Phil Tuftnell! Cricket legend ‘Tuffers’ gets hair transplant to turf over his ‘thinning wicket’

Cricket legend Phil Tufnell has undergone a hair transplant to turf over his thinning wicket.

The 56-year-old former spinner had 1,000 hairs implanted into his scalp during the four-hour procedure, which cost £4,000 at a clinic in central London. 

It involves taking hairs from the back of the head and using them to patch up bald spots, promising ‘permanent’ and ‘completely natural’ results.

The I’m a Celeb winner and cricket pundit, who also had a hair transplant nearly a decade ago, said ‘no one likes to lose their hair’ and wanted ‘to do something about it before it was too late’.

The procedure, called direct hair implantation, involves removing hair from the back of the head.

These are then directly implanted into the areas that are patchy — the sides and crown in Tufnell’s case — at the same depth and angle as the hair already there to give natural results.

It is minimally invasive, does not require surgery and is done within three to four hours, without shaving the head. 

Tufnell, who said he was ’99 per cent pain free’ after the transplant, had it done at DHI Global, a hair transplant clinic in Westminster, near Harley Street. 

The former England international cricketer, who competed in Strictly Come Dancing in 2009, said: ‘I have been suffering from hair loss for a few years at the back and sides of my scalp and I wanted to do something about it.

‘What I particularly like about this treatment is that you don’t have to have the back of your head shaved. 

‘They literally pick the donor hairs out and then patch it back up where you have the bald spots with very little fuss. 

‘There is very little disturbance to the scalp and the final results are completely natural.

‘It means the down time after the operation is minimal and I can quickly get back to doing what I love, which is watching cricket, without anyone knowing what I’ve had done.’

Tufnell said he decided to go through with the procedure after spotting his hair was thinning out in overhead mirrors in a lift at the BBC London studios.

He said: ‘I’ve got a big summer coming with the Ashes and you’re on telly and in front of the camera and I suppose there was a bit of a lack of confidence but you just want a nice head of hair.’

Tufnell said he started suffering from hair loss seven years ago, mainly from the front of his head, ‘which is most noticeable’ when he is on TV. 

He said: ‘I thought to myself, “I don’t like what I am seeing — I want to get that sorted. I am going to need a patch-up on my barnet”.

‘There are modern techniques to address the problem, so why not get it done? I knew I would feel a whole lot better afterwards.

‘No one likes to lose their hair and I don’t think the shape of my face is suited to a receding hairline. But my main reason is that I wanted a nice head of hair.

‘I have always had thin hair anyway and I wanted to do something about it before it was too later.’

The former Question of Sport host said: ‘I am aware that several ex-cricketers have had help with their hair. We are like a little club of hair transplant patients.

‘The common factor in all of us is that we are all on the TV and in the media and are aware that we need to look good when we are presenting to millions of fans.

‘This summer is going to be really busy with the Ashes starting in June.

‘It takes around six months for the new hair to really start showing and around nine months before the full effects are evident.

‘So I should be looking my best with the hair fully restored when we take on Australia in the summer.

‘I am really excited to show off my new barnet just as the boys start the series. The England team is playing brilliantly under Ben Stokes and it should be a really exciting summer.’  

A DHI Global spokesperson said lots of celebrities seek get hair transplants in their downtime which can make them look ‘years younger’.

It comes after a hair transplant clinic said demand for facial hair transplants spiked 25 per cent in a year, thanks to England manager Gareth Southgate influence. 

Waistcoat sales soared during the last World Cup, all thanks to Gareth Southgate’s influence.

Now England’s manager has supposedly sent demand for something else through the roof — beard and sideburn transplants.

One Manchester clinic offering the £4,000 procedure claims to have seen a 25 per cent rise in men wanting facial hair over the last year.  

Patients have claimed the 52-year-old ex-Premier League player is their ‘inspiration’.

Dr Asim Shahmalak, founder of the clinic, told MailOnline his clients hope to achieve the same look that gives Gareth ‘natural authority and marks him out as a leader’.

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