The strange fashion of beard transplants

Beard transplants were “almost unknown until the early 2000s, but this is changing rapidly – particularly in the UK, where the phenomenon seems to be associated with the” Prince William effect “and the need to be” taken more seriously and seem masculus. “

According to data from the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery cited by, the number of beard transplants Made around the world, it has “increased radically,” quadrupled in the last 20 years.

The potential patients of this procedure, almost unknown until the beginning of this century, apparently seek a “more masculine look” – and seems not enough.

Every year, about 200,000 British perform a hair transplant, says, and worldwide the hair loss industry is evaluated in “More than 20 billion dollars“.

Hair loss is a significant concern For many people around the world, affecting emotional well-being and quality of life.

But what explains that this concern is now extending to the face – and what is the source of the strange phenomenon of beard transplant fashion? What do men with facial hair have so exciting?

William effect

In the 1990s, most famous actors, sportsmen and men’s celebrities tended to appear in public with a beard.

In the early 2000s, however, celebrities like the actor George Clooney and the footballer David Beckham They helped bring the bearded look to Ribatla, says The I Paper.

Second Manish MittalCapillary Transplant Surgeon in London, the beard transplant requests increased significantly from 2019Its customers – especially men in their 30s – “they want to be taken more seriously and look into mascular“Says the surgeon.

One published in 2016 in Journal of Evolutionary Biology concluded that men with facial hair were considered more attractive than your peers with beard to do.

“Maybe because The beard gives the face more definition on the jaw line and improves age and masculinity perceptions“Human behavioral ecologist told Barnaby DixsonAuthor of the study.

Last year, the Principe William It appeared in public with beard. According to, the bold look “became so popular with fans of royalty that they actually regretted that he had shaped again.”

However, the ephemeral look Bearded from the British crown heir inspired other men to copy his look.

A clinic in Istanbul said he made 200% more beard transplants, which his co -founder dubbed the “Prince William effect.” “They think it has a robust and male aspect,” he said

Murat Alsacfounder of a Turkish Capillary Transplant Clinic in Istanbul, told the number of shaving requests tripled since William decided to try How would it be bearded.

More than Prince William, however, seems to have been a infamous Coronavirus to give impetus to the fashion of bearded faces. Second, the “wider outbreak of pogonophilia (Love for the beard) ”In the last decade has been stimulated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the British newspaper, the confinements created a fatal combination of TEMPO FREE AND MONEY IN THE WALKaggravated by endless hours of videochamadas who sparked the wave of aesthetic adjustments with larger and fuller beards.

But this growing demand Created a minefieldsays the British newspaper. Sites and accounts on social networks hide “dubious practices”, and in the United Kingdom there is no formally recognized or law that prevents the procedure to be performed by unqualified technicians.

Indeed, the beard transplants They are more complex than hair transplants: surgeons use a needle to pull hair – Usually on the back of the head, where the hair is thicker – to insert it in the face through small cuts on the skinexplica o The Guardian.

The face is full of nerves, and the hair of the head is thinner than those on the face, requiring a careful mixture to get a uniform aspect. Occasionally, the procedure runs badly. It is possible to reverse the situation, but transplant reversal may cause scars on the face.

On the face, the risks are bigger. Of course, to plug the damage, just let the beard grow again… or make a new transplant.