Former England Footballer Becomes First to Undergo Hair Transplant Surgery Online

Former England international footballer and popular sports pundit, Michael Gray underwent a hair transplant operation that was broadcasted live on the internet in first such surgery.

The surgery, which started at 10 a.m. on Monday, was expected to conclude by 4 p.m., however it overran the estimated time.

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Dr Farjo, who performed the transplant, revealed that the transplant involves taking 3,500-4,000 hairs from the back and sides of his head and "re-planting" them into his receding hairline.

The TV presenter was also answering questions via Twitter during the procedure.

Gray, 37, who played for premiership teams including Sunderland, Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday during his career, noticed he was receding when he was about 27.

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After seeing other celebrities such as Wayne Rooney undergo the procedure, he decided to go under the knife.

"I think it's more acceptable now and that was one of the reasons that I wanted to go through with it," the Daily Mail quoted him as saying before the operation.

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"Cosmetic surgery now is an everyday occurrence. People might be out there and may be worried about the operation and if I'm going to get it done then why not let people see it.

"There's a lot of people out there who are worried about it. Here they can see it from start to finish," he said.

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The former footballer admitted that he was conscious about his looks, especially because he made his appearances on TV too.

"I'm working in the media at the moment and doing quite a lot of the TV and when I watch myself back I'm conscious about the way I look, so from the confidence side of things I'm hoping that will beat that.

"I hope the live broadcast will help us to educate people about hair transplant surgery and open up discussions around the solutions available to those experiencing hair loss.'

Dr Farjo, medical director of the Institute of Trichologists, said hair transplants have become more common as views on cosmetic surgery have changed and more celebrities have undergone the operation.

"Obviously 20 years ago people generally had a different attitude or feeling about things like cosmetic surgery and lifestyle issues, it was very much not talked about. It's a far cry from where we are now," he said.

However, he said many people still have questions.

"No matter how much information they arm themselves with it's hard for them to imagine what it's like.

"They say a picture speaks a thousand words and it's basically like that.

"I believe this is the first time a surgeon has attempted to broadcast a hair transplant live in the UK.

"Our broadcast is intended to orchestrate a pioneering moment for the hair loss community, as well as the surgical field, giving the nation a first-hand look at the procedure and helping to dispel misconceptions around hair transplant surgery," Dr Farjo added.

Source-ANI