Can the donor hairs be taken from other parts of the body?

Question

Such as the back, legs, belly, etc... And if so, will those hairs grow in length like your head hair? Will it take on the texture of the original head hair?

Sanusi Umar, MD · Answer

Yes. hair transplant donor follicles can come from anywhere on the body. The cells of the follicles will still have the same DNA. So the hair will have the same original texture and length. Since body hair tends to curve below the skin, using a regular cylinder shaped punch to encapsulate the follicle is likely to damage the graft. My team at the Dr.U Clinic in Los Angeles has developed an advanced punch device that doesn’t rely on the visible part of the hair to find the follicle. It intuitively self navigates to the graft to safely remove body hair follicles at scale. Here is a patient example where head, beard & chest hair was used.

Amir Yazdan, MD · Answer

Typically, we use the back of the scalp for the "donor" area. But, in some cases, when there is not sufficient healthy hair on the back of the scalp, we can use hair from other areas of the body. The most common areas are the beard, chest, and back. When done correctly and on the right patient, body hair transplants can be successful. In a successful body hair transplant you would not be able to tell that body hair was used rather than scalp hair. In order to determine if a body hair transplant is right for you, you will need to meet with a hair restoration surgeon. It is not the right choice for everyone. Further, not all surgeons are skilled in body hair transplants. Make sure to research and ask for before and after pictures of body hair transplants.

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

In general you can harvest donor hair from any part of the body.  It does not take on the same texture as scalp hair.  It will be the same texture as where it was taken.

Guray Yesiladali, MD, FEBOPRAS · Answer

Hello, Thank you for your question. Yes hairs in your back, chest or temple could be use for transplantation. But we do not prefer to use them because it is very difficult and the graft numbers are very limited. Hair grafts from other part of the body will adapt themselves to their new place but they wont grow as long as grafts from your neck area.

Baubac Hayatdavoudi, MD · Answer

Scalp hair quality is the best for a hair restoration. Once the scalp donor region has been exhausted, then body hair from the chest, back and beard can be used to increase density and used as a filler.

Robert Jones, MD, FISHRS · Answer

I have been performing body hair transplants since 2004, but have found in most patients the grafts don't grow that well! The exception is beard hair. In a patient with a thick beard, the grafts are easy to get out and grow very well. The only issue with these hairs is that these hairs have a thicker shaft diameter than head hair and should not be used in the hair line. Make sure it is a doctor doing the extractions. A lot of clinics are now using technicians! This is illegal in 49 states, but still done in some clinics and common in Canada.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

The donor hair will always grow if the hair transplant was done properly provided that there are no skin diseases on the scalp. Hair from other parts of the body like arms, chest, legs, pubic hair and beard hair has been used for hair transplant when a person runs out of good scalp donor hair. But running out I mean have had so many hair transplants that the donor area is depleted.

Can the donor hairs be taken from other parts of the body?

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More Hair Transplant Questions

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Answers (7)

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