Wayne Bridge shows off the incredible results of his £7,000 hair transplant at DHI Global and says: “I’m buzzing.”
The 44-year-old former England footballer had the procedure with the full support of his wife Frankie, 36, who says he looks great.
Ex-Man City and Chelsea fullback Bridge had 4,085 hairs implanted into the thinning areas of his scalp using the advanced Direct Hair Implantation technique.
Bridge, who had had the procedure at DHI Global’s Clinic close in central London nine months ago, said: “It’s like I have got a full head of hair again and the transformation is pretty unbelievable.
“When I look at the before and after pictures it is pretty amazing and it has done so much for my self-confidence.”
Bridge – who won 36 England caps before retiring in 2014 – had been losing his hair right across his scalp for around ten years.
By the time of his transplant last September he said that the cover was sparse and he was always trying to hide his baldness.
He explained: “I used to move it around to cover it up. I didn’t get a lot of banter about it from mates because I was so good at hiding it.
“I work in the media and knew that I would really benefit from getting it sorted. You feel so much more confident when your hair looks good.
“It is so much thicker now and it takes me no time to get it sorted out. I jump out of the shower, use a bit of product and then I am out. I’m buzzing and it means I can wear my hair a lot shorter now. Lots of people who are thinning have asked me where I got it done and want to do the same.
“Before I was always conscious of how my hair looked and it used to take me a lot longer to get ready.”
Bridge had the full backing of his wife Frankie – the former Saturdays singer turned TV presenter and podcaster – who loves his new look.
““So many men are getting help with their hair and it is really no big deal,” he said.
“I told Frankie what I was doing and she was really supportive. She said ‘go for it’ and supports anything that makes me feel better about myself.”
Bridge was insistent that he had the surgery in the UK and chose DHI Global because of its pioneering techniques which limit the downtime.
He said: “I had the surgery in the morning and was back home later that day. I was so chilled during the surgery that I fell asleep.
“There was no swelling and I chilled for a couple of days at home while I recovered.
“After that, I was back to my normal routine of doing media work and looking after the family.
“I could see the benefits straight away, though it was not obvious to anyone who didn’t know me that I had had a hair transplant.
“It takes up to a year for all the new hair to fully grow back but, after nine months, my hair is as good as new and it will continue to grow back for a further three months and look even better. I wish I had got it done earlier in my hair loss because I feel so much better about myself.
“Women benefit from cosmetic procedures all the time. The nice thing about footballers such as Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand going public about their procedures is that men can see it is no big deal and they can do simple things to benefit their appearance too.”
Since retiring in 2014, he has starred on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! and he won the first series of Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins six years ago after trekking through a glacier in Chile.
Bridge, who now hosts The Dressing Room podcast with ex-England stars Joe Cole and Carlton Cole, said he chose DHI Global for his hair transplant after it was recommended by a celebrity friend.
He said: “I bumped into him at a wedding and his hair looked great. He explained that he had gone to DHI because the treatment is so discreet and no one knows you have had it done until all the hair has grown back.
“I wanted the very best treatment in the world with the shortest down-time and that was always going to be DHI.
“You read about patients going abroad for hair transplants but that was never going to be an option for me.
“The best clinics in the world are here and it is reassuring to know that the team is in central London for the aftercare. Who wants to jump on a flight to check on their hair if something goes wrong?”
With DHI no holes are made for the implanting of the new hairs – instead they are directly implanted.
The DHI technology controls the depth and angle of the new hairs – giving the most natural results.
All DHI procedures are performed by doctors, who are trained and certified by London Hair Restoration Academy, the first Academy for hair transplants.
A DHI Global spokesperson said: “We increased the density in Wayne’s hair on his hairline and the top of his scalp. We have filled in the gaps to make him look younger and improve his body confidence.
“We treat a lot of high profile patients such as Wayne who love to stay fit and look good. We are delighted that he is so happy with the results.”
As well as Bridge, DHI also worked with the former England cricketer Phil Tufnell.
* For more information about Direct Hair Implantation transplants, go to www.dhiglobal.com, ring 0207 486 2774 WhatsApp +447498761317 or visit the clinic at 43 New Cavendish Street, London, W1G 9TH
