Can FUE Restore Hair Growth in Other Parts of the Body?

Follicular unit extraction (FUE) is a surgical hair restoration technique that can help patients restore the fullness and thickness of their hair by transplanting hair grafts. Hair loss is an extremely common concern, affecting both men and women. Hair loss is most often associated with the scalp; however, many people experience hair loss in other areas as well. ⁽¹⁾ Shedding and thinning can be experienced in places like the eyebrows, chest, beard, and more.

As one of California’s leading hair restoration practices, California Hair MD can help you achieve fuller, denser hair growth wherever you need it. Richard Chaffoo, MD, FCS, FICS, is the founder and surgical director of California Hair MD. He is America’s Only Triple Board Certified Hair Transplant Plastic Surgeon and is actively involved in cutting-edge research to develop new treatment options for hair loss. He is also an international guest speaker on plastic surgery and hair restoration surgery, with his lecture circuit including international meetings in cities like Paris, Austin, São Paulo, and Rome. He also trains other plastic surgeons interested in hair restoration at the annual Aesthetic Society meeting.

Susan Stuart, MD, FAAD, is a board-certified dermatologist and co-founder of California Hair MD. She is a superspecialist in hair restoration and has had an active role in researching new, groundbreaking hair loss treatments. She specializes in many advanced restoration procedures and teaches other physicians interested in hair restoration surgery. Her work can be seen in many publications such as Cosmopolitan, In Style, and the Huffington Post.

Led by Dr. Chaffoo and Dr. Stuart, we are the only hair restoration practice in the USA under the co-direction of both a triple board-certified plastic surgeon and a board-certified dermatologist!

If you are interested in exploring your hair restoration options, schedule a consultation by contacting us online or calling one of our Southern California offices:

About FUE for Other Parts of the Body

Follicular unit extraction (FUE) hair transplantation is a procedure that uses a punch tool to extract individual follicular units from the back of the head, then transplants them into areas experiencing thinning or shedding hair. This procedure is often used to restore hair in the scalp, but can be adapted to restore hair to other areas. In 2021, about 13% of male hair restoration procedures and 17% of all female hair restorations were performed on areas other than the scalp. ⁽²⁾ Dr. Chaffoo’s expertise in hair restoration allows him to effectively perform FUE hair restoration in a variety of places, helping each patient restore their appearance and confidence.

Facial Hair Transplant

A facial hair transplant is a procedure that takes follicles from other parts of the body to restore density and thickness in facial hair. This procedure can be used for beards, sideburns, mustaches, goatees, and more.

Eyebrow Hair Transplant

An eyebrow hair transplant is a procedure aimed at enhancing the appearance of the eyebrows. This procedure is primarily performed using FUE. Patients interested in restoring their eyebrows often experience thinning or loss of eyebrow hair, sometimes due to scarring or overplucking. Unlike many other cosmetic brow treatments, eyebrow transplantation offers real results and natural-looking growth that can last a lifetime.

Eyelash Hair Transplant

Eyelashes play a crucial role in protecting the eyes from debris and enhancing facial aesthetics, making the choice of donor hair important for achieving a natural look and function. Eyelash transplantation often uses hairs from the nape of the neck or the legs. This is because finer hairs from the head grow much more rapidly compared to harvested follicles from an area like the leg, ⁽³⁾ which is less preferable for eyelash hair.

Chest Hair Transplant

FUE can be used to help restore chest hair for men who may be experiencing thinning, shedding, and overall patchiness. Hair loss in the chest can be caused by many factors, such as hormonal changes, medical conditions, injury, and more. Dr. Chaffoo can utilize FUE to harvest grafts from the back of the scalp or elsewhere to restore the density and thickness of the chest, enhancing masculine aesthetic appearance and confidence.

Ideal Candidates

Ideal candidates for a FUE body hair transplant include men or women experiencing patchy, shedding, or thinning hair in various parts of the body. Patients should also have adequate hair growth for follicle extraction and be in good overall health with realistic expectations regarding their results. Each patient’s candidacy will be determined by Dr. Chaffoo at their personal consultation.

Personal Consultation

Each patient will be asked to attend a personal consultation with Dr. Chaffoo at any one of our Southern California locations. The purpose of this consultation is not only to get to know each patient more personally but to see how our team can help them best.

Dr. Chaffoo will first explain the details of the FUE procedure before asking about your medical history, hair growth concerns, and ideal treatment goals. Dr. Chaffoo may also examine the condition of the treatment and donor areas.

After gathering enough information, he will craft your treatment plan, personalizing certain aspects to help address your unique concerns. Finally, you will receive preparation and recovery instructions and a written price estimate. Patients are encouraged to prepare and ask questions, as this consultation is time dedicated to them and their specific procedure.

To schedule your personal consultation, please contact us online or reach out to the location closest to you.

Donor Sites

There are multiple places in the body where Dr. Chaffoo can extract follicles for the procedure. Most of the harvested follicles come from the scalp, especially for beard, eyebrow, or mustache procedures. This is because the hair thickness and color are the most similar to a patient’s pre-existing hair. However, the scalp hair tends to grow quite quickly and is often straight, which isn’t ideal for certain procedures and placements. In these instances, hair grafts can be taken from other parts of the body, usually the legs. The harvesting of body hair grafts is overall slower compared to the extraction of scalp hair, primarily due to their placement and lowered density. Once transplanted, the new follicles may retain the characteristics of the native scalp hair. ⁽⁴⁾

Corresponding Procedures

Many procedures can be used to complement a FUE body hair transplant, with one of the most effective being platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections. PRP is a serum composed of concentrated plasma that can be used to help rejuvenate hair growth where it is thinning or after a transplant procedure.

The PRP serum is created by taking a small sample of blood and processing it to separate the plasma from other cellular matter. While this treatment can be performed by itself, PRP is highly effective when used to complement another treatment, as even a small sample contains a multitude of growth factors and cytokines that can help accelerate wound healing and tissue restoration. ⁽⁵⁾

To learn more about the other procedures that can be performed alongside a FUE body hair transplant, please refer to the California Hair MD blog!

Cost of FUE in San Diego, Newport Beach, & Beverly Hills

The cost of FUE transplantation will vary depending on several factors, such as the size of the treatment area, the patient’s physical condition, and the number of grafts needed. Dr. Chaffoo will provide each patient with a written estimate after establishing a plan at the consultation. At California Hair MD, we strive to provide the most premium results for the most competitive price.

To unlock the full cost of your FUE transplantation, please schedule a consultation by calling our office at (858) 500-1116 or contacting us online.

FAQ

References

1. Zito PM, Raggio BS. Hair Transplantation. PubMed. Published 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547740/
2. International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery: 2022 Practice Census Results.; 2022. https://ishrs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Report-2022-ISHRS-Practice-Census_04-19-22-FINAL.pdf
3. Umar S. Eyelash Transplantation Using Leg Hair by Follicular Unit Extraction. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open. 2015;3(3):e324. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/gox.0000000000000292
4. Savant S, Saxena K. Body to scalp: Evolving trends in body hair transplantation. Indian Dermatology Online Journal. 2017;8(3):167. doi:https://doi.org/10.4103/idoj.idoj_283_16
5. Paichitrojjana A, Paichitrojjana A. Platelet Rich Plasma and Its Use in Hair Regrowth: A Review. Drug Design, Development and Therapy. 2022;Volume 16:635-645. doi:https://doi.org/10.2147/dddt.s356858