Von Sander - The Beardmen Are there bald spots in your beard but you would still like to get a full beard? Bald spots in your beard or irregular beard growth is annoying. It happens to many bearded men. Fortunately there are a number of solutions to promote beard growth or hide bald spots in clever ways. We will discuss the causes of bald spots in your beard and provide tips to promote beard growth and hide these spots.
Causes of bald patches or uneven beard growth
Bald spots, uneven beard growth or irregular beard growth are common among many men, but what exactly causes them? Here’s the thing: uneven or irregular beard growth is often temporary. Not everyone has the genes to have a full beard in no time. But what about bald spots? These can have several causes:
- Alopecia areata: this is a condition that can impede healthy beard growth or facial hair. We explain how this works below.
- Scars: did you ever fall on your face as a small child? In some cases, the hair follicles or hair roots are damaged, preventing beard growth.
- Hair loss: hair loss occurs in older men or when you are under a lot of stress.
- No beard growth: you may have no hair follicles here. These become permanent bald patches. And yes, this is irksome!
There are other conditions but the Beard Man does not have the expertise to tell you about these. If you think any of the above causes do not apply to you, we recommend consulting an expert.
Alopecia areata beard
Did you suddenly experience bald patches? The autoimmune disease alopecia areata could be the problem. According to the Home Doctor, 2 in 100 people suffer from alopecia areata. The bald patches are often round and oval and hair loss may occur on the sides. This is a bothersome condition. In half of men, the hair grows back within a year, but in the worst case, it never comes back. Sadly, there are no good treatments for alopecia (including anti-inflammatories).
I would love to give you more information about this condition, but my blog is not the place for that. For medical advice, consult a credible medical website. If you think that alopecia areata is the cause of your bald spot, visit a doctor.
Can bald spots grow back?
This varies from beard to beard. If you suffer from the condition alopecia areata, your beard hair might come back. Bald spots can be temporary, but sometimes not. The first step is to find out the cause/disorder with an expert. I recommend visiting a hair specialist in the first instance. They can best assess your situation and answer this question better.
TIP FROM
THE BEARDMAN
Consult a hair specialist or doctor who is not commercial. Chances are that a ‘hair specialist’ who sells hair implants will want to sell to you, too..
Do’s: Tips to fix bald spots
Time to do something about those bald patches or uneven beard growth. With bald patches, it is often more difficult to fix/get your beard growth back. Still, there are some things you can do to hide the bald spots. Let’s start with the easiest one: trimming.
- Trimming lines: do you experience bald spots on the cheeks or near the neck? You could trim the beard line slightly lower (cheeks) or higher (neck) with a good beard trimmer. However, it is important to keep these lines trimmed daily or once every two days, as beard hair grows back quickly.
- Longer beard hair: are the bald spots on your chin or neck? Trim in a way that the long beard hair falls over the bald spot.
Healthy lifestyle
No, a healthy lifestyle won’t make you suddenly show up with an epic beard. But your diet, how much you sleep and the amount of stress you are under can have an impact on beard growth. Proper beard care is also part of this. It is important that the hair follicles get the right nutrients to achieve hair growth. You do this by eating healthy food, providing the underlying skin with natural beard care and ensuring good blood flow. A good facial massage can’t hurt.
‘Three-day beard’
In the male world, a stubble or short beard is also known as a ‘three-day beard’. You trim the beard hair once every 3 – 5 days. It is more like stubble, but with short beard hairs the bald spots are less noticeable. Would you still like a fuller beard? Consider beard transplantation.
Beard transplant
Hair transplantation or beard transplantation is not just any old thing. It is a big investment, which is why many men choose to have it done abroad. In a hair transplant, head or neck hair is used to fill the bald spots. Can you trim and touch up the new hair? Certainly, as it is the hair follicles that are relocated.
Don’ts: what we don’t advise you to do
The Beard Man totally understands: you don’t want to give up your masculinity. You’ve worked hard for your beard or just want to grow a nice one. Bald spots in your beard are distracting and, in desperation, many men reach for pills or anti-inflammatories from manufacturers promising better.
Don’t do this! The truth is hard: with permanent bald spots, there are no miracle cures. If a fuller beard is really important, then hair implantation is pretty much the only solution.
What can I do about uneven beard growth?
With uneven beard growth, certain beard hair grows faster than the rest of the facial hair. This is troublesome, but not nearly so as bald patches. The best thing to do in case of uneven beard growth is to stimulate beard growth. Beard growth stimulation products abound in the UK market, and you can find them in online shops and your local drug store.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find the frequently asked questions below. Is your question not listed? Then read our blog or contact The Beard Man.
This can have various causes, for example: scars, hair loss in old age or due to stress, simply because there are no hair follicles or because of the condition alopecia areata.
With longer beard hair, you can cover the bald spots. It is important to trim the hair properly. Stimulating beard growth can help with this if you do not yet have long hair.
Unfortunately, few treatments or remedies have been proven to work. Some men are lucky: the beard hair comes back on their own. In half of men, it does not.