At 21, I Was Crushed By A Stranger's Joke About Going Bald. Then The Way I Looked At Myself Changed

​​I'm bald, and that bothered maine for a agelong time. ​​

It bothered maine that I was bothered. But conscionable 1 swipe down my Instagram provender reveals I'm not nan only man who is self-conscious astir his hair.

I'm greeted pinch videos and posts offering maine hairsbreadth transplants, regrowth tablets, thickening sprays, powders that capable gaps, and hairsbreadth systems (once known arsenic wigs aliases toupees).

These products committedness to reconstruct my "lost confidence" and extremity my deficiency of hairsbreadth from "holding back" my life.

But does nan wealthiness of curen options connected connection mean attitudes towards hairsbreadth nonaccomplishment person shifted? Is what was erstwhile viewed arsenic thing to beryllium resigned to now seen arsenic reversible, albeit astatine a cost?

According to nan International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS), hairsbreadth transplants are becoming much communal astir nan world - and nan group having them are getting younger.

This world corporate of surgeons, doctors and experts recovered 95% of its members' patients sought hairsbreadth restoration room betwixt nan ages of 20 and 35 - and that's thing hair-loss surgeon Dr Nilofer Farjo confirms is mirrored successful nan UK.

When my hairsbreadth first began to recede successful my early 20s, I tried my champion to screen it up, tactically styling and positioning it successful a measurement that hid nan caller patches of scalp I hadn't seen before.

Then, while retired for my brother's stag do successful a Liverpool nightclub, thing happened that I haven't been capable to hide since.

I had suggested we deterioration achromatic t-shirts and transportation imperishable markers truthful group we met could time off funny messages connected our shirts.

"Best man? Best comb-over," 1 female wrote.

I laughed it disconnected astatine nan time, but inside, I was crushed. It was clear my hairsbreadth nonaccomplishment was now noticeable to different people. And from past on, I became much and much self-conscious astir my thinning hair.

When I was younger, bald men were often nan butt of jokes - but taking steps to regain mislaid hairsbreadth seemed to beryllium viewed arsenic effeminate and vain. Still, I began to wonderment if a hairsbreadth transplant was my only option. Was that a anticipation for personification for illustration me? In my mind, they were only for rich | people, and celebrities for illustration Elton John.

Fast guardant 10 years, and societal media and making love apps person made america each much alert of really we look, says Dr Farjo, and seeing celebrities and influencers being much unfastened astir hairsbreadth transplants has normalised nan procedure.

She says much and much young men are now choosing to dainty their hairsbreadth loss, and what mightiness person erstwhile been deemed "vanity" is now considered "routine self-care".

When I started considering having a hairsbreadth transplant, I had conscionable vanished university, had small money, and nary existent thought really overmuch nan process mightiness really cost.

I began to do immoderate investigation and discovered a adjacent transplant session offering free consultations and monthly costs plans.

"You're still rather young," I retrieve nan hairsbreadth transplant advisor telling me, arsenic he drew connected my scalp pinch a felt-tip pin. "After this transplant, your hairsbreadth could recede further. But you tin conscionable travel and get it filled in."

Despite nan costs plan, I realised I couldn't spend a hairsbreadth transplant - particularly if I'd person to travel and get a top-up later successful life.

Since my ain consultation successful Cardiff successful 2014, I've heard astir men travelling overseas successful expanding numbers to countries for illustration Turkey to person hairsbreadth transplants. Dr Farjo says this is down to costs being "a fraction" of what they are successful nan UK.

But while nan value whitethorn beryllium attractive, she says location are concerns astir manufacture practices, pinch constricted regulations successful place. Dr Farjo besides warns that cheap, unregulated procedures, not only successful Turkey, tin sometimes lead to group needing "costly corrective surgery" to woody pinch scarring and "poor hairline design".

But hairsbreadth transplants successful Turkey stay celebrated and location are galore happy customers - including contented creator, Ben Placito.

After jokey comments from his barber, Ben decided to see having a hairsbreadth transplant. And aft months of research, he discovered it would beryllium cheaper to person nan process carried retired successful Turkey than successful nan UK.

Some quotes from Turkish clinics were "crazy cheap", Ben says, offering room for astir £1,500. But nan 31-year-old chose not to spell pinch nan cheapest hairsbreadth transplant connected connection and alternatively selected a "premium" option.

Ben felt reassured astir his chosen session aft speaking to different men who had been location and had bully experiences. Ben travelled to Turkey successful 2022 to person nan procedure, sharing his acquisition connected his TikTok account.

"People person said to maine 'it's nan champion point you've done,'" Ben says. "I'm really happy I did it."

About a twelvemonth aft I gave up connected nan thought of surgery, I came crossed an advert for a session offering non-surgical treatments, for illustration finasteride tablets and minoxidil cream, which tin beryllium utilized to stimulate hairsbreadth growth.

Finasteride is 1 of nan astir communal pills for hairsbreadth loss, taken by tens of thousands of men successful nan UK. It is only disposable by backstage prescription.

It useful by preventing testosterone turning into different hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) that tin extremity hairsbreadth growing.

Minoxidil, primitively a humor unit medication, has hairsbreadth maturation arsenic a broadside effect and is commonly sold successful nan shape of a regular pick applied straight to nan hairsbreadth and scalp.

I paid respective 100 pounds for a mixed people of minoxidil and finasteride but nan curen requires accordant regular use, and I often forgot doses. Eventually, I realised I couldn't warrant nan costs - aliases spot myself to instrumentality pinch it. Health concerns besides weighed connected me, thing nan session had made clear.

According to a 2024 study by nan Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), finasteride is linked to psychiatric issues for illustration slump and suicidal thoughts, and tin person broadside effects affecting intersexual function.

The MHRA advises users to show symptoms and extremity utilizing nan supplier if adverse effects occur.

My acquisition was a decade ago, but nan marketplace for hair-loss medicine has since exploded. Superdrug's backstage online expert work says it has seen a 68% summation successful caller patients requesting hair-loss services successful nan past 3 months versus nan balanced play past year.

Having fixed up connected medication, I relied connected hats and cautiously positioned sunglasses that would "hide" my receding hair. If I was taking a photograph pinch family aliases friends, I'd position nan camera truthful it cropped retired nan apical of my head.

Then successful 2019, I began to spot adverts for hairsbreadth systems. These seamless-looking hairsbreadth pieces are glued to a shaved scalp and blended pinch existing hair, pinch regular session visits for maintenance. This seemed for illustration a side-effect-free, instant solution.

But I couldn't shingle nan thought of abruptly appearing astatine activity aliases family events pinch a afloat caput of hairsbreadth - everyone knew I was balding. I besides questioned nan legitimacy of nan adverts. Were nan results real? Or conscionable nan consequence of clever lighting and angles?

I had seen immoderate group pinch systems telling their societal media followers they could commencement peeling disconnected successful nan mediate of nan time - and I dreaded that.

However, for 36-year-old Adam Lomax, who has antheral shape baldness and trichotillomania (a intelligence wellness upset wherever you can't defy pulling retired your ain hair), a hairsbreadth strategy was "life changing".

Adam had already tried finasteride, which near him emotion anxious, depressed and debased successful libido.

"People person been really positive," Adam says of nan reception to his caller hair. "The speech astir men's hairsbreadth nonaccomplishment has shifted massively - but you still get nan overseas troll connected TikTok."

It's clear location are plentifulness of options for men facing hairsbreadth loss, but not each bald man sees losing their hairsbreadth arsenic thing that needs to beryllium fixed aliases prevented.

"The communicative astir hairsbreadth nonaccomplishment needs to alteration some socially and commercially," says Tariq Kazemi, co-founder and CEO of skincare institution Bld Bro, a marque which began life arsenic a support group for bald men.

Tariq recalls a workfellow poking nosy astatine his bald spot during a shopping trip, and describing that arsenic "like an crystal prime to my heart".

Tariq later shaved his caput and noticed that jokes astir his hairsbreadth nonaccomplishment stopped. He chose not to prosecute immoderate shape of hairsbreadth restoration.

"Those industries prey connected nan fearfulness and worry of young men," he says. "We've been told it's our identity, our assurance and our attractiveness that will each vanish pinch nan hairsbreadth connected our head."

In 2020, erstwhile nan world went into coronavirus lockdown galore group grew retired their hairsbreadth aliases attempted to trim it themselves.

By this time, nan only remaining hairsbreadth I had was astir nan backmost of my caput and successful a bladed spot connected nan apical of my forehead. I took nan plunge and decided to shave my head. There was a state successful skipping to nan extremity shape of nan balding process, and I've continued to shave my caput ever since.

There's truthful overmuch societal media sound astir hairsbreadth loss, and money to beryllium made from men's worries astir it. But aft speaking to different men astir their hairsbreadth nonaccomplishment experiences, it's clear location is nary azygous correct measurement to consciousness happy pinch your appearance.

The worry I felt while I was losing my hairsbreadth has gradually ebbed distant and I consciousness much accepting of nan measurement I look. I've travel to position pinch my baldness now and I for illustration to beryllium bald than balding.