Former NFL Fullback Chris Gronkowski FUE Hair Transplant

Former NFL fullback and entrepreneur Chris Gronkowski underwent FUE hair transplant surgery with Dr. Robert Leonard in 2013 after experiencing hair loss that had started years earlier while he was playing college football at the University of Arizona. Chris chose FUE to restore areas of permanent hair loss without the linear donor scar associated with FUT surgery, becoming one of the practice’s early FUE patients.

For Chris, hair loss had arrived long before retirement from professional football. He first began noticing his thinning hair in college, surrounded by teammates who were more than willing to point it out. “I started to hear comments from other guys on the team giving me a hard time that my hair wasn’t as thick as my brother’s hair,” Chris said.

At the time, Chris was building an identity of his own in a family that would become synonymous with professional sports. He went on to play fullback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos. His younger brother Rob Gronkowski would become one of the most recognizable players in New England Patriots history, but Chris’s career would eventually take him in an entirely different direction, from professional football to entrepreneurship.

From the NFL to Shark Tank and Ice Shaker

After his playing career, Chris turned the same competitive streak toward business. He founded Ice Shaker, creating an insulated stainless steel bottle designed for workouts and everyday use, and took the company onto ABC’s Shark Tank. His pitch attracted offers from all five Sharks before he ultimately struck a deal with Mark Cuban and guest Shark Alex Rodriguez. Today, Chris is the founder and CEO of Ice Shaker, working alongside members of the Gronkowski family to grow the fitness and lifestyle brand.

Long before that second career took shape, however, Chris had already decided to do something about his hair. He learned that former New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker had undergone hair transplant surgery with Dr. Robert Leonard, which gave Chris a real-world example of someone he knew from the professional football world addressing the same problem.

“It got me interested,” Chris said. “At the time I was living in Denver, so I sent in some photos and Dr. Leonard called me back immediately. I knew after that call Dr. Leonard was the right doctor for me.”

That connection is also an early example of something that has continued at Leonard Hair Transplant Associates for years. Professional athletes may arrive through different teams, cities and sports, but many first learn about the practice from another player who has already been through the process. For Chris, that player was Wes Welker.

Why Chris Gronkowski Chose FUE Hair Transplant Surgery

Chris underwent FUE hair transplant surgery in 2013. FUE, or follicular unit excision, is a surgical hair restoration technique in which individual follicular units are removed from the donor area and transplanted into areas of permanent hair loss. Unlike FUT, which removes a narrow strip of donor tissue that is then closed with sutures, FUE harvests the follicular units individually and does not create a linear donor scar.

Chris’s procedure was performed during the earlier years of FUE adoption, when the practice used the ARTAS robotic system to assist with harvesting his grafts. The technology used to harvest follicles has evolved since Chris’s procedure, but the principle behind FUE remains the same: preserve viable donor follicles, remove them individually and strategically transplant them into areas where hair has been permanently lost.

That last part matters because FUE is not simply a method of extracting as many grafts as possible. Donor hair is limited, and male pattern hair loss can continue progressing long after the first transplant. A long-term surgical plan has to consider the patient’s age, existing hair, pattern of loss and available donor supply, not simply the area that looks thin on the day of surgery.

Chris was also relatively young when he decided to address his hair loss, making long-term planning particularly important. A hair transplant can restore hair to areas where follicles have been permanently lost, but it does not stop surrounding non-transplanted hair from continuing to thin. The objective is therefore larger than filling an empty space. It is creating a result that can continue to make sense as the patient gets older.

FUE Hair Transplant Surgery Today

Chris’s 2013 procedure is part of an earlier chapter in the practice’s history. Dr. Robert Leonard, who founded Leonard Hair Transplant Associates, retired from the practice in 2018. Today, Dr. Matthew Lopresti serves as Chief Hair Restoration Surgeon and personally performs both FUE and FUT hair transplant surgery.

Patients now travel to Leonard Hair Transplant Associates from Greater Boston, throughout Massachusetts and New England, and from across the United States for hair restoration. Surgical procedures are performed in Newton, Massachusetts and Warwick, Rhode Island, with the choice between FUE, FUT and non-surgical treatment based on the patient’s individual pattern of hair loss, donor supply, existing density and long-term goals.

Chris’s story also shows how much the conversation around men’s hair loss has changed. In college, thinning hair was something teammates joked about. By the time he reached professional football, seeing another NFL player openly address his own hair loss was what ultimately gave Chris the push to do something about his.

The Gronkowski name became famous for going big. With his hair, Chris made a different kind of call. He saw something changing, found someone who had already dealt with it and took care of it before the next chapter of his life even began.