Dr. Gökay Bilgin, hair transplant surgeon in Istanbul

Written by Dr. Gökay Bilgin, MDHair transplant surgeon · Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine · Co-founder of Smile Hair Clinic (2018) · 5,000+ proceduresLast updated: November 2026 · More about me

Key Takeaways

✓A sideburn transplant moves hair follicles, usually from the back of the scalp, into thin or missing sideburns with FUE. The transplanted hair grows for life.
✓Most patients need about 150–300 grafts per side, mostly single hairs. Rebuilding the temple point at the same time needs more.
✓Sideburn hair lies almost flat and points down and slightly backwards. The sideburn is designed together with the temple above and the beard below.
✓Sideburns lost after a facelift, to scars or to traction are common reasons for a transplant. Frontal fibrosing alopecia must be ruled out first.
✓You can trim with scissors from about two weeks and shave from about one month. The final result takes about a year.

Sideburns are a small area with a large effect. They frame the face between the hairline and the beard, and when they are thin, uneven or missing, the face can look wider, older or simply unfinished. Men notice it when the beard does not connect to the hair; women and men often notice it after a facelift has pulled the sideburn upwards or left a scar in front of the ear.

A sideburn transplant restores that frame with your own hair. On this page I explain why sideburns thin, who a transplant suits, how many grafts you need, how I design the sideburn together with the temple and the beard, how it is done, what to expect after a facelift or with scars, when you can shave and what it costs. If you are also thinking about the rest of the beard, my beard transplant page covers every zone. For the brows, see my eyebrow transplant page; every area is compared on my hair transplant treatments page.

What Is a Sideburn Transplant?

A sideburn transplant is a hair transplant into the area in front of the ears, between the scalp hair at the temple and the beard on the cheek. Follicular units are taken one by one with FUE, usually from the back of the scalp, and placed at the low angle and direction of natural sideburn hair. Once they have grown in, they behave like the rest of your hair or beard: you can trim, shape and shave them.

It can be done on its own or together with a beard, moustache or hairline transplant in one operation. In this short video I explain what a beard transplant is; the sideburns are one of its zones.

Video: Dr. Gökay Bilgin explains beard transplant, including the sideburns.

Why Sideburns Thin or Disappear

The cause decides whether a transplant will last, so I start there:

Naturally thin or patchy sideburnsWhat it meansGenetics; often together with a patchy beard.What I doA transplant, often planned with the beard.
Pattern hair loss at the templesWhat it meansThe temple recedes and the sideburn thins from above.What I doPlan the temple and sideburn together, with your long-term hair loss in mind.
After a faceliftWhat it meansThe sideburn is pulled up or removed, or a scar runs in front of the ear.What I doUsually an excellent indication once the scar has matured.
Scars, burns, injuriesWhat it meansHair does not grow in scar tissue.What I doGrafts into stable scars, sometimes in two sessions.
TractionWhat it meansLoss from tight hairstyles, glasses or helmets pressing in the same place for years.What I doRemove the cause first; long-standing loss can be transplanted.
Frontal fibrosing alopeciaWhat it meansA scarring hair loss that can start at the hairline, sideburns and beard.What I doDermatology diagnosis first. Surgery only if it is inactive, if at all.
Alopecia areataWhat it meansPatchy, autoimmune hair loss.What I doNot treated with a transplant while active.

Frontal fibrosing alopecia deserves a special mention. It is a scarring condition that, especially in men, often involves the sideburns and beard early on. A sideburn that recedes together with the hairline and eyebrows, with smooth skin and no follicle openings, needs a dermatologist’s assessment before any surgery.

Who Is a Good Candidate for a Sideburn Transplant?

Usually a good fit

  • Men whose sideburns are thin, patchy or do not connect the hair to the beard.
  • Men and women whose sideburns were lifted, thinned or scarred by a facelift.
  • Scars from injury, burns or surgery in front of the ear.
  • Patients with a strong donor area at the back of the scalp.
  • Patients who also want the temple point or beard line restored.

When it is better to wait or check first

  • Under about 25: facial hair can keep filling in through the early twenties.
  • Active or unexplained hair loss at the hairline, brows or beard, until frontal fibrosing alopecia or alopecia areata has been ruled out.
  • A recent facelift: the scar should mature first, usually for several months.
  • Skin problems in the area, such as active eczema or folliculitis, are treated first.

How Many Grafts Do You Need for a Sideburn Transplant?

Sideburns need far fewer grafts than the scalp. These are typical ranges:

Filling gapsPer side50–150Both sides100–300What it involvesSingle hairs between existing hairs.
Thin or partial sideburnsPer side150–250Both sides300–500What it involvesStrengthening and reshaping the sideburn.
Rebuilding a full sideburnPer side200–300Both sides400–600What it involvesA complete sideburn where little hair is left.
Sideburn plus temple pointPer side300–500Both sides600–1,000What it involvesRestoring the temple and sideburn as one unit.

Ranges for guidance only. Your number depends on your face, your existing hair and the shape we agree.

Most sideburn grafts are single hairs, especially along the front edge, where the sideburn meets the cheek. Two-hair grafts can be used further back, where density is higher. More grafts do not mean a better sideburn: a few hundred well-placed single hairs look more natural than a dense block.

Designing Sideburns and Temples

A sideburn is not a separate patch of hair. It is the link between the temple above and the beard below, and I design all three together:

Temple point (top)Where the hairline turns down towards the ear. If it has receded, restoring it often matters as much as the sideburn itself.
Sideburn (middle)Hairs lie almost flat against the skin and point down and slightly backwards, towards the ear.
Beard junction (bottom)Where the sideburn meets the beard on the cheek. Hairs gradually change direction to follow the beard.
  • Width and length: chosen with you at the mirror, for your face shape and the beard style you want.
  • Front edge: single hairs in an irregular line, so the sideburn does not look drawn on.
  • Symmetry: both sides should match, but I follow your natural asymmetry rather than forcing mirror images.
  • Men and women: men usually want a fuller, straighter sideburn that connects to the beard; women want fine hairs in front of the ear that blend with the hairline.

Where the Sideburn Hair Comes From

The donor hair usually comes from the back of the scalp, which gives permanent, strong follicles. Sideburn hair is a mix between scalp and beard hair, so I choose donor hairs whose thickness and colour match your sideburns and beard. When the scalp hair is very fine or the scalp donor must be saved, hair from under the chin can sometimes be used; my body hair transplant page explains when.

A sideburn transplant needs only a few hundred grafts, so the donor area is usually shaved in a small patch that the surrounding hair hides, or not shaved at all. My unshaven hair transplant page explains how.

Plan the donor area onceGrafts used for the sideburns come from the same donor area as any future scalp transplant. A few hundred rarely matter on their own, but if you are already losing hair on top, or want a full beard as well, I plan everything together.

Sideburn Transplant Technique and the Operation

I use FUE for sideburns. Strip surgery leaves a linear scar on the back of the head and gives no advantage for a few hundred grafts. In this short video I explain why FUE is the method for facial hair.

Video: why FUE is used for beard and sideburn transplants.

For the channels I use very fine sapphire blades, or DHI implanter pens when I am working between existing hairs or over a scar. Both allow the very low angle the sideburn needs. My hair transplant techniques page compares them.

DesignWe agree the shape at the mirror, and I draw it on both sides.
Local anaesthesiaThe donor area and the sideburns are numbed. After the injections, most patients feel only pressure.
ExtractionGrafts are taken by my trained team, under my supervision, and sorted into single- and two-hair grafts under magnification.
Channels and placementI open the channels and place every graft myself, following the direction of each part of the sideburn.
Same dayYou return to the hotel with the new sideburns visible. The next day we check them and show you how to wash.

Sideburns on their own usually take a few hours. Combined with the beard or hairline, they are part of one longer operation.

Sideburns After a Facelift, and Scars

A facelift tightens the skin of the face and moves it upwards and backwards. Depending on the incision, the sideburn can be pulled up, thinned or partly removed, and a scar can be left in front of the ear. In men, a sideburn that ends too high makes the face look feminised; in women, a visible bare strip in front of the ear is often what gives a facelift away.

  • Wait for the scar to mature: usually several months after the facelift, until it is soft and pale.
  • Grafts into and around the scar: hair hides the scar and rebuilds the sideburn at its natural height.
  • Lower density first: scar tissue has a weaker blood supply, so I place grafts a little further apart, and a second session can add density.
  • Large defects: very large areas lost to burns or tumour surgery are sometimes rebuilt with a hair-bearing skin flap by a plastic surgeon, and refined with grafts afterwards.

Women with thin sideburns or temples after a facelift can read more on my female hair transplant page.

What the Research Shows About Sideburn Restoration

Review · men · 2025Sideburns can be an early sign of FFAA review in the Journal of Clinical Medicine (Melián-Olivera and colleagues, 2025) found that frontal fibrosing alopecia in men often involves the sideburns and beard early, and that hair transplantation in this condition remains controversial and needs disease control first.What it means: A receding sideburn is not always a cosmetic problem. Diagnosis comes first.
Clinical report · 2022Sideburns rebuilt during a faceliftA report in Dermatologic Surgery (Park and Han, 2022) described midface lifting combined with immediate sideburn reconstruction by hair transplantation in the same operation.What it means: Sideburn loss is a known effect of facial lifting, and grafts are an effective way to restore it.
Retrospective study · 23 patients · 2023When the defect is very largeA study in the Annals of Plastic Surgery (Zhang and colleagues, 2023) rebuilt sideburns lost to tumours, infection or burns with expanded hair-bearing scalp flaps; 95.7% of patients were satisfied.What it means: Large defects can need plastic surgery first; grafts refine the hairline afterwards.
Review · 2026Protecting the male sideburn in a faceliftA review in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (Muller and colleagues, 2026) describes how the sideburn in men needs special handling during a facelift to keep its width and position and avoid a feminised look.What it means: If you are planning a facelift, ask your surgeon about the sideburn. If it has already moved, a transplant can restore it.
My viewThe sideburn is a small area, but it decides whether the face looks finished. I never treat it as a separate patch: I look at the temple above it, the beard below it and the shape of the face, and design all of them together. Most of the grafts are single hairs, placed almost flat against the skin, because that is how sideburn hair grows. And before I plan anything, I make sure the sideburn is not receding because of a condition like frontal fibrosing alopecia, which no transplant can outrun.

Recovery and When You Can Shave

Days 1–3Mild swelling and redness in front of the ears. Sleep with your head raised and avoid lying on the sides of your face.
Days 3–10Wash gently as shown. Small crusts come away by about day 10. Avoid glasses arms, helmets and tight caps pressing on the grafts.
From about 2 weeksTrim with scissors only. Most transplanted hairs shed over the next weeks, which is normal.
From about 1 monthShave with a razor or electric shaver again, gently at first. Gym and sport can usually restart.
From about 3 monthsStyle and shape the sideburns as you like once the new hairs grow.

These are the same timings I give for the beard. In this video my colleague shows how to wash after a beard or sideburn transplant.

Video: how to wash the beard and sideburns after the operation.

Sideburn Transplant Results Timeline

Day 1The new sideburns are visible, with small crusts.
Month 1Most transplanted hairs have shed; the sideburns can look much as they did before.
Months 3–4New hairs start to grow, fine at first.
Month 6Clear change in shape and coverage.
Months 9–12The final result, with the sideburns blending into your hair and beard.

Risks and Side Effects of a Sideburn Transplant

Swelling and rednessCommon for a few days in front of the ears. It settles on its own.
NumbnessThe area can feel numb for a few weeks while small nerves recover.
Ingrown hairs and small spotsOccasional during regrowth; warm compresses help.
Unnatural angle or shapeThe main risk of poor technique. Single hairs at the edge and a very low angle prevent it.
Lower growth in scarsScar tissue can grow fewer hairs, which is why a second session is sometimes planned.

How Much Does a Sideburn Transplant Cost?

Clinics usually price sideburns within their facial hair transplant prices. Sideburns on their own sit towards the lower end of these 2026 ranges; combined with the beard or hairline, higher:

Turkey$2,000–$4,150(€1,700–€3,500), usually a package with hotel, transfers and medication
United Kingdom£3,000–£7,000+(€3,590–€8,370+), procedure only
United States$5,000–$15,000+(€4,240–€12,710+), procedure only
With me in IstanbulMy Diamond package is €5,790 ($6,840 · £4,840) at a fixed price, whatever the number of grafts and whether we treat the sideburns alone or together with the beard, temples or scalp. I do the consultation, design the sideburns, open the channels and place every graft myself. It includes 3 nights in a 5-star hotel, VIP transfers, blood tests, PRP, exosome treatment, medication and a 3-month hair care kit. All packages are compared on my hair transplant Turkey packages page, and what affects prices is explained on my hair transplant cost in Turkey page.

Five questions to ask before you book

  • Will you design the sideburns together with my temples and beard?
  • Will single-hair grafts be used along the front edge?
  • Who will open the channels and place the grafts?
  • Have you ruled out a condition like frontal fibrosing alopecia?
  • Can I see healed sideburn results, not only scalp results?

Frequently Asked Questions About Sideburn Transplant

Is a sideburn transplant permanent?

Yes. The transplanted follicles come from permanent donor hair and keep growing for life. They can be trimmed, shaped and shaved like the rest of your hair.

How many grafts do I need for sideburns?

Usually about 150 to 300 per side for a full sideburn, fewer for filling gaps, and more if the temple point is restored at the same time.

When can I shave after a sideburn transplant?

Trim with scissors from about two weeks and shave with a razor or electric shaver from about one month, gently at first.

Is a sideburn transplant painful?

The local anaesthetic injections are the most uncomfortable part. After that, most patients feel only pressure. Mild swelling for a few days is normal.

Can I have only one sideburn done?

Yes. A scar or gap on one side can be treated alone, matched to the other side.

Can sideburns lost after a facelift be restored?

Usually, yes, once the scar has matured. Grafts rebuild the sideburn at its natural height and hide the scar.

Do women have sideburn transplants?

Yes, most often after a facelift or for thin hair in front of the ears. The design uses fine single hairs that blend with the hairline.

Can I combine sideburns with a beard or hair transplant?

Yes, in one operation, as long as the donor area can provide enough grafts. See my beard transplant and moustache transplant pages.

Does the donor area need to be shaved?

Usually only a small patch at the back of the head, hidden by the surrounding hair. In suitable cases, no shaving is needed.

When will I see the final result?

New hairs start to grow around months three to four, and the final result takes about nine to twelve months.

Frame Your Face Again

Send me clear photos of both sideburns from the side, your face from the front, and the back of your head. Tell me about any facelift, scars or hair loss elsewhere. I will tell you whether a transplant suits you, how many grafts I would plan and how I would design your sideburns.Get a Free Consultation