BHT is used primarily in cases where the scalp donor area is not suitable (inadequate scalp donor hair or large recipient (bald) area on head).
There is always difference in texture and thickness of body hairs from scalp hairs.
Scalp is always the first choice for scalp hair transplant (same colour, texture and growth) but when scalp donor hairs are inadequate then we consider for body hairs.
Body hairs are usually single hair graft and there angle of exit with skin is different from scalp hair. The roots are fine & thin and there is lot of soft tissue beneath without any bony support as compare to scalp hairs. So harvesting of body hair is technical demanding procedure.
The technique used is automated FUE, need punches specially customized for body hair extraction. It requires special attention and skill to extract the intact and well supported tissue graft from the body hairs.
ADVANTAGE OF BHT
1. High grade baldness where adequate scalp donor hairs are not available.
2. Can be used in combination with FUE/FUT hair transplantation to add density.
3. For eyebrow and temporal area transplantation.
The most common use of body hair as donor site is when traditional donor scalp hairs supply is exhausted. Body hair is an excellent filler to increase the density.
DONOR SITES IN BODY HAIR TRANSPLANT
Beard
Chest
Legs
Pubic areas
Under arms (axilla)
Back
LIMITATION OF BHT PROCEDURE
1. Slightly different nature of body hair than the scalp hair.
2. The necessity to anesthetize the extensive donor area.
3. Long and tedious procedure due to different exit angle of hairs.
4. Body hairs are thin and mostly single hair grafts, also take more time to grow.
5. The follicles are often in the more bulky soft tissue with less bony support. Some of the Body Hairs are not strong shafted to facilitate easy extraction.
6. Hypopigmentation or hyperpigmentation of the donor site.
7. Less yield in terms of number of hairs.
8. Body hair often has a much lower diameter than the hair on your head. Body hairs often grow alone, so this generally means single hair grafts. Body hair takes longer time to grow.