Body hair transplants offer an alternative solution for patients who can’t have scalp hair transplants. This is often because their viable donor scalp hair has been used up, or the recipient area needs more hair than is available in the donor area. Donor hair can be taken from the beard, chest, stomach, legs, armpits, and pubic region.
If you don’t have enough scalp donor hair to achieve the results you want, you may be considering a body hair transplant. Body hair transplants let you increase scalp hair density and coverage without overharvesting your scalp donor region. Here, learn all you need to know about body hair transplants: how they work, who they’re for, and how to prepare.
Key takeaways
Wimpole Clinic surgeons Dr Dinesh Patel and Dr Umear Ahmad provide professional insights into body hair transplantation in this deep-dive into non-scalp hair transplants.
Yes, you can transplant body hair to your scalp. While body hair can have a slightly different texture and colour to your scalp hair, skilled hair transplant surgeons can still blend body hair into your existing scalp hair, giving you a fuller head of hair (and a confidence boost).
That said, there are some caveats to be aware of. A body hair transplant isn’t quite the same as a scalp hair transplant in terms of procedure or results. So let’s take a look at how body hair transplants work and the results you can expect.
A body hair transplant can create natural-looking results, providing the surgeon identifies body hair grafts that complement your scalp hair.
Body hair tends to retain its original characteristics for a while after being transplanted, so the texture and colour need to be as close to your scalp hair as possible. However, the hair characteristics may change over time to resemble native recipient hair. Dr Ahmad explains:
“Let’s say in the recipient area, the hair is a little bit curly, but the donor area hair is a bit straighter. When you move that straight hair into an area where it’s surrounded by a slightly curlier wave of your hair, the hair initially will be as is: it’ll remain straighter because that’s how it was in the donor area.
“However, over time, as the hair moves through several hair cycles, it starts to take on the characteristics of the surrounding hair. From the second hair cycle, the hairs will start to become more wavy or curly. So it’ll be more in keeping with the surrounding hair.”
Almost all body hair transplants are performed using the FUE technique. FUE, or follicular unit extraction, involves harvesting individual grafts from the donor region. It results in minimal hair transplant scarring, which is often important on areas of the body where hair is sparse.
The only exception is the armpit. FUT may occasionally be used to extract donor hair from the armpit, as any scarring will be hidden the majority of the time, and FUT can improve the graft survival rate in this area [1].
Dr Ahmad explains which areas of the body are most popular for scalp hair transplantation and why:
“If you’re doing a hair transplant on the scalp, you would always want to get hairs ideally from the donor area on the scalp. Obviously, you have a finite number of grafts there. You don’t want to be overharvesting the donor area. So if you get to the point where you feel like you’ve absolutely utilised all available grafts in the donor area, then you can start thinking about harvesting from elsewhere.
“The first choice for harvesting outside of the scalp would always be the beard. Not from the face, but the neck — that would be the first port of call.
“If you’ve taken it from there, then you start looking at other areas. So that might be the chest, it might be the back, and then there’s also the pubic region. So they’re the other options, but definitely the beard is the second go-to.”
Hair from several areas of the body can be used for hair transplants:
Results from the 2025 Practice Census published by the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons show that the beard area is the most popular body hair donor region, comprising almost three-quarters (73.5%) of non-scalp donor site transplants [2]. This is followed by the chest (13.3%), stomach (4.8%) and leg (2.4%). Other areas make up the remaining 6%.
Beard hair transplants can be used to treat male pattern baldness if the man has a healthy supply of facial hair. Often, men with male pattern baldness have thick, full beards, as the hormone that causes hair loss — dihydrotestosterone — actually stimulates beard growth [3].
Along with hair from the torso, beard hair is most similar to scalp hair in terms of thickness and growth potential [1, 4]. Additionally, some studies suggest it may be possible to take up to 9,000 grafts from the beard area [4]. This is why it’s by far the most popular non-scalp donor site.
That said, some researchers recommend steering clear of beard hair for the edges of the hairline and temples, where natural hair tends to be much softer and finer than beard hair [1].
The chest and stomach are the second and third most popular donor regions for non-scalp hair transplants [2]. Chest and stomach hair is normally more suitable for patients who intend to wear their hair short.
Like beard hair, torso hair tends to curl as it grows, so patients should be made aware of this prior to their procedure. This gives them the chance to compare it to their natural scalp hair texture and decide if this would be an issue.
Additionally, chest hair typically grows in whorls. So hair transplant surgeons must be careful when placing chest hairs to ensure a natural growth pattern.
Leg hair is used less often than beard, chest, and stomach hair, but it may still be appropriate in some cases. The legs produce finer, shorter hairs than other areas, so it can be a good source for the hairline and temples, where hair tends to be finer [5-6].
Like leg hair, hair from the armpits and pubic regions are only rarely used for scalp hair transplant. Pubic hair tends to have a higher graft transection rate than beard hair, and a similar rate to the legs and chest. For this reason, a wider punch is normally recommended for extracting grafts from the pubic region [6].
FUT is often used to extract grafts from the armpits, as it’s a tricky area for attempting FUE, and any scarring is hidden under the arm.
Body hair transplants work in the same way as scalp hair transplants, although there are specific tactics and considerations based on where the hair is being taken from.
The majority of body hair transplants are performed via FUE. FUE involves extracting hair grafts from the donor region one by one, using a micro punch tool. The size of the punch depends on the donor location. Finer hairs tend to require smaller punches [6].
While the grafts are harvested, the surgeon prepares the recipient area: your scalp. They make hundreds of tiny incisions, then place the grafts in the cuts, following the natural growth pattern of your hair. The surgery typically takes 4-8 hours and is completed the same day.
Body hair transplants aren’t normally a first-line treatment for hair loss. They tend to be an option only if your scalp donor area is unavailable, usually due to extensive balding, scarring in the region, or previous surgeries [6].
Our patient advisor Adam explains more about the importance of donor area density for a hair transplant:
You may be a candidate for a body hair transplant if:
It’s important to assess your available donor hair against your desired results. For example, if you have very limited beard hair and a wide bald spot on your crown, it may not be possible to get sufficient coverage with body hair.
Similarly, if you have a receding hairline and you only have donor hair available from the beard and torso, your surgeon might advise against this due to the aesthetic differences between the two types of hair. So it’s important to discuss the possibilities and limitations of a body hair transplant with your surgeon.
Yes, women can have body hair transplants, but they’re much less common than in men. Since women naturally have much less body hair, there’s less to harvest, so there are fewer options for female hair transplants. Additionally, body hair doesn’t tend to grow longer than a few centimetres, so it may not be suitable for women who want to wear their hair long.
On the flip side, it’s more common for women to target areas other than the scalp with hair transplants (most commonly eyebrows) [2].
In a study of 122 male body-to-head hair transplants, the average satisfaction score was 8.3 out of 10 [5].
Of these, only 6 didn’t have hair transplanted from the beard or scalp donor region as part of their hair transplant. These 6 patients had a slightly lower average satisfaction score of 8.0.
Body hair transplants can offer excellent results when used appropriately. At the Wimpole Clinic, we offer a comprehensive assessment of your donor availability and target recipient areas, and use this to formulate a bespoke body hair transplant plan that will give you the most natural-looking results. So even if you’ve counted yourself out of a hair transplant due to lack of scalp donor hair, book a consultation at your nearest Wimpole Clinic location.
If you’ve booked your body-to-scalp hair transplant or are just interested in what the procedure looks like, find out how body hair transplants work in this step-by-step guide.
Body hair transplants aren’t always as straightforward as conventional hair transplants. There’s a lot more variation in potential results, and you may need to deal with healing across multiple donor areas.
Discuss any questions or concerns with your patient advisor before your procedure. They should also help you set realistic expectations, especially if you have extensive balding.
To give yourself the best chance of success, follow the hair transplant preparation advice from your surgeon, too. Quit smoking, reduce alcohol intake, check if you need to limit any prescription medications, and avoid heavy exercise.
You may also be advised to use minoxidil on the donor area to increase the follicle diameter and lengthen the growth phase of the donor hair prior to graft extraction [6].
When you go to the clinic for surgery, your surgical team will run through the plan for the day before preparing your hair transplant donor area. Your surgeon will mark the areas where they’ll extract the hair grafts, whether it’s from your beard, chest, stomach, legs, or pubic area. The area will then be numbed with a local anaesthetic.
Using a micropunch, your surgical team will extract hair grafts from the marked areas. Each graft consists of 1-5 hair follicles, though most body hair grafts consist of single hairs [6]. The micropunch allows surgeons to extract each graft individually, leaving tiny wounds that heal quickly and leave minimal scarring.
The extracted follicles are placed in a solution to keep them alive until it’s time to implant them in your scalp.
Next, your surgical team will numb your scalp, and make tiny incisions in the balding or thinning areas. This prepares your scalp for the next stage: transplanting the hair grafts.
Each hair graft is carefully implanted in the micro-incisions. The surgical team places each graft according to thickness, size, and growth direction, helping your new hair blend into your existing hair. This process is repeated until you have the agreed coverage.
When all your grafts are in place, your surgical team will dress your scalp and donor areas with hair transplant bandages to protect your wounds while they heal. Dressings should be kept on for no more than 24 hours.
The first 10-14 days after a body hair transplant are the most important, both for your health and your future results. Your team will give you a comprehensive list of hair transplant aftercare instructions to help you heal without complications. This may include:
If your healing period is straightforward, you can expect to see full results from your body-to-scalp hair transplant within a year to 18 months. However, early results will start to become visible from 6 months or so.
In terms of safety, the risks of having a body hair transplant are similar to those involved in scalp hair transplantation. Getting a hair transplant from qualified professionals in a sterile environment poses very little risk of infection, necrosis, or other complications [7].
That said, body hair transplants do differ from scalp hair transplants in some ways. These differences can affect their success if they’re not factored in:
A good surgeon will know how to create the best possible results by considering all these factors. Discuss the plan thoroughly beforehand to build trust in your surgeon and ensure you have a realistic idea of the results.
Like scalp hair transplants, body hair transplants are permanent. Your new hair grafts will last for the rest of your life (although like all body hair, you can expect some light thinning as you get older).
Body hair transplants are no more painful than regular scalp hair transplants. You might have some soreness while the team administers the anaesthetic, but after this, you should feel mild discomfort at most. Wimpole Clinic surgeon Dr Patel explains more:
“Patients undergoing a hair transplant typically report different levels of pain depending on the stage of the procedure. The most discomfort is usually felt at the beginning, when the local anesthetic is injected into the scalp. On a pain scale from 0 to 10 — where 0 means no pain and 10 is the worst imaginable — this stage often scores between 3 and 6. The sensation is often described as sharp or stinging, but it fades quickly as the anesthetic takes effect. To reduce this discomfort, I usually use finger tapping as a distraction technique during the injections.
“Once the scalp is numb, the actual transplant process — whether it’s follicular unit extraction (FUE) or follicular unit transplantation (FUT) — is generally not painful. Most patients report feeling little to no pain during the surgery itself, with pain scores close to zero. They might notice some pressure, tugging, or general awareness of what’s happening, but it’s not typically described as painful.
“In general, patients find that any pain associated with a hair transplant is mild to moderate and is effectively controlled throughout the treatment and recovery process.”
You may also be offered a sedative to help you feel calmer during the hair transplant procedure.
Body hair transplant costs are unique to every patient. Your quote will take into account the number of hair grafts you need, the complexity of the graft extraction process, how many procedures you’ll need, and any other complicating factors.
The average cost of a 1,500 graft scalp hair transplant is £4,820, but a body hair transplant is likely to cost more than this. Wimpole Clinic hair transplant prices start at £3,499.
One of the drawbacks of using body hair for a transplant is that it won’t grow longer than it would have in its previous position. So while it can give you good coverage, body hair might not give you the length you want, especially for female hair transplant patients.
However, one case study of a single male patient found that transplanted chest hair grew to 15 cm in length after 18 months [8]. More research is needed to establish if this happens among a larger population.
Whether you’ve been turned down for a hair transplant due to lack of scalp donor hair, or there’s another reason you’re considering a body hair transplant, book a consultation at the Wimpole Clinic.
The Wimpole Clinic is one of the longest-running hair transplant clinics in the UK, and has been voted the UK’s best hair transplant clinic every year from 2021 to 2024. We’re home to some of the world’s most experienced hair transplant surgeons. Many of our surgeons have successfully performed body-to-scalp hair transplants, leaving our patients completely satisfied with their results.
Discover more about body hair transplantation in these frequently asked questions.
Generally, yes, body hair transplants cost more than scalp hair transplants. That’s because body hair transplants tend to be more complex, may need multiple procedures, and the coverage required is likely to be larger. So you should expect to pay more for a body hair transplant.
Yes, sometimes. Body hair has a shorter growth phase and a longer resting phase than scalp hair, which can make overall hair growth take longer [8].
Yes. This is actually fairly common, especially in the cases of beard transplants and eyebrow transplants. But you may be able to transplant scalp hair to other parts of the body too. This is sometimes chosen by female-to-male transgender hair transplant patients who wish to increase their body hair.
Yes, but usually only if you’re using the armpit as the donor area. Grafts in other areas are best harvested using the FUE method to minimise visible scarring and simplify recovery.
After the first two weeks, you can return to your normal washing and styling routine while your hair transplant grows in. As your hair gets longer, take note of any aesthetic differences in transplanted vs native hair. You may need to switch shampoos to soften the hair, or consider restyling your hair to help reduce contrast between different textures.
Wimpole Clinic Services:
Hair Transplants, Beard Transplants & Eyebrow Transplants.
Talk to a specialist
Dr. Dinesh Patel (GMC No: 7992217) began his medical journey by earning his MBBS degree, followed by an MD in Anaesthesiology. In 2008, he initiated his practice as an anaesthesiologist in the domain of hair transplantation, which ignited his passion for specialising in this field.
Dr. Patel underwent advanced training, completed a fellowship in hair transplantation, and actively participated in numerous national and international hair restoration conferences and live surgery workshops. Since 2009, he has exclusively focused on the field of hair transplantation and has successfully performed over 4,000 procedures.
Dr. Patel’s extensive experience encompasses a broad range of procedures, including hair transplantation for male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia), female hair transplantation, beard transplantation, and eyebrow transplantation. He has also achieved remarkable results in complex cases involving scarring alopecia, traumatic alopecia, and post-burn hair restoration. Over the past few years, he has contributed to the field by training numerous physicians and technical assistants in the follicular unit extraction (FUE) technique.
Renowned for his exceptional skill and compassionate approach, Dr. Patel is a highly regarded hair transplant surgeon specialising in both follicular unit extraction (FUE) and follicular unit transplantation (FUT) techniques. He is adept at integrating cutting-edge hair loss treatments such as low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy into his practice, ensuring optimal outcomes for his patients.
With a master’s degree in Anaesthesiology, Dr. Patel is deeply committed to a patient-centred approach. His expertise in effective pain management ensures patient comfort throughout the procedure and during the recovery process. Furthermore, he excels in providing clear and comprehensive guidance on medical and pharmaceutical treatment options for androgenetic alopecia, addressing both male and female pattern hair loss, as well as other forms of alopecia.
Through active participation in various conferences and specialised training programmes, he remains at the forefront of innovation, continuously updating his knowledge of novel approaches and cutting-edge technologies in the field of hair restoration.
