Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs was yesterday photographed leaving a hair clinic with a grin on his face and a "progress report" clutched in his hand.

Giggs's scalp is just the latest to be collected by the follicle-regenerating industry. Cricketers Graham Gooch, Michael Vaughan and Shane Warne have admitted putting their faith in "hair regeneration" regimes costing between £6,000 and £10,000, as has rugby player Austin Healey. Wayne Rooney is also thought to have undergone hair-replacement treatment - aged just 24, says the Guardian.

Giggs's treatment of choice is, apparently, a weekly 40-minute laser therapy said to help regrow hair follicles, a special shampoo and a "liquid regrowth" formula rubbed into the scalp twice a day.