Did you know that aside from restoring your hairline and balding patches, hair transplants are also used for beard and eyebrow restoration? Yes! Perhaps your facial hair is looking a little patchy, or you have lost some of your eyebrows due to burns or accidental shaving? If so, a hair transplant could be the perfect solution and we look at the three main surgery techniques used below.
FUT for Facial Hair and Eyebrows
FUT = Follicular Unit Transplantation
This is the older type of hair transplant surgery and is steadily being replaced by FUE and DHI techniques. However, it is still highly successful and an excellent option for beard and eyebrow restoration.
In FUT surgeries, a strip of donor hair is removed from the back of your scalp and grafted to your beard or eyebrows. This leaves a single, fine scar along your scalp that should not be visible once your hair grows back over it.
The recovery time of FUT surgery is quite quick and the surgery has a high success rate of over 90%. The main downside compared to FUE and DHI is the larger, more noticeable scar left from the donor site.
FUE for Facial Hair and Eyebrows
FUE = Follicular Unit Extraction
This type of hair transplant surgery is becoming more common and favored than FUT. In this surgery, donor hair is extracted using a special surgical pen – one follicle at a time. This means there is no line scar on your scalp but a series of fine circular scars that are virtually invisible.
Again, the recovery time is relatively quick for this type of surgery and you can be back at work in as little as three days if you do not work face-to-face.
Compared to FUT, the recovery time is slightly quicker, and the success rate is slightly higher. Also, the scarring is much less visible.
DHI for Facial Hair and Eyebrows
DHI = Direct Hair Implantation
The DHI procedure is one of the newest techniques and it is less invasive due to the special Choi Implanter Pen used. This surgical tool is used to extract individual follicles and then implant them in your eyebrow line or face without the need to create any separate surgical channels – the pen does it all.
This results in a quicker recovery time and even less scarring. The surgery is generally quicker too and due to the device, the grafts can be angled precisely to follow your natural hair direction for better end results.
Considerations to Make Before Having Facial Hair or Eyebrow Surgery
These are widely considered the best surgeries for facial hair and eyebrow transplants with FUE becoming the favored technique. However, these are not surgeries you should undertake lightly, and there are considerations to make before committing to a hair transplant.
Cost
Although a DHI hair transplant and other techniques are much cheaper in Turkey, the cost is still worth considering. If you are traveling from abroad, you have to factor in the cost of flights and accommodation during your surgery and the procedure cost itself. These all add up and you may have to spend thousands of dollars overall.
Recovery Period
The three surgeries listed above all have a recovery time and while thankfully they are short, it’s something to be aware of. Typically you can be back at work within 3-10 days depending on the work you do and whether you are face-to-face with colleagues or customers.
There may initially be some swelling and soreness, and some scabbing on the donor area and graft sites. This goes away quickly and you can get back to your normal life quickly compared to other medical procedures.
Donor Sites
All beard and eyebrow transplant surgeries require donor hair from your body. The donor sites are carefully selected by your transplant surgeon but ideally, you must have suitable hair growth and coverage on your scalp to be able to have a hair transplant.
Restore Your Eyebrows and Beard to Their Former Glory With These Techniques
Hair transplants offer some of the best and most permanent results for facial hair and eyebrows compared to other methods like tattooing or threading. FUE is the preferred method and most commonly offered technique today but DHI is rapidly increasing in popularity too due to the reduced recovery times and minimum scarring.
If you have any questions about this type of surgery then please don’t hesitate to contact us and we will do our best to answer your queries.