Beard Hair as a Source

RickH

I haven't heard Dr Cole weigh in on beard hair as a source to pull from. I am only interested in it as a source for filling in my three strip scars. The thickness of beard hair seems to suggest it has a better chance of surviving and giving coverage...but, things aren't always as they seem. Very Happy

Dr Cole, what's your position on using beard hair for filling in strip scars?

Thanks.

forhair

Interesting question, i will get Dr. Cole to answer this questions today or tomorrow...

Jessica

It sounds like you have been doing some research! Good job. Very Happy

I agree with you that beard hair would be a good donor source for filling in strip scars. It is generally thick, coarse, and would probably provide more coverage than thinner, finer body hairs.

But, scalp hair is much more proven and predictable. Do you have limitations on your scalp donor reserves? It might be better to graft your strip scars by harvesting scalp hairs via FIT and then transplanting them to the scars, like this patient: http://www.forhair.com/hairtransplant/topic378.html

If your scalp donor area is depleted, then beard hair would probably be a good option. If you like, you can post your pictures here or submit your pictures for a virtual consultation. That way, Dr. Cole can see exactally what you need.

RickH

Yes, Jessica, I'm a research nerd. Wink

I've had a few strip surgeries, totaling about 3000 grafts, I think. The last one was actually done by Dr Cole a few years ago, and he did a great job of improving (narrowing, flattening) my main strip scar. He said at the time that I do still have some donor hair left, but I prefer to save it for filling in my top, crown, and, if any hair is left, thickening up my front - all of which I intend to do as soon as I can make my scars presentable enough to get by with the buzzed cut. Embarassed

I have three strip scars total, none of them "bad." I have no shortage of body hair to pull from, but I obviously want to get the best coverage I can from the hair I use. Thus, my beard hair question.

Taking pictures of my scars is a bit of a problem for me. I haven't been able to manage taking good photos of the back of my head (I've tried), and I have no one who knows my secret who can assist me. I'll probably have to set up a real live consultation in GA and drive on down there. For now, I'm just curious what Dr Cole's position is on beard hair.

Thanks. Smile

drcole

we've used beard hair before. it is very easy to remove. it heals well. it is quite coarse and grows out coarse. we do not have any clinical trials yet that have evaluated it's yeild. i have not seen any facial scarring from beard hair removal yet and it seems to heal quite quickly.

RickH

That less-than-ringing endorsement of beard hair is enough to scare me away from using it. I keep hearing about its coarseness, and I always picture that scene from The Fly where Jeff Goldbloom's hair has become so wirey that it can barely be cut! Yikes!

I suppose I was thinking that, since my beard hair isn't as coarse as that of some guys', and since hair growing in scar tissue may not regain its previous robustness (sp?), that the beard hair may take on properties very similar to my scalp hair. Sounds like that's not the case.

To quote the great philosopher Ted, "Whoa. Bummer."

ninedonealready

Its hard to tell from Dr. Cole's response about beard hair if it is a viable option or not?

Does is it coarseness and thickness limit its usefulness?

Is there too much contrast between beard hair and head hair that it becomes noticable?

Does it depend on how long the patient wears his hair?

Does it depend on the area? Donor scars? Crown?