Hair Transplant using body hair in India

Introduction

Body hair transplant can be performed using hair from beard, chest, under arms, pubic hair and other body sites. The best graft for transplantation on the scalp apart from the hair from bac of the scalp is the beard hair followed by chest hair. Body hair is needed in case of Norwood Grade 6 or Norwood grade 7 baldness for patients who want full scalp coverage in one sitting. Patients with retrograde thinning in donor scalp have to rely on body hair for adequate coverage. Sometimes, patients with failed hair transplant with a depleted scalp donor may have to rely on body hairs for scalp coverage.

Which type of body hair should be preferred for transplantation on scalp?

The second best donor after the scalp is beard. The reason for choosing beard is it’s similarity in hair cycle to scalp hair. It has a long anagen phase, thicker caliber of hair, large number of available grafts and a minimal scar formation. Beard can be a source of 3000 to 5000 grafts. Beard grafts are also preferred in cases of scarring alopecia like lichen plano pilaris as they are relatively resistant to the autoimmune process happening in the scalp.

Chest hair is the third best source of grafts after beard. It is less preferred because of its suboptimal success rate as compared to beard grafts. Chest hair is placed acutely and has a higher transaction rate. The growth phase (anagen) of chest hair is relatively short compared to a beard. They may remain in the shedding phase for a much longer time. Moreover, it may leave significant post inflammatory hyper or hypo-pigmentation. Chest should be shaved 7 days before the surgery to pick only fast growing and thick hairs.

Other sources like underarms and pubic hair may be used in case of non-availability of preferred donors like beard and chest. We have also used hairs from legs and forearms in our patient. Due to their short anagen phase, they are generally not preferred.

Who are the ideal candidates for body hair transplant?

Patient who:-

• Want complete coverage in one sitting.
• Have a poor scalp donor.
• Have previously suffered from failed hair transplants with a depleted scalp donor.
• Have retrograde thinning of the scalp donor.

What is the procedure for body hair transplant?

FUE/DHT can be performed from body hairs. The surgeon needs to use a sharp serrated punch for minimal scars. Chest needs to be shaved 7 days before the surgery to select only fast growing grafts. The body hair needs to be mixed well so that they do not stand out as they have different caliber and texture. They cannot be placed in certain areas like hairline or temple.

Why should you choose Eugenix for body hair transplant?

Eugenix has been performing hair transplants using body hair in cases of depleted donor area for more than 12+ years. In the last 5 years we have extracted body hairs in more than 2000 patients for transplantation on the scalp. Thus, Eugenix has an in-depth understanding about body hair transplantation in india.