Could I Have Body Hair Transplants with a Strip Method?

Dear Doc,

I have heard of body hair transplants and read that they are not a reliable form of surgery due to the body hairs being weakened during extraction. However, because the body hairs are being removed with a hole punch type of instrument that may damage them, could significantly better results be attained if the body hair grafts were removed via a strip method? Let’s say the patient did not mind have a scar on their thigh as long as the strip provided enough grafts for his needs. In my case, I am thinning in the crown and anticipate that I will require far more grafts than my donor supply. Thanks

Body hair transplantation is not a gold standard method to transplant hair to the scalp, because body hair looks and behaves different than scalp hair. Damage isn’t the problem — hair growth cycles are. Only about 50% of the body hair is in growth stage at any one time, so the hair-for-hair yield is 50% rather than 90% plus as with the scalp donor hair. In other words, you won’t see most of the hair at the same time… and the hair that you do see will look different from actual scalp hair. Body hair does not grow long and has a different texture than scalp hair. To directly answer your question, yes you may find a doctor willing to do it, but the above material is presented to try to get you to think through that decision.