • FUE technologies, such as ATERA and NeoGraft, can harvest, extract, and preserve each follicle, reducing procedure time.
  • You can rest assured that Dr. Jezic’s high-quality, permanent results will boost your self-esteem.

Candidates

Beard hair transplants can help create a full, well-defined beard with enhanced density and thickness. If you are a man with a thinning beard or minimal facial hair to begin with, you may benefit from beard FUE. Ideally, you should be a non-smoker (or willing to quit temporarily) and in overall good health. You may be an excellent candidate if you have yet to notice significant improvements in hair growth with topical or oral medications. Dr. Jezic will not perform FUE on those with alopecia barbae, a condition in which the immune system causes bald spots on the face. To help combat alopecia barbae, he may recommend ACP treatments or minoxidil, two proven, non-surgical alternatives. Those with alopecia areata, lichen planus, lichen planopilaris, and other autoimmune conditions would also not be considered good candidates.

Personal Consultation

During your complimentary consultation at Houston Hair Transplant Center, Dr. Jezic will ask you about your goals to help you attain your ideal beard. He will ask about your history of facial hair loss to rule out auto-immune alopecia and ensure that the procedure is effective. If he finds that you are a great candidate for FUE, he will provide you with personalized preparation steps, in the form of pre-op and post-op instructions, and give you a detailed plan for the number of grafts you will need. Before the end of your free consultation, you will have ample time to ask any remaining questions, and Dr. Jezic will give you the thorough information you will need to make an educated decision going forward.

The face is the first aspect of ourselves others notice and can make a huge difference in the way others perceive us. A neat, full beard can serve to complement your best features. If you feel ready to take the next step today, call our Houston or Austin practice at (713) 864-2300 or inquire with our online form, and a member of Dr. Jezic’s team will get back to you. 

If you would like to explore other options we offer at our practice, visit our blog.

Preparation

There are several steps you can take to promote the best results with FUE. These will not only help enhance your look, but they will help Dr. Jezic perform the procedure safely. Firstly, he may evaluate your medical history to see if you have any serious underlying problems that need more immediate attention. He will also briefly review your medication and supplement list to ensure that you avoid blood-thinning substances in the days leading up to your hair restoration appointment. If you are a regular smoker, he will require you to stop smoking and/or vaping for at least a week to give your body the best chance at healing optimally.

FOX Test

The FOX test is an essential part of making sure the procedure goes smoothly and successfully. For this, Dr. Jezic will take a sample of a couple hundred follicles from the chosen donor site and assess their integrity and completeness. (1) If he deems these follicles are viable and ideal for hair transplantation, he will be able to move forward with the procedure.

Beard Hair Transplant Procedure Steps

FUE procedures can take eight hours or more, but you will be in a relaxed, pain-free state for the duration of it. Dr. Jezic and Josh Simpson, PA-C, take their time to ensure that the follicles graft well and look natural as they continue to produce hair over time. Here are the steps you can expect to undergo:

  1. Dr. Jezic will instruct you to lie down in a comfortable position.
  2. He will shave an area of the back of the head or another part of the body equipped with the donor follicular units.
  3. He will administer a local anesthetic and begin to use the NeoGraft or ATERA device to extract each follicle with 1 mm incisions.
  4. He will then anesthetize the face and create similar “micropunches” for the follicles to graft to.
  5. One by one, he will take the preserved follicles and place the grafts into their respective pores, arranging them in a way that aligns with your natural features and existing facial hair.

Recovery and Results Timeline

Though you may feel a little swollen and tender, you will be able to return to work the next day, so long as it is not physically strenuous. Still, there are some post-procedure instructions you should follow to protect the delicate follicles as they find a new blood supply within the skin:

  • Avoid getting your head wet/showering for at least 3 days.
  • Use non-blood-thinning OTC medications to combat any soreness.
  • Refrain from working out or sweating for the first week.
  • Invest in a fragrance-free, sulfate-free, gentle shampoo/facial cleanser to use for the first 2 months.
  • Avoid brushing, exfoliating, or being abrasive with the surgical sites until Dr. Jezic says it is safe to do so.

Sometimes, after the procedure, you may experience some temporary hair loss called “shock loss.” This does not interfere with the health and functioning of the follicles themselves, and they will recover. Within four months, you should begin to see the follicles produce a denser, more noticeable beard that frames your face and highlights your attractive features.

Cost of a Beard Hair Transplant in Houston

The cost of your beard hair transplant will mostly depend on the number of follicular grafts you will need to enhance your beard, mustache, or facial hair. Luckily, Dr. Jezic will be able to provide you with an accurate cost estimate at the time of your consultation.

To get started learning more about this revolutionary approach to hair transplantation, visit our office in Houston or Austin, call (713) 864-2300, or fill out our online form today!

References

  1. Dua A, Dua K. Follicular unit extraction hair transplant. Journal of cutaneous and aesthetic surgery. 2010;3(2):76-81. doi:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21031064/
  2. Alhamzawi N. Keloid scars arising after follicular unit extraction hair transplantation. Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery. 2020;13(3):237. doi:https://doi.org/10.4103/jcas.jcas_181_19