Beard and moustache transplants make up 5% of all hair restoration surgeries worldwide [1]. That is partly due to the special social significance attributed to a full head of hair but also to the fact that moustaches are more seldomly affected by hair loss.
However, men who are struggling to grow a full beard or just a luxurious moustache can develop low self-confidence and feel their sense of masculinity challenged. A simple and effective hair transplant procedure can help them achieve their dream facial hair, improve their self-esteem and bring them closer to their ideal body image.
Keep reading this article to find out all you need to know about moustache transplants, such as:
Yes, you can indeed have your moustache surgically enhanced or restored. In fact, if you are a good candidate for this procedure, you can have a hair transplant for any hair-bearing part of your body.
However, there are some additional challenges in getting a moustache transplant compared to a scalp hair restoration. That is because the skin on your face is laxer and more mobile than your scalp [1].
The higher procedure difficulty requires skilled and experienced surgeons to implant the hair grafts properly. The intervention may also take somewhat longer than it would if the same number of grafts were implanted in your scalp.
The first thing you need to do to get a moustache transplant is have a preliminary consultation with a cosmetic surgeon. They will get an account of your health history, examine your facial hair, and perhaps order some hair loss blood tests. This will help them determine if you can benefit from getting this procedure. Then, you will decide together on the number of grafts you will be getting and the new shape of your moustache.
On the day of the procedure, the surgical team may offer you a light sedative to calm your nerves and they will inject you with a local anaesthetic. You will be awake throughout the surgery and will be able to feel some pressure, but not any pain. Then, your surgeon will carefully extract the agreed-upon number of hair grafts from the back or sides of your scalp (or sometimes from your beard) [2].
Normally, this is done through a follicular unit extraction (FUE) technique (although the follicular unit transplantation – FUT – can also be used) [1]. This means that the surgeon uses a small tool called a punch to extract every individual hair graft separately. Its main advantage is that it leaves virtually no scarring on your donor area.
After the grafts are extracted, your surgeon will make some very small slits into your upper lip, where he will carefully implant them. Since your moustache naturally grows outward and downward, the surgical team has to pay special attention to positioning the grafts at a precise angle to ensure a natural-looking hair transplant [2].
Once the procedure is over, your surgeon will bandage the operated-on area and they will provide you with thorough hair transplant aftercare instructions. Following them closely can increase your chances of graft survival and getting good results.
Moustache transplants are often performed as part of beard transplants, for men who want to grow fuller facial hair. However, they can also be stand-alone procedures. This happens most often in men who want to cover scarring or bald spots which only affect their upper lip or who are not interested in wearing a beard.
When it only involves your moustache, surgical hair restoration usually requires a small number of hair grafts and it can produce very good results. However, you will have to be patient before you can see your final look. That is because most men experience hair transplant shock loss after their surgery (the implanted hairs fall temporarily off). There’s no need to worry if that happens, your moustache will start growing back in about 4 months after surgery. But according to the beard transplant timeline, the final result can usually be assessed after 9 months to a year.
Here are some examples of successful moustache transplants performed for different reasons:
Normally, if you only need to surgically restore your moustache, you will probably need 300-400 hair grafts to achieve the optimal density (35-40 grafts/cm2) [1]. However, this largely depends on your particular needs.
Some men only need to cover a small, scarred portion of their upper lip, which means they may only need 100 grafts or even fewer. However, others may want to build a bushy moustache from scratch and may require more grafts than usual. Is best to ask for your surgeon’s recommendations to determine the realistic number of grafts you need to get to obtain the result you are hoping for.
Hair transplant prices can vary widely among countries and clinics. They are normally determined by factors such as clinic reputation, surgeon experience, number of hair grafts needed, additional testing required and optional services received.
On average, beard transplant costs in the UK range between £2000 and £6000. However, a moustache transplant is generally smaller than a beard restoration so you can expect it to cost less, around £1000-£3000.
It is good to keep in mind that any hair transplant is a surgical procedure. And when it comes to surgical interventions, you want to be sure that you are getting safe and adequate care. So while hair transplant costs can be substantially lower in certain parts of the world, it isn’t always worth the health risk.
That is because when a surgery price sounds too good to be true, there is always the chance that the clinic is cutting corners when it comes to patient safety and surgeon qualifications. There are many documented cases of clinics abroad that have no authorisation to function, are not compliant with health and safety codes and employ poorly skilled technicians to perform hair transplants instead of legitimate surgeons. And many patients have been harmed by these shady practices.
Moustache restoration surgery has mostly the same risks as any hair transplant. However, since the surface area is generally smaller, you may have slightly lower chances of infection. But since the lips are more vascularised than the scalp, you may have slightly higher chances of bleeding or bruising, Here are some of the more common risks of this procedure to look out for [6][7]:
You can reduce the chances of these minor side effects occurring (or at least reduce their intensity) by following aftercare instructions carefully and maintaining good local hygiene.
While hair transplants are safe, complications can still occur in very rare cases, such as [6][7]:
If you have recently had a moustache transplant and you notice any disturbing symptoms, be sure to let your surgeon know as soon as possible, to get their advice.
There are several reasons a man may grow a sparse moustache and most are similar to those that cause a patchy beard. Many of them can be treated with a moustache transplant, however, in some cases, the chance of success may be higher than in others. [1][4]
While a moustache transplant can help many men achieve the facial hair of their dreams, not everyone can benefit from getting one. Here are some of the men who don’t usually make good candidates for a hair transplant [8]:
If you would like to treat your moustache hair loss but are unwilling or unable to get surgery, you can still try some other hair growth treatments. However, keep in mind that their efficacy has not been sufficiently studied on moustaches in particular and most are unlikely to work on scar tissue. Here are some of the best options you can try:
Minoxidil – this medication is normally used on the scalp but can also help with beard and moustache hair loss. It works by increasing blood flow to your hair follicles, helping them get the oxygen and nutrients they need to produce healthy strands. This medication is normally used for hair growth but Minoxidil can support beard growth as well [9], which means it is likely to also improve your moustache density.
Steroid creams – if your moustache bald spots are caused by alopecia barbae, topical corticosteroids can help reduce the inflammation and in some cases, even curb hair loss. In more advanced cases, steroid injections may be needed.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) hair treatment – PRP contains numerous growth factors which can help repair and stimulate your hair follicles for hair growth. It is extracted from a small sample of your own blood (after being separated from the other blood fractions) and injected into your upper lip.
Red light therapy for hair growth – this is a form of low-level laser therapy which uses red or near-infrared light to activate your cell mitochondria. This speeds up energy production and increases the rate at which this energy reaches your cell follicles, supporting healthy hair growth.
If you are thinking of getting moustache restoration surgery, book a consultation today with one of our world-class surgeons, at your most convenient clinic location. They will perform a thorough assessment of your condition, give you an accurate diagnosis for your facial hair loss and let you know if you can benefit from a moustache transplant.
Our highly experienced medical team will guide you through every step of the procedure and help you make the best choices to achieve the best moustache you can hope to grow. And just like a hair transplant is permanent, so is surgical moustache restoration.
Since the Wimpole Clinic has an almost 100% hair transplant success rate, that means you will finally be able to put your moustache woes behind you once and for all.
Are there things you’re still left wondering about regarding moustache transplants? Check out these answers to common questions patients ask about getting their moustaches surgically restored:
Yes, this is an outpatient procedure, which means no hospitalisation is necessary. You can go home right after having the intervention, once your surgeon has bandaged your transplant area and provided you with the necessary aftercare instructions.
It is best to take about a week off to rest and recover after your procedure. Going to work after your hair transplant recovery should not be a problem, unless you are expected to perform strenuous physical activities.
If this is the case, it is best to get your surgeon’s advice regarding the necessary amount of time off for safe healing.
It is true that scalp hair has slightly different characteristics than beard and moustache strands – it is thinner, softer and may have a different shade as well. However, when performed by a skilled surgeon, your moustache transplant can look absolutely natural regardless of the type of strands used for it.
If your surgeon believes the differences in texture between your scalp and facial hair are too great to provide a good outcome, they may recommend using beard or chest hair instead.
By all means, beard transplants and surgical moustache restoration can be performed as part of the facial masculinisation process that some trans patients opt for.
In some cases, testosterone hormone therapy alone does not provide adequate facial hair growth so a transgender hair transplant can be an effective part of your gender affirmation care.
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