Is it possible to transplant body hair from the chest, arms, legs, etc on to the head?

Question

Is this for real? Does it look good? Sounds a bit crazy. If it does work I might be interested though!

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

If you are considering surgery it would be best to discuss your options with a doctor. You need to explain to your doctor your goals and expectations. The doctor needs to examine you to give you a better assessment.

Emrah Cinik, MD · Answer

If the back of the one's head does not have enough hair as donor, than beard and chest hair can be an option for the donor area.

Mark Berkowitz, MD · Answer

DavidLewis71  Thank you for your question. Body hair transfer is only considered as a last resort once there is no quality donor area left on the scalp.  It is a difficult and meticulous procedure that harvests much fewer grafts in the same time as compared to harvesting from the scalp. This hair does not have the same propensity for growth. While theoretically hair can be used from all parts you have discussed, chest hair is the most common utilized.

Rohit Seth, MD, MRCS(Ed), PhD · Answer

Thank you for your question. The simple answer to this is that yes hair can be transplanted from anywhere. But the hair cycle is different in the scalp compared to elsewhere. Also, due to the hair density on the scalp donor site, the scars are better hidden from the hair harvest. even with single unit extraction,this will leave a small scar which on the arm or chest may look more like a pimple and is unlikely to be hidden by adjacent hair. Taking a strip of skin will result in a scar which again will be obvious. 
If you have a sufficient amount of hair on the back of your head, this would be the preferred donor site. 
I hope this is helpful for you 
BW
Rohit Seth
Plastic, reconstructive, aesthetic and hair transplant surgery

Jeffrey W. Hall, MD · Answer

Yes, technically it can be done. However, it is an option of last resort and will not give you hair that matches normal hair of the scalp. It will be shorter and basically behave exactly as it does from where you take it. Also, there will be scarring present from where you take the grafts that can be difficult to hide.

Baubac Hayatdavoudi, MD · Answer

Body hair transplant is a solution and viable option for those who suffer from advanced hair loss, for someone who may not have a strong scalp donor region or for patients who’s donor region has been depleted because of previous hair restoration procedures with other clinics.
  
BHT is used mainly in cases where the patient’s scalp donor area on the head is no longer suitable or dense enough for the FUE extraction of follicles.
  
When performed at a high level, body hair transplantation can be used as a filler in the mid scalp and crown to provide additional coverage.
  
Not many clinics currently practice or offer BHT because of the high degree of difficulty. Dr. Baubac Hayatdavoudi is one of just a few FUE surgeons worldwide to offer BHT to patients  in our Los Angeles offices and he has had amazing success with it.
  
Dr. Baubac has performed hundreds of scalp hair and body hair combo hair restorations where the hairline is comprised of only scalp hair, then as the scalp goes back body hair is placed in between and blended in with existing hair and transplanted scalp hair to make for a fuller and natural look.
  
Body hair that is used by Dr. Baubac for such procedures come from the beard, chest and back.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

Some doctors do just what you asked. If should never be done if you have scalp donor hair.  Body hair has a very short growth cycle so for this reason it rarely grows very long.

Michael Meshkin, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

It is possivle to transplant hair from the body to the scalp area. However the scalp to scalp hair transplant is always the first choice because the growth rate and characteristics are the same.

Is it possible to transplant body hair from the chest, arms, legs, etc on to the head?

Answers (8)

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