Most people have seen at least one Kevin Costner film over the years. However, few are aware that at the peak of his fame, the movie star was struggling with male pattern baldness. While it is now common for celebrities to get hair transplants, this procedure was not as accessible in the mid-2000s. Still, hair experts believe that even though he never addressed the procedure, Kevin Costner’s hair transplant was a leap of faith that paid off.
Photographic evidence leaves little doubt that Kevin restored his hair surgically. His hairline regained substantial fullness in under a year, a progress unlikely to be obtained with hair loss medication alone. Keep reading this article to find out all you need to know about the rumoured procedure:
Kevin Costner is a beloved Oscar-winning US actor and producer who has starred in around 60 movies throughout his career. He was born in 1955 in California, where he also made his acting debut at age 26. Then, he went on to act in a variety of timeless classics, his main claim to fame stemming from his iconic roles in Dances With Wolves, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and The Bodyguard.
At age 70, Kevin Costner is still pursuing his stellar acting career. His most recent role was in the 2024 production Horizon: An American Saga. During the almost 45 years he has devoted to the stage, he has earned numerous accolades, including 2 Academy Awards, 3 Golden Globe Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award.
A rather private person, Kevin has chosen discretion regarding his hair restoration. He has never addressed the rumours about having had a hair transplant without anyone knowing. However, the changes in his hairline between 2006 and 2007 are so significant that it is difficult to believe they could have happened naturally.
It can be argued that Kevin may have used non-surgical hair restoration treatments. However, his alopecia was so advanced by 2006 that it is unlikely any medication or therapy available at the time could have produced such amazing results in such a short time.
The more probable theory is that the actor chose the only hair restoration treatment that comes close to a cure for baldness: a permanent hair transplant. This simple but effective surgery could easily have produced the major improvements to his hairline and crown observed in the following years.
Male pattern baldness affects over 85% of men at some point in their lives [1], be they celebrities or common folk. Kevin started showing signs of androgenetic alopecia in his early 30s. This is not uncommon – it is when male pattern baldness starts in many men [2]. However, it can be especially distressing for a young actor who needs to look his best.
This type of alopecia typically starts with a receding hairline and some temple hair loss, and if it isn’t promptly treated, it can advance to a progressively larger bald spot on the crown.
Several factors can contribute to developing male pattern baldness, the most notable being age, hormones and inherited hair loss genes. This condition occurs when a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) binds to androgen receptors in your hair follicles, causing hair miniaturisation that advances to baldness if left untreated [3]. Since the follicles in your frontal scalp and crown are more sensitive to DHT, these are the most affected areas, creating the well-known balding pattern.
Since androgenetic alopecia is a progressive condition, it can go through seven different stages, measured by the Norwood Scale. At the peak of his hair loss, in 2006, Kevin seemed to have Norwood stage 4 alopecia. This involves extensive frontal hair loss and a bald spot on the top of the head.
Kevin Costner’s hair journey is familiar to many men all over the world. He started out with full, luxurious hair, which started thinning out around his mid-twenties. As male pattern baldness set in, it wreaked havoc on the actor’s hairline and crown over the next two decades. Thankfully, after a successful hair transplant, Kevin was once more able to enjoy a full head of hair. Here is his transformation over the years.
As a teenager, Kevin had full, healthy-looking hair that he chose to wear with a side-parting. He may have preferred this hairstyle to mask his broad forehead, or he may have been experiencing signs of teenage hair loss. Since his frontal area is well-covered in all available photos from the 70s, there is no way to tell if young Kevin already had an uneven hairline or other signs of early-onset androgenetic alopecia.
Going into his 20s, Kevin maintained his preference for covering his hairline with side-swept hairstyles, shaggy bangs or cowboy hats. Few photographs of the star in his 20s are publicly available, as he had not yet reached stardom. Those that do exist don’t reveal many clues regarding whether he had already started losing some of his hair.
By the actor’s early thirties, however, the first signs of hair thinning and balding were undeniable, as he started wearing his hair combed back. Photos from the mid-80s show Kevin’s visibly receding hairline and temple hair loss. There was also an unevenness to his frontal area, which predicted further hair shedding in the near future.
This would have been a good time for Kevin to start taking hair growth medication to curb his hair loss and potentially restore some of its fullness. However, Minoxidil wouldn’t be FDA-approved for hair loss until 1988 [4] and Finasteride until 1997, so his treatment options were limited [5].
In the absence of effective treatment, Kevin’s temple hair kept falling out over the following decade. This initially led to an M-shaped hairline, which had completely receded by the time the actor reached his mid-40s.
However, the hair loss didn’t prevent Kevin from starring in some of his best-known roles and becoming a sex symbol in the 90s. This was partly because he mainly played rugged, masculine characters, and light frontal balding may be seen as a sign of virility.
Unfortunately, Kevin’s alopecia kept progressing into the early 2000s to an extent where it became impossible to gloss over. His hairline had receded all the way to the top of his head. A bald spot had also become visible on the movie star’s crown. This is when he is rumoured to have had enough of hair loss and decided to get a natural-looking hair transplant.
This decision turned out to be wise, as Kevin’s hair restoration surgery was a major success. Less than a year post-procedure, the actor was photographed with a significantly fuller and straighter hairline that rested visibly lower than its 2006 position. This did wonders for the actor’s appearance, giving him a healthy, age-appropriate hairline.
Kevin appeared to still be enjoying the results of his hair transplant after 10 years, as his hairline hadn’t looked as straight and full since his early 30s. The effect was especially remarkable when he wore slightly longer hair, which made it look like he had barely ever experienced alopecia.
While Kevin’s frontal area has thinned out a bit around his hair grafts 20 years since his procedure, his hair still looks great for his age. And using a hairstyle for men with thin hair, such as a forward comb with a fade, can conceal the additional frontal hair loss entirely.
Kevin Costner is a good illustration of the fact that hair transplants can last a lifetime when performed by a skilled surgeon and supported by proper hair transplant maintenance.
Since Kevin never openly discussed his rumoured hair restoration surgery, the type of procedure he got can only be assumed. However, it is known that a method called Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) was the gold standard in surgical hair restoration in 2006, as today’s more popular Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) method was just being perfected around that time (after being introduced in 2002) [6].
FUT involves removing a strip of skin from the back of your head and cutting it up into hair grafts that are then transplanted. This method is still in use today, but it is losing favour to FUE because it makes recovery longer and leaves a fine but visible scar on the donor area. With FUE, however, every hair graft is harvested individually, so there is virtually no scarring, though the process is more painstaking and time-consuming.
While there are no publicly available photos that show a scar on the back of Kevin Costner’s head, it is safe to assume he would likely have opted for FUT back in 2007, as it had a lower risk of damaging the hair grafts (this is no longer the case with modern FUE) [6].
The movie star’s hair loss was rather advanced in 2006, before his hair restoration surgery. Hair experts believe it was Norwood Stage 4. According to the hair graft calculator, this means Kevin may have needed at least a 2500 graft hair transplant.
However, only a surgeon can provide an accurate estimation of the number of grafts the patient may require upon a careful examination and a discussion regarding the expected results. Several things, such as the patient’s hair texture and thickness and the hair density they are hoping to get, can influence this decision.
Since Kevin used to spend much of his time in Hollywood and has always been a proud Californian resident, it would make sense that he had his surgical hair restoration in LA. However, even if this information was certain, there is significant variation in LA hair transplant costs, according to aspects such as:
Moreover, hair restoration costs differed significantly in 2006 from those offered today, which makes it even more difficult to determine what the movie star paid for his procedure 20 years ago.
According to our research, had Kevin got an average 2500 graft hair restoration surgery in LA at today’s prices, he would have paid around $17,500 (£13,500). But since he was a megastar, he may have spared no expense and chosen a high-end, luxury clinic. This means the procedure could have cost him upwards of $50,000 (£38,600).
In the UK, hair transplant costs are lower than in the US, with equally great results. For example, an average 2500 graft hair transplant similar to the one Kevin is rumoured to have had costs about £8,125 ($10,500). However, high-end facilities will still charge significantly more for their services here (up to 3 times the average rates).
If you are experiencing male pattern baldness, you may wonder if you could benefit from hair restoration surgery the way Kevin did. Book a free hair transplant consultation with one of our world-class surgeons, and they will provide all the answers you need. If you are a good candidate for a hair transplant, they will work with you to redesign your hairline for the best possible results.
Our 50-year legacy of hair transplant excellence makes the Wimpole Clinic an industry leader. We take pride in our almost 100% procedure success rate — see our before and after hair transplant gallery. So you can rest assured knowing your hair will be in the most capable hands that will restore its fullness, health and vigour.
It is increasingly common for actors, singers, TV celebrities and even footballers to have hair transplants, as it is a safe and highly effective procedure. If you are curious how other famous people’s rumoured or confirmed hair restoration surgeries turned out, check out these transformations:
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