The former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan, known for his swing bowling action, is believed to belong to the list of cricketers who have undergone hair restoration surgery.
Ever since his playing days, the cricketer-turned-analyst’s hairline has changed quite a bit, which is what sparked the rumours about Irfan Pathan’s hair transplant. Do they have any truth to them? Let’s find out.
Who Is Irfan Pathan?
Having played all three formats, including Tests, ODIs, and T20s, Irfan Pathan is a retired Indian pacer and all-rounder.
Though often compared to Kapil Dev and Wasim Akram in his heyday, Irfan’s career was greatly affected by the injuries he sustained throughout his career.
Almost two decades after making his international debut against Australia, Irfan eventually decided to hang up his boots in 2020. The swinger has since made a career out of commentating.
Did Irfan Pathan Get A Hair Transplant?
While Irfan Pathan has not explicitly confirmed he had a hair transplant, his photos indicate he might’ve had the surgery twice, once in 2012 and the other around 2016.
A Kolkata-based plastic surgeon who transplanted Irfan Pathan’s brother Yusuf’s hair commented he had done “2 sittings for Irfan” and the surgeon’s website also features a photo of him with Irfan, his brother and other notable cricketers including, Sourav Ganguly, Harsha Bhogle, VVS Laxman and Arun Lal.
In an interview, the same doctor also confirmed performing this surgery on Ravi Shastri as well as another retired Indian cricketer Nikhil Chopra.
Irfan Pathan’s Hair Loss Over The Year
Let’s take a closer look at Irfan’s hair evolution:
Year 2007
The year Irfan’s heroics helped India lift the T20 World Cup, Irfan was about 23 years old. Though he was still quite young, his hair had started to show very early signs of recession. His frontal hair seemed to be miniaturising, and his hairline sat a bit unusually high. His hair situation remained the same in 2008.
Year 2009
Irfan’s hairline was uneven even though he still had considerable fullness at the front.
Year 2012
About 28 years old, Irfan was pictured with a shaved head on the poster of a sanitation campaign. It’s possible he had a buzzcut in preparation for the surgery that year.
Year 2013
Around this time, Irfan’s hairline looked much more straight and shapely, and no thinning hair was visible on the front of his head.
Year 2016
By this time, we think Irfan had another “top-up” hair transplant surgery, especially for his frontal scalp, which looked much denser than before.
Bollywood Hungama, Irfan Pathan and Bachchan, Cropped, CC BY 3.0
What Type Of Hair Transplant Did Irfan Pathan Get?
It’s possible that Irfan Pathan had both his hair transplants done via the strip harvesting or follicular unit transplantation (FUT) method.
Though the FUE method is more popular now, the practice of FUT was more popular around the time Irfan is believed to have had his procedures done.
In this surgery, a strip of skin is cut out from the back of the scalp, hair grafts are extracted from it, and these grafts are then placed into the balding area(s).
Though the surgery can give natural-looking results, it leaves a relatively noticeable linear scar at the back of the scalp (which can be seen with shorn hair). FUT also requires stitches and has a more difficult recovery period compared to FUE.
How Many Grafts Did Irfan Pathan Need?
Irfan’s hair transplants may have required somewhere between 2,000 and 2,500 grafts in total. The cricketer’s hair loss wasn’t so extensive the first time — when we believe — he had the surgery. He might’ve needed around 1,500 grafts at the time. For the top-up, he could’ve had another 1,000 grafts.
Since Irfan had a hair transplant in the early stages of his hair loss, it’s hard to determine what his Norwood Stage would’ve been had he not sought treatment. He seemed somewhere between Stages 2 and 3 on the Norwood Scale, which can require as many as around 1,500 or so grafts.
Irfan Pathan’s Hair Transplant Before And After
Here’s a look at Irfan Pathan’s hair before and after his surgeries:
SuSanA Secretariat, WASH cricket (7141977853), Cropped, CC BY 2.0 (left) and Bollywood Hungama, Irfan Pathan at the Domestic Airport, Cropped, CC BY 3.0 (right)
Interested In A Hair Transplant?
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