Hair loss is considered a major source of appearance-related complexes. Obesity and skin troubles can be improved through exercise, diet, and procedures, but once hair has already been lost, there is no solution other than a hair transplant.
The problem is that the hair transplant process itself is by no means easy. Even if someone wants to undergo a hair transplant, it can be a difficult situation if there is not even enough hair to transplant onto the head. As hair loss progresses considerably, many people face difficulties because little hair remains on 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 follicles are harvested directly on a follicular-unit basis without incision and implanted into the area affected by hair loss.
If there is no hair to harvest from the temporal or occipital areas, one may consider a body hair transplant, in which hair follicles are taken from areas other than the head and implanted in a non-incision hair transplant format. Beard hair, chest hair, and leg hair are representative sources.
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 provides considerable help in male hair transplants.
Body hair transplants can be used not only for the scalp but also for eyebrow hair transplants. When occipital follicles are applied to an eyebrow hair transplant, there is the issue of the hair growing excessively long. On the other hand, transplanting leg body hair can yield somewhat more natural eyebrows and also minimize the trimming period.
The problem 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 mixing them into the front hairline or transplanting them into less visible areas such as the crown or the sides of the head.
However, a body hair transplant is a difficult method because follicles are harvested not from the firm scalp but from the skin of the face, chest, legs, and so on. Furthermore, in the case of beard hair, care is needed because scarring may remain during harvesting due to the directional characteristics of the follicles.
To overcome such issues, it is essential to choose medical staff with ample 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 graft survival rate.
Director Yoo Hwa-jung of Modi Hair Plant Clinic advised, "Body hair transplantation 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 high-difficulty surgery," adding, "If the amount available for transplantation is insufficient, you should meet medical staff who can flexibly respond to problem situations, such as mixing it into the front hairline or increasing the number of transplant sessions to enhance volume."
Source: Segye Biz │ Published 2020.12.15