Gary Lineker joked that the stress of being a football manager had caused Slaven Bilic to GAIN more hair rather than lose it.
And today the truth about the West Bromwich Albion manger’s hair transplant can be revealed.
The 50-year-old has undergone at least two FUT (follicular unit transplantation) procedures to restore his hair.
Viewers spotted the tell-tale signs of a procedure when he appeared on TV as a pundit shortly after his second operation – the red pin pricks on his scalp, scarring from where extra hair had been added to his hairline.
The transplanted hair has grown back, and the transformation in Bilic’s hair is remarkable.
The difference was so noticeable that Match of the Day host Gary Lineker took to Twitter to joke about Bilic’s procedure.
He wrote: “Most managers under the cosh might lose their hair, Slaven Bilic appears to be gaining it.”
Hair transplant surgeon Asim Shahmalak, Britian’s leading expert on hair loss, said that Bilic had got a great result.
Dr Shahmalak from the Crown Clinic in Manchester said: “Slaven’s hair is looking fantastic and that is all down to the hair transplant procedures he has had. You can see all the signs of a hair transplant in the picture on the left below taken shortly after his second operation.
“That’s why there was that the redness at the front of his scalp where the new hair had been transplanted. It also explains his hair cut.
“He has had a FUT (follicular unit transplantation) procedure, also known as strip harvesting. This is where a strip of skin is removed from the back or side of the scalp to harvest the donor hair. I think it is an FUT because of the length of the donor hair.”
Dr Shahmalak explained that newly transplanted hair falls out immediately after the operation while the follicles bed into their new home.
It takes several months for the transplanted hair to grow back fully which is evident of the picture of Bilic on the right with his transplanted hair fully grown back.
Dr Shahmalak said: “His new hair is really bedding in now and fans can see how the hair transplant has transformed his hairline. He has a good covering of hair right across his scalp and he looks years younger.”
Dr Shahmalak said that lots of footballers had followed Wayne Rooney in having a hair transplant.
He said: “It all comes down to money. The image rights for a footballer like Rooney run into millions. The fact is, he is a lot more attractive to international brands if he has a full head of hair. There are very few global sporting icons who are bald.
“Wayne has done a great job preserving his hair and so has Slaven, too.”
Other managers who have also had hair transplants include Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp and ex-Chelsea boss Antonio Conte.
Dr Shahmalak has performed procedures on a string of Premiership stars, most of whom prefer not to go public.
Ex-Liverpool and Man City star Didi Hamann, now a TV pundit, had a hair transplant with Dr Shahmalak at Crown Clinic because he wanted to look younger on TV after being inspired by Wayne Rooney. Didi had an FUE transplant (follicular unit extraction), where the grafts are extracted individually from the back and side of the scalp and then replanted in the balding areas in the same way as FUT.
Didi said: “I have always like Wayne both as a player and as a human. I remember thinking when he had his hair done, ‘Good for him – he wants to look better and isn’t afraid to tell the world about it.’
“I’m the same. I am happy to go public and make clear that you can really benefit from giving nature a helping hand.”
Dr Shahmalak’s other celebrity clients include the TV doctor Christian Jessen, the model Calum Best and Jack P Shepherd, who plays David Platt in Coronation Street.
Hair transplants – where hair from the back of the scalp is extracted and transplanted in balding areas – may be a well-known or even commonplace procedure nowadays, but did you know that body hair transplants are also possible?
Body hair transplants are certainly a lesser-known procedure, but still one that can be viable for the right candidate – here’s what you should know.
How do body hair transplants work?
Body hair transplants work in a very similar way to traditional hair transplants, except that hair is extracted from – you guessed it – donor sites on the body. Patients seeking this type of transplant have typically undergone several hair transplants already and exhausted their supply of donor hair on their scalp. However, for some patients, a body hair transplant is a preferable option if they have naturally thin, patchy hair or if they have acquired a scalp injury that impacts the typical donor areas.
Generally, donor areas for body hair transplants are the abdomen, chest and back. Hair follicles on the arms and legs may be in abundant supply, but the hairs tend to be too fine to use on the scalp.
The body hair transplant process itself closely mirrors traditional hair transplants. The donor area is shaved before the surgery, and during the procedure the hairs are extracted from the donor area under local anaesthetic, before being transplanted into the thinning areas of the scalp. The length of the procedure depends on how many grafts are needed and the recovery process is comparable to standard hair transplants.
Can hair be transplanted from the head to the body?
Body hair transplants can work the other way around, where hairs from the scalp are transplanted in other areas of the body. A common example of this is eyebrow transplants, but head hair can be transplanted in other areas such as the chest or pubic region. Although a less common form of surgery, it can be an option for people who have lost body hair through genetic or external factors such as chemotherapy or injury.
What are the results of body hair transplants?
It’s worth noting that often body hair transplants do have a lower success rate than typical hair transplants, partially due to the lower levels of compatibility between the hairs on the head and the hairs on the body and the different structures of the hairs. However, during your consultation you will be able to discuss any potential issues with your surgeon.
To find out more about body hair transplants and to find out if you may be a suitable candidate for the surgery, get in touch with Crown Clinic.
- April 6, 2022
