Facial hair transplantation can enhance beard, moustache, goatee and sideburn density using transplanted donor hair. Find out everything you need to know about facial hair transplants below.
This guide explains beard transplant suitability, how FUE and FUT are used for facial hair, graft numbers, costs, recovery and aftercare. Plus, see how the Wimpole Clinic approaches personalised treatment, natural-looking results and ongoing patient support for facial hair transplant patients.
Key takeaways
Facial hair transplants can increase beard density and improve the shape of your beard. Donor hair is usually taken from the back of the scalp.
Suitability depends on donor hair availability, scalp and skin condition, overall health, and your expectations about the achievable result.
Most procedures use FUE for facial hair transplants, although FUT may be considered when a larger number of grafts is required (or if it’s preferred by the patient). Treatment is typically completed in one day under local anaesthetic.
Good outcomes require careful aftercare. Results develop over time, with final results usually seen around 12 months post-procedure.
The Wimpole Clinic is an established beard transplant clinic with decades of experience. Book a consultation at your nearest Wimpole location to find out more.
Facial hair transplantation is a cosmetic procedure that enhances your beard shape and thickens density around your cheeks, neck, and jawline. It uses the same principles and techniques as scalp hair transplantation to create a fuller beard, moustache, goatee, and sideburns.
When you’re considering a facial hair transplant, understanding what results you can achieve is essential. In fact, having realistic expectations is a key suitability principle at responsible clinics.
Here, see the facial hair transplant outcomes for four Wimpole patients (and explore more over in our hair transplant before and after gallery).
Treatment: FUTGrafts: 800Result: After 8 months
Treatment: FUTGrafts: 2600Result: After 11 months
Facial hair transplant candidates are usually men with good scalp donor hair availability, and realistic expectations of what your transplant will look like 12-18 months after your procedure. Trans people transitioning female-to-male can also make good beard transplant candidates.
Facial hair transplant suitability depends on four main factors:
Your surgeon will check all these criteria prior to booking you in for a facial hair transplant.
Facial hair transplants are split into three key stages: consultation, procedure, and aftercare. The actual procedure itself happens on the same day, so you won’t need to stay at the clinic overnight. Here’s what to expect at each stage.
At your consultation, you’ll discuss your existing facial hair pattern and what you’re hoping to achieve with a facial hair transplant. A surgeon will then assess your donor hair availability and map it to your beard area to check you have enough donor follicles, and ask a few questions about your overall health.
They’ll then discuss your treatment options with you and provide quotes for any treatments.
If you decide to go ahead with a facial hair transplant, you’ll be booked in for a one-day procedure. This starts with a reassessment of your health and donor hair. Your surgeon will draw lines on your beard area to show your agreed coverage.
You’ll then get ready for surgery. Local anaesthetic is injected into the donor and recipient areas, so your head and face will be completely numb.
Your surgeon will then start to harvest the follicular units required for the surgery, using either FUT or FUE, whichever technique you’ve agreed. They will also make the incisions in your beard area. The surgical team places the grafts in the incisions, following your natural beard growth patterns to ensure natural-looking long-term growth.
When the surgery is complete, you’ll stay at the clinic to be monitored for around an hour. You can then go home, where the aftercare process begins.
Good facial hair transplant aftercare is critical for great long-term results. You’ll need to get plenty of rest, sleep in an elevated position, and avoid exercise, sex, and alcohol for a couple of weeks while your grafts heal.
During this time you’ll also take care of your grafts. Your clinic will give you specific advice on washing your hair and spraying your scalp and face with saline solution to avoid infection, promote healing, and increase your chances of long-term growth throughout the beard transplant timeline.
In almost all cases, facial hair transplants use donor hair from the back of the scalp. This is a healthy source of donor hair as it’s not usually affected by male pattern baldness.
But scalp hair can have different characteristics to your natural beard hair. So how do surgeons blend it in so it looks organic?
These techniques help your donor hair blend seamlessly into your facial hair:
Studies have shown that, after several hair growth cycles, donor hair begins to take on similar characteristics to surrounding recipient hair, possibly due to the growth environment of the local skin area [1-2]. But this usually affects the length of the growth phase, rather than aesthetic characteristics like colour or texture. So it’s important to find an experienced facial hair transplant surgeon who can blend in the donor hair effectively.
Most facial hair transplants are performed using FUE. FUE involves extracting donor hair grafts one-by-one using a micropunch tool. It leaves minimal scarring and heals relatively quickly, making it the most popular hair transplant technique worldwide [3].
FUT is also an option, especially if you need high graft volumes (3000+ grafts) to achieve your desired look. But FUT leaves a linear scar in the donor area which is visible beneath shorter hair, so many patients prefer FUE.
Good aftercare makes a big difference to the long term success of your facial hair transplant. So it’s important to know what to expect ahead of time. Here’s what you’ll need to do in the first 2-4 weeks after your facial hair transplant:
Facial hair graft count varies by patient, depending on the coverage you already have versus what you want to achieve. Here’s a guide to how many grafts you might be quoted, based on study data [4]:
Researchers note that the cheek area may be subdivided into the cheek border and full cheek. The full cheek requires more grafts than the cheek border. Additionally, the jawline requires minimal grafts because it’s often covered by growth from the full cheek.
Several factors are taken into account when determining the cost of a beard transplant. Number of grafts is the main factor, but cost can also be affected by technique type, location, and surgical complexity.
At the Wimpole Clinic, facial hair transplant costs start at £2,999. Book a consultation to get a free tailored quote for your beard transplant.
Here’s what you can expect when you choose the Wimpole Clinic for your facial hair transplant:
At the Wimpole Clinic, we specialise in patient-centred care. That means your safety and satisfaction is at the heart of everything we do. We have an extensive track record of excellent outcomes from thousands of beard transplant patients, giving you confidence that we can achieve great results for you, too.
Book your consultation at our award-winning hair transplant clinic to find out more about facial hair transplants in London, around the UK, and worldwide.
Explore facial hair transplantation in more depth in these frequently asked questions.
Yes. Beard and moustache transplants are generally permanent, assuming donor hair is taken from the safe zone at the back of the scalp. This area is resistant to the hormones that cause male pattern baldness, so the hair shouldn’t fall out. However, like all body hair, the beard can thin over time. Age-related thinning affects all hair, and is different from pattern baldness.
Yes; once it’s fully healed and the transplanted grafts have started to produce permanent terminal hairs, you can shave your beard transplant growth. The earliest you can normally shave is around one month post hair transplant.
The risks of a facial hair transplant are the same as for other types of hair transplant surgery. As with any operation, there’s a small risk of infection. Other risks include low graft survival, beard transplant failure, necrosis, and folliculitis.
These risks are normally very low if your procedure takes place at a safe, reputable clinic, and if you follow your clinic’s aftercare instructions closely. Double check the credentials of clinics in countries where it’s easier to evade clinical safety practices (for example, if you’re getting a beard transplant in Turkey).
Most of the time, beard transplant donor hair comes from the back of the scalp. However, it’s also possible to take donor hair from the chest, legs, or other hair-bearing areas if it’s viable.
Local anaesthetic is used to numb your head and face throughout the facial hair transplant procedure. Administering the anaesthetic can sting, but this is usually the most painful part. Afterwards you shouldn’t feel anything aside from a slight tugging sensation.
The early days of recovery can also be uncomfortable, but most patients find the pain is manageable with paracetamol. The discomfort wears off after a few days.
When considering your options for a facial hair transplant clinic or surgeon, look for:
Yes, a beard transplant procedure will leave scars, though hair transplant scarring from FUT is more visible than FUE. FUE scars look like small pinpricks and are usually covered by hair growth, even if your hair is short. FUT leaves a narrow linear scar in your donor area.
Wimpole Clinic Services:
Hair Transplants, Beard Transplants & Eyebrow Transplants.
Talk to a specialist
Dr. Hisham Band (GMC: 7550130) is a distinguished hair transplant surgeon with deep expertise in the most advanced techniques, including FUE, FUT, and DHI.
Beginning his career as a resident in Plastic Surgery, Dr. Band developed a keen aesthetic sensibility and meticulous precision – qualities that are evident in every procedure he performs.
With a prolific portfolio of over 1,500 successful procedures, he specialises in complex repairs, crafting results that blend seamlessly with his patients’ natural contours and characteristics. His extensive medical background spans Internal Medicine, Major Trauma, and Plastic Surgery, culminating in a master’s degree in Burns, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery from the prestigious University College London (UCL).
Dr Band’s reputation attracts high-profile individuals and underscores his role in sports medicine, where he serves as a Level 3 English Boxing Association (EBA) doctor, providing top-tier care to elite MMA athletes, including those competing under the UFC banner.
At the core of his practice, Dr. Band prioritises the holistic well-being of his patients, ensuring each procedure enhances both physical and mental health. His patient-centric approach and meticulous craftsmanship continue to set him apart in the field of hair transplant surgery.
