No one could accuse Wayne Rooney of being shy, but lately he has been remarkably candid about his recent hair transplant; so much so that cosmetic surgeons in the transplant industry had dubbed the increase in males, enquiring about this sort of hair replacement, as the ‘Rooney Effect’. So who would have thought that Wayne could have such a positive influence on young men with something other than his footballing skills? Well, perhaps it is something to do with the fact that Wayne has shown a completely different side to himself, a self deprecating insight into the trials of having cosmetic surgery and not hiding away from the press, but embracing their involvement. So many ‘celebrities’ deny having work done and leave you to question how did that nose get smaller all by itself when you look at before and after pictures. Perhaps it is this refreshing honesty that Wayne is displaying, by being completely truthful and a little playful about his experience, that is leading other men to think it is not something to be ashamed of or to hide away from. If Wayne can do it so can they. Wayne has even been posting images of himself on Twitter in a ludicrously long black haired wig, which was bound to start off jokes but it seems he has a thick skin and can cope with it. With the now familiar ‘#hairwego’ tweets taking over football news, Wayne seems to have amassed a whole new army of fans with his forthrightness over his once bald bonce.
rooney 'before' and 'after'
Wayne has the typical symptoms of male pattern baldness, which tends to strike in men during puberty but because of its gradual progressive condition, the effects may not be fully seen until later years. Around two-thirds of the male population will suffer from the classic signs of thinning hair and a receding hair line by the time they’re 40. Many will accept the loss of hair and either shave it all off or opt for a shorter cut and style it accordingly. There is, however, a solution to male pattern baldness and the cosmetic surgery that Wayne has had can effectively put a stop to any further hair loss and may actually regrow the hair that has been lost.
Wayne underwent a procedure called follicular unit extraction at the Queen Anne Street Medical Centre in Harley Street, London. The operation,estimated to cost around £13,500, involves going under local anaesthetic for eight hours. Individual hairs are then painstakingly removed one at a time from a donor patch, usually at the base of the neck, using a punch-like precise micro-surgical tool, leaving tiny-size wounds which heal quickly. The hairs are then “plugged” into tiny incisions where the hair has been lost. This innovative procedure is available at only a handful of clinics across Europe. After treatment, patients may be prescribed minoxidil, a lotion which helps to promote hair growth, to apply to the scalp area prior to surgery. Prednisolone can also be prescribed to prevent decrease any inflammation, and Augmentin, which is an antibiotic to stop infections. Wayne is said to be ‘delighted’ with his new hair and it appears has gained some new fans because of it.
Wayne Rooney, despite his bravado, probably experienced what most young men who lose their hair experience: an initial sense of anxiety and even shame. Ms. Davies is correct that individuals respond to hair loss in different ways, from trying to hide it, by wearing hats or wigs, to simply accepting & living with it by either shaving their remaining hair off or getting a shorter cut and style that complements the lost. What’s unique about Wayne is his openness about his hair loss and his very proactive choice of getting a hair transplant, and this is great because there are many misconceptions about what a hair transplant is and how affective it is.
To illustrate how challenging hair loss can be, we’ve treated many young men and despite spending a day in our office to have the procedure, have some redness on their scalp for several days afterwords and then coming back to weeks later to have stitches removed, they didn’t even inform their wife or close family members or friends. One young man had the transplant and flew to Asia that same evening. He wore a baseball cap, and spent a ten day exotic vacation with his girlfriend and he never told her.
But there are several other reasons young men are reluctant to have a transplant. The idea of having a personal change to our bodies can be a deep, thought provoking experience for many young men. Plus, it’s not always easy to think about having a medical procedure, even one that is not particularly painful. And of course there is always the cost….
But Mr Rooney was fortunate. He has the dough, and he was able to use his celebrity status to turn what may have been an emotionally crippling experience into something positive and for that we applaud Bravo!