There’s nobody on earth quite like David Beckham. As the ultimate hybrid celebrity, he began his career as a soccer star and merged with the world of fashion, modeling, TV presenting, and other business ventures.
Throughout his amazing career, Beckham has also maintained a legendary head of hair, adding to his stylish image and persona. While he has never been forthcoming with his experience with hair loss, photo evidence suggests he had at least one hair transplant throughout his career.
It’s time to look closer at Beckham’s hair through the years and find out if the soccer star had a hair transplant or other procedures to keep his locks looking great.
With looks to match his skills on the field, Beckham has always drawn attention to his hair, wearing multiple styles and gracing countless men’s magazine covers. Let’s look at the progression of his hair over time and see what we can discover.
Beckham was a crowd favorite from the first moment he graced the field for Manchester United in the early 1990s. He showed a propensity for playmaking and bringing energy to his team, and his flowing hair only helped draw attention to the young player.
Only 17 years old at the time of his debut, Beckham had a youthful hairline with a natural widow’s peak and symmetrical shape. He wore a wide variety of styles throughout his early career that showcased his versatility and comfort with trend-setting.
Beckham often wore a short buzz cut on the pitch, experimenting with longer styles and the classic 90’s messy spikes. He maintained his youthful hairline well into his late 20s, though it didn’t last forever.
By the time Beckham reached his 30s, his hairline had shifted from a youthful position to a more mature look. This doesn’t necessarily indicate hair loss, but it showed that even Beckham was not invincible to the effects of aging and genetics.
Thankfully, Beckham had no issue transitioning to a more mature look, and it complemented his angular features nicely. His hairline changed shape slightly with some minor indentations on either side of his head, but he made the most of the situation and adapted by establishing a new signature look.
In 2008, Beckham shocked the sports world by moving to the U.S. and signing a contract with the L.A. Galaxy of the MLS. European fans may have been displeased with the decision, but Beckham was looking to level up his career and take the sport of soccer to new heights in the States.
Beckham was well into his 30s, and signs of hair loss were starting to show more prominently. Coupled with the pressures of living in Hollywood and his high-profile personal life, Beckham may have been under more stress than usual and saw his hairline begin to recede more quickly.
Beckham never let his hairline deteriorate too badly. At its worst, his mature hairline had receded slightly on either side and possibly reached a Norwood 2 status. Beckham’s hair still looked great by normal standards, but from his perspective, he saw it was time to remedy the situation.
During the 2008 offseason, Beckham likely had his first hair transplant, as he returned to the field the next year to show off a much fuller and complete hairline. This return to form was the subject of much scrutiny in the tabloids, and Beckham did not address the situation directly.
However, Beckham took the criticism in stride and continued to perform on the field while maintaining his clean public image. The transplant was subtle but successful, and Beckham was back in the game as a style icon.
Beckham played for a few more teams in Europe before hanging up the cleats in 2013 at the age of 38. He shifted his focus to philanthropy and marketing efforts with various sponsors and still sought to maintain his image with cutting-edge fashion and hairstyles.
Unfortunately, Beckham encountered a bad bout of hair loss as he entered his 40s, as some photos show him with significant patchiness and loss of density on his frontal third in 2020. This is not uncommon for men in their 40s, but Beckham knew that he had to respond with a plan of action.
What happened next is up for debate. Beckham could very well have undergone another hair transplant in 2020 or used supplementary treatments and aesthetic fixes to bolster his hairline in the meantime.
Because Beckham’s initial transplant was not especially high volume, he likely had plenty of donor hair to “top up” his hairline in subsequent surgeries. Some critics point out that Beckham’s hair looked “too good to be true” following what appeared to be dramatic thinning, so it’s difficult to say for sure what Beckham used to bounce back.
For now, Beckham’s hairline looks solid, especially for a man in his late forties. Still, we’re left wondering exactly what steps he took to restore his hairline to its former glory, and we may never know for sure.
We can only speculate on what David Beckham might have done to restore his hair after he went through significant thinning in 2020.
Despite the lack of clarity, it’s worth piecing together the evidence to see what techniques he might have used, surgical or otherwise.
Because Beckham’s first major hairline alteration came in the late 2000s, it’s safe to assume he underwent FUE surgery with a focus on restoring the frontal portion of his hairline.
FUE was well established at this point as a trusted form of hair transplantation for smaller procedures, which would have been perfect for Beckham’s needs at the time. He likely needed no more than 1500 grafts, and with the shorter recovery period and no scarring, FUE was the optimal choice for the star as he moved into the L.A. spotlight.
FUT surgery may have still been the more prominent surgical option at the time of Beckham’s first procedure. Still, given his resources and network, the star likely opted for a cutting-edge option that would provide the best results. FUE would have also allowed Beckham to retain more donor hair, which would prove useful when considering secondary treatments.
If Beckham did have a secondary procedure more recently, he likely underwent another FUE surgery of moderate scope. He probably depleted his remaining stores of donor hair, though his exact approach remains unclear.
While we have sufficient evidence to guess that Beckham had a hair transplant in 2008, his recent hair restoration strategy is less obvious.
Some speculate that Beckham has used hair systems or fibrous filler materials to supplement his natural look in public appearances, which is an increasingly common approach among celebrities.
Now that Beckham is no longer in the spotlight 24/7, it’s possible that he uses the occasional hair system to fortify his hairline and fill in gaps when appearing on television or in advertisements. Today’s hair systems are subtle and appear quite natural, so this may be a viable short-term solution while Beckham figures out a more permanent plan.
It’s also possible that Beckham has taken hair from other parts of his body or used donor hair from another patient to add to his hairline, though this is impossible to confirm either way.
Beckham has done well in maintaining his hair for his lengthy career, and he likely uses various medicinal treatments and therapeutic methods to keep his hair in order. Minoxidil and finasteride are the two approved medicines that Beckham may use, but these are unlikely to make a drastic difference.
Another possibility is collagen induction therapy, whereby microscopic punctures are made on the scalp to promote the production of collagen and other growth factors. Microchanneling is the most proven method in this category and seems to be within Beckham’s wheelhouse of cosmetic treatments.
Beckham may use red light therapy to promote energy production in the scalp and maintain his remaining hair. Platelet-rich plasma therapy is also not out of the question, as this experimental treatment is more mainstream than ever.
David Beckham is a one-of-a-kind figure with genetic gifts and a propensity for trend-setting styles. However, his story is a reminder that nobody is immune to male pattern balding, especially into the third and fourth decades of life. Beckham shows us that hair restoration is possible with the right approach and that the journey is ongoing.
If you suspect your hairline is moving in the wrong direction or you simply want to get ahead of the problem before it starts, the best time to initiate your plan is now. Contact Jae Pak MD Medical, and let’s get your hair loss issue sorted sooner rather than later.
Sources:
David Beckham shows off full head of hair days after being spotted with thinning barnet | Mirror
Has David Beckham had a Hair Transplant? | NZ Herald
A nostalgic look at David Beckham’s glorious hair over the years | Glamour
Beckham’s new hairdo reignites rumour | News.com.au
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