Beard transplants latest fad for Brooklyn’s hip young men

By Barbara Goldberg NEW YORK (Reuters) – Young men wearing pork-pie hats, knitted snoods and stylishly drab clothing are crowding doctors' waiting rooms in a burgeoning trend: Brooklyn hipsters seeking beard transplants. Toting photos of perpetually scruffy-faced actors like Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Gosling, an increasing number of men in their late 20s to early 40s are undergoing the procedure that can cost up to $7,000, Yael Halaas, MD, a facial plastic surgeon based in Manhattan said on Wednesday. "The demand for it has definitely increased," agreed Jeffrey Epstein, MD, a New York facial plastic surgeon who said he did 175 beard transplant procedures in 2013. "One reason is that whole hipster, casual way people like to look." Demand for the out-patient procedure completed under local anesthesia, which involves transplanting hair from the top of the head to the face, is growing quickly among those living in Brooklyn's coolest neighborhoods.