Beard Transplants Probably Aren’t a Real Thing, Are They?
Well, let’s re-phrase. “Facial hair transplants” are real, sure, but are they a bona fide trend? One that has much (or anything) to do with Brooklyn? DNAinfo seems to think so, and spoke with a number of plastic surgeons who claim to have seen an uptick in the procedure in recent years.
“Whether they’re filling in a few gaps or doing a complete beard construction, New York City doctors who specialize in the procedure said they’re seeing a growing number of men paying as much as $7,000 to pump up their beards,” says the site, and one doctor offered up this sound bite: “Whether you are talking about the Brooklyn hipster or the advertising executive, the look is definitely to have a bit of facial hair.” It’s the “hip” and “fashionable” thing to do, according to people who make thousands of dollars off the procedure.
More interesting, I think, was their list of other demographics that tend to seek out beard transplants:
“In addition to beardless hipsters, doctors said their clients include men who have struggled since adolescence to grow a beard, those undergoing a gender transition from female to male, men with with facial scarring and Hasidic Jews who hope to achieve denser payot, or sidelocks.”
Makes enough sense, and I’d suspect that those people make up a higher percentage of beard transplant recipients than anyone who’s losing sleep over a face that doesn’t look Brooklyn-y enough, but who knows. For now, we’ll just consider this a friendly reminder that if you’re looking to spend more than most people make in two months to have hair ripped out of your head (or chest!!) and implanted in your face, that option is available to you.
Follow Virginia K. Smith on Twitter @vksmith.
