Beard Transplant

Beard Transplant in London

A lot of men struggle to grow a beard, moustache or sideburns. A beard transplant (also known as a facial hair transplant) aims to restore the areas of the beard to make them thicker and denser as well as provide shape to areas such as the goatee.

At Harley Street Hair Transplant Clinics London, we use the FUE method to perform beard transplants for our patients. This method allows us to extract and implant single (for shaping) and double (for density) follicular units into the beard taking into account the angle, direction and spacing to follow the natural path of the existing follicles so that a natural result is achieved.

Patients seek beard transplants for many different reasons. Some have naturally sparse or uneven beard growth due to genetics, while others experience patchiness caused by scarring, previous skin conditions, or trauma. There are also patients that have a beard transplant as part of their gender transition from female to male. Beard transplants can also be used to reconstruct specific areas such as the jawline, cheeks, moustache, or sideburns, depending on the desired beard style.

If you’re concerned about facial hair loss, here’s some helpful information to help you regain your confidence via a beard transplant in London.

What is a Beard Transplant?

Put simply, a beard transplant is a facial hair restoration procedure that works by transplanting your own hair (from other areas of your body namely the back of your scalp), and implanting them into the affected area. A beard transplant is a clinically proven method to treat hair loss in your beard and moustache areas of your face.

How Does it Work?

Firstly the beard design is done by one of our surgeons and is signed off by you. Your donor area (back and sides of your head) is then shaven and numbed using local anaesthetic. You are then lay flat on a bed facing down whilst the surgeon extract the hair follicles from your donor area. This is if you are having the FUE procedure done. If you are having an FUT procedure done, there is no need to shave the donor area as the surgeon will excise a strip of skin and then suture it up.

Then whilst our team of technicians prepare the grafts, our surgeon will be numbing the beard area and making lots of tiny incisions where the extracted hairs will go into. Our team of highly skilled technicians will then use specialist forceps to implant the extracted grafts to create a thicker looking beard.

Beard Transplant Benefits

• Increase your beard density naturally
• Have a more defined jawline with your new beard design
• Create more beard styling options like a goatee
• Simple, low-risk 1 day procedure
• High success rates of 97%+ from our experienced surgical team

How Much Does a Beard Transplant Cost?

Our beard transplant costs start at £3,000 for very small areas. The majority of our beard transplants for medium areas range from £5,000 – £6,000 and with larger areas costing between £6,500 – £7,000. We base our prices on rough graft numbers and more on surface area size because, in our experience, graft numbers hardly ever come out as rounded figures.

You can find out about beard transplant costs and graft costs on our beard transplant pricing page

Who Is and Isn’t a Good Candidate for a Beard Transplant

Patients that come to us and after an assessment we determine that they are good candidates for a beard transplant usually have the following:

• Have patchy or uneven beard growth due to genetics
• Want to increase overall beard density
• Wish to restore a defined jawline, cheek area, or moustache
• Have facial scars from acne, injury, or surgery that they want to camouflage
• Are seeking a permanent solution rather than temporary fixes
• Have a good donor area supply and realistic expectations of what a beard transplant can and can’t achieve

The above characteristics in patients are typically ones that we would say they are a good candidate for a beard transplant surgery.

A beard transplant is not always appropriate or possible. The following features are ones that we deem are not suitable for a beard transplant:

• Active alopecia barbae or alopecia areata (autoimmune hair loss) may affect transplant success. In these cases, transplantation is usually deferred until the condition is stable and carefully assessed.
• Ongoing inflammatory skin conditions affecting the face may require treatment before surgery.
• Patients with insufficient donor hair may not achieve the desired density.

In the above cases, not only is a hair transplant not advisable, it’s not possible because it will not produce a result that will be satisfactory to the patient.

How Many Grafts Are Needed for a Beard Transplant?

The number of grafts required for a beard transplant depends on the desired beard style, facial area coverage, and existing hair density. Each treatment is personalised based on your facial contours and growth patterns. You can use our handy beard graft calculator to see how many grafts you would need.

A full beard restoration typically needs between 2,500 and 3,000+ grafts. This option suits men with little to no natural beard growth who want uniform coverage across the cheeks, jawline, chin, moustache, and neckline.

A goatee and moustache transplant generally requires 1,200 to 1,800 grafts. This focuses on central facial hair, creating strong definition around the chin and upper lip for a classic or mature masculine appearance.

For sideburn-only transplants, around 400 to 600 grafts are sufficient. This is ideal for men who have thinning sideburns due to genetics, laser treatments, or surgical scars and want to restore connection with scalp hair.

Patch repair treatments target specific gaps and use 300 to 800 grafts, depending on the size and location of the area. This method enhances density without altering the overall beard shape.

Beard Design Principles

Successful beard transplants that look natural and patients are happy with the outcome depend on more than just graft numbers. They require hair direction, angle, density planning for each facial zone. Also, beard hair grows differently from scalp hair, which is why facial hair restoration demands a tailored design approach.

During surgery, grafts are implanted as follows to mimic natural beard growth:

• Cheek hair grows outward and slightly downward
• Jawline hair follows a curved, downward trajectory
• Chin hair grows more vertically and at higher density
• Moustache hair grows laterally and downward toward the lip

Single hair grafts are used in high visibility areas such as the moustache, goatee edges, and cheek borders to maintain a soft, natural appearance. Multi hair grafts are used in broader zones like the cheeks, jawline, and chin to build volume and density.

Hair texture, curl pattern, and colour are matched to existing facial hair to ensure seamless blending. Subtle irregularities are intentionally incorporated, as natural beards are never perfectly symmetrical.

Beard Transplant Aftercare

Patient aftercare is an important part of a beard transplant. The first 2 weeks are the most critical as this period is when the newly transplanted grafts and donor area are both healing. We provide aftercare instructions before the day of surgery via a form to fill out and receive a copy of, on the day of surgery by our doctor as well post surgery in the form of an aftercare portal that has the instructions written down as well as a series of videos to explain things in a visual manner.

We also provide you with an aftercare kit to take home with you that contains:

• Saline Spray
• Travel Pillow
• Gauze
• Antibiotics
• Paracetamol
• Shampoo
• Inco sheets

We are also available for any questions that you may have post surgery and we also send out messages to patients to book in their aftercare appointments at the 2 week stage, 3, 6 and 12 month stages to assess healing and growth.

The Recovery Process Timeline

During the first 72 hours, mild redness and swelling often appear around the implanted and donor areas. These symptoms are part of the normal inflammatory response as well as the local anaesthetic injections. Swelling can take 2-5 days to subside.

Between days 4 and 7, small crusts form around each implanted follicle. These scabs are part of the healing process and will naturally fall off. Patients are advised to avoid scratching, rubbing, or washing aggressively, as this can dislodge newly implanted grafts.

From week 2 to week 3, the transplanted beard hairs begin to shed. This phase—known as “shock loss”—is expected and temporary. The follicles enter a resting (telogen) phase before restarting active growth, indicating successful implantation.

Between months 2 and 4, new beard hairs emerge. Early regrowth often appears fine, straight, or slightly curled, but improves in both texture and density as the growth cycle progresses. This stage marks the beginning of visible results.

Between months 6 and 9, beard density increases significantly. Transplanted hairs begin to blend more naturally with existing facial hair, and the beard becomes fuller and more uniform in direction and coverage.

Final results are achieved between months 12 and 14. At this stage, patients see complete follicle maturation, stable hair growth, consistent texture, and proper direction. The beard can be trimmed, shaped, and maintained like natural facial hair.

Where is the Clinic Located

You can find us on Harley street in London. The address is:

1-7 Harley Street,
London,
W1G 9QD

We are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 8pm and Saturday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Appointment bookings are necessary as we don’t offer any walk-in appointments.