Boy George, the Culture Club’s frontman, is known for many things: his troubled past, controversial remarks, showmanship, and, most of all, his flamboyant sense of style.
A trademark accessory of the Everything I Own singer has been his hat, which has become more or less part of his signature style.
In 2022, while participating in I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here, George took his hat off and revealed to the world that he had undergone a hair transplant. His confession to multiple hair transplants came later.
Here, we’ll take a closer look at Boy George’s hair transplant journey.
Who Is Boy George?
George Alan O’Dowd, better known as Boy George, is an English singer and lead vocalist for Culture Club — one of the most well-known pop groups of the 1980s.
Do You Really Want To Hurt Me, Miss Me Blind, I’ll Tumble 4 Ya, Time and Church of the Poison Mind are some of the band’s biggest hits.
Culture Club disbanded in 1986 but has since reunited, though Moss is no longer a part of the band.
The singer has also worked on television, hosting The Voice and The Big Deal and participating in reality shows like The New Celebrity Apprentice and I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!
More recently, he portrayed Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge: The Musical on Broadway.
Did Boy George Get A Hair Transplant?
In his memoir, “Karma: My Autobiography,” Boy George confesses to having undergone 3 hair transplants between 2015 and 2018.
Nevertheless, before the book was released, the singer had already revealed that he had had a hair transplant on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!
“My hair is a transplant,” George told his fellow campers on ITV’s reality show in 2022.
“I was bald. Do you know what made me do it? Wayne Rooney...It’s the truth. I saw Wayne Rooney’s hair and I thought I could actually get my hair done.”
Where Did Boy George Get His Hair Transplant?
Boy George underwent two hair transplants in Ireland and the third in Las Vegas, Nevada. He mentions this in his memoir.
"...I had three hair transplants around 2015-2018 – two in Ireland and a final one in LA – and the weird thing is no one remembers I was bald as a shaved badger."
Boy George's Hair Loss Over The Years
Let’s see how Boy George’s hair loss progressed with time.
Year 1980
Aged 19, before the Culture Club was formed, Boy George was photographed with a high and uneven hairline. Yet, he showed no signs of aggressive baldness.
Year 1983
The singer had already started wearing oversized hats. In spite of this, the receding edges of his hairline were noticeable — a classic sign of male pattern baldness.
Year 1988
By 1988, at the age of 27, Boy George’s hairline had receded further, accompanied by pronounced thinning in his central forelock. The singer’s hats, however, often concealed the true extent of his baldness.
Year 1997
Around this time, Boy George’s hairline sat higher on his forehead, and his hairline appeared even more uneven, with a bald patch developing in the frontal tuft. Still, his hair would often be hidden by a wig or a top hat.
Year 2003
At this point, Boy George shaved off all his hair. He kept the same hairstyle for many years to come.
everett225/Depositphotos.com
Year 2011
He continued to wear hats, but he did grow out his hair again, and by 2015, according to George himself, he’d started his hair transplant journey.
What Type Of Hair Transplant Did Boy George Get?
Boy George hasn’t revealed the technique he used for his transplant, but it’s possible it was FUE or follicular unit extraction.
In FUE, the hair transplant surgeon removes small groups of hairs, called grafts, from the back of the scalp and relocates them to the balding areas.
Unlike the older FUT or follicular unit transplant technique, FUE doesn’t require stitches or leave a visible linear scar at the back of the scalp. Its recovery is also quicker.
For these reasons, it’s usually preferred by those seeking hair restoration surgery.
How Many Grafts Did Boy George's Hair Transplant Need?
According to a graft calculator, Boy George’s hair transplant might have needed around 4,000 or more grafts.
His hair loss was quite extensive, and he seemed to be on Norwood Stage 6.
It is an advanced stage of hair loss on the Norwood Scale. A small band of hair separates the bald spot in the crown from the frontal hair loss.
Were Boy George's Hair Transplants A Success?
Many noted the bald spot in the middle of Boy George’s scalp after he admitted to having a hair transplant.
While it’s easy to assume it is a hair transplant failure, there are a number of reasons why it could’ve happened, such as a weak donor area or progression of hair loss.
But for someone who had three hair transplants, one would still expect a better density and coverage.
It’s possible that he didn’t achieve the results he was looking for from his initial surgeries, and by the time he decided to have his final procedure, he didn’t have enough donor hair to cover all the balding areas.
Bear in mind that the inexperience of the surgeon, as well as the patient’s negligence in following aftercare instructions, can negatively impact the final outcome.
Boy George's Hair Transplant Before And After
Here’s how Boy George’s hair looked before and after his hair transplant.
Dean Stockings, Boy George by Dean Stockings, Cropped, CC BY-SA 4.0 (right) and boygeorgeofficial/Instagram
How Much Did Boy George's Hair Transplant Cost?
Boy George hasn’t disclosed how much his hair transplants cost, but it’s possible the surgeries cost him tens of thousands.
An individual hair graft at the more high-end clinics in Ireland could cost up to €10 — even back in 2015.
Because we don’t know how many grafts he had at the clinic in Ireland, it’s hard to have a price estimate.
Even so, at those prices, just 2,000 grafts could have cost him as much as €20,000 (around £16,000).
Similarly, an upscale hair transplant clinic in Los Angeles can charge an average of $10,000.
Reactions to Boy George's Hair Transplant
Redditors had mixed feelings about Boy George’s new thatch.
"For me it's either all gone or all there if you're paying for it. I also suffer from being follicaly challenged but id rather the bald head than pay to look like you're going bald"
"I think it suits him. More so than him being a skin head again"
"It does look horrible, he is bald in the middle lol!"
Interested In Getting A Hair Transplant?
Longevita is a UK-registered hair transplant provider that ensures patient safety and satisfaction. If you’re seeking a high-quality hair transplant with the best price guarantee, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!
