Body Hair Transplant
In any hair transplant procedure normally scalp hair are used for transplant. But in many cases the patients do not have a good donor area to serve the purpose. In such cases, we can use hair from the body. Though there is always some difference in texture & thickness of the hair taken fro other parts but it actually gives distinct advantage in many cases like
Limited donor area on scalp (Grade VII patients) looking for covering the complete area.
Achieving higher density is sometimes very difficult given the limitation of grafts that can be extracted from scalp in one sitting.
Some cases like burns etc
We can use the hair from Beard, Shoulders, Abdomen, Legs, Arms, Underarm or Pubic area. Body hair transplant is generally done through FUE procedure that leaves no linear scar at the end of the surgery. Beard is most suitable as its hair matches exactly with the scalp hair and also because hair from the beard is considered good and permanent.
Who Should undergo Body Hair Transplant
We normally see patients who have a very weak donor area, have undergone repeated hair transplants, or have caught some kind of alopecia. It is important to understand that if the donor area or the grafts are weak, it is most likely to see a compromise in result. Patients with insufficient hair in the donor area are unsuitable for a normal transplant. Hairsare extracted by using special punches that rarely leave visible marks behind. The USP of AK Clinics is that even in such cases virtually no visible linear scar is left behind from the areas where extraction is being done
Differences between a BHT-FUE and a conventional FUE:
The technique of body hair transplant is basically Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) or one by one. The donor areas extend from just scalp hair to beard, chest, arms, legs etc. BHT is used primarily in cases where the donor area on the head is no longer suitable for the extraction of donor material or is not dense enough. Then we do the evolution of possibility of hair transplant from body. If the physiological requirements are met, follicular units can be extracted directly from different area of the body – chest, abdomen, arms or legs – and transplanted to the scalp. The grafts taken in BHT are known to have different growth cycle but a concrete study is yet to prove. Also these are different from scalp grafts as these contain only 1 hair compared to 1 to 4 hairs in scalp grafts
Important Things in BHT
- The experience of the surgeon in BHT. It is important because the Body hairs are quite different from Scalp Hair.
- The experience of the team in BHT. It is important because the direction and texture are different. So the same need to be mixed properly with scalp hair.
- The correct extraction of donor hairs, storage and hydration of the extracted grafts
- The slits that determine the direction should be given very carefully.
- Minimum FTR: A careful approach and the use of the right technique, damaging as few grafts as possible