What is a Sideburn Transplant?
Sideburn hair transplant restores hair growth on the sides of the face. After the patient communicates their aesthetic goals and expectations, the surgeon draws the initial design.
They can make adjustments to it according to your needs. Usually, the donor site for facial hair transplants is the back/sides of the scalp.
Here too, the surgeon will extract follicular units from the back/sides of the scalp. In most cases, the FUE technique is used to restore hair in the sideburns.
The surgeon will make sure that the thickness, texture and colour of the scalp hair closely match the facial hair.
Moreover, for natural-looking results, they will take the angle, direction, and hair growth pattern of the hair grafts into consideration.
Some people struggle to grow sideburns or side whiskers: the strip of facial hair parallel to their ears.
Men style it to enhance their masculine aesthetics. However, some cannot grow them completely or have sparse, patchy, and uneven hair in their side whiskers.
To ensure permanent, even hair growth in that area, they can undergo a sideburn hair transplant.
What Is The Cost Of Sideburn Restoration?
Many people experiencing permanent hair loss are unable to get a sideburn transplant because of the high costs, which depend on the area where they live and the total number of hair grafts needed for the surgery.
And so, many people become medical tourists because the cost of sideburn transplants in Turkey can be 3 times less than in the UK or Europe.
The currency exchange rates make the surgery even more affordable. In addition, the price of the procedure doesn’t change depending on the number of grafts the patient needs for their sideburns.
Additionally, hotel accommodation, translators, transfer, and aftercare services are included in the total cost.
Who Can Have Sideburn Transplant Surgery & Why?
You are a suitable candidate for sideburn restoration surgery if you:
- Suffer from facial scarring due to burns, injury, or physical trauma.
- Have acne scars in the sideburn area.
- Are left with surgical scars from a facelift. It is more common among women who hesitate to put their hair up because of the absence of sideburns after surgery.
- Have permanent scars from laser hair removal treatment.
- Experienced recession or permanent loss of hair in the sideburns due to traction alopecia from tight braids or ponytails.
- Had irreversible hair loss because of chemotherapy.
- Have frontal fibrosing alopecia.
- Have alopecia barbae, a form of alopecia areata.
What To Think About Before You Have Sideburn Restoration Surgery?
Before choosing a surgeon for your sideburn transplant surgery, you need to ask the following questions:
- What are the qualifications, experience, and training of the surgeon?
- What is the specialisation of the surgeon?
- How many sideburn restoration surgeries have they performed? For how long?
- What are the overall complication rates of the surgeon?
- What complications have previous patients experienced, and how did the surgeon deal with them?
- Why is the surgeon recommending this treatment option to me, and are there any alternatives?
- If something goes wrong with my sideburn transplant, what kind of follow-up can I expect from the surgeon?
Preparing for Sideburn Hair Restoration
To prepare for your surgery, here are some common pre-operative do’s and don’ts:
Do...
- Inform us about your routine medications and any diseases. Don't forget to inform us of any changes to your health or medications
- Inform us at least 1 week prior to your arrival if you have any redness, rash, itchiness, pimples or dandruff on your head
- Stop taking Asprin, blood thinners, steroids or anti-inflammatory medications 1 week prior to your procedure
- Stop using Minoxidil or Finasteride for 1 week prior to surgery
- Wear a buttoned shirt or zipper top when coming to the clinic
- Remove any sprays, gels or cosmetics prior to coming to the clinic
- Take all your regular medications as normal, except for the ones we asked you to stop
- Stop taking blood thinners 2 weeks before the surgery
- If you are taking broad beta-blockers please contact your surgeon before your surgery
Don't...
- Don't smoke, drink alcohol or do any recreational drugs at least 1 week before the surgery.
- Don't take vitamin B and E for 1 week before your procedure
- Don't take any herbal products or vitamins for 1 week prior to surgery
- Don't cut your hair - leave it as long as possible as it makes planning for the procedure easier. If you are wearing a hair system, remove it 3 days prior to your procedure
- Don't wear a t-shirt or any clothing that must be pulled over your head
- Don't drive on the day of your treatment. You will be given a sedative and will not be fit to drive afterwards
- Don't take any supplements 1 week before your hair transplant
Please note: Cardiac patients may need written consent from their cardiologist.
What Is The Procedure For Sideburn Hair Transplant?
First and foremost, the surgeon will assess the donor area for hair whose characteristics are most similar to your facial hair.
After identifying that, they will shave it. This is followed by the administration of local anaesthesia so that you don’t feel pain during the sideburn transplant.
A motorized punch tool makes incisions in the skin around the hair grafts in the donor area.
These grafts are extracted using forceps and then stored in a saline solution to ensure their survival. After the extraction, the surgeon makes micro-incisions in the sideburn area.
Smaller incisions ensure that the hair grafts don’t shift as much during the recovery process. This will help in the retention of the natural angle of hair growth.
The density of transplanted hair varies in different regions of the sideburn; it is higher in the centre.
The surgeon will take this into consideration during the implantation process of this hair restoration surgery.
Usually, sideburn transplants take 2 hours for both sides. However, surgical time can vary between patients depending on their aesthetic goals and the number of hair grafts needed.
Recovery And Results
Sideburn restoration is an outpatient surgery. You will have bandages on the donor site, which the surgeon will change in the follow-up appointment the next day.
Meanwhile, rest and be careful around the sideburns. Do not touch or scratch the surgical areas, as it can delay healing.
To deal with the side effects, take antibiotics, painkillers, and anti-swelling medication as prescribed by the doctor.
Your hair may fall a few weeks after the surgery. However, new hair will start growing after 3-4 months. The full results of your sideburn transplant will become visible in 12-18 months.
Aftercare
Make sure that you do not sleep on your sides as it can harm the hair grafts.
Keep your head elevated for a few weeks after the surgery. It will also help reduce swelling.
Avoid hard, chewy foods for at least 2-3 days after the surgery since they can stretch the skin and displace the grafts.
When washing your face, make sure that the product doesn’t come in contact with the transplanted area.
Only wash the sideburns with the special shampoo and lotion given by the surgeon for a month.
Avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight as it can suppress your immunity and make you sweat, increasing the risk of infection.
Other than that, no sauna, gym or pool for at least a month after the surgery.
Alternatives to sideburn Hair Transplants
Some patients are not suitable candidates for sideburn transplants because of thick scarring or poor donor area.
In that case, discuss other treatment options with your doctor, such as oral or topical medications.
Other Procedures to Have with Sideburn Hair Transplants
When getting a sideburn transplant, you can also get a beard and moustache hair transplant.
And to speed up the healing process, you can get platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections. PRP therapy can strengthen the newly transplanted grafts and the surrounding hair.
Frequently asked questions about Sideburn Hair Transplants
You may need around 250-300 hair grafts on each side. However, the number can vary depending on the desired shape and density and graft size.
Yes, the surgeon performing your sideburn transplant has medical liability insurance. The hospital/clinic will also have malpractice policies in place.
In case something happens, you can avail yourself of free consultation services online. You can also call or email the aftercare department.
While you’re in Turkey, your Patient Coordinator can also help coordinate the discussion between you and your surgeon.
If you don’t closely follow the aftercare instructions, there’s a risk of permanent damage to the grafts.
It may happen from an infection in the sideburn area because of smoking, drinking alcohol, poor hygiene, scratching or touching.
After a sideburn restoration, it’s normal to experience the following side effects temporarily:
- Swelling for 1 week
- Bleeding for 2-3 days
- Pain for 3-4 days
- Numbness for 3-4 days
- Itching for 1 week
- Tiny bumps
- Redness
- Folliculitis
