Gogglebox star Chris Steed shows off the results of his hair transplant procedure at Crown Clinic and says: “I feel 10 years younger.”
The star of the hit Channel 4 show had 2,000 hair grafts transplanted into his balding crown. It was the 40-year-old hairdresser’s second hair transplant in the last five years after he started losing his hair when he was just 18. Chris said: “I am so pleased with the results and I do feel 10 years younger. I had significant baldness around my crown and this new procedure has filled in all those gaps. My first procedure was around the front of my scalp and my hairline.
I started losing my hair at a very early age and would be as bald as a coot now, just like my dad, if I had not received this help. As a hairdresser, I am acutely aware of the importance of having great hair and looking good and I am so pleased that the technology is there to make a real difference to the lives of men who are losing their hair. It can be heart-breaking and shatter your self-esteem.” Chris had his most recent procedure at Crown Clinic with our surgeon Asim Shahmalak. He had the same follicular unit extraction (FUE) method used by England captain Wayne Rooney where grafts are removed individually from the back of the scalp and transplanted into the balding area.
Chris has starred on Gogglebox since the show started – sharing his views on the week’s TV with his former boyfriend Stephen Webb, a hairdresser. Chris, from Hove, East Sussex, had previously worn £500 wigs and toupées for years to cover up his baldness. He quit using them because he was damaging his remaining hair by glueing the hairpieces to his scalp. He had his first hair transplant procedure five years ago – 2,700 grafts in the front of his scalp.
After finding fame on TV, he decided to have a second procedure just prior to his 40th birthday – this time focusing further back, around his crown and mid-scalp area. Chris, posing with his pet miniature dachshunds Buddy and Rusty who appear on Gogglebox with him, said: “I have suffered the devastating consequences of hair loss for the last 20 years. It was fun wearing the wigs for a time because they looked amazing but they are not a long-term solution.
You damage your hair glueing them on and they can have embarrassing consequences and come off at the wrong times! I can remember one man almost getting the surprise of his life when it almost came off in his hand. I realised the only long-term solution to my problem was a hair transplant. I was really pleased with my first procedure, and after Gogglebox became such a success I decided to have a second procedure.
I chose the surgeon Asim Shahmalak because he had done such an amazing job with Calum Best who is gorgeous and has wonderful hair. I had it during a break in filming Gogglebox just after Christmas and then returned to the last series with my head shaved where they had taken the donor hair for the procedure. I was wearing a baseball cap to cover it up while my hair grew back. I had messages on Twitter from fans asking if he had cancer because I was wearing the cap – they thought I might have lost my hair through chemotherapy! Well, the truth is that I have had a hair transplant and I am very happy to make that clear. I have posed up now for pictures because all the lovely new hair has grown back.
Thousands of men have been inspired by people like Wayne Rooney, Calum and Robbie Williams to get help with their hair. Technology has improved so much that you cannot tell if a person has had anything done. I am a hairdresser and even I cannot tell unless I have known the client before the procedure.” Asim Shahmalak treats lots of celebrities at Crown Clinic – many of whom prefer not to go public. Dr Shahmalak said: “Hair transplants have never been more popular – particularly amongst celebrities who need to look good to stay in the public eye.
You can completely change your appearance for the same cost as upgrading your car. Chris was a joy to work with and has had a great result around his crown. He still has a good covering of donor’s hair and could benefit from a further procedure.”