It would be fair to say that model Paul Knops is genetically blessed in the looks department. However, there was one aspect of the 37-year-old’s appearance that he was “never happy with”: his hairline.
He was conscious of his ‘widow’s peak’ and his modeling agency insisted he brush his hair forward – which made him even more paranoid.
Paul, who lives in London, adds: “I’ve been lucky that I haven’t receded or lost my hair, but I’ve had the edge of widowhood all my life. We all have insecurities and this was mine.’
In November 2020 he underwent a hair transplant – not because he was bald, but simply to change the way his hairline looked.
Today Paul, who has had no further cosmetic procedures, is delighted with the results.
A CUT ABOVE: London-based model Paul Knops underwent surgery to straighten his widow’s peak (before left, then right)
He says: “At my initial consultation, the surgeon drew my new hairline on my scalp with a pen. I knew right away that it looked right.
“Although it’s a small procedure and most would say unnecessary, it was important to me. I have never looked back. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.’
The popularity of hair transplant procedures – which typically involve surgically removing individual hair follicles from the back of the head and transplanting them elsewhere on the scalp – has grown in recent years.
Although the exact figure for the number of operations in the UK is unclear, the International Society for Hair Restoration Surgery reports that more than 112,000 hair transplants were performed in Europe alone in 2021.
And many UK clinics saw a spike in demand during the Covid pandemic as people recovered in the privacy of their own homes while uncomfortable wounds healed.
Now one of Britain’s leading hair transplant hospitals is reporting a surprising trend: using the procedures to ‘optimize’ appearance rather than combat thinning.
Specialists at London’s Wimpole Clinic say up to a third of its patients, like Paul, do it for this reason. Many, they add, are in their 20s.
The clinic’s chief surgeon, Dr Kieran Dayah, says: “We’ve seen a real shift in the market. Ten years ago it was about restoring hair where they were bald. Now it’s about optimization – an improvement, not a solution to hair loss.”
The most popular surgery for this is on the hairline. “Many patients want to round the temples to get rid of a widow’s peak,” explains Dr. Dayah. “But some people may want fuller, thicker hair all over, and we can provide that, too.”
Patients are offered a form of follicular unit extraction. During the painful procedure, which can take up to eight hours, patients first receive anesthetic injections into the scalp.
Tiny incisions are made in the area where the hair is being transplanted, then individual hair follicles are taken from the back of the head and, one by one, grafted to their new location.
“We have studied natural hairlines to reproduce them,” says Dr. Dayah. “Irregularities are critical in the front, as natural hairlines are never perfect. There’s quite an art to it.”
NO PAIN, NO GAIN: Doctors graft hair follicles onto model Paul Knops’ scalp
Once completed, the back of the head is bandaged for two weeks, but the transplant site is left uncovered to prevent pressure on the grafts from damaging them. Patients are also advised to spray a saline solution to prevent scabbing that mars the surgeon’s work.
Dr Dayah believes that social media has partly inspired the new trend. “There’s a generation that wants to look good on camera all the time, and having a strong hairline is part of that,” she says.
Hair loss affects about two-thirds of men and up to 40 percent of women. It’s usually a result of both genetics and the hormone dihydrotestosterone, which can bind to and weaken the follicles.
Paul says the process was simple. “The anesthetic injections feel like bee stings, but after that your scalp is numb and you can’t feel anything,” she says.
“I wasn’t worried at all – more excited to finally do it. It was completed around the lockdowns, which gave me a window to relax.
“I’m much more confident in my hair, so much so that I’ve grown it long and worn it back,” she adds. “When I look in the mirror I’m much happier knowing it’s something I no longer have to think about.”
- Hair transplants at Wimpole Clinic start from £4,500. Procedures at its VIP sister facility, the Mayfair Hair Clinic, start at £12,000 (wimpoleclinic.com).
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12896467/Model-Paul-Knops-5-000-hair-transplant-wasnt-going-bald-thousands-operation-just-dont-like-hairline.html
