Increasing numbers of men are having beard or sideburn transplants to to copy the more hirsute look favoured by stars like Hugh Jackman and David Beckham.
Beards have never been more fashionable but research shows that almost half of men cannot grow a proper one.
As many as 45% of men complain that they have bald patches in their beard or sideburns, according to research at my Crown Clinic in Manchester.
It makes it impossible for many men to mimic the macho looks of their favourite stars.
Increasingly, men are getting their beards and sideburns bolstered with transplants.
Hair is taken from the back of the scalp in a strip and transplanted into the bald patches of the beard or the sideburn.
We have seen a 25% in the number of procedures over the last three years as beardshave become more fashionable.
A proper, full-grown beard has been the ultimate definition of masculinity for centuries.
But the sad truth is that many men in Britain struggle to grow beards, sideburns and moustaches.
They have significant gaps in their facial hair and the end result can look patchy and unconvincing.
Their problems can be easily remedied with a transplant. We can fill out the areas on their face where there are gaps and they can adopt whatever look they like: a bushy moustache, big sideburns like Bradley Wiggins or the sexy designer stubble or beards often sported by David Beckham or Hugh Jackman.
Patchy facial hair was a genetic problem.
If the father had trouble growing a beard then there is a good chance the son will also have patchy facial hair.
It is why men in Mediterranean countries often have strong beards - it simply runs through one generation to the next."
Our research shows that 59% of men said that beard made them feel more macho.
While a beard can boost a man's self-esteem, it does very little for his sex appeal, according to women.
Two-thirds of women (67%) said they preferred the clean-shaven look to a beard.
However, the result was a lot closer with designer stubble - with 48% of women saying they found stubble sexier than a bare face.
A further 54% of respondents said that men grow beards to compensate for hair loss on their heads.
Men often moan about that shaving is a hassle but every man craves the ability to grow a full beard. It is the essence of masculinity.
It helps, too, that beards have never been more fashionable.
Men see people David Beckham and want to copy his look. He does all kinds of interesting things with his facial hair. He'll wear a full beard one month, designer stubble the next and we've also seen him with a moustache and clean-shaven.
He cleverly uses his facial hair to completely change his image - it is part of what makes him such an enduring style icon.