When your net worth is in millions, and you are the face of multi-billion dollar industries, you’re bound to get a little self-conscious about your appearance. Not to forget that your zoomed-in camera shots are being plastered on TV screens around the globe, where people notice even the smallest things like Andros Townsend’s hair transplant (alleged!).
For those of you who don’t know, Andros Townsend is an English midfielder for Everton. He’s the one who made the sensational 30-yard volley, sealing the victory of Crystal Palace over Man City in 2018. Not surprisingly, it became the Goal of the Season.
It’s not just inside the field for the 30-year-old England winger, but he also surprises outside the field. His hair has transformed quite a bit since his early days, as those who have been following his career know. But how exactly?
Was Andros Townsend Losing Hair?
According to the American Hair Loss Association, only 25% of men experience pattern baldness before the age of 21. Unfortunately, this was the case for Andros Townsend.
If you take a look at his photos from when he was only 20 years old, you’d see that his temples and hairline were receding. Although at that age, it isn’t common to see the pattern of androgenetic alopecia emerging, Andros Townsend had the classic “M” shape forming already.
This pattern was even more prominent since he had his hair cut short. Now, although it’s the hairline that many people notice, he also had some thinning patches at the top of the head, which is the crown/vertex region. This was how things were for him for many years until people started noticing a very drastic change.
Instead of his hairline going backwards, as happens in the case of male pattern baldness, it started to fill out in the front. This was most apparent when he sported a buzzcut. While previously he was on the Norwood-Hamilton scale of 4, it’s like he turned back the clock even before the Andros Townsend’s hair transplant took place. How did he do that?
Andros Townsend Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP)
One year before getting his surgery, the English winger allegedly had scalp micropigmentation. It’s also informally known as scalp tattooing.
As the SMP practitioner tattoos the tiny black dots mimicking the appearance of hair follicles, the person appears to have a full head of hair, albeit shaved. This is what Andros Townsend is believed to have had.
Once he had grown his hair back following the surgery, you could still see small triangular pigmented areas jutting out in the temple regions that didn’t have any hair growing on them.
Lastly, an SMP procedure can also hide scars, especially those that are a result of a FUT hair transplant. However, in Townsend’s case, it’s still pretty visible, as you can see from the image above.
Andros Townsend Hair Transplant
Andros Townsend’s hair transplant started creating buzz back in 2017-2018. In some of his photos, there’s a hint of a linear scar at the back of the head, which is usually indicative of an FUT surgery.
In FUT or Follicular Unit Transplant, a strip of skin is taken out from the back of the head for extracting grafts for transplantation. However, this leaves a linear scar behind. In FUE or Follicular Unit Extraction, on the other hand, grafts are extracted directly from the scalp. It also leaves scar but they’re small and circular and less visible.
In Andros Townsend’s case, this may have been the better option because he had Afro hair. People with curly/textured hair usually get what’s known as an Afro hair transplant that uses the FUE technique. However, if there’s a problem with the strength of the donor area, the FUT technique may be preferred to get better results.
Because of the kinks and curves in Afro hair that extend down into the hair follicle, the graft isn’t clearly visible, which can lead to a higher transection rate. But in FUT, the strip of skin is taken out, which makes it easier to extract individual hair follicles with more care, ensuring greater graft survival rates.
If the donor area’s weak enough, the patient cannot afford to lose hair grafts to transection as it will affect the overall hair density. For this reason, it’s possible that Townsend might’ve been recommended the FUT procedure over the FUE one.
How Many Hair Grafts Did Andros Townsend Hair Transplant Need?
According to our graft calculator, he would have needed 1,600-2,000 hair grafts in the temple area and the top of the head. However, since his whole hairline was receding, he would have needed more grafts to achieve natural hair coverage.
Andros Townsend hair transplant would have have probably needed 2,500-3,000 grafts since his hair loss zone was from 1-3. But keep in mind that only a surgeon can give you an exact estimate.
Has Andros Townsend Hair Transplant Been Confirmed?
Not really. However, the evidence is glaring enough for many people to come to the same conclusion: Andros Townsend hair transplant did take place in real life, and it’s not just their eyes deceiving them. It appears that the footballer tried his best to hide it, so it may just be that he doesn’t want to talk about it.
The Daily Star did reach out to Andros Townsend’s representative for a comment on his alleged hair transplant. However, no statement was given. It certainly wouldn’t have been surprising for him to admit to it. You only need to take a look at his before and shots to get an answer.
Here’s Andros Townsend’s hairline in 2016:
Here’s Andros Townsend’s hairline in 2021:
The “Rooney Effect” may be the reason behind many famous hair transplants in the world of football. You have Xherdan Shaqiri, David Beckham, David Silva, and Antonio Conte, among many, who have gotten FUE hair transplants. Some choose to openly admit to them, while others choose to keep this information to themselves.
Now, while the midfielder won’t say anything, one only needs to look at his photos to see that his hairline has changed, and he has a very distinct FUT scar at the back of his head; it could only have been because of transplant surgery.
Concluding Remarks
Being a footballer is stressful enough and if hair loss is adding to that stress, a transplant might be an option to consider. It looks like Townsend had the surgery, as his hairline has dramatically changed, but he might have had SMP before to make things more discrete.
He could’ve gotten the surgery a few months later, but from the looks of it, he had the SMP procedure for one whole year. It may have been that he never found the right time for it, and when he did, he jumped on the opportunity to get his hair back.
Unlike the more popular FUE technique, Andros Townsend’s hair transplant seems to have been done using the FUT technique. Regardless of whether he admits it or not, his surgeon did an amazing job, as you can’t help but look at his lush mane as he works his magic on the field.
