By Hair transplant surgeon Asim Shahmalak has received a number of bookings from fans who want to look like the Olympic champion.
He believes the cyclist has sparked a similar trend as Wayne Rooney, who helped trigger a 25 per cent increase in men seeking hair transplants.
Bradley Wiggins sparks hair trend © PA
Dr Shahmalak, who owns the Crown Cosma Clinic near Manchester Airport, offers a procedure where hair is taken from the back of the scalp and grafted into the beard area to boost sideburns.
He said: “Lads want to look like their sporting idols but sometimes nature needs a bit of a helping hand.
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“Many men have patchy beards and can’t grow a fine pair of mutton chops like Bradley Wiggins.
“We have noticed the Wiggo effect at the clinic ever since Bradley started getting mega popular - and particularly in the last month with the Tour de France.
“Men have come to us to get their beards and sideburns bolstered. These kind of operations can do wonders for boosting men’s confidence.”
Wiggins, 32, a Mod who styles himself on his side-burned music hero Paul Weller, believes his trademark tufts are a lucky charm.
Dr Shahmalak says Rooney sparked a big change in young men’s attitudes to hair transplants.
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He said: “Wayne was so brave in coming forward and being so public about his transplant.
“A lot of young men had previously thought that you could not have that kind of treatment till you are in your 30s or 40s.
“Suddenly, lots of guys in their mid-20s were realising they could get their problem sorted and really boost their self esteem.
“He is a fantastic role model for any young man who is losing their hair and wants to change their life for the better.
“Hair transplants work for any man over the age of 25. If you lose your hair young like Wayne who was going bald in his teens, a pattern of hair loss is usually established by the age 25. When that pattern is established, you can have a transplant.”
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Rooney asked Dr Shahmalak for a hair transplant three years ago when he was just 23.
Dr Shahmalak told the England striker he was too young and he should wait until he was at least 25 before having the op and Rooney sensibly took the advice.
Wayne had the ‘follicular transfer’ treatment at a London clinic, where hair follicles were extracted from lush patches of the scalp at the back and reinserted where hair was thinning.
Dr Shahmalak, who lives in Cheadle with his wife, Rubina, a Manchester GP, works with a number of celebrity clients and carried out a hair transplant for Doctor Christian Jessen, who stars in Embarrassing Bodies on Channel 4, two years go.
