Josh Warrington, one of the bravest, most successful and most charismatic Yorkshire boxers of recent times, is disarmingly frank when talking about his body image and, most specifically, his receding hairline.
“It seems strange to say this but at the end of a bruising fight, with my face battered and bloodied, sweat pouring everywhere and Vaseline matting my hair, one of the first things I’d think about was – Oh my God, I’m going bald.
“This began as a small concern, but it grew into a nagging worry, especially when my public profile started to soar after I became featherweight champion of the world. I’m not normally vain, but when people recognise you and say hello wherever you go, especially in my home city of Leeds, you do become self-conscious. You want to look your best.”
“So I started doing some research about hair restoration and hair transplants, looking on-line and asking friends and colleagues. I ruled out going abroad and looked closer to home, especially in Yorkshire, and all roads led me to Dr Fas Arshad based, like me, in Leeds.”
“What I loved about Dr Arshad, when we met earlier this year, was that he didn’t try to sell me anything. He explained the whole process of recreating a full head of hair for me in great detail and then let me make up my own mind. I thought – why not?
“Inevitably I was daunted, especially when all my hair was shaved off in preparation for the operation, but I was made to feel incredibly comfortable before, during and after the operation and a month or so later, I am already seeing the benefit, with new follicles starting to grow. Within nine months, I am confident of having a hairline that I can be really proud of.”
Dr Arshad owns and runs the multi-disciplinary Leeds Private Hospital, which he founded five years ago. He recently won the prestigious UK Hair Transplant Clinic of the Year award in the International Safety in Beauty Diamond Awards, the Oscars of the cosmetic surgery world.
The stunning Leeds Private Hospital is based in the historic 16th century Red Hall House in Shadwell, Leeds, where planning permission has recently been granted and works commenced for a annexed large overnight surgery unit with further operating theatres, recovery ward, and overnight patient rooms. This will create an additional 40 new jobs and ease the heavy burden on the over-run NHS in the Yorkshire region.
Dr Arshad, who has a degree in Medicine from the University of Leeds and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, has worked with a host of other Yorkshire sporting stars including Liam Cameron and Scott Quigg (Boxing), Adil Rashid (Cricket), Blake Austin (Rugby League), Dan Linfoot (Motorcycle Racing) and Ben Thornley (Football).
“It has been such a privilege to help sporting legends like Josh, Blake, Dan, Adil, Liam, Scott and Ben. Despite the success they have achieved in their chosen fields, they remain humble and very honest about what they need and how they feel. One particularly important consequence of hair loss is the impact on mental health and that is something to which we pay special attention.”
Both Liam Cameron and Dan Linfoot have spoken openly about the effect that their receding hairlines have had on their mental health. In the built-up to Liam’s most recent fight during with Ben Whittaker, Whittaker made some comments about Liam's hair loss to try and ridicule him. These comments were seen by Dr Arshad, who said: “I wanted to reach out to him and let him know that there are options to treat hair loss. When I spoke with Liam, I could sense that despite him being a tough boxer, he was affected by Whittaker’s comments and on-going hair loss he was experiencing.”
In essence, Dr Arshad’s pioneering modern hair transplant process involves each hair follicle being removed individually from the back and side of the scalp (donor zone) and implanted into areas where the hair has been lost or is thinning (hairline/frontal zone). This procedure does not create new hair, rather it re-distributes existing hair, therefore there must be enough of it for the operation to be successful.
Liam explained: “My long hair ponytail style is a big part of me so, for the front thinning obviously affected me. But it was not until all the comments by Ben Whittaker before the fight that I became more conscious of it. Of course, it can get someone down because it feels like you are losing part of yourself. You don’t have to suffer in silence, and, thanks to Dr Arshad, it can be fixed.”
Meanwhile Yorkshire-based British superbike star Dan Linfoot has talked candidly about his hair loss, saying: “Being completely honest, my self-esteem suffered badly in my mid-20s because of my rapid hair loss. I found I struggled to recognise myself in the mirror and often kept my race helmet on to hide my face. I got into the dangerous habit of checking my hairline daily. I suppose you could say I was obsessed. I was on a downward spiral. My hair transplant has transformed my life.”
Ex-Leeds Rhinos Rugby League Star Blake Austin has been equally honest about how his receding hairline had caused him “a good deal of worry. Being brutal, I wasn’t at all happy about losing my hair. I didn’t feel it was a good look. I tried a number of different hairstyles to see how they worked and I came to the conclusion that I’d either have to shave my hair off completely or do something more proactive like undergoing a transplant.
“This is where luck played a part. While I was at Leeds Rhinos, living in Roundhay, I Googled hair transplant clinics and hospitals in the area and, to my astonishment, there was Dr Arshad just five minutes down the road from me and he came with fabulous recommendations. The rest is history.”
Dr Arshad, who is a keen sportsman himself and who still plays club cricket on a regular basis, concluded: “Hair loss is a lot more common than one might think. On average, 85 per cent of men, and 40 per cent of women will be affected by hair loss at some stage in their lifetime. Genetics is the most prevalent cause of hair loss”
“My magnificent team and I have been absolutely delighted to help all these Yorkshire sporting superstars and we are very proud that we have transformed their lives. For those constantly in the public eye, and often under intense scrutiny, good mental health and self-confidence are vital.”
“I have a stonewall belief in the solid pillars of patient safety, excellence and dedication. These are our passionate beliefs, underpinning our commitment to acting safely and ethically to provide the highest standards in hair transplant and other cosmetic surgery.”
