To Baldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before

It’s the holy grail for hair loss and now even Wayne Rooney admits that he’s had one of the new scalp transplants. But is vanity really worth £10,000?

FOR A man to try to turn back the tide of nature by defying his baldness was once regarded as the height of vanity. As poor Sir Elton John will testify, dabbling with the latest remedy meant exposure to ridicule.

Worldwide, more than £1billion a year is being spent on hair-restoration surgery and 87 per cent of patients are male. In the UK it’s claimed that the number of men seeking treatment for hair loss has trebled in the past three years.

A follicular transplant uses the patient’s own hair, which is replanted to grow on the scalp. During the procedure the surgeon takes hair follicles from the back of the head, where baldness is rare, makes a small incision in the thinning area and inserts the hair follicle, creating a new hairline. Typically, up to 6,000 hairs are transplanted per patient and the cost varies according to the exact amount transferred.

The treatment takes up to 10 hours to complete and the hair begins growing after four months. During treatment the surgeon has to be careful not to damage sensitive follicles. In the past many were wasted so the process was more laborious but the treatment is still improving. DR RAGHU Reddy, of the Private Clinic in Harley Street, which offers the treatment, says: “There is greater awareness that hair loss can be reversed.