I Don’t Have a Stable Donor Area — So is Beard Hair a Possibility for Transplantation?

Dear Dr. Rassman,

Thank you for your informative blog.
I was wondering I have seen many posts in which you recommend against using body hair for transplants but a few months back a reader asked about using beard hair as donor hair, and I got the impression that you thought this was a reasonable option. I have been told by a doctor that i don’t have a stable donor area would beard hair be a possible alternative? maybe in combination with S.M.P. ?

Also how would this work? Would the patient need to keep a beard forever to cover the scar? Anyway thanks for your time.

We do not generally recommend beard hair as a donor supply for transplanting to the scalp unless the donor supply in the back of the head is badly depleted. I realize there are doctors who specialize or advertise in these type of procedures, but it is something we do not recommend. What is making your donor area unstable? Do you have alopecia areata?

SMP is also a procedure that is very uniquely specialized to an individual, and I couldn’t say one way or another if it would be right for you without an exam. Or are you suggesting to use SMP on your face? I’m confused…