When your net worth is in millions, and you are the face of multi-billion dollar industries, you’re bound to get a little self-conscious about your appearance. Not to forget that your zoomed-in camera shots are being plastered on TV screens around the globe, where people notice even the smallest things. That’s what prompts many stars to get procedures done. Andros Townsend hair transplant may have taken place for that very reason.
For those of you who don’t know, Andros Townsend is an English midfielder for Everton. He’s the one who made the sensational 30-yard volley, sealing the victory of Crystal Palace over Man City in 2018. Not surprisingly, it became the Goal of the Season.
It’s not just inside the field for the 30-year-old England winger, but he also surprises outside the field. His hair has transformed quite a bit since his early days, as those who have been following his career know. But how exactly?
Was Andros Townsend Losing Hair?
According to the American Hair Loss Association, only 25% of men experience pattern baldness before the age of 21. Unfortunately, this was the case for Andros Townsend.
If you take a look at his photos from when he was only 20 years old, you’d see that his temples and hairline were receding. Although at that age, it isn’t common to see the pattern of androgenetic alopecia emerging, Andros Townsend had the classic “M” shape forming already.
This pattern was even more prominent since he had his hair cut short. Now, although it’s the hairline that many people notice, he also had some thinning patches at the top of the head, which is the crown/vertex region. This was how things were for him for many years until people started noticing a very drastic change.
Instead of his hairline going backwards, as happens in the case of male pattern baldness, it started to fill out in the front. This was most apparent when he sported a buzzcut. While previously he was on the Norwood-Hamilton scale of 4, it’s like he turned back the clock even before the Andros Townsend hair transplant took place. How did he do that?
Andros Townsend Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP)
One year before getting his surgery, the English winger allegedly had scalp micropigmentation. It’s also informally known as scalp tattooing.
As the SMP practitioner tattoos the tiny black dots mimicking the appearance of hair follicles, the person appears to have a full head of hair, albeit shaved. This is what Andros Townsend had.
The biggest giveaway of his scalp micropigmentation procedure was that the position of his hairline had visibly changed. In his older photos, you couldn’t see any tiny black dots of hair follicles in the corners of “M” on his scalp, but that changed. Suddenly, it appeared as if he could grow hair from there.
You could even see his scalp micropigmentation procedure in the image below after he had the hair transplant (clear from the scar at the back of his head). Here, you can also see that he has uneven growth, which is normal after restoration surgery, but in the areas where he doesn’t have long hair, there’s the pigment from SMP.
Once he had grown his hair back following the surgery, you could still see small triangular pigmented areas jutting out in the temple regions that didn’t have any hair growing on them.
Lastly, an SMP procedure can also hide scars, especially those that are a result of a FUT hair transplant. However, in Townsend’s case, it’s still pretty visible, as you can see from the image above.
Andros Townsend Hair Transplant
Andros Townsend hair transplant started creating buzz back in 2017-2018. Although the hairline had changed for a few years before that, now it had started to grow hair. All these changes took place in his Crystal Palace days.
Of course, there was wide speculation among his fans that Andros Townsend hair transplant is, in fact, very real. From his photos, you can see that he has a visible scar in a straight line at the back of his scalp. That’s the mark of a FUT hair transplant surgery (which is fairly outdated but can be more suitable in certain cases). Many people choose not to have it because of the scarring and less discretion that it provides.
In Andros Townsend’s case, this may have been the better option because he had Afro hair. People with curly/textured hair usually get what’s known as an Afro hair transplant that uses the FUE technique. However, if there’s a problem with the strength of the donor area, the FUT technique may be preferred to get better results.
Because of the kinks and curves in Afro hair that extend down into the hair follicle, the graft isn’t clearly visible, which can lead to a higher transection rate. But in FUT, the strip of skin is taken out, which makes it easier to extract individual hair follicles with more care, ensuring greater graft survival rates.
If the donor area’s weak enough, the patient cannot afford to lose hair grafts to transection as it will affect the overall hair density. That’s why FUT may have been recommended for Andros Townsend hair transplant.
How Many Hair Grafts Did Andros Townsend Hair Transplant Need?
According to our graft calculator, he would have needed 1,600-2,000 hair grafts in the temple area and the top of the head. However, since his whole hairline was receding, he would have needed more grafts to achieve natural hair coverage.
According to our hair transplant surgeons, Andros Townsend hair transplant would have required 2,500-3,000 grafts since his hair loss zone was from 1-3.
Has Andros Townsend Hair Transplant Been Confirmed?
Not really. However, the evidence is glaring enough for many people to come to the same conclusion: Andros Townsend hair transplant did take place in real life, and it’s not just their eyes deceiving them. It appears that the footballer tried his best to hide it, so it may just be that he doesn’t want to talk about it.
The Daily Star did reach out to Andros Townsend’s representative for a comment on his alleged hair transplant. However, no statement was given. It certainly wouldn’t have been surprising for him to admit to it.
The “Rooney Effect” may be the reason behind many famous hair transplants in the world of football. You have Xherdan Shaqiri, David Beckham, David Silva, and Antonio Conte, among many, who have gotten FUE hair transplants. Some choose to openly admit to them, while others choose to keep this information to themselves.
Now, while the midfielder won’t say anything, one only needs to look at his photos to see that his hairline has changed, and he has a very distinct FUT scar at the back of his head; it could only have been because of transplant surgery.
Concluding Remarks
As much as the world of limelight seems glamorous to the person sitting in front of the TV screen, the reality may not be the same for the person in the frame.
There are many different types of stresses that a sportsman has to go through, and if their hair loss is just adding to it (while worsening their hair loss), it’s best to seek a permanent solution to the problem, which is why Andros Townsend hair transplant became a reality.
The footballer may have always intended to get a hair transplant and tried to make it more discreet by getting a scalp micropigmentation procedure.
He could’ve gotten the surgery a few months later, but he had the SMP procedure for one whole year. It may have been that he never found the right time for it, and when he did, he jumped on the opportunity to get his hair back. In his photos, you can see his hair transplant along with his SMP procedure, especially along the temple region.
Unlike the more popular FUE technique, Andros Townsend hair transplant took place using the FUT method to ensure greater graft survival and density. Whether or not he chooses to admit to it, we can all say that his surgeon did a phenomenal job, as you can’t help but look at his luscious mane as he works his magic on the field.
Reviewed and Approved by Dr. Hassan Soueid.
