Beard Transplant: What You Need to Know

Pros

• It’s an outpatient procedure, so there’s no hospital stay required.
• You can use your own hair for the transplant.
• Beard transplant risks are minimal. The most common unfavorable outcome is hair that grows in awkward directions, but with a board-certified hair transplant surgeon, that risk is small.

Cons

• Facial hair restoration is usually more costly than a scalp hair transplant because it requires greater expertise.
• A beard transplant is also costly when compared to other hair restoration treatments, like oral medications (finasteride) or creams (minoxidil).
• Redness can persist for weeks.
• With any hair graft procedure, there’s a risk of noticeable scarring in the donor area. This risk is minimized with the FUE procedure.

• Average Cost:
• $5,000

• Range:
• $3,000 - $13,000

A beard transplant cost should cover the surgery and follow-up appointments but not antibiotic cream or any future touch-up procedures.

Health insurance won’t cover a beard transplant, since it’s considered a cosmetic procedure.

See our complete guide to beard transplant costs

The beard transplant photos in our gallery have been shared by the provider who performed the procedure, with the patient's consent.

Good candidates for this hair transplant procedure include:

• Men who can’t grow a beard naturally or are concerned about having a patchy beard.
• Patients who have had prior laser hair removal or electrolysis.
• Those undergoing FTM gender confirmation procedures (this surgery is frequently performed for this purpose).

Beard transplant results are permanent. Once the hair follicles are implanted, they’ll stay there forever. If you’re unhappy at the one-year mark, you can opt for a touch-up, but most people need just one procedure.

A study conducted by the Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America found that patients with beards that require a large number of grafts are “made aware of the possibility of undergoing secondary procedures after around one year if further density is desired.”

Hair restoration surgeons use one of two surgical techniques for harvesting donor follicles for a beard hair transplant.

• With follicular unit extraction, or FUE, tiny circular incisions are made in the donor area at the back of the head, to gather the hundreds (or even thousands) of follicles that’ll be grafted onto the treatment areas. The incisions can be made manually, by the surgeon, using a variety of specialized hand-held motorized systems, or automatically, by a specialized follicle-harvesting device like Neograft. How many grafts you need depends on the type of facial hair you want—a goatee versus a full beard, for example.
• A follicular unit transplantation, or FUT, involves one long, horizontal incision to remove a donor strip from the back of the head. The donor site is stitched up, and the follicles are extracted from the strip and grafted.

The FUE hair transplant technique is more common today. It’s generally considered superior to FUT because it results in less noticeable scarring and provides an easier recovery.

Regardless of which method you and your surgeon choose, your hair transplant surgery will be similar and likely adhere to the following:

• You'll first take a mild sedative, then the surgeon will administer local anesthesia in the donor and recipient areas.
• The surgeon will then make guide marks on your face, to delineate the edges of your beard. You’ll look at the markings in a mirror and have the opportunity to request changes. 
• Once you’ve approved the treatment plan, the surgeon will shave the donor area and harvest the hair follicles.
• Then they’ll implant the hair, starting at the sideburns and taking care to ensure the hair follicles are all facing in the same direction.

The procedure takes four to eight hours, depending on how many follicles you’re having transplanted, and you’ll be able to go home the same day. 

You’ll see results instantly. The new hairs will look like stubble, not long hairs, but you’ll be able to assess the outcome. These facial hairs will then fall out at two to three weeks, then start to regrow in three to four months.

You’ll need to keep your face — specifically the beard area — dry for the first week, leaving the small scabs, tiny crusts, and dried blood alone, so you’ll probably want to stay home. After a week, you’ll be able to gently wash (not scrub) your face. 

The transplanted areas on your face may be somewhat pink or red for the first few weeks after beard transplant surgery; antihistamines can help bring down the inflammation. Some people also notice small bumps similar to razor bumps, a side effect which should resolve within two weeks.

You’ll also apply an antibiotic cream for up to two weeks, to prevent infection. Sweat will not increase the risk of infection, but it’s still smart to avoid exercise for the first week after your surgery, to reduce inflammation.

The new hairs usually shed after transplantation and can take months, sometimes up to a year, to fully mature on your face. Dr. Jeffrey Epstein, a Miami hair restoration surgeon says “most patients take 10 days or so to be presentable, as opposed to scalp transplants where it’s usually six to seven days."

The results of this facial hair transplant are permanent. The new hair, Dr. Epstein says, will start to grow within three to four months and will continue to grow for life. After 6 to 10 months, you should start to see what the final results will look like as the new hair grows in. Within 10 months to a year, you’ll see 90% of the results of the regrowth.

It may be tempting to start shaving or trimming your new beard, but you need to give the follicles time to settle into their new location. “It is during the initial phase, when the grafts are establishing a blood supply and setting up their new home, that it’s most important not to physically disrupt them by shaving,” Dr. Chesnut explains.

Dr. Epstein advises waiting 10 days before shaving—and waiting a week to give the hairs a trim, if desired.

The procedure itself is safe, with only mild risks, like infection and inflammation of the follicles. Scarring isn’t a significant concern with the FUE method. If you choose FUT, you’ll have a horizontal scar along the hairline in the back of the scalp that you should be able to cover with hair.

The safety of beard and other hair transplants, in some regions outside the U.S., is a concern. Turkey is one of the most popular destinations for hair transplants, but a 2017 report warns that clinics often disregard a rule that these surgeries be performed by doctors. If you’re considering traveling for a beard transplant, do careful research and check U.S. State Department travel advisories before making a decision.

Related: 6 Key Things to Do If You’re Traveling Outside the U.S. for Surgery

Rogaine, or minoxidil, is a topical medication for treating hair loss. Dr. Chesnut says topicals like minoxidil can play a role in facial hair growth, especially after hair transplantation, though he prefers other options. “I universally use regenerative modalities such as PRP, exosomes, and stem cells, which have great efficacy on their own and significantly enhance the transplant outcomes,” he says. 

Dr. Epstein agrees. “Minoxidil in and of itself can be tried in order to see if it stimulates beard growth. However, in most cases, these results are rather minimal, and the minoxidil may need to be continued to maintain them,” he says.

Talk with your surgeon about complementary therapies.