Former EastEnders star Joe Swash has been a familiar face on TV since the noughties, and many have noticed the changes in his hairline over the years. Though the actor came clean about his hair transplant in 2016, it wasn’t the first time Joe had been under the knife to get this procedure.
Here, we’ll take a closer look at Joe Swash’s hair transplant journey.
Who Is Joe Swash?
Joe Swash is a British TV presenter, actor and reality television personality best known for starring as Micky Miller in the soap EastEnders.
Joe made his final appearance on the show in 2008 before becoming a contestant on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here’s eighth season; he was crowned King of the Jungle that year. In 2020, he was also declared the winner of Dancing On Ice. He has also appeared on several other TV shows, including Extra Camp — a spinoff of I’m A Celeb.
Currently, Joe and his wife Stacey, another I’m A Celeb winner, will be the stars of a new BBC reality show titled Stacey & Joe.
Has Joe Swash Had A Hair Transplant?
Joe Swash has undergone not just one but three hair transplants. He had his first restoration surgery in 2009, the second in — what we believe to be — 2013 and the last one in 2018. The TV star first spoke about getting this procedure done in an episode of Loose Women in 2016.
The most likely reason why Joe had more than one hair transplant is that he wanted to improve the overall density of his hair. Androgenetic alopecia or pattern baldness is a progressive condition, and although the transplanted hair does not fall off, the non-transplanted hair can. The following is what Joe said after his third surgery:
“. . . The reason I decided to have it done again is more to do with my own self confidence . . . Just for myself, to make myself happy and also to thicken it out a little bit.”
The actor also noted that there existed a certain secrecy around this type of surgery, however, things changed after stars like Rooney and James Nesbitt went public with their hair transplants.
Joe Swash Hair Loss Over The Years
Here’s how Joe’s hair has changed with time:
Year 2003
This was the year when Joe first joined EastEnders when he was just 21 years old. He wore a messy mop at the time, but his high and uneven hairline was still visible. Nevertheless, it didn’t look like he was balding.
Year 2009
The year he became a regular on I’m A Celebrity is also when Joe reportedly had his first hair transplant. Looking at his photos from around that time, it does seem to be the case; he was photographed with his hair cut short (which might’ve been done for the surgery) and a hairline that looked quite different from how it used to be.
Year 2012
Despite Joe’s hair looking better than before, his frontal hair was thinning (miniaturizing) at the age of 30. This was likely due to the progression of his androgenetic alopecia, which can still affect the non-transplanted hair on the frontal scalp.
Year 2013
It is likely Joe had a second hair transplant around the end of this year since his hair looked much fuller around the beginning of 2014. His hairline was also straighter and denser than before.
Year 2018
At the age of 36, Joe made no secret of the fact that he was getting his third hair transplant that year. Although he didn’t have extensive hair loss, the edges of his hairline looked a bit receded, forming the M-shape. After the surgery, however, Joe’s hair looked the best it had in years.
Year 2024
Years after his third hair transplant and then aged 42, Joe’s hair showed no signs of thinning or recession.
What Type Of Hair Transplant Did Joe Swash Get?
Though his most recent hair transplant was performed using the FUE technique, it’s possible that Joe’s previous transplantation surgeries were done with the FUT or strip harvesting method. That’s because around the time he’s believed to have had his first two surgeries, the FUT method of transplantation was more popular.
In FUT, a strip of skin is removed from the back of the scalp. From those strips, hair grafts are harvested and implanted into the bald spots. In FUE, hair grafts are extracted directly from the scalp using a punch tool.
FUE has become more popular over the years because, unlike FUT, it does not leave a relatively more noticeable linear scar at the back of the scalp or require stitches.
How Much Did Joe Swash’s Hair Transplant Cost?
Joe Swash’s first hair transplant reportedly cost him £3,000, and it’s possible that his other two procedures cost him about the same — bringing the total to about £10,000. Swash himself has never disclosed the total cost of hair transplant surgery though.
Interested In A Hair Transplant?
For more than a decade, Longevita has been a trusted provider of hair restoration surgeries, offering FUE, DHI and Sapphire transplants. To ensure you achieve great results, we work with a team of highly experienced practitioners while offering the best price guarantee. If you’re interested in getting this procedure done, feel free to get in touch with us!
