Several media outlets reported news about Paddy McGuiness’s hair transplant satire post at the beginning of 2023 [1][2]. A video on the showman’s Instagram account showed him clearly using appearance-changing filters and jokingly denying having had “work done” in Turkey [3]. However, his history of male pattern baldness, as well as his previous praise of Jimmy Carr’s hair transplan, led some credence to the idea that he may have had his hair surgically restored.
A closer look at photographic evidence shows it’s unlikely that Paddy McGuiness ever had a hair transplant to increase his hair density. This is supported by the fact that he is presently still displaying advanced frontal balding. However, if he did indeed have such a procedure, he would be in excellent company. Singers such as Sir Elton John, actors such as Joe Swash and footballers such as Danny Ings have openly talked about having had their hair surgically restored.
Keep reading this article to find out all you need to know about:
Patrick Joseph McGuiness was born in 1973 in Lancashire, England. The British actor and comedian is best known for his time as a Top Gear co-presenter, but he appeared in numerous other shows over the years.
Paddy made his debut in 2000 as a guest on a Peter Kay mockumentary, then went on to present TV programmes such as Take Me Out, Paddy’s Show & Telly, Paddy’s TV Guide, Benchmark, or Question of Sport. As an actor, Paddy played a guest role in Coronation Street and appeared several times in various Keith Lemons productions. In 2022, he also played Gary in Keith Lemon: The Film.
In 2023, Paddy and his former wife, Christine, appeared alongside their 3 children in their own show, “Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism”. In 2024, he resumed his career as a comedian with the Paddy Mc Guinness: Nearly There UK tour. He also replaced Gregg Wallace as a presenter on the BBC series Inside the Factory.
Paddy has made many hair transplant jokes over the years for the benefit of his fans. He even filmed a satire video in January 2023, in which he feigns outrage at the accusations of having had “a little work done in Turkey” while using an obvious hair and face appearance-enhancing Instagram filter [3].
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Paddy McGuinness (@mcguinness.paddy)
A post shared by Paddy McGuinness (@mcguinness.paddy)
This comes in the wake of media reports on the showman’s claims to be considering hair restoration surgery after having lavished praises on the outcome of Jimmy Carr’s hair transplant. Several outlets announced that Paddy was “keen” to get the same procedure and quoted him praising its results:
“ ‘It’s unbelievable, his hair is like an otter’s pelt. He said this fella he used doesn’t advertise, doesn’t do any of that, he’s under the radar. […] ‘I looked at it, and I was like, “Now that is proper!”. Get it done when no one realises you need it. That’s when they work the best. […] Do it before you’ve got to the full-on bald stage.” [4]
However, knowing that Paddy has engaged in friendly banter about Jimmy’s plastic surgery before [5], it is quite possible that he was teasing about this intervention as well.
This idea was supported by his 2021 Instagram joke post where he claimed to be flaunting his post-hair transplant look, accompanied by the following photo:
Paddy’s hair transformation over the years, especially at his present-day hairline, provides few arguments that he has indeed had a hair transplant. His entire frontal area and crown seem to continue progressively balding, which should not normally have happened had he had successful surgical hair restoration. It seems to be more likely that he has sometimes been using hair thickening sprays, filters and airbrushing to hide his hair thinning.
While Paddy started out with a full head of curly hair, in young adulthood, he started experiencing a type of alopecia that affects 85% of men: male pattern baldness. The actor’s hair loss has progressed predictably in time. It started with frontal balding and a receding hairline and worked its way towards a bald spot on the crown.
Androgenetic alopecia (male or female pattern baldness) is caused by a combination of several factors, such as age, hormones and genetics. However, its mechanism is largely the same. Your body starts producing too much of a male hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This excessive DHT binds to the androgen receptors in your hair follicles, shrinking them and preventing hair growth.
There are many effective hair loss treatments for men that can curb male pattern baldness, such as Finasteride, Minoxidil or PRP hair treatment. However, they don’t have the same effect on everyone and only work if the balding is not very advanced. Left untreated, this condition normally progresses, its stages being measured on the Norwood scale. For Norwood stage 3 and above, a permanent hair transplant is often the best treatment.
Like most men affected by male pattern baldness, Paddy used to have full, healthy locks up until his thirties. Then, over the years, progressive hair shedding left him with hair so thin you can see his scalp. Here is his hair journey and the transformations he underwent in time:
As a child, Paddy had full, luxurious, dark-brown locks. His hair was wavy and he wore it in a messy haircut with a fringe. While his hairline wasn’t visible in childhood photos, it seems to be positioned at an average height, without signs of a particularly large forehead. It is safe to assume it was the same as any other child’s since not even premature male pattern baldness normally manifests before adolescence.
There are not many publicly available photos from Paddy’s teenage and early adolescence. However, at age 22, the actor’s hairline looked impeccable, and his face was softly framed by medium-length, curly locks. By the time he reached his early 30s, he still seemed to have a full head of hair.
However, he had adopted a Caesar haircut, so his hairline was hidden behind a short fringe. The Caesar was an excellent choice for his upcoming hair shedding since it is one of the best hairstyles for men with thin hair.
By age 35, Paddy had already started displaying the first signs of hair thinning and balding, such as a receding hairline and frontal hair loss. However, in a very inspired move, he renounced the Caesar style for one of the best buzz cuts for a receding hairline. This was a very short, almost bald haircut, which masked his hair thinning very well.
While the showman was very adept with his trimmer, avoiding the appearance of an M-shaped hairline at all costs, by the time he was in his 40s, his temple hair loss was evident. His frontal area was also significantly dwindling, with clear signs that his androgenetic alopecia was progressing. By this point, he had probably also developed a bald spot on the crown, but his short haircut conceals it in photos.
The first online chatter about McGuinness wanting to get a hair transplant started in 2021, after Jimmy Carr’s procedure. Paddy quipped to the media about loving the results and wanting to get hair restoration surgery as well. His phrasing suggested he hadn’t already had one. These rumours were only fueled by the actor’s funny video where he used a hair-enhancing video to lampoon the reports that he may have gotten hair restoration surgery in Turkey.
All this was going on in 2021, and Paddy reverted to his slightly longer Caesar cut in 2023. The transformation made his hair seem thicker and his hairline lower than usual. This led many to believe he may have had hair restoration sometime in 2022 (as it can take 6-12 months to see hair growth after a FUE hair transplant).
However, later in 2023, Paddy was photographed once more with visibly thin hair. This suggests the actor may occasionally use spray-on hair and/or photo manipulation techniques, such as airbrushing or blurring around his hairline to conceal his balding.
In 2024, Paddy could be seen in TV shows, as well as in the videos he himself posts to his Instagram account, with increasingly thinning hair. The balding seems to have affected the entire frontal and crown areas of his scalp and it seems to be spreading towards the sides of his head. If Paddy has not yet had hair restoration surgery and has any intention of doing so, he would better act now, as it might soon be too late for a hair transplant.
While most signs point to the fact that Paddy likely never had hair restoration surgery, if he did have one, it would probably have been Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). There are two main types of hair transplant available: Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and FUE.
FUT involves harvesting a strip of skin from your donor area, cutting it up into hair grafts and implanting them in your balding areas. However, this normally leaves a fine but visible scar in your donor area. FUE involves using a small punch tool to harvest the grafts individually. This only leaves small puncture wounds, which often heal with virtually no scarring.
Since Paddy has worn his hair very short most of his life, FUE would likely be the most convenient option if he wanted to get a natural-looking hair transplant.
The number of hair grafts Paddy would have needed depends on the time when the supposed hair transplant would have taken place. Assuming his procedure had occurred in 2022, his male pattern baldness already seemed to be at least Norwood stage 4.
In that case, according to the hair graft calculator, the showman would need approximately 3000 graft hair transplant. Assuming he had enough hair in his donor area, this procedure could be safe and feasible if he had it in one of the best hair transplant clinics in the UK.
However, had he had his surgical hair restoration in Turkey, as he jokingly suggested at the beginning of 2023, he may have been at increased risk of hair transplant overharvesting. That is because Turkish surgeons tend to quote 75% more grafts than British ones. So, the lower hair transplant costs in Turkey may not be worth the risk.
Paddy’s hair transplant cost largely depends on the country and type of clinic he chose for this procedure, as well as any additional services required. Going on the reasoning that Paddy would have needed approximately 3000 hair grafts, he would have paid, on average, almost £10.000 in the UK. That is because the hair restoration required is extensive.
Had he followed his own advice and gotten a hair transplant before his balding advanced – when he was a Norwood stage 2-3 – he may have only paid, on average, approximately £5000 for around 1500 hair grafts.
Compared to hair loss medication, transplant costs may appear high. However, medication only works as long as you are taking it consistently for the rest of your life. Hair restoration surgery, however, is permanent, and you get to enjoy the results of your hair transplant after 10 years and longer. So, in the long run, it could not only uphold your youthful look but actually help you save money on hair loss products you may no longer need.
If you are wondering about celebrity hair transplants because you are thinking about getting hair restoration surgery, we’re here to help. Book a free hair transplant consultation today with one of our experienced surgeons, and they will provide all the information you need to help you make an informed choice.
Your surgeon will examine you to determine whether you are a good candidate for a hair transplant. Then, they will work with you to design your best possible hairline. They will give you a fair and realistic estimate of how many grafts you may need and what costs the procedure may entail. Depending on how advanced your alopecia is, they will also be completely open about the kind of results you can expect. Finally, they will walk you through the entire procedure and make sure that all your questions get satisfactory answers.
Nowadays, in the UK, hair transplants are safe, fast and have excellent success rates. Our surgeons have a 97-100% success rate. See our results for yourself in our before and after hair transplant gallery.
If you are curious to see the results of other famous people’s hair restoration surgeries, here are some who have been upfront regarding their procedures:
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