A recent study explored the potential of relocating beard and body hair to bald areas of the scalp through a body hair transplantation procedure. The study, "Beard and Body Hair Transplantation by Follicular Unit Excision Using a Skin-Responsive Device," was published in the December 2023 issue of the Dermatologic Surgery journal. The study was conducted across the United States, Colombia, Mexico and India, analyzing 82 patients with an average age of 48.9 years old.
Related: Hair Transplants Can Help Repair Scarred Skin
The UGraft Zeus, a novel skin-responsive device, was used to facilitate the body hair transplantation procedures and address complexities encountered by previous hair restoration techniques. The device distinguishes itself with proprietary design features, including a unique self-navigating capability adept at navigating diverse skin textures, thicknesses and varying levels of hair curliness during Follicular Unit Extraction. This capability minimizes graft damage and fosters improved wound healing, according to the study.
The study reports that graft attrition rates below 7% were consistently achieved in the body hair transplantation procedures, marking a significant advancement over prior technologies that reported damage rates as high as 20% (beard) and 30% (body). More than 79% of patients reported high satisfaction six months post-procedure.
The study concluded that body hair transplantation has promising potential in hair restoration, offering remedies for severe baldness and rectifying issues from unsuccessful previous transplants. Researchers recommended that transplants like eyebrows, beards and eyelashes achieve more natural aesthetic results by utilizing matched body hair characteristics compared to thick but unmatched scalp hair.
Lead author Sanusi Umar, M.D., lead author of the study, said, "The introduction of skin-responsive techniques with the UGraft Zeus addresses challenges in non-scalp hair transplantation, marking a significant leap in restoring lost hair, irrespective of its severity."
