Hair loss is considered a major factor in creating appearance-related complexes. Obesity and skin troubles can be improved through exercise, diet, or procedures, but once hair has already been lost, there is no solution other than a hair transplant.
The issue is that even the hair transplant process itself is by no means simple. Even if someone wants to undergo a hair transplant, it can be a difficult situation when there is not enough hair to transplant onto the head. As hair loss progresses considerably, many people face difficulties because little hair remains in the temporal and occipital areas.
Hair transplants are divided into incisional hair transplants, in which scalp is harvested from the back and sides of the head and transplanted, and non-incision hair transplants, in which hair follicles are harvested directly by follicular unit without an incision and moved and placed into the area of hair loss.
If there is no hair available to harvest from the temporal or occipital areas, one may consider a body hair transplant, a form of non-incision hair transplant in which hair follicles are moved and transplanted from areas other than the head. Representative examples include using beard hair, chest hair, and leg hair.
In the case of beard hair, follicles located on the chin can be harvested and used for transplantation into the crown area. Above all, the density of beard hair is comparable to that of scalp hair, which makes it a considerable help in hair transplants for men.
Body hair transplants can be used not only for the scalp but also for eyebrow hair transplants. When occipital follicles are used for an eyebrow hair transplant, there is the issue of the hair growing excessively long. On the other hand, transplanting with leg hair can yield somewhat more natural eyebrows and can also minimize the period of trimming.
The issue is that body hair grows more slowly than existing scalp hair and includes many single-hair follicles, so the effect of abundant volume is lower. In such cases, it is common to compensate for these limitations by transplanting it mixed into the front hairline, or into areas that are less visible such as the crown or the sides of the head.
However, a body hair transplant is a difficult method in which follicles are harvested from the skin of the face, chest, or legs rather than from the firm scalp. Moreover, in the case of beard hair, caution is needed because scarring may remain upon harvesting due to the characteristics of the follicle direction.
To overcome such issues, it is essential to choose medical staff with abundant know-how and clinical experience in non-incision hair transplants. It is also necessary to choose a medical institution with thorough follow-up care that consistently checks the hair survival rate.
Director Yoo Hwa-jung of Modi Hair Plant Clinic advised, “A body hair transplant requires a detailed understanding of the direction of body hair and the characteristics of the skin in each area, and since anesthesia is not easy, it is classified as a highly demanding surgery,” adding, “You need to meet medical staff who can respond flexibly to problematic situations, such as mixing it into the front hair when the amount available for transplant is insufficient, or increasing the number of transplant sessions to enhance the sense of volume.”
Source: Segye Biz │ Published 2020.12.15