For over a decade Dr Matee Rajput has been the hairline hero who has given the gift of confidence back to patients suffering from hair loss. Katie Price, X Factor, I'm A Celebrity and Dancing On Ice star Jake Quickenden, TOWIE's James Lock, Love Island 's Jack Fincham and Dom Lever, pop star Gareth Gates and ex-Eastenders actor and Joe Swash are among the stars who've sought help from hair transplant surgeon Dr Matee Ullah who has performed thousands of procedures.
Dr Matee, the surgical director at KSL Clinic in Salford, came across his life-changing career by accident having qualified as a Medical Doctor in 2009 from King's College, London. He was fascinated by how you could transfer hair from one place to another and restore someone's confidence.
"I was a trainee surgeon in London, in trauma and orthopaedics," he explained. "One of the clnics on Harley Street needed assistance and they were really impressed. That was in 2011. Hair transplants really caught my eye. It was in the very early stage of the industry at the time and I developed my own technique.
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"I worked on clinics in Harley Street and central London and I opened my own clinic in Brentwood, Essex in 2014 where I had a lot of TOWIE clients. I worked on celebrities including Jack Quickenden and The Only Way Is Essex star James Lock."
Transplants are carried out using hair follicles from the nape of the neck, harvested by removing each root individually and transplanted into the scalp. The procedure, carried out under local anaesthetic, typically lasts six to eight hours. Patients can expect to see hair shedding after 14 to 21 days, followed by the growth of brand new hair within a few months and the full results can take up to 12 to 18 months.
Dr Matee, 41, who underwent a transplant himself in 2019, recalls that his first procedure was stressful. "It was on another healthcare professional and I remember his wife had an accident falling off a stool. She was sitting on a stool and dosed off so we paused the surgery to tend to her and make sure she was alright," he said.
He says things have changed since he started out. "Over the years patient expectations have changed and treatments are more patient led," he explained. "Ultimately the decision making lies with the patient and they choose their hairline. If it goes beyond their natural hairline, I decline. It has to suit their natural face and jawline."
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Dr Matee also performs eyebrow and beard transplants. Celebrity Big Brother 2017 finalist Bianca Gascoigne had the FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) eyebrow transplant which harvests hair from the back and sides of the head and transplants the hairs into the eyebrows, wanting to undo the damage she did when she was younger by overplucking her eyebrows.
"Every person is different and every story and every hair loss is different," said Dr Matee. "I've had patients who haven't left the house in three or four months and after their treatment they're hugging everyone. People have sent me pictures from their holidays and weddings. That's what makes it so worth it.
"We are trying to get rid of the taboo surrounding hair transplants. If there's something wrong with your teeth there's no problem. But with hair you're expected to keep it in. But just like you see your smile, you see your hair. During the Covid-19 pandemic lots of men came in because they said "no one will see me and I'll be back a whole new person."
Dr Matee says his most rewarding case was a leukaemia patient who had lost their hair and was left with scarring. "The poor guy came in in a cap and hoodie and we transformed his life," he said.
"Even his doctors had said 'you won't get his hair back.' Nothing gave me more satisfaction than seeing him smile. He had scarring and disfigurement and he was working in a warehouse where no-one could see him in the dark.
Dr Matee's Hair for Heroes campaign provides a free or reduced price hair restoration treatment to individuals nominated by the public. Hair for Heroes is a way of giving back to patients such as acid attack victims, teachers, NHS staff, armed servicemen, police officers, youth and social workers, religious leaders and volunteer workers.
"Some say 'you're our last hope or I'll wear a wig for the rest of my life or a hat,'" he said. "Sometimes we can't do it if they have a heart condition, or epilepsy or terminal illness."
The celebrity case that stands out the most for Dr Matee was Love Island star Rosie Williams, who had a hair transplant after she experienced hair thinning and bald patches which affected her mental health. It isn't just men who turn to to Dr Matee and his team, it's women too.
The former Manchester-based solicitor, who starred in the 2018 series of the hit ITV2 dating show, made the decision to have a hair transplant following years of deteriorating hair health caused by high levels of personal stress. She said about having the procedure: "My hair has continued to thin and I’m experiencing bald patches, the overall hairline has completely changed shape and I don’t even recognise myself anymore. What upsets me the most is that every time I wash my hair, I end up sitting on the floor in tears with chunks of wet hair in my hands that have come out of my scalp and I have no idea why."
Rosie carried out extensive research into hair loss, how to get hair to grow again and hair transplants in general and spoke to friends and family before her consultation. She said about the decision: "Women and hair loss and women having hair transplants doesn’t really get spoken about and I didn’t know this was an option for me, but it is. And as much as none of us want to go through surgery to fix a problem like hair loss, it’s always nice to know that those options are available now."
Speaking after the procedure Rosie said: "My hair is like it’s a different person's head." Katie Price went to his clinic for PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) treatment, which injects blood from other areas of the scalp to stimulate hair growth, after years of using hair extensions coupled with stress left her with bald patches.
Away from the clinic Dr Matee works in some of the poorest and most deprived areas of the world as a founding member of Samr Trust along with his brothers. The charity, to improve education and provide health care and clean drinking water facilities in the UK and abroad, has most recently been working in Punjab, Pakistan, building a hospital which will include the country's first ever specialist neuro-rehabilitation centre.
They also build schools, community buildings, houses, water filtration systems and supply thousands of food and medical packages each year, Dr Matee says. He told the M.E.N they are spending over half a million on the hospital build, which is the biggest venture yet as a charity. The trust also provides homes for orphaned children and classes, including sewing and IT, for women who have been through divorce, he says.
Dr Matee recently went out for a few months to support the charity and meet the many people benefitting within the local communities. The hospital project is in memory of Dr Matee's late philanthropist father Sana Ullah, who passed away after battling Covid-19. "His last words were 'don't forget anyone who comes to you for help," he said. "His dream was to build a hospital in the town where he was from. It will serve 30,000 to 40,000 people."
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