How Xherdan Shaqiri got his Hair back!

written by Matt Dominance

Xherdan Shaqiri Hair Transplant - In this post you will find out:

How many hair transplant surgeries did Xherdan Shaqiri undergo?
What was Xherdan’s Norwood stage before his hair transplant?
How many grafts did he get?
Was it FUE or FUT hair transplant?
Has he already started using Finasteride(Propecia) and Minoxidil prior to his hair transplant?

Xherdan Shaqiri´s Hair Transformation Timeline

Hair loss started at a relatively young age. On the photo below we can see how Xherdan’s corners are vividly thinning. He was about 20-21 years old in this photo.

In case you are in a similar situation, it is advisable to start with anti-hair loss treatment as soon as possible (e.g Minoxidil, Finasteride, Derma rolling, Ketoconazole Shampoo) to slow down or even stop further hair loss progression.

You can check out my article on “The Big 3 of Hair Loss Prevention”

Most of the men who develop advanced hair loss (Norwood 6 or Norwood 7) over the course of their lifetime, are usually also the men who start experiencing hair loss early on.

Hair Situation in his early 20´s

20-21 years old
NW 1 – NW 2 transition pattern
Well-preserved mid-frontal point but receding corners
Likely not using any hair loss prevention treatments e.g. Minoxidil(Rogaine) or Finasteride (Propecia)

Hair Situation prior to his hair transplant (May/June 2019)

27 years old
Established NW3
Well-preserved mid-frontal point and good hair density on the frontal hairline
No (negligible) change in hair loss on temples
Probably still not taking any hair loss prevention treatments
Hair Loss is not stable

The road to Xherdan Shaqiri´s New Hair!

Early transplanted hair growth on the right (likely month 3 – month 4 post-op)
Transplanted hairline is rather rounded than straight
Reconnection of the transplanted hairline with his existing temples hasn´t been done in the most natural way

Full result after 12+ months post-op
See-through effect is moderate
Estimated hair density on the hairline: 30-35 grafts/cm2 and 40-45 grafts/cm2 behind the hairline
Zig-zags in the hairline – especially on the left and right from the mid-frontal point
Zig-zags = predictable placement of transplanted hair bundles on the hairline
Multiple hair units likely to be placed in the hairline also

1 Year after his hair transplant

After 1 year the full result from a hair transplant is generally to be expected. Sometimes though, new hair can still appear until 18-24 months but it is usually only the case with transplanted hair growing on the crown area (vertex).

In Xherdan’s case it is very unlikely that new transplanted hair follicles will sprout new hairs after 12 month period post surgery.

How many grafts did Xherdan Shaqiri get for his hair transplant?

1300 grafts on left and 1300 grafts on the right with some additional grafts implanted on the center of the existing hair line
Estimation: 2.600 – 3.000 grafts in total

Xherdan Shaqiri - Ideal Simulation of his Hair Transplant

Why it could have been done better?

Below you can see, how Xherdan’s hair transplant could have ended up in an ideal scenario. I call it an ideal scenario, because such hair transplant would be hardly detectable unlike Shaqiri’s actual result.

On the photo above you can spot a difference between going “conservative” vs “aggressive” with your hair transplant strategy as a Norwood 3.

Conservative strategy means slightly lowering the hairline on the corners but no temporal hair restoration.

Aggressive strategy usually means not only lowering the hairline on the corners to the lowest possible point, but also restoring the hair on the temples.

The lowest possible point on the forehead for the start of the new hairline is exactly at the border with the top of the scalp and forehead muscles. Wrinkling your forehead as a Norwood 2 or higher can tell you how low your new hairline could be potentially positioned.

Although there is always going to be a temptation to go for the aggressive approach with more defined hairline and temples giving your face a better frame, often times it is not the smartest choice long-term.

Trying to restore your almost juvenile-like hairline can work exceptionally well for candidates who:

Are already in their 30’s, 40’s and older
They have low hair loss potential in the future
Candidates are on an anti-hair loss medication e.g. Finasteride and Minoxidil
Their current hair loss progression is not as advanced (Norwood 2 – Norwood 3)

Xherdan Shaqiri - His Result in Reality + Suggestions

What could be done right now for Shaqiri’s hairline in order to achieve a more natural-looking/undetectable hair transplant result?

Completely remove robust looking hairs from the APEX point (border of the hairline and temple) and replace these with single hairs from behind the ear or from the nape area
Add more single hair units to the frontal hairline to mask unnatural zig-zags
Graft removal: 150-250 hair units from APEX area hairline-temporal border + Additional implantation of 400-600 single hair units
Start taking Finasteride in oral/topical form to stop/slow down hair loss progression

The single follicular units should ideally come from the back of his head – so called nape area.

This area of the scalp provides especially soft single hairs, which may not be permanent and DHT could potentially miniaturize some of the in the future.

Nonetheless, they’re normally the best suit for temporal hair restoration because they add a lot to the “feather-like appearance” of the transplanted hairline and temples.

Such approach will make the transplanted hairline look less detectable and more natural.

If such approach won’t be utilized, there is a higher chance of the transplanted corners not matching the hair on the temples and sides properly in terms of hair follicle diameter and direction of hair growth.

We can unfortunately see it in Xherdan’s case as well.