Now, let’s look at Elon Musk’s hair transplant. You know that Elon Musk is one of the richest men in the world and is involved in many business ventures, including Tesla, Twitter, and SpaceX. He’s very controversial as well, playing a role in politics and getting his name out there.
But one thing that interests people to a great degree, especially those I see and meet, is his hair. What’s going on with his hair? Let’s take a look and journey back in time to follow his hair’s progression.
Here, Elon Musk is in his late teens, probably. As we observe, his hair seems pretty full. Honestly, it appears to be a typical adolescent head of hair, regardless of any discernible symptoms. If we were to examine his frontal hairline and move his bangs aside, we might see some early evidence.
Signs of Elon Musk’s Hair Loss at 31 Years of Age
However, someone with a head of hair looking like this would rarely exhibit hair loss at this time. Here we see Elon Musk at 31 years old. Therefore, a good amount of time has elapsed, and it’s apparent that he’s suffering from male pattern loss. The major clues are: firstly, we’re starting to see temple recessions, and secondly, he’s not wearing his hair as long over his forehead anymore.
People who are starting to experience hair loss tend to avoid wearing their hair long over their foreheads because it looks unnatural. We’re beginning to notice an elevation of his frontal hairline. The distance between his eyes and his frontal hairline is elongating, and his forehead appears taller. So at this stage, if he had come to see me, I would recommend that he begin medical therapy right away. He needs to be on finasteride and minoxidil at a minimum.
If we examine this photo, we can almost surmise that his hair loss didn’t start at 30 or 29; it likely started in his 20s. Perhaps because of the way he wore his hair with his bangs, as we saw when he was 17, it wasn’t quite apparent. But now that he’s cutting his hair shorter, we see the hair loss, and we can infer that it probably started in his mid-20s. Dr. Norwood, in association with Dr. Hamilton, came up with a methodology for classifying degrees of hair loss. If we look at the previous photo of Elon at 31 years old, he’s probably around stage three. If left untreated, that’s when he’ll progress, possibly to a type 4 where he’ll recede a little bit more. His frontal hairline may recede further, and although we can’t see it in the photo, he’s at risk of thinning back in the crown area. If he doesn’t use medications, he’s surely on the path to further baldness, possibly within the next 20 years.
Now, Elon’s 32 years old. If you take a look, it seems he’s thinned significantly more in the preceding year. A couple of factors contribute to this. Continued hair loss in the front is one thing, but he’s also grown his hair a little bit longer on the sides, creating a disparity.
Elon Musk’s Hair Loss Progression and Treatment
The difference in hair quality between the front and sides is what makes people look bald. This inconsistency is consistent with continued hair loss. Should he be on medications immediately at this date? Here we can see some photos of Elon after the 31-year-old photo. While his attention seems to be on a rocket, we should consider his hairline.
So again, he should be on medications regardless. In a CNN business interview, we see thinning similar to the preceding photo. The other apparent observation is that people who start losing their hair may perceive that it’s not growing as long as it used to. However, the growth cycles are changing in the hair follicles subject to baldness. Follicles on the side of his head grow perfectly fine, but the top doesn’t grow as long due to a shorter growth cycle, resulting in a resting phase after several months. And again, it just doesn’t grow as long. The following photo shows his hair on top of his head matching the length of the hair on the side, indicating progress.
Elon Musk’s Hair Transplant
Two things become apparent. Firstly, he finally got his mind off the rocket and started taking medications, which is fantastic. Medications change the length of the growth cycle. Instead of growing for a month or two and then resting, they may grow for six months, a year, or two years.
The second thing is that he could have had a procedure. We don’t know if he had a hair transplant or not. Hair transplantation involves taking hair from the back and sides with normal two- to four-year growth cycles and placing those follicles in thinning areas like the front, where they’ll grow as they used to. Medications or surgery are possibilities. His hair is becoming more balanced, indicating progress.
We have a profile view of Elon Musk, a more recent photo, showing a couple of differences. Although his hair quality improved in the last photo, we observe more density in the front and a location change. The frontal area is much thicker, suggesting a hair transplant. Additionally, there’s an area that looks like a linear scar, indicating a possible FUT or strip harvest procedure. The transplant result is very good, with nice density, irregularity at the front, and a natural appearance.
If you would like to review the before and after photos of the hair transplants performed by our clinic (Sule Clinic), you can click here.
Options for Scar Treatment
Elon appears in an interview, and due to the length of his hair, it’s evident that he previously had strip surgery. In an area with low density across the back, the strip was taken from what we call the safe donor area. However, when a strip of skin is removed, there’s a decrease in hair density above and below it, creating a band of low density.
Some options to address the scar include scalp micro pigmentation or grafts using the FUE procedure placed into the scar. Alternatively, growing his hair longer would conceal it. While FUT procedures often result in complaints about the scar, the FUE procedure was developed for patients wanting shorter hairstyles. This procedure distributes scars evenly, preventing low-density areas.
Evaluation of Elon Musk’s Hair Transplant
Elon Musk went through the process as a younger man suffering from hair loss. Assuming proper treatment, seeing the right physicians, likely being on medications, and undergoing a strip or FUT procedure, he now has those linear scars. However, his hairline is appropriately placed, with great density and proper hair flow, indicating a successful reconstruction.
If you’re considering a hair transplant like Elon Musk’s, please contact us for a consultation. Discuss your hair loss and explore possible options. We look forward to assisting you.
