How is a Beard Transplant Performed?

Full, thick beards are very popular and desirable at this day in age and luckily, for those not blessed with full facial hair that would like to have a full beard, facial hair can be transplanted from the back of the head and the success rate is high. So how is a beard transplant performed?

During a beard transplant, healthy hair follicles are surgically extracted from a donor site, such as the scalp, and then transplanted to the desired areas of the beard. This can be achieved through techniques like FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction), which involves removing individual hair follicle clusters for precise placement. Over time, these transplanted follicles will establish themselves in the new area and begin to grow, resulting in natural-looking facial hair.

There are two ways to obtain the grafts that are need for beard transplant surgery. The traditional method involves removing a strip of scalp from the back of the head. The grafts of cleaned up and separated in preparation for transplantation. The second way involves removing each follicle one at a time from the back of the head. The results are great no matter which method is used but NeoGraft is easier to recovery from and there is no linear scar left on the back of the head. For patients who wear their hair long enough to cover that scare, this is typically not a problem. The main benefit of the strip-method is that it typically costs less so both options have pros and cons.

With NeoGraft, the back of the head is shaved so the follicles are easy to see and suction out in a checkered pattern. This is done after the area is fully name and the patient has taken Valium to help them relax. Those small holes in the back of the head easily heal in 3-5 days and will be undetectable to others.

The outline for where the grafts will go is designed by Dr. Thompson and the patient together prior to creating the recipient sites. Dr. Thompson then makes small holes in the appropriate direction for the grafts that are then placed until all the recipient sites are filled. Those grafts scab over within a few days and it takes approximately 7-10 days for the scabs to fully come off. Typically, the hair falls out with the grafts but the follicles are still in place and start producing hair approximately 3-5 months after surgery. Full results can be expected at the 9-12 month with a high success rate.

Preparing for the Beard Transplant

Before embarking on the journey toward achieving a desirable beard, proper preparation is crucial. This typically involves several key steps to ensure your health and safety during the procedure and optimize the success of the transplant.

Step I – Pre-Procedure Health Assessment

The first step toward preparing for a beard transplant is to undergo a comprehensive health assessment. This includes various tests such as blood tests, which provide insights into your overall health and help determine your suitability for the procedure. Additionally, an ECG (Electrocardiogram) might be required to ensure your heart health is optimal, especially if you’re undergoing a significant surgical intervention.

Step II – Hygiene and Medication Guidelines

Maintaining proper hygiene before the procedure is essential to reduce the risk of infection. You may receive specific instructions to wash your hair and beard thoroughly the night before surgery, ensuring a clean environment for the transplant. Moreover, it’s common practice to avoid certain medications, particularly blood thinners, in the days leading up to the procedure. This precaution minimizes the possibility of excessive bleeding during surgery and reduces potential complications associated with these medications.

Step III – Dietary Restrictions

As part of the preoperative protocol, dietary restrictions may be imposed to ensure your safety during the surgical process. Fasting might be necessary for at least 8 hours before the scheduled transplant. This precaution ensures that your stomach is empty during sedation, should it be used during the procedure. By adhering to these dietary restrictions, you contribute to creating a safe and conducive environment for the surgery while minimizing risks related to anesthesia administration.

In essence, each step in preparing for a beard transplant plays a critical role in establishing a safe and supportive foundation for the upcoming surgical intervention. By following these guidelines diligently, you not only enhance the likelihood of successful transplantation but also prioritize your overall well-being throughout this transformative journey.

Initial Consultation Steps

The initial consultation is your first opportunity to create a blueprint for your new look and evaluate the feasibility of your desired beard style. Here’s what you can expect during this phase:

Step I – Establishing Beard Goals

In this paramount phase, you’re not just laying out ideas; you’re creating a vision. You have complete control over what your new beard will look like. Think about the shape – is it more sculpted or rugged? How dense do you want it to be? These decisions lay the foundation for your transformed appearance.

Step II – Hair Quality Evaluation

The surgeon carefully examines the hair quality—considering its thickness, strength, and color—in the donor area, usually the scalp. This assessment helps determine how many grafts will be required for the transplant procedure. Not all hair is suitable for transplantation, and this evaluation assists in understanding how much coverage can be achieved.

Step III – Mapping Out the Beard Area

This part involves creating a detailed plan tailored to your facial structure and dimensions. The surgeon will map out specific areas where the grafts will be meticulously implanted to achieve a natural appearance. It’s a bit like an artist planning a masterpiece, ensuring each element fits harmoniously with the rest. This mapping ensures that every follicle is strategically placed to mimic natural hair growth patterns.

Understanding these vital steps and actively participating in this collaborative process during your initial consultation will not only help in achieving your envisioned outcome but also build confidence in your decision to undergo a beard transplant.

The initial steps are indeed where everything begins to take shape – from conceptualizing the beard of your dreams to understanding the technical aspects of how it will be realized. This detailed planning ultimately sets the stage for a successful and satisfying beard restoration journey.

As you peer into the intricacies of preparing for a beard transplant, the next critical element unfolds—the meticulous preparation of the donor area.

Preparing the Donor Area

Before the surgeon can perform the intricate procedure of a beard transplant, several essential steps are taken to ensure the donor area is well-prepared for the surgery. This involves cleaning and numbing the area to ensure maximum comfort and minimize any potential risks associated with the extraction and subsequent transplantation of hair follicles.

Step I – Cleaning the Donor Site

A pristine, sterile environment is paramount before starting any surgical procedure. It’s akin to laying down a clean canvas before an artist begins their work. The donor site, usually located at the back of the scalp, must be thoroughly cleaned to minimize the risk of infection during the procedure. The meticulous cleansing process involves using antiseptic solutions to ensure that the extraction area is sanitized and free from any contaminants that could lead to postoperative complications.

Step II – Shaving the Donor Site

To facilitate a seamless extraction process, the area designated for hair follicle removal is typically shaved. This ensures that the medical team can smoothly access and work within the donor site without any obstructions or hindrances. By expertly shaving this region, it allows for precise visibility and accurate extraction of individual follicular units required for transplantation, thereby optimizing the overall success and efficacy of the procedure.

Step III – Local Anesthetic Application

Pain management and patient comfort are of utmost importance in any medical procedure. Therefore, before proceeding with extraction, a local anesthetic agent is applied to the donor site. The purpose is to effectively numb this specific area, ensuring that the patient experiences minimal discomfort during follicle extraction—promoting a tranquil experience throughout this phase of the surgery. This strategic application of anesthesia serves as a key element in enhancing patient satisfaction and helps mitigate any potential distress related to this aspect of the beard transplant process.

In sum, the careful preparation of the donor site through meticulous cleansing, thoughtful shaving, and targeted anesthetic application lays down a solid foundation for a successful beard transplant surgery, prioritizing patient safety, comfort, and optimal surgical conditions essential for yielding desirable outcomes.

The preparation doesn’t end here; next up, we dive into the crucial role of anesthesia and sedation in ensuring a smooth surgical journey during a beard transplant.

Anesthesia and Sedation

As with any surgical procedure, ensuring patient comfort and safety is paramount during a beard transplant. When it comes to administering anesthesia, two primary considerations come into play: the type of anesthesia used and the specific dosage administered. Let’s dive into how these crucial components impact the overall experience.

Local Anesthesia: This is commonly used for beard transplant procedures and involves injecting an anesthetic agent directly into the donor area and the face to numb both the extraction and implantation sites. The amount of local anesthesia used varies based on the extent of the procedure and the patient’s tolerance, playing a vital role in minimizing discomfort and pain during the surgical process.

Sedation through the ‘Deep Sleep Method’: For longer or more complex procedures, sedation may be considered to ensure patient comfort. This specialized form of sedation aims to induce a state of deep relaxation or sleep, thereby mitigating any potential distress or anxiety associated with the extensive duration of the surgery.

Patients undergoing a beard transplant benefit from personalized care tailored to their individual needs, which might involve a combination of local anesthesia for pain management and sedation to promote relaxation, ensuring that they remain comfortable throughout the entire duration of the surgical procedure.

The use of sedatives or anesthetics must align with the patient’s medical history and be administered under close supervision by trained medical professionals, guaranteeing that all safety protocols are strictly adhered to.

Having discerned the crucial role of proper anesthesia and sedation in ensuring patient comfort during a beard transplant, let’s now explore how these measures contribute to a successful and stress-free experience.

Extracting Hair Follicles

The process of extracting hair follicles is crucial to the success of a beard transplant. Most modern beard transplants rely on a method called Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), where individual hair follicles are delicately removed using advanced punch tools. These tools allow for precise extraction without leaving significant scars, resulting in a more discreet and effective procedure.

The FUE technique involves removing hair follicles from a donor site, typically the back of the scalp, using specialized punch tools. Unlike older methods that left noticeable linear scars, the FUE technique results in smaller, circular scars that can be easily hidden underneath the hair. This means that even after the procedure, the donor site maintains a natural, unaltered appearance.

Think of these punch tools as tiny, sophisticated instruments that carefully gather the healthy hair follicles with minimal disruption to the surrounding skin. The precision of this process allows for a higher survival rate of the extracted hair follicles, ensuring improved chances of successful transplantation.

Furthermore, there’s an added benefit to using the FUE technique: it reduces recovery time for patients undergoing the procedure. Smaller scars heal faster than larger ones, leading to a quicker recovery period and less post-operative discomfort.

Storing Extracted Follicles

Once extracted, the delicate hair follicles must be handled with care to maintain their viability until they are ready to be implanted into the beard area. The extracted follicles are typically placed in a special solution designed to keep them nourished and viable. This preservation process is crucial because it ensures that the transplanted hair follicles have the best possible chance of thriving and establishing themselves in their new location within the beard.

The solution used to store the extracted follicles provides an environment that closely mimics their natural surroundings, helping to minimize any stress or damage during their transition from donor site to recipient area. This step plays a significant role in preserving the integrity of the hair follicles and maximizing their potential for successful growth post-transplantation.

It’s akin to carefully transporting delicate plants from one garden bed to another; you want to ensure that they remain nourished and protected throughout the relocation process so that they can thrive in their new environment.

By maintaining optimal conditions for these extracted follicles before their implantation into the beard area, providers can significantly enhance the overall success of the beard transplant procedure. This attention to detail during every stage of the process underscores the meticulous approach taken to achieve natural-looking results for patients seeking fuller, well-defined facial hair.

As we’ve seen, precision and care are essential at every stage of a beard transplant procedure—from extraction to preservation—laying a strong foundation for successful hair transplantation and long-term satisfaction for patients.

Making the Facial Incisions

The process of creating natural-looking incisions for beard transplant surgery involves impeccable precision and meticulous planning. The goal is simple: to seamlessly blend the transplanted hair with any existing facial hair, ensuring a natural look that suits each patient’s individual style and desires.

Step I – Precision Planning

Before the surgeon can even think about making any incisions, a careful mapping of your face and existing beard growth determines where each one will go. The aim is to match the direction and angle of your original beard hair as closely as possible. This planning stage is an extensive part of the procedure, as the incisions must be strategically placed to mimic the natural growth pattern of facial hair.

This part is so important because when beard hairs grow in different directions or at various angles on different parts of your face, it can affect how natural and seamless the transplanted area looks once it’s healed.

Think about it like this: Just as architects plan out every detail of a building before they start construction, surgeons map out every detail of these incisions to ensure that the final result is harmonious and beautifully crafted.

Step II – Using a Microblade

Next up, small, precise incisions are made in the facial skin using a microblade. These tiny incisions form the pockets for the hair grafts to be placed into them. The depth of these incisions typically ranges from 2-4 millimeters, ensuring that they’re deep enough for successful grafting but not too deep as to cause unnecessary trauma to the facial skin.

The microblade used in this procedure is not much different from those used in microblading for eyebrows. It’s a delicate tool that allows for intricate, controlled movements, ensuring that each incision is just right.

Step III – Ensuring Natural Appearance

Through careful spacing and angling, the surgeon ensures that each incision complements your existing facial hair pattern. The angle of these small cuts plays a significant role in determining how natural and seamless your transplanted beard will look after healing. Usually, the ideal angle for optimal hair growth falls between 30-45 degrees. Additionally, each incision is strategically spaced about 1-2 millimeters apart to create a uniform look while allowing room for natural growth.

By paying close attention to these details, surgeons work to create results so natural and seamless that nobody would ever suspect that you’ve had a beard transplant.

With the facial incisions meticulously and carefully made, we move on to the essential step of implanting the grafts to complete the beard transplant procedure.

Implanting Hair Follicles

hair follicle implantation

Once the facial incisions have been made with precision, it’s time to delicately place the hair follicles into these tiny incisions. This meticulous step is crucial in ensuring that the implanted hair grows in a natural pattern and angle, seamlessly blending with the existing facial hair for a cohesive and authentic appearance. Each individual hair follicle is handled with great care to ensure an optimal outcome.

The entire process involves an intricate dance between artistry and precision. The angles at which the hairs are placed determine how natural the restored beard will look, emphasizing the need for meticulous attention to detail. It’s akin to laying down individual pieces of a puzzle, all coming together to form a complete and harmonious picture.

The surgeon must also consider the desired design pattern specified by the patient, meticulously adhering to their vision for their new beard. Whether it’s a specific shape or full coverage, every aspect is taken into account during this intricate process.

Furthermore, as each follicle is strategically implanted following the natural growth pattern, it’s vital for the surgeon to maintain consistent density throughout the beard area. This meticulous effort ensures there are no patchy spots, fostering a sense of uniformity and fullness in the newly transplanted beard.

Checking for Density

Throughout this stage, the surgeon diligently monitors and evaluates the density of the transplanted hair follicles. By routinely verifying even distribution, any issues regarding sparse or excessively dense regions can be addressed promptly, guaranteeing a balanced and natural appearance.

Maintaining uniform density is key to achieving a seamless integration between existing facial hair and transplanted follicles. This approach ensures that the beard looks cohesive rather than appearing as separate entities, creating a more authentic aesthetic.

By achieving an optimum and equal distribution of hair follicles, patients are presented with a visually appealing and fully integrated beard that enhances their overall appearance. The goal is to create a natural-looking beard that feels like an organic extension of the patient’s own facial hair, allowing them to confidently embrace their new look without any sign of artificiality.

This intricate process culminates in comprehensive coverage, symmetry, and an aesthetic balance that harmonizes with each patient’s unique facial features.

Once each individual follicle is delicately positioned and the density uniformly confirmed, securing the grafts becomes essential in kickstarting the natural growth process.

Post-Procedure Care and Recovery

 

beard after transplant

After a beard transplant procedure, proper care and attention play a vital role in ensuring a successful recovery. Now, let’s focus on understanding the necessary post-procedure care and recovery steps.

Step I – Immediate Aftercare

Right after the procedure, it’s normal to experience some redness and swelling. Your surgeon may provide a saline spray to keep the transplanted area moist and minimize crusting, promoting healing and preventing infections. Following your surgeon’s instructions explicitly on using the saline spray is crucial. Additionally, pain and discomfort can typically be managed with prescribed medications provided by your surgeon.

Step II – Avoiding Physical Strain

To provide optimal conditions for successful growth of the new beard follicles, it’s essential to avoid heavy lifting and strenuous activities for at least a week following the surgery. This precaution ensures that the grafts stay in place during their initial settling phase, preventing any dislodgment that could impact the final outcome of the transplant.

Step III – Cleaning and Maintenance

Regular, gentle cleaning of the transplanted area is critical for proper healing and successful hair growth. Your surgeon will give detailed instructions on how to effectively care for your new beard. This includes maintaining a clean and dry transplanted area for the first 24 hours following the procedure and beyond.

Your surgeon will likely advise using prescribed antibiotics and pain medications as directed for a specified period after the surgery to prevent infections and manage discomfort. It’s crucial not to overlook these instructions, as they significantly contribute to your recovery process.

Some may wonder if these post-procedure measures are really necessary or if they can be relaxed without much consequence. Proper post-procedure care significantly influences the success of the transplant. Skipping any of these steps could lead to complications, potentially resulting in delayed healing or infection.

Following these post-procedure guidelines diligently ensures that your beard transplant heals correctly, optimizing your chances for a successful outcome—leaving you with a natural-looking, lush beard that will stand the test of time.

Every step in the post-procedure phase contributes to the overall success of your beard transplant. By adhering rigorously to your surgeon’s instructions, you pave the way for an optimal recovery, leading to the cultivation of a healthy and natural-looking beard.

Related Resources

Let us help you reach your aesthetic goals today!

Contact us at 801-776-2220 to schedule an appointment at our Draper or Layton locations.

Get Started

What happens in a consultation?

  1. Get to know your team.

  2. Help us understand you and your goals.

  3. Learn about our services and specialties.

How May We Help?

"*" indicates required fields

SMS Agreement
* All indicated fields must be completed.
Please include non-medical questions and correspondence only.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Accessibility Toolbar

Scroll to Top