Two Different Procedures: BHT for body hair to scalp restoration, and BHT for hair transplantation to the chest, pubic region, and other areas where more hair is desired
Transplanting over 3000 hairs from the back of a male patient, Dr. Epstein was able to achieve at just 8 months an impressive increase in density and aesthetics of this patient’s scalp.
Example of FUE body hair to scalp grafting
Example of FUE body hair to scalp grafting
Body Hairs as Donor Hairs – the Most Common Type of BHT Performed by Dr. Epstein and the Foundation
Whereas most hair transplant procedures utilize donor hairs from the scalp, a growing number of patients are relying on the use of body hairs to provide additional grafts beyond what the scalp can provide. Most commonly these hairs come from the beard, but also from the chest, the abdomen, the back, even the arms, legs and pubic region. Sometimes this is because the patient had prior hair transplant work that has extracted most if not all of the available scalp donor hairs. These body hair transplants can provide a whole additional source of hairs that can number in the thousands, permitting further coverage than was ever once possible. While hair growth in the beard is similar to that of the scalp, hair growth in the chest and back and arms is typically shorter- however once transplanted into the scalp (or eyebrows) these hairs will typically take on characteristics more like scalp hair in terms of texture and the ability to grow long as if they were always on the scalp.
BHT for treating male pattern hair loss is a refined technique, for the body hairs can be challenging at times to extract. The best areas for these donor hairs are the beard followed by the chest and back. In one procedure, from 500 to as many as 4000 body hair grafts can be extracted in one, occasionally two, days. These grafts, most containing one or two hairs, are carefully extracted using specialized FUE techniques, one at a time. Because of the sensitivity of the chest in particular when extracting grafts, some patients choose to have their procedure performed under twilight sedation, supervised by our anesthesiologist/anesthetist. Once extracted, these grafts sometimes need to be further refined under the microscope to remove excess fat and or skin to assure the most aesthetic results, then transplanted into the scalp into carefully made recipient sites all made by Dr. Epstein. Sometimes these grafts can go into old donor site scars, where they can reduce their visibility. Other times, these body hairs can be used for eyelashes or eyebrows, where their shorter growth phase means that trimming may be needed less often.
Prior to a BHT procedure, Dr. Epstein strongly recommends the following steps for all the potential planned-for donor areas (chest, beard, abdomen, arms, etc): Rogaine 5% be applied once a day for six weeks before; and the areas be shaved first using a clipper then regular razor five to seven days before. These two steps will allow for the selection of the strongest hairs for use in the transplant. After the procedure, the donor area is kept covered with a special ointment provided by the office for five days to ensure the best healing. The beard actually heals up within three days, while the chest and back can take as long as three to six weeks. Meanwhile, the transplanted hairs will fall out by two weeks, then start to regrow- just like scalp hairs – at four months or so, then continue to grow for a lifetime. The beard donor areas heal without any scarring, while in the chest or back or abdomen, there can be very small dot scars where the grafts were removed.
Before and after BHT reparative procedure using chest and beard donor hairs
Before and after BHT reparative procedure using chest and beard donor hairs
Before and after BHT from the chest transplanted to an old donor site scar, with minimal detectable scarring of the chest after healing
Examples of Body to Scalp Hair Transplants
These body hairs can be transplanted not only into balding scalp areas, but also into donor site scars where they can effectively improve coverage. Dr. Epstein is one of the few surgeons in the world with experience in this area. Please view this video to see one patient talk about his experience- he had over 900 chest hairs transplanted into the scalp, with nice regrowth.
As this is a procedure in which Dr. Epstein specializes, and few, if any, other surgeons offer it, most of our patients travel from out of town. The entire procedure can be scheduled by email, phone and virtual consultation, with our team able to evaluate photos sent by the patient.
Examples of Scalp to Body Hair Transplants
Body hair transplantation using scalp hairs is a procedure designed to restore hair most commonly to the chest and abdomen area, but can also be applied to the pubic area, axilla, and any other area hair is desired, to both thicken the existing hair or to provide hair growth where there is none. The absence of hair could be due to genetics, prior electrolysis, laser hair removal, or even surgery scar repair, burns or other types of accidents. Some patients seek to have restored only a thin amount of coverage or filling-in of a limited area (i.e. central chest or pubic triangle), while others desire a thick chest and central abdomen area. For some of these cases where maximum density is desired, a second procedure may be necessary.
A Typical Body Hair Procedure
A scalp to body hair procedure typically involves the placement of 200 to as many as 3,400 or more one and two hair grafts, depending upon the desired density and the size of the areas to be covered. Performed under a mild oral sedative, the three- to eight-hour procedure is essentially painless, as is the recovery period. The only exception is when filling large areas of the chest, the anesthetizing process can be somewhat uncomfortable, therefore some patients choose to have it performed under twilight intravenous sedation under the supervision of an anesthetist in one of our accredited procedure rooms. For the first five days after the procedure, tiny crusts are around each transplanted hair. By the second day, patients are able to travel home and resume normal activities without any sign of having had a procedure. Sutures that are placed in the donor area are dissolvable so there is no need to return to the office for removal. The transplanted hairs fall out at around two weeks, then start to regrow at three months, where they will continue to grow for a lifetime.