Facial hair is associated with looks and masculinity. Losing facial hair or being unable to grow it in teenags leads to a dent in confidence and is also sometimes associated with manhood.
It is better to understand the anatomy of beard transplant before you decide to undergo it. The beard formation begins during puberty and it continues to grow and develop till the mid-thirties. For beard transplant, the face is divided into two sections – Frontal and Lateral. The lateral part will involve the sideburns, the jawline and the cheeks. While the frontal part includes the goatee and the moustache involving the chin and lower part of the jawline.
The doctor who performs the hair transplant keeps in mind that the hair density in the moustache and beard is usually different. The number of grafts needed also differ from person to person. However, usually on an average, 2000 to 2500 grafts are needed.
There are few requirements that need to be fulfilled for a person to be a good candidate for beard transplant. The person should be in sound mental and medical health. The decision for undergoing beard transplant should be genuine and not because of any societal pressures. There should be an above average donor area that involves the side and the back of the head. Moreover, a thorough physical examination is to be done by an experienced doctor to evaluate whether a person is an ideal candidate for the surgical procedure or not.
First of all the donor area of the head and face will be examined. Then the design of the beard will be decided. The doctor will discuss the design and the density of the beard that the patient is looking for. This discussion will be done in detail and the final plan will be made according to your acceptance. You may be told to undergo some blood tests and physical checks so as to ensure that your health is good.
This technique was previously termed Follicular Unit Extraction and was published in 2002 by Dr Bernstein and Dr Rassman.
This technique involves extraction of individual follicular units (FU) or follicles from the donor area and implantation in the recipient area. It established the use of small, circular punch which aided in incision of the skin and separation of surrounding tissue from the graft. This technique gained popularity in next few years after facing initial criticism like any other.
In the year 2018, the term ‘extraction’ was replaced by ‘excision’ in an attempt to emphasise the minimally yet invasive nature of the procedure and avoid misleading patients.
Steps of FUE: