How to Maintain Your Beard Transplant

Male pattern baldness is a problem for men around the globe, and while the United States isn’t the leading country dealing with the problem, 39% of American men are in the process of hair loss. 

And as hard as it may be to believe, the top of your head is only one of the places this sort of thing can happen.

There are different causes for losing hair in patches in your beard, and beard transplants are an effective way to resolve the problem. But like every procedure, you need to follow instructions to care for it once it’s over. 

If you’re looking for ways to manage beard patches and other hair problems, our team of Michael Meshkin, MD, and Alister Meshkin, MD, and our staff at Meshkin Medical can help.

Let’s explore this lesser known process and give you a thorough examination of what to expect and what to do once it’s finished.

Reasons for a beard transplant

Alopecia barbae is the term for loss of hair in your beard, and it can happen for several reasons:

Ringworm

Also known as tinea, this fungal skin infection is known as tinea barbae when it affects your bread. It’s a rare cause of this problem, can take up to two weeks to develop, and appears as a circular rash with itchy skin, red, scaly skin, and hair loss.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) results from this common cancer treatment, and can happen in a number of places, like your beard, scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes. How much hair you lose depends on the combination of drugs used, the dosage involved, and your individual reaction to the medication.

Alopecia areata

This form of pattern baldness is an autoimmune problem that can develop into the condition that leads to hair loss over time. It often develops in childhood and leads to round or oval bald patches.

How the process works

The beard transplant process can work in one of two ways:

Follicular unit transplant (FUT)

This is the removal of strips of skin from one part of your body (often the back of your head) and transplantation to the area in need of hair. The process consists of removing the strip, plucking out the hair follicles, and reinserting them into your beard in a natural pattern.

Follicular unit extraction (FUE)

This is the direct removal of the hair follicles to be placed into balding parts of your head, using micropunches for fewer signs of extraction and better precision in removing the hair. 

We shave the hair to be harvested, then use a micropunch tool to remove the follicles we need. We make very small incisions into the targeted area and place the hair.

Aftercare and maintenance

Once either process is finished, you can expect some crusting around the newly implanted hair. That should clear up over a short period of time (generally a few days). Several treatments may be necessary depending on the extent of the hair loss. 

Hair falling out over the next few weeks is perfectly normal, as the hair will grow in over the course of its normal cycle. 

Within three months, you should start seeing significant results. Once your beard has grown in, you’ll be able to wash, groom, and cut it like the rest of your hair.

If you have patches in your beard or other forms of hair loss, make an appointment with us at Meshkin Medical today to get started. We serve the Orange County and Los Angeles area through our offices in Newport Beach and Glendale, California.