Indian superstar Salman Khan was once ranked among the world’s top 10 most handsome men by People Magazine [1]. However, he has struggled with hair loss for decades. While the actor has always kept this aspect of his life private, rumours of Salman Khan’s hair transplants have been bubbling online for decades, neither confirmed, nor denied.
However, evidence shows he is likely among the 3.3% of people who required 3 or more hair restoration surgeries before they were pleased with their results [2]. However, nowadays, at age 60, Salman has fuller and more luscious hair than many younger men.
Keep reading this article to find out all you need to know about his rumoured procedures:
Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan is a famous Indian actor and film producer born in Mumbai in 1965. He made his on-screen debut at age 23 in the hit Bollywood film Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988). Salman has acted in over 120 movies to date, reaching superstardom with titles such as Tere Naam (2003), Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), and Sultan (2016).
His prolific acting career has earned Salman Khan multiple accolades at Indian film festivals over the years. These include International Indian Film Academy Awards and Screen Awards for Best Actor and Best Film.
While Salman never addressed the rumours about his hair transplants, it is likely that he had several hair restoration surgeries done over the years. Photographs and videos of the actor taken at different times (before and after 2003, 2007 and 2016) show significant changes to his hairline, which are unlikely to have happened naturally. Moreover, he has been photographed sporting telltale signs of surgical hair restoration, such as a follicular unit transplantation (FUT) scar.
More than 85% of men experience male pattern baldness at some point in life [3] and Salman was one of them. Before his first rumoured hair transplant, the actor was showing some classic signs of androgenetic alopecia, such as an M-shaped hairline.
This condition happens when a naturally occurring male hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) binds to androgen receptors in the hair follicles, making them shrink and causing hair miniaturisation. If left untreated, it can progress to baldness in a specific pattern that initially involves the frontal area of the scalp and then leads to a bald spot on the crown [4]. These areas are primarily affected because the hair follicles here are more sensitive to DHT than at the back or sides of the head.
In some people, the earlier stages of male pattern baldness can be curbed and sometimes even reversed with hair growth medication (such as Minoxidil or Finasteride). However, the progress only lasts as long as they keep taking the medication.
A permanent hair transplant is the only way to achieve long-lasting hair restoration. Given Salman’s busy lifestyle and thriving acting career, this option was likely the most convenient for him.
As Salman advanced in age, his straight, youthful hairline matured and eventually started to recede, showing signs of male pattern baldness. The movie star is rumoured to have fought back against balding by joining the ranks of many celebrities who opted for hair transplants. Here is his hair journey from childhood to the present day:
As a child, Salman had shiny, full jet-black hair that he wore in a mop-top that reached down to his eyebrows. Though luxurious, his hair seems on the finer, sleeker side, which suggests he has a straight hair type. While childhood photos don’t reveal the height of his forehead, later photos indicate it was well-proportioned and not excessively high at a young age.
Around the time he made his movie debut, Salman’s hairline was pristine. It was straight and youthful, his temples were well-covered and there was no sign of unevenness. His hair had good volume, and the actor could choose any style he wanted, whether it was slightly longer, covering his forehead, or slicked back to what would soon be his iconic look.
By the time he reached his mid-thirties, Salman was starting to show the first signs of hair thinning and balding. He was starting to experience a receding hairline and some temple hair loss that would soon advance.
It is common for male pattern baldness to start around this age [5] but since it was not yet very conspicuous, it may have been left untreated. Eventually, the condition progressed and the actor felt compelled to get surgical treatment.
Most people (almost 68.2%) are happy with their results after a single hair restoration surgery. 28.6% more are satisfied after a second hair transplant. However, rumours are that Salman needed 3 separate procedures before achieving the full head of hair he has today. That appears to be because his hair loss continued to progress around his transplant areas, making further touch-ups necessary over time.
By the time he reached age 38, in 2003, Salman’s androgenetic alopecia had advanced considerably. He was experiencing significant frontal balding which could no longer be masked easily. This is when the Indian superstar is rumoured to have had his first hairline-lowering hair transplant, which left a visible scar and a thinning area at the back of his head.
In 2005, after making a full recovery, Salman’s frontal area seemed fuller, but he was still showing an uneven hairline. It is likely this surgery was unsuccessful, as seen by his thinning temples. The massive scar on his donor area indicates a potentially unskilled or inexperienced surgeon. However, there can be other reasons for a failed hair transplant, such as poor hair transplant aftercare.
The fact that Salman was unhappy with his 2003 hair transplant results became obvious as he got his second surgery only 4 years later, in 2007. A photo of him with short hair from 2006 shows his hair thinning had indeed continued, and his hairline was far from even.
The second time around, Salman may have opted for a different surgeon and technique as the results seemed far better than the previous ones. Less than one year later, the actor’s hairline was much straighter and his temple baldness had diminished substantially.
While Salman’s second hair transplant was successful, his hair continued to thin over time around his implanted grafts. This was especially visible around the temples, so, in 2016, aged 50, the movie star decided to get one final surgical touch-up.
The results of this final procedure were remarkable and he is still enjoying his successful hair transplant after 10+ years.
Despite being 60 years old, Salman’s hairline now looks more youthful than it did in his thirties. It is almost straight, with a mature and masculine appearance. His temples are still covered and his hair is full and voluminous. It appears that at least the final two hair transplants were a great move for the movie star, as his healthy-looking hair makes him seem decades younger.
While there is still much uncertainty regarding Salman’s hair restoration surgeries, photos suggest that his first procedure reportedly performed in 2007, was done via the FUT technique. A large characteristic scar is clearly visible on the back of his head in some of his post-2007 photos where the actor was sporting short hair.
However, the following two hair transplants are believed to have been achieved through follicular unit extraction (FUE). This method was becoming increasingly popular by 2016 and leaves minimal scarring. Photos of Salman captured in 2016 show the actor with a healing scalp and hair transplant redness on the side of his head and under his chin.
The main difference between FUT and FUE hair restoration surgery rests in the way the hair grafts are harvested. With FUT, the surgeon removes an entire strip of skin from your scalp, cuts it up into grafts and stitches the edges of the wound back together. This leaves a fine scar and makes hair transplant recovery longer. FUE, however, involves harvesting each graft individually. This is more time-consuming, but only leaves very small puncture wounds which heal quickly and cause virtually no scarring.
Some influencers speculated that Salman may have had an artificial hair transplant, due to the large number of grafts needed for his 3 distinct procedures. However, the sparser area on his chin indicates he may have supplemented through a body hair transplant, taking additional grafts from his beard via FUE.
It is hard to tell how many grafts Salman got, due to his multiple surgical interventions and the suspicion he may have also transplanted beard hair to his scalp. Judging by the appearance of his hair at its thinnest, before his 2003 surgery, the actor was likely experiencing Norwood stage 3-4 hair loss.
According to the hair graft calculator, Salman may have needed an initial 2500-graft hair transplant. The subsequent procedures may also have required 500-1000 hair grafts each, raising the total to around 4000 hair grafts.
However, the frequent variations in his hairline and the thinning hair on his temples in many photos suggest the actor may have been using styling products (such as hair thickening spray) to conceal the true extent of his hair loss. Moreover, many of his press-released photographs are heavily retouched, increasing confusion regarding the true state of Salman Khan’s hair thinning.
Hair transplant costs can vary significantly, depending on several factors. The most important of these are:
At this time, there is no certain information regarding the country where Salman got his hair transplants. Some sources claim they took place in Dubai, others in India or even the US. According to our research, these are the current average costs of getting 4000 hair grafts in each of these countries:
However, keep in mind that there are significant price variations within these countries and that an actor of Salman’s star power probably opted for a high-end rather than average clinic. Luxury services tend to be significantly more expensive. Moreover, hair transplant costs today can differ considerably from those in the early 2000s.
Had Salman got an average 4000-hair graft hair transplant in the present-day UK, he would have spent around £13,000. However, a high-end clinic may have charged up to 3 times this amount. Considering he had to get 3 separate procedures, costs may also be increased by additional services (like PRP hair treatments) for each surgery.
If you are thinking of getting a natural-looking hair transplant that can make your tresses as full and luxurious as Salman’s, we are here to help. Book a free, no-obligation hair transplant consultation with one of our experienced surgeons and discover the results you can achieve.
The award-winning Wimpole Clinic is an industry leader with a 50-year legacy in hair restoration excellence. Our before and after hair transplant gallery speaks for itself regarding our performance. Our 97-100% FUE and FUT success rate shows you can trust us to get you the best possible results. So give your thinning hair the chance to grow and thrive once more.
If you would like to see what other actors, singers and footballers who got hair transplants look like today, here are some good examples:
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