Could the Duke of Sussex’s memoir ‘Spare’ be behind an explosion in beard transplants?
A hair clinic in Turkey thinks so, after demand for the procedure doubled in recent weeks.
Dubbed the ‘Prince Harry’ effect by Istanbul’s EsteNove, it’s been flooded with beardless men willing to pay £2,500 to get the royal family’s iconic ‘rugged and masculine’ facial fluff.
And the clinic claimed that the cover of “Spare,” which was widely seen on TV and in bookstores around the world last month, is being brought in by patients who want just the look.
EsteNove co-founder Batuhan Kizilcan told MailOnline, “Interest in beard transplants has grown steadily over the past few years as more people became aware of the procedure.
This is the look dozens of men are paying £2,500 for, according to a hair transplant clinic in Turkey. The clinic’s founders said beard transplants have jumped 100 percent since Prince Harry launched his bombshell memoir. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, photographed in 2020
“But in recent weeks this has exploded.”
“The number of transplants we perform has increased by 100 percent and we’ve dubbed it the Prince Harry effect.”
He said that while there was nothing unusual about a patient wanting to “imitate” a celebrity’s hair or bun, one name was now at the forefront.
“Right now the name is on everyone’s lips Prince Harry,” he said.
“People are referring specifically to the photo on the front cover of his new book.
EsteNove’s founding patients cite the cover of Harry’s memoir Spare as the result they would like the clinic to have
“Our customers think his beard makes him look tough and masculine and they want similar results.”
Mr Kizilcan said that while not as famous as baldness, problems with growing facial hair prey on many men.
“It’s very common for people to have or develop gaps in their facial hair, making it look patchy or tousled,” he said.
“Sometimes beard hair grows at a very slow or inconsistent rate.
‘This often has a genetic background. The face can look very empty, with some hair here and there.’
He said beard transplants gave people a way to deal with this problem and get the facial hair of their dreams, which at this point was Harry’s famous ginger fluff and sideburns.
“Recent technological advances have provided a high-quality and durable solution for men who would like to have a beard but cannot grow it naturally themselves,” he said.
“You get to choose the beard cut, the shape, the density of the beard and the style – and the style people want right now is Prince Harry’s.”
Beard transplants normally make up only 5 percent of the approximately 250 procedures EsteNove performs on average per month.
But the clinic said this has now doubled to 10 percent.
About 50 percent of the 3,000 patients EsteNove sees each year are British.
The clinic charges around £2,500 for a full beard transplant, a fraction of what a similar procedure costs in the UK.
Beard transplant surgery first involves microscopically examining hair follicles from the donor site, usually the back of the head, to find the strongest contenders for success.
These are then extracted under anesthesia before being transplanted into the man’s face.
This process usually takes three to five hours.
Within a few weeks, the transplanted hair will then fall out before starting to grow back, with a full beard reportedly possible within 10 months.
EsteNove co-founder Batuhan Kizilcan told MailOnline that despite Harry’s beard, patients make him look “rough and manly.” and they wanted similar results
Beard transplants are not available on the NHS as it is considered a cosmetic procedure.
Harry’s bombshell biography ‘Spare’ received worldwide attention last month with shocking details about his life.
These include how he lost his virginity to an “older woman,” contracted penile “frostbite” during a trip to the Artic, and took psychedelics to help him cope with the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana.
Harry and his wife Meghan were recently mocked by South Park, which took aim at the couple through a spoof that depicted the Prince and Princess of Canada – a young royal couple loudly begging for privacy as they draw attention to themselves.
In the episode, the red-haired prince and his wife promote the prince’s book ‘Waaagh’.
After and before: TOWIE’s Bobby Norris unveiled another beard transplant at the 2020 NTAs (left) and stressed that the only other surgery he’s had is a nose job (pictured in 2012: right)
