In a similar fashion to his ex-teammate Rob Holding, Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes made no secret of his hair transplant. After experiencing significant hair loss at just about the age of 25, the Brazilian defender opted for surgical restoration to get his hair back.
Here, we’ll take a look at all the details we know about Gabriel Magalhaes’ hair transplant.
Who is Gabriel Magalhaes?
Gabriel Magalhaes is a footballer playing for The Gunners as a centre-back. In the 150 appearances he has made for the team, Gabriel has scored 17 goals and has been crucial in clinching several victories for the team.
Before joining Arsenal, Lille was the home of the now Premier League star. In 2020, however, he was signed by Arsenal for a reported £27 million. He extended his contract in 2022, with the new deal set to last until 2027.
Did Gabriel Magalhaes Get A Hair Transplant?
In 2022, Gabriel Magalhaes did receive a hair transplant at a clinic in Turkey.
Eagle-eyed Gunners were quick to notice that something was afoot when the footballer posted an Instagram story about him being in Istanbul — famously considered the hair transplant capital of the world.
However, the same year, it was confirmed that the footballer indeed underwent this surgery in Turkey after the clinic where it took place shared his transplantation journey.
Famously, the same clinic also advertised Gabriel’s hair transplant on London black cabs, which did not go over too well with his fans.
Gabriel Magalhaes’ Hair Loss Over The Years
Here are Gabriel’s hair changes through the years.
Year 2016
Fresh-faced and only about 19 years old, the then-Avaí defender had a fairly straight hairline with no apparent hair loss.
Year 2017
At age 20, Gabriel began showing early signs of androgenetic alopecia, evident in the receding edges of his hairline.
ESTAC Troyes, Gabriel Magalhaes 2017, CC BY 3.0
Year 2019
By the end of this year, the Arsenal man’s hairline had developed an M-shape, a characteristic of male pattern baldness.
However, at times, Gabriel’s hairline would look straighter and fuller than it normally would. This could possibly have been achieved through the use of some hair-building fibres, though, to our knowledge, the footballer hasn’t said anything about using them.
Valencia CF, GabrielLille2019, Cropped, CC BY 3.0
Year 2021
Before getting a hair transplant, Gabriel grew his thatch out a bit, which he may have done deliberately to better conceal his hair loss. This was probably also helped by his curly hair, as curly hair provides more coverage than straight hair.
Year 2022
At the age of 25, Gabriel flew to Turkey for his hair transplant. After he had all his hair shaved for the surgery, he appeared to be at Norwood Stage 3A.
Year 2023
Gabriel’s hair had grown back by this point, and his hairline looked much straighter with improved density in the front.
What Type Of Hair Transplant Did Gabriel Magalhaes Get?
Gabriel’s hair transplant clinic specified that he had undergone the Sapphire FUE surgery.
Sapphire FUE is a variant of the traditional follicular unit extraction surgery that uses v-tipped Sapphire blades during the incision-making phase of the surgery.
These blades offer several advantages over the metal blades used in classic FUE, such as quicker recovery and better graft survival. It can also give more natural-looking results.
How Many Grafts Did Gabriel Magalhaes Need?
According to a graft calculator, Gabriel Magalhaes probably needed 1,500 to 2,000 grafts for his hair transplant.
Notably, Gabriel’s hair loss seemed to have been limited at the front of his scalp and didn’t appear to affect his crown area.
This put him in the “A classification” of the Norwood Scale, where a person doesn’t experience simultaneous crown hair loss, but the hair loss does eventually progress to that area.
As the forelock diminishes, the hairline starts to resemble a U instead of an M at this stage of hair loss.
How Much Did Gabriel Magalhaes’ Hair Transplant Cost?
The clinic where Gabriel Magalhaes had his hair transplant priced Sapphire FUE at around £2,000 in 2022. Therefore, it is possible that the footballer also had his surgery at the same cost.
Reactions To Gabriel Magalhaes’ Hair Transplant
This is what Redditors thought of Gabriel Magalhaes’ new thatch:
“Wow he looks like a younger version of… Gabriel Magalhaes”
“The greatest comeback since lazarus.”
“We bald men would all do this if we could I think good on him”
“Between him and Rob Holding, tempts me to do it myself lmfao”
Other Footballers Who Had A Hair Transplant
Other than Gabriel, many footballers have also had a hair transplant, either openly or in secret. Some interesting hair transplant stories include those of:
- Rob Holding
- Wayne Rooney
- Ter Stegen
- Andros Townsend
- David Silva
- Antonio Conte
- Gareth Bale
- Jurgen Klopp
Interested In A Hair Transplant?
Longevita is a UK-registered facilitator of hair transplants in both London and Istanbul. Feel free to contact us if you are interested in getting this surgery at an affordable price with excellent results.
Dr Cagla
Dr Cagla earned her medical degree at Trakya University’s Faculty of Medicine in Bulgaria and has almost 6 years of hair transplantation experience. She is a specialist in FUE, DHI and Sapphire hair transplants of the scalp, eyebrows and beard and has performed over 6,000 surgeries. Dr Cagla is multilingual, with fluency in English, Bulgarian and Turkish.
