A former boxing champion from Bury has revealed how losing his hair rocked his confidence after retiring from the sport.

Former world super-bantamweight champion Scott Quigg hung up his boxing gloves in 2020 and this is when he became more conscious of his receding hairline.

The 35-year-old recently underwent a hair transplant at leading clinic The Hair Dr, and he opened up about how his self-image issues escalated once his fighting days had ended.

Quigg said: “I started losing my hair when I was 23 or 24. It started receding at the sides and it was definitely something I was keeping an eye on.

“While I was in the public eye a lot, boxing helped me put my hair loss to the back of my mind because people were only interested in how well I performed in the ring, not how my hair looked.

“When I retired in 2020, that’s when it started playing on my mind a lot more.

"That’s when I started having negative thoughts about how I looked, and it affected me more and more.

“I had more time on my hands and fewer distractions, so I was having more battles in my head about my appearance.

“After retiring, I was going out more, I was single and meeting new people, and the hair loss was one million per cent playing on my mind more.

“I would use all the products to help limit or hide the damage, but it got to the stage where I started researching transplants.

“Once I’d spoken to Dr Arshad at The Hair Dr, I knew right away that’s what I wanted to do.

“I expected some negative comments when I posted the photos to Instagram because there’s still a bit of a stigma attached to men having cosmetic procedures, but everyone has been brilliant.”

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Quigg entertained boxing crowds between 2007 and 2020, taking on some of the best competitors in his division, including Carl Frampton and Kiko Martinez.

He held the WBA super-bantamweight title from 2013 to 2016, and also boasted the British super-bantamweight title from 2011 to 2012.

Since hanging up his gloves, he has been carving out a career as a trainer to young fighters, varying time between Dubai and Manchester.

He went under the knife with Dr Arshad at The Hair Dr earlier this year and has been blown away by the results.

Quigg added: “Losing your hair can be a really touchy subject for men and you are expected to not be bothered by it.

“I know a few lads who have had hair transplants and some of the results are brilliant, it can make a massive difference.

“I’m really happy with how mine is growing back so far and I can’t speak highly enough of Dr Arshad and his team, they’ve been first class throughout the whole process.

“I want to show men that there’s absolutely no problem with having a hair transplant and it doesn’t carry the stigma some people still think it does.

“Nobody bats an eyelid when women have treatments like Botox or lip fillers, and it shouldn’t be any different if a man wants to improve his hairline.”

With clinics in London’s Harley Street, Leeds and Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, The Hair Dr is one of the leading hair restoration and diagnostic specialists in the UK.

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Dr Arshad said: “We have been thrilled with Scott’s progress so quickly after his transplant and we can’t wait to see the full results over the coming months as the hair grows back.

“It’s commendable that Scott can speak so openly about his hair loss problems and the restoration journey, and I hope other men suffering from hair loss can look at him as a positive example.

“Hair transplant techniques are more sophisticated than ever before and there are a range of restoration solutions available to tackle the problem.

“It’s great to see that men are increasingly more open about their hair restoration journeys, but we must continue to smash any stigmas around men having cosmetic procedures.”