Considered one of the greatest all-rounders in history despite being only 33, Ben Stokes is a cricketing juggernaut.
While his on-field accomplishments speak for themselves, like millions worldwide, this giant of the game has faced the personal challenge of dealing with permanent hair loss.
The fact adversely affected his mental health, which ultimately led to him getting a hair transplant.
Here, you’ll learn more about the journey of Ben Stokes’ hair transplant and hair loss, as well as how the surgery affected his life afterwards.
Who Is Ben Stokes?
New Zealand-born Ben Stokes is an English all-rounder who has captained the Three Lions’ in both Tests and ODIs.
In 2009, he made his Durham debut against Surrey, taking the wicket of the century-hitting Mark Ramprakash for 36 runs.
Just two years later, he made his ODI debut against Ireland, and a month later, he became a member of the T20I squad against the West Indies. As a Test debutant in 2013, he took key wickets of Michael Clarke and Peter Siddle.
Eventually, he became England’s mainstay, but his Super Over against New Zealand at the 2019 ODI World Cup cemented his name in the sport. This was followed by his heroics in the Ashes series against Australia.
He’s the current skipper of the English Test side.
Has Ben Stokes Had A Hair Transplant?
It was in 2023 that Ben Stokes made public the fact that he underwent a hair transplant in 2018 at a clinic in London.
In addition to hairline recession and temple hair loss, the English skipper had hair loss at the crown before receiving a hair transplant. His surgery, however, successfully addressed all these issues.
Ben Stokes’ Hair Loss Over The Years
Let’s take a closer look at how Ben Stokes’ hair changed over the years.
Year 2014
At 23, Ben didn’t show any signs of severe hair loss. He had a fairly straight hairline and well-defined temples. As well, there was no apparent thinning (miniaturization) of the hair.
NAPARAZZI, BEN STOKES (11704837023), Cropped, CC BY-SA 2.0
Year 2015
He had developed a widow’s peak at the front of his hairline due to the hair loss, and his hairline’s edges were receding as well.
Year 2017
A year before Ben’s hair transplant, his hairline had developed the distinct “M-shape” characteristic of male pattern baldness. His hair was slightly longer than usual, perhaps to conceal his thinning crown.
Year 2018
In 2018, Ben Stokes, before his hair transplant that same year, showed clear signs of thinning in his crown area, with a noticeably receded hairline and diminished temples.
Year 2019
In the following year, Ben’s mop looked relatively fuller and denser, with no signs of hair loss.
Why Did Ben Stokes Decide To Get A Hair Transplant?
As his hair loss began to affect his confidence and mental health, Stokes finally decided to undergo a hair transplant.
In an interview with the Telegraph, he described feeling self-conscious about his hair after seeing footage of himself where the camera was straight on top.
"Men and hair, it’s a thing. The procedures used to be kept quiet. It was almost one of those things where you didn’t want people to know you had had it done. There’s so much more to it than just losing your hair."
What Type Of Hair Transplant Did Ben Stokes Get?
Ben Stokes underwent an FUE or follicular unit extraction hair transplant.
It involves extracting tiny bundles of hair from the back of the scalp using a small punch tool and then placing these into the balding area(s) via small incisions.
The surgery is considered minimally invasive and does not leave visible scars.
How Many Grafts Did Ben Stokes’ Hair Transplant Need?
Ben Stokes’ hair transplant required 1,800 grafts, according to the clinic where he had his surgery.
He would not have needed a large number of grafts because he did not have large balding areas. He was almost on the Stage 3 Vertex of the Norwood Scale.
Norwood Stage 3 comes in two types: one with hair loss in the crown and one without. Since Ben’s hairline recession was also accompanied by thinning in the crown, he fell in the former category.
Ben Stokes’ Hair Transplant Before And After Pictures
This is what Ben’s hair looked like before and after his hair transplant.
NAPARAZZI, BEN STOKES (11704837023), Cropped and Flipped, CC BY-SA 2.0 (left) and [email protected]/Depositphotos.com (right)
How Much Did Ben Stokes' Hair Transplant Cost?
Although the clinic did not disclose the cost of Ben Stokes’ hair transplant, it is highly likely that the procedure cost around £3,500.
In 2018, the year Ben Stokes underwent his surgery, the exact cost of an FUE hair transplant at that particular clinic was £3,499.
It was noted that the price of his procedure was no different from that of any other patient at the clinic.
Reactions To Ben Stokes' Hair Transplant
This is what some Redditors had to say about Ben Stokes’ hair transplant:
"Cool. More and more people discussing this issue instead of hiding. The more we get attention the higher we have a chance at a cure. Great"
Ah.. this explains the bucket hat (of shame). I would give all of my wild hairdo for even a small bit of his talent. (Well maybe I wouldn’t because it would not be of any use in my 4th class amateur league).
"People underestimate the mental impact of hair loss and how much baldshaming can hurt. Hair transplants should be free on the NHS for us baldies. We should be a priority!"
"As somebody who has recently been diagnosed with alopecia this is really encouraging to see it spoken about. It has a terrible effect on MH."
Interested In Getting A Hair Transplant?
Having helped thousands of people from around the globe get their hair back, Longevita is a trusted provider of hair restoration surgery. If you’re interested in getting this procedure with us, feel free to reach out!
