Men typically retain hair at the back of the scalp. Hair is taken from here and becomes the donor area. It takes one sitting  — 6-8 hours — to transplant 1,000-2,000 receptors using a technique called Follicular unit extraction

We have all heard of hair transplant. There are many who have benefitted from this transplant surgery. But did you know that the latest trend in transplant surgery is beard hair transplant. Yes, you read that correctly. Beard hair transplant is a growing cosmetic trend that has caught the imagination of all those people who want to support one but have not been able to do it for several reasons like lack facial hair growth or even to cover burns or wounds or even to look more mature.

Dr Debraj Shome, director with The Esthetic Clinics who have consultation services in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Delhi, whose super speciality is in facial plastic surgery and facial cosmetic surgery. he tells you that these two are nouve upcoming fields in India. “Beard hair transplant is specifically is a mechanism where we take scalp hair and transplant it in the are of the beard to create a more a groomed and better looking set of facial hair which has transform the way men look,” Shome says.

He tells you that there was a time when sporting a beard was considered to be uncouth. But today, the icons have beards — be it a Ranveer Singh or a Virat Kohli. “These guy are probably more popular than the clean-shaven ones. This motivates the people to sport a beard. A beard makes a face appear to be squarish and gives the jaw a definition. It also hides a double chin or facial fat. A beard gives an aura of what has been hardwired into our brains — that it is an indictor of increased testosterone right from the times of the Vikings,” Shome tells you.

He doesn’t agree that we follow the celebs outside of the country. “Beckham always had a two-three day stubble. But that didn’t things in India. Things in the country changed when Virat Kohli specially sported one the other teammates followed. India is still looking for Indians as heroes. Our skin colour and the way we look is different. Given that Ranveer Singh and Virat Kohli are sporting one, the recognition that the beard can could support Indian features took root,” Shome explains.

For people may not have a full grown beard or have gaps. Some may want a beard till the laugh lines. As a result, a strip of hair is taken from the scalp and transplant it in the area where required. He tells you that the beard hair transplant works in the same way it works for hair transplant.

“Men typically retain hair at the back of the scalp. Hair is taken from here and becomes the donor area. It takes one sitting  — 6-8 hours — to transplant 1,000-2,000 receptors using a technique called Follicular unit extraction (no scar technique). The cost of a typical procedure would range between Rs 30,000 to a couple of lakhs depending on the procedure and the clinic,” Shome says.

He tells you that before a person goes for a transplant there are a few things to check. Check the credentials of the clinic, check the qualifications of the surgeon, check the after procedure services provided, check the success rate of the surgeon and what recourse the clinic has in case of any emergency and compare prices.

The procedure starts with a medical consent form to be filled by the client which mentions everything. “Any procedure can have a side effect. The consent form is very detailed. As a surgeon, I tell my patient that there can be an infection, that not all hair follicles may take root, the texture of the hair may be different since scalp hair is different from facial hair, it may take six months to a year for full beard growth and the trimming cycle may be different,” Shome says.