Not everyone can grow a perfect beard. In fact, it's fairly common for men to lack growing powers in certain areas -- and more common than you'd think for such individuals to correct their patches via surgery, DNAinfo reported.
Some individuals are paying as much as $7,000 for facial hair procedures, according to New York City doctors.
"Whether you are talking about the Brooklyn hipster or the advertising executive, the look is definitely to have a bit of facial hair," Dr. Jeffrey Epstein, who's been doing the surgery for over a decade, told DNAinfo.
More specifically, the trend is picking up among 20 and 30 year-olds described as "hip," "fashionable," and "detailed-oriented" and involved in professions related to art and architecture -- men drawn to straight lines and neat edges.
Other types of clients include men with facial scars, women undergoing a sex change, and even Hasidic Jews.
Ironically, one recipient of a transplant said he did it to feel younger, according to DNAinfo.
The upside of the surgery -- for those patient and seeking anonymity -- is that it's a gradual process. Hair is taken from the body (usually the head, but on some rare cases the chest) and arranged as the patient asks (some bring in pictures of celebrities). The original hairs eventually fall out, but their roots remain. Eventually, the layout thickens to a point somewhere between what the customer desires and what is technologically possible.
"It wasn't like 'Wow. What happened to you?' like one day...you dyed your hair," said a patient who only gave his first name, Peter. "Nobody really noticed. It is not a drastic change."
Could Leo have benefited from a transplant on the sides of his face? They're looking a little too clean in "Django Unchained" (which is where my criticism of the actor abruptly ends).
