(CNN) -- Thick, handsome mustaches have long been prized by men throughout the Middle East as symbols of masculine virility, wisdom and maturity.

But not all mustaches are created equal, and in recent years, increasing numbers of Middle Eastern men have been going under the knife to attain the perfect specimen.

Turkish plastic surgeon Selahattin Tulunay says the number of mustache implants he performs has boomed in the last few years. He now performs 50-60 of the procedures a month, on patients who hail mostly from the Middle East and travel to Turkey as medical tourists.

Although less popular here in the U.S., I have performed quite a few beard, goatee and mustache hair transplants over the years. Congrats to my friend and hair transplant surgeon Dr. Pierre Bouhanna (Paris) who was an expert contributor to this story on CNN. The hair transplant technique (FUE NeoGraft) for mustache restoration or enhancement is the same used for sideburns, beards and eyebrows... http://www.baumanmedical.com/Default.aspx?tabid=35    Keep in mind we can also use the beard hair as a source for restoring scalp coverage. So I guess it can go either way!

--Dr. Alan Bauman