Sideburn transplant
A sideburn transplant places 200–350 grafts per side into the transition zone where the temple hairline meets the beard, at a very flat 10–15 degree angle.
- Procedure time
- 2–4 hours
- Anaesthesia
- Local anaesthetic
- Recovery
- 7–10 days of crusting · no razor for 10 days
- Sessions
- One session
- How long it lasts
- Permanent; result settles at 9–12 months
The sideburn is where two regions meet
A sideburn is neither scalp hair nor beard. It is the transition that joins the temple hairline to the cheek line of the beard, which is why it is never planned on its own but always with both neighbours.
Hair leaves the skin very flat here — 10–15 degrees — and points downward. At the upper end it has to agree with the direction of the temple hair, at the lower end with the direction of the beard, and the change between the two is built gradually.
A sideburn also changes facial proportion. On a long, narrow face, widening it balances the proportions; on a short, broad face, the same width makes the face look broader still.
Graft budget and design
The typical range is 200–350 grafts per side. The area is small, but the tolerance for asymmetry is low: a few millimetres of difference between the two sides is visible.
The sideburn border is measured and drawn on both sides before the procedure and approved with you: length (how far down it comes relative to the ear), width, and the shape of the lower end.
- One side — 200–350 grafts
- Both sides together — 400–700 grafts
- Junction with the hairline only — 100–200 grafts
- Single-hair units at the outer border; limited two-hair units in the interior
The day of the operation
Because the graft count is low the procedure takes 2–4 hours, under local anaesthetic.
Work is done between the existing hairs at the temple, with channels opened so as not to damage the follicles already there. That is the stage that extends the day regardless of how few grafts are involved.
Recovery timeline
Crusts come away in 7–10 days. No razor or clipper during that period; the first wash is done at the clinic the next day.
The transplanted hairs shed in weeks 2–4 and start growing from month 3. Final density settles at 9–12 months.
- Days 0–3 — redness and mild swelling
- Days 7–10 — crusts come away
- After day 10 — tidying with scissors
- Weeks 2–4 — shock loss
- End of month 1 — shaving with a razor
- Month 3 — regrowth begins
- Months 9–12 — final density
What decides the result
Symmetry and transition. The sideburn is a small area seen on both sides of the face at once; asymmetry here is more noticeable than a gap anywhere else in the beard.
The second factor is the future of your temple hair. If the hairline is receding, an upper border that sits correctly today can be left stranded within a few years. In a patient whose loss pattern has not settled, the sideburn border is therefore kept conservative.
Who this is not for, and what not to expect
The sideburn moves with the hairline. A wide border drawn while temple recession is still progressing becomes an island disconnected from the hair within a few years.
Faces are not naturally symmetrical. The aim is a balance that is not noticeable in the mirror, not mathematical equality — and we will not promise the second.
- Insufficient donor density — grafts used here come off the scalp budget; no procedure without planning both
- Unsettled pattern of loss — the sideburn border is not placed aggressively
- Active folliculitis or infection in the temple or cheek area — no operation until it is treated
- Scarring (cicatricial) alopecia — no transplant while the disease is active; dermatology assessment required
- History of keloid — a transplant is generally not recommended, because facial scars stay visible
- Uncontrolled bleeding disorder or anticoagulant use — not performed without a haematology assessment
- Expectation of exact symmetry — the two sides are balanced, they cannot be made identical
This page is general information and does not replace a clinical examination. The method, dose and timescale that apply to you are decided by a doctor after examining you.
Frequently asked questions
How many grafts does a sideburn transplant need?
Can it be done in the same session as a hair transplant?
Does a sideburn transplant leave scars?
Will the two sides be symmetrical?
Does transplanted sideburn hair keep growing?
Pre-assessment
Describe your situation and we will answer with a measurement
Send a photograph or an X-ray. A doctor in the relevant speciality will reply with a graft range, a number of teeth or a dose range in units. If you are not suitable, we say so plainly.