BALD STATEMENTS
John Cena revealed why he decided to undergo over 21 hours of hair transplant surgery.
The 49-year-old action star and retired professional wrestler underwent his second hair transplant in 2026, just 15 months after his first.
On Saturday, at San Diego Comic-Con, Cena told People about his choice to undergo the second surgery.
“My first operation was 13 and a half hours. The second one was eight hours,” the Peacemaker actor, who showed up at the convention with a shaved head, said.
“The objective is to get more hair, and this was the best way to do it,” Cena said.
He underwent his first hair transplant in November 2024 with Atlanta-based plastic surgeon Dr. Ken Anderson.
“I love the guy. He’s totally changed my life,” Cena said now, branding his doctor “a master.”
Still, the 17-time world champion wrestler decided to visit Dr. Anderson again with a minor request.
“I went back to him like, ‘Man, you did great. I have this one small, small, small spot. Can you do it?’ He’s like, ‘I can. My best results are—if you’re bold enough to shave your head, I can keep the follicles,’” he recalled of their conversation.
Cena’s hair transplants were performed with the follicular unit extraction technique, also known as an FUE hair transplant. It is one of the main techniques used for hair transplants.
With the FUE technique, the surgeon harvests individual healthy hair follicles and plants them in the desired area, leaving tiny individual scars.
Another popular option is follicular unit transplantation, or FUT, where the surgeon harvests hair follicles by removing a strip of scalp. This technique leaves a linear scar that can be covered with hair.
“I’m rocking this hair thing with the promise that he’s working,” Cena explained his current, shaved look. “I have full trust and faith in him with this process.”
In August 2025, he revealed that his desire to undergo his first surgery was prompted by fans in the audience of his wrestling matches.
“I saw their signs that said ‘The Bald John Cena.’ They pushed me into going to see what my options were,” he told People.
Cena said that the decision to undergo surgery was life-changing, and even helped his acting career.
“A different hairstyle can identify a part that can get me more work, do the thing I love to do,” he said.
