Is Body Hair Usable for Hair Transplant?

Hair transplantation has evolved significantly over the last years. In patients with advanced androgenetic alopecia, prior transplants, or limited scalp donor reserves, clinicians have explored body hair transplantation (BHT) as a supplemental donor source.

What Is Body Hair Transplantation (BHT)?

BHT refers to harvesting hair follicles from non-scalp areas such as the beard, chest, abdomen, or limbs and implanting them into balding regions of the scalp. The technique is typically performed using follicular unit excision (FUE), which minimizes visible scarring and allows extraction from multiple body sites.

BHT is not a replacement for traditional scalp FUE but rather a supplemental strategy when scalp donor hair is insufficient for coverage of extensive baldness.

Scientific Evidence: What Do Studies Show?

1. Feasibility and Growth Characteristics

Clinical studies confirm that body hair can survive and grow after transplantation onto the scalp. In a case series involving multiple patients, body and beard hair transplanted onto bald scalp maintained colour, curl, and shaft diameter consistent with their origin, indicating viability post-transplant.

Similarly, observational data in a large cohort (122 patients) showed that patients were generally satisfied with body hair transplant results, with satisfactory growth noted even in severe baldness when patients had adequate body hair reserves.

2. Biological Considerations

Unlike scalp hair, most body hair has a substantially shorter anagen (growth) phase and often spends a larger proportion of time in the telogen (resting) phase. This difference affects the length and overall growth pattern once transplanted.

Which Body Hair Sources Are Most Suitable?

Not all body hairs are equally suitable for transplantation:

• Beard hair is the most commonly used and often provides the closest match to scalp hair in terms of thickness and robustness.
• Chest hair is the second most common source but tends to have different growth characteristics than scalp hair.
• Hair from arms, legs, pubic, and axillary regions is generally considered less ideal due to texture and growth cycle differences.

Practical Uses of Body Hair in Transplantation

1. Supplemental Donor Source in Advanced Baldness

For patients classified as Norwood Grade V–VII with insufficient scalp donor reserves, body hair can be used in combination grafting to enhance overall visual density. The beard is usually preferred, followed by torso hair.

2. Repair and Secondary Procedures

In patients who have undergone multiple scalp surgeries or have donor depletion, body hair offers an additional reserve. However, thorough evaluation and conservative planning are essential to avoid uneven texture or unnatural appearance.

Patient Selection and Surgeon Expertise

Successful BHT requires:

• A thorough donor evaluation to identify body hair in growth phases.
• Experience in specialized FUE techniques adapted for variable follicle depths and angulations.
• Careful planning of recipient placement to ensure a natural appearance.

Conclusion

Body hair can be a valuable supplemental donor source in hair transplantation, particularly for patients with limited scalp donor supply or advanced baldness. Although body hair does not behave identically to scalp hair and has inherent biological limits, evidence supports its use in carefully selected patients when executed by experienced surgeons.