Body Hair Transplants: Using Beard and Chest Hair When Donor Hair is Depleted with Dr Gary Petrus

For some patients, the hair needed for a transplant may already be growing in their beard or chest. In this episode of **Above the Hairline**, Nate and Alec welcome **Dr. Gary Petrus**, medical director of the Hair Restoration Institute of Minnesota, to explain body hair transplantation. They discuss when it can help patients with limited scalp donor hair, how beard and chest grafts differ from scalp hair, and why placement, surgeon experience, and realistic expectations matter. The conversation also goes in the other direction: using scalp hair to restore **beards, mustaches, and eyebrows**. Dr. Petrus explains the importance of hair angle and direction, surgical risks, and the ongoing trimming that eyebrow transplant patients should expect. Plus: the emotional impact of hair loss, the evidence for **microneedling and platelet-rich plasma (PRP)**, and why **minoxidil alone** works better for some people than others. Considering hair restoration? Book a free consultation with HRI, available in person in Bloomington, Minnesota, or online. Traveling for treatment? Explore HRI’s Hair by Air program. Articles and research discussed: - Nathan Bruschi’s Star Tribune op-ed: “Why hair restoration isn’t just vanity — it’s self-care” - The psychological consequences of androgenetic alopecia: A systematic review - Microneedling plus minoxidil: The 2013 randomized pilot study - “Every needling is not microneedling” (2019) - PRP injections versus PRP applied with microneedling: The 2025 clinical trial - PRP alone versus PRP with microneedling: The 60-patient randomized study (2022) - Predicting topical minoxidil response with a SULT1A1 enzyme assay (2014) Read more hair restoration articles from HRI. Episode chapters: 00:00 Body hair and the donor supply problem 02:22 Your donor hair “bank account” 04:27 Dr. Petrus explains body hair transplantation 06:23 Which body areas can supply donor hair? 07:38 Beard hair: density, placement, and challenges 12:51 Chest and abdominal hair 14:49 Does transplanted body hair change texture? 16:06 Extraction, anesthesia, and healing 19:58 Beard, mustache, and eyebrow transplants 25:29 Traveling to Minnesota with Hair by Air 26:45 Key takeaways from Dr. Petrus 31:06 Hair restoration, confidence, and self-care 32:37 Microneedling and PRP: What does the research show? 39:56 Minoxidil without finasteride 44:10 Donor supply planning and final thoughts Follow **Above the Hairline** for practical conversations about hair loss, hair transplants, and nonsurgical hair restoration.