[shameus_o'reaaly]

I tried growing a beard, then sideburns to improve my look a bit, but the beard was too thin and the sideburns grew a bit lopsided with one side thinner than the other though they did make my face look stronger.

Anything I can do to stimulate more hair follices on my face-diet, sunlight, working out more, baking soda?

[GlobalMan]

Your facial hair pattern is similar to your normal hair pattern, its genetics. There are various "tips n tricks" that claim to stimulate follicles, but you have to have follicles there to stimulate, and it still isn't something that's going to make a real difference

In rare cases there might be a hormonal issue at play that could be rectified, but you'd likely already be aware of that from other issues. A balanced diet is good for multiple reasons obviously, but you're not going to see a change in beard pattern from a diet change. You can grow better hair, but you won't make it show up where it doesn't exist.

[Biz]

Grow it out for awhile without touching it yourself then go to an experienced barber that shapes beards, have him work his magic, if that doesn't work and you don't like the outcome give it up, it's not the look for you.

Either it works or it doesn't with beards, some guys looks great with beards then there are the guys that just look off and really strange with facial hair, ie; the typical comic book guy with the oddly shaped facial hair or long sideburns, yea don't do that.

There are definitely ways to stimulate growth but like GlobalMan said, if there is no hair follicle there then I don't believe anything will grow. I've used Rosemary oil tincture with success in the past for thinning eyebrows caused by too much shaping and plucking. Castor oil is also a top choice that I've read works really well, I've not tried it myself though.

Anyways, if the facial hair doesn't workout try a new hairstyle.

[crudeloyalist]

Short of having a facial hair transplant there are only a few things you can do:

- Wait. You'll develop more facial hair as you get older.
- Naturally increase your testosterone by lifting heavy weights, taking zinc supplements and eating brazilian nuts.
- Rub minoxidil on your face daily for several months.

[Mr Finish]

Whenever you have some vacation time let it grow as long as you can. The first 3 weeks are when it looks the messiest. If you can push through that pain period and then have a barber fix you up you should be in the clear. I recently experienced this, I waited 2 weeks, and although it was growing, it still was patchy. I waited another week and had the length down so I had a barber clean it up and now it's alright; but there WILL be a "pain period" where it will look like shit for a while. On the other hand some people cannot grow appealing beards, only time can tell.

[polar]

D'Arsonval electric treatment may help simulate hair growth

Article is a bit biased as there is a lot of copy writing that is trying to sell you one, but it really helps for acne, and a side effect of the increased blood circulation is somewhat increased hair follicle stimulation and growth. Not overnight, but over time.

http://www.aura-clinic.com/en/articles/25

It might work better if you're balding, not trying to grow new faire, though.

[PhDre]

(08-16-2015 08:36 AM)crudeloyalist Wrote:  

- Rub minoxidil on your face daily for several months.

I wouldn't put minoxidil on my face. It is suspected to increase prolactin levels, even when applied to the scalp. Since your facial skin has far better blood supply than your scalp, the possible hormonal effect will be far bigger with facial application.

I agree with GlobalMan; your facial hair pattern is mostly determined by genetics. There can be three causes to your lack of facial hair:
- You lack the necessary follicles. Only option here is a beard transplant.
- You have the hairs but their DHT sensitivity is too low. Minox might work here, but again, I would avoid it.
- Your DHT is too low. Transdermal T or strongly androgenic steroids will probably work. (This is how female to male trannies grow a beard.)

Finally, I don't agree with the "just let it grow" mentality. I know that's the standard advice given on Jeff's beard board but I think that it's just delusional. If you look like shit with a 5 day stubble, you'll look like shit with a 3 month beard because it will be too thin. Length is no substitute for density. A long sparse beard looks nearly as ridiculous as a comb over.

I'm in the same boat as you. I can grow a great neck beard, but the density on my face is too low to grow a beard. I just trim it everyday with a beard trimmer at the lowest setting (0.5 mm or less). It looks far more masculine than being clean shaven, yet it is short enough such that it is not readily apparent that my facial hair is sparse.

[Repo]

@Phdre

My beard looked like shit with 5 day stubble, so I never tried to grow a beard for a long time. Turns out some of my facial hair just grows slower than in other parts. Waited 2 weeks, then trimmed it, and it looks great. I think for some people the "let it grow" mentality is valid. You will never know until you try, everyone is different.

[Bear Hands]

I have been growing my beard since October 2014. The left side of my beard did not grow as fast as my right side at first. It balanced out on its own when it got long enough.

In addition to what others are saying about letting it grow, get a stiff-bristled brush for your beard and brush it all in one direction every day before you shower. While it may be short and you don't see much effect, you can somewhat get the hair to grow in one direction which should help to minimize the appearance of thin areas. A good barber will have an easier time balancing out the sparser side of your face if your hair normally lays flat in one direction.

[Oneitis]

I've been using Minoxidil on my face for about 6 months now. There's been a definite improvement in the quality of my facial hair growth, but still nowhere near what I'd like.

[PhDre]

(08-23-2015 03:06 PM)Repo Wrote:  

@Phdre

My beard looked like shit with 5 day stubble, so I never tried to grow a beard for a long time. Turns out some of my facial hair just grows slower than in other parts. Waited 2 weeks, then trimmed it, and it looks great. I think for some people the "let it grow" mentality is valid. You will never know until you try, everyone is different.

I see, you were always shaving. Then I completely agree with you.
If you are shaving daily or every couple of days because you think your facial hear isn't good enough for a beard, you should definitely let it grow every once in a while to check for improvement and possible slow growers.

I was talking about trimming. If you always trim on the shortest setting and after a couple of days of not trimming you don't have satisfying coverage, you will never have it. I've been trimming exclusively for the past three years and my coverage hasn't improved a single bit.

[PhDre]

(09-01-2015 08:13 AM)Oneitis Wrote:  

I've been using Minoxidil on my face for about 6 months now. There's been a definite improvement in the quality of my facial hair growth, but still nowhere near what I'd like.

What kind of improvements did you get? New vellus hair? Vellus hair turning terminal? New terminal hairs where you had no coverage at all before? Darker hair?

Also, did you experience any negative side effects from the minoxidil, like a decreased sex drive or severe skin irritation?