Hair transplants have been growing rapidly in popularity since 2008 in Europe, with a 234% increase in procedures between then and 2019 [1]. Many celebrities have undergone hair transplants, such as Elon Musk, although some have never confirmed it.
English footballer Andros Townsend is only 31, yet it’s speculated he’s undergone a hair transplant since his early hair loss in 2016.
Let’s take a look at Andros Townsend’s hair journey over the years, including the causes of his hair loss, the type of hair transplant he could have had, and alternative treatments he may have undergone.
Andros Townsend spent 5 years playing for Crystal Palace, before joining Everton in 2021. He’s famous for his volley goal from 30 yards away against Manchester City in December 2018, helping Crystal Palace win 3-2. His goal won the 2018/2019 Premier League Goal of the Season award.
If the rumours of his hair transplant are true, he’d be in good company. There are lots of well-known footballer hair transplants.
Seen here in 2016, Andros Townsend is experiencing hair loss at the age of only 25 or 26. He had an M-shaped hairline around his temples. In his 40s or 50s this could be a natural sign of a mature hairline, but in his mid 20s it looks like a typical case of male pattern baldness.
For men, hair loss in your mid 20s is more common than you might think. 25% of men who suffer from male pattern baldness will have hair loss by the time they are 21.
As we can see from this photo, Andros Townsend is already experiencing receding and thinning at the front. He looks like a good candidate for hair restoration surgery already, and may already have been thinking about how to hide his thinning hair.
On the Norwood Scale, which is designed to measure hair loss in men, Andros appears to be at Norwood stage 2 or 3 here. Stage 3 is the earliest stage which is considered balding, and it’s the earliest a man can usually consider a hair transplant.
After Andros Townsend has joined Crystal Palace, his hair undergoes a dramatic change. The receding M-shaped hairline has gone, and instead, he has a shaved head with scalp regrowth. There seems to be a lot more coverage than in previous photos. It’s speculated Andros Townsend had a procedure called scalp micropigmentation.
Scalp micropigmentation can last up to 8 years. It’s a procedure which uses an electric tattoo device to create tiny dots on your scalp. The tiny dots create a shadow on the scalp and give the illusion of hair.
He may have had this done to reduce the visibility of his hair transplant, providing some coverage on his scalp while the new regrowth was coming through.
Fast-forward to 2018, and Andros Townsend has a full head of thick curls. If you look closely at his hairline, it’s completely straight across, unlike his receding hairline in 2016. This amount of hair regrowth is very unlikely to be natural meaning that this increased hair density is probably regrowth following Andros Townsend’s hair transplant.
With an FUE hair transplant you should see results within 5 or 6 months. It takes 12-18 months to see the full results of a FUE hair transplant procedure.
After the 2020 lockdown, Andros Townsend’s hair is thicker than ever. It’s grown longer and more bushy. He was even enquiring about when people were allowed to get haircuts on his Twitter page.
Andros Townsend’s hair is now a little shorter, but still thick and full. Hair transplant surgery is permanent, and it looks like his hair transplant has settled in well.
Hair transplants at the Wimpole Clinic have a 97% – 100% success rate, so you’ll be in safe hands if you decide to emulate Andros Townsend and get a hair transplant.
Male pattern baldness is the most likely culprit for Andros Townsend’s hair loss. A major cause of hair loss is genetics: a hormone that causes high levels of DHT (dihydrotestosterone) is passed down from either your mother or your father’s side.
DHT causes hair follicles to shrink, eventually causing hair loss. It’s why treatment with DHT blockers such as Finasteride and Dutasteride works so well at treating hair loss.
Andros Townsend’s father, Troy Townsend, has cropped his hair short to disguise his receding hairline. So it’s likely that Andros’s baldness is hereditary.
Troy Townsend, who is a former football coach and now Head of Development for football charity Kick it Out, may also have male pattern baldness.
Environmental causes can play a part in hair loss. Smoking can contribute to hair loss, as well as an unhealthy diet. However, as a professional athlete, Andros Townsend is unlikely to have had an unhealthy lifestyle in his early 20s.
80% of men with male pattern baldness actually have a family history of androgenetic alopecia [2]. Andros Townsend’s hair loss and uneven hairline are most likely due to genetic male pattern baldness.
It’s pretty likely Andros Townsend has had hair transplantation. His miraculous regrowth happened over such a short period of time that it couldn’t be anything else. So which kind of hair transplant is he likely to have had?
Andros Townsend could have had an FUT or FUE hair transplant.
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) hair transplants involve extracting healthy hair follicles from either the back or the side of the head and reimplanting them into the balding area.
This procedure isn’t very invasive, and it means you can wear your hair as short as you like. However, FUE is more likely to cause hair bulb damage in those with Afro hair [3].
FUT is a more affordable option. It can be a better solution for patients who have more significant balding and thinning hair, so they have fewer healthy hair follicles to choose from. However, it does leave a small scar, which will fade with time.
It’s hard to tell. There are no visible signs of scarring to suggest FUT. However, this type of hair transplant is generally better suited to people with curly or wavy hair types.
While both procedures offer excellent results, FUE is the most popular hair transplant procedure carried out. In a survey by the ISHRS in 2020, 66.2% of procedures worldwide were FUE, and 31.5% were FUE [1].
Though a hair transplant is a major decision, the hair restoration surgery itself is usually painless and complication-free.
Hair transplant procedures are classified as minimally invasive and low-risk, and the downtime time for hair transplant surgery is only 5-7 days. You can go back to work after a hair transplant within 1-2 days, but we recommend taking longer if possible.
If a hair transplant isn’t right for you, you can try other hair loss treatments, such as vitamin infusion therapy.
The body only absorbs 10% of vitamins taken orally, and hair supplements for growth have limited efficacy. Vitamin infusion therapy means 100% of the vitamins and minerals are absorbed by the body.
This low-risk treatment can be the best course of action for patients who’ve undergone stomach or bowel surgery, anorexic patients, or those who eat a restricted diet.
Topical treatments like hair thickening sprays, hair fibres, or hair thickening shampoos can improve the appearance of thinning hair, but they aren’t a permanent solution.
If your hair loss is severe, the best option may be hair transplantation. We’ve helped over 10,000 patients restore their hair and confidence. Take a look at our gallery of images before and after a hair transplant.
If you are considering hair loss treatment, but are not sure where to start then book a free consultation with a hair loss specialist at the Wimpole Clinic.
At this consultation, you can ask the questions you really want to ask about hair transplants and find out more about hair regrowth treatments that are best suited for you. Get in touch with us today!
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