- [Chantel] Manure for your scalp.
- I see you with that crash zoom.
Hey, whatever it takes.
We want this garden to grow.
(upbeat music)
Hey, everyone.
It's Mike, from Ladylike.
You might know me from the behind the scenes
of a lot of Ladylike videos.
I'm the off screen producer.
This video's a little bit different
because it's actually about something
that I'm trying.
I'm gonna get a hair transplant.
So my journey with my hair has been a little bit
of a roller coaster for the last 10 years or so.
When I was a kid I had long, thick hair.
When I went to college
I started noticing that it wasn't as thick anymore.
And I was like, "Oh no. It's happening to me."
I'm 27 now.
In my family, my dad has a perfect head of hair.
My grandpa, on the other hand,
on my mom's side has not had hair
for the entire time that I knew him.
So, some time went on.
I found David Dang
who's been in a ton of Buzzfeed videos.
David is very good at taking care
of men who are experiencing hair loss.
So, David told me to start using Minoxidil foam
which is also known as Rogaine.
I've been doing that for two and a half years.
I also started taking Biotin pills
but it's been on my mind for years now.
Quickly enough my hair loss became
my number one body insecurity.
I didn't even seriously consider
doing a hair transplant
until Freddie's friend Kane made a video
where he got a transplant.
About six months ago,
David told me about this new technology
of hair transplants.
There's this place called Barber Surgeon Guild,
they use a robot to transplant your hair.
I thought about it and I was like,
"Maybe I should get a hair transplant."
I also just wanna say that there's nothing wrong
with hair loss or being bald.
I think there's so many men out there
who look beautiful with no hair
or with receding hairlines.
Bald men can be super hot.
This is just, kind of a choice of me personally.
I'm nervous.
I'm excited.
But I'm really lucky that I have the Ladylike girls
to support me throughout this process.
'Cause I don't think I could do it alone.
Lovely ladies of Ladylike,
what are your thoughts on me getting this procedure?
- I think you're the most beautiful man
to ever exist inside and out.
Truly just want you to be so happy
and feel so confident in yourself.
I am so here to support you.
I love you so much.
- Wow, thank you.
- Oh my god. - I'm serious.
- I didn't know that this was like
a big insecurity of yours.
You'd walk around so confidently
and you're so handsome.
And you're just so tall and you get
so many mens all the time.
(all laughing)
- I feel like people should have the freedom
to do things they want with their bodies.
It's about making people feel good
no matter what choices they feel like are best for them.
- My hope for this video is that anyone
out there who's insecure about their hair
or curious about hair transplants
will learn a little bit more about
what it's actually like from someone
who's actually going through it.
I mean, I'm not gonna lie guys,
I'm kinda nervous.
- It's a procedure,
so I think it's fair to be a little bit nervous.
And it's gonna take quite a few hours.
- It's like eight hours. - Eight hours.
- So Chantel, how squeamish are you?
- Very. I'm just gonna try to look at it
not as a bloody surgery that's happening
but rather, as this image that I need to capture.
- That means a lot to me 'cause I know
that you have a delicate stomach.
(all laughing)
Personally, Jen,
I want your hair.
Is that okay?
- I will give you hair from all over my body.
(all laughing)
- How long lasting are the results
from the surgery?
- In theory they're forever.
I'm gonna go to my consultation
so I can talk to the people at Barber Surgeon Guild
and find out if I'm a good candidate for this
and how the whole process will work.
Freddie's gonna help me out with that.
I'm excited.
Thank you, ladies.
(ladies cheering)
(upbeat music)
- We're here at Barber Surgeon Guild.
I'm about to have my consultation
for my hair transplant surgery.
Let's see how it goes.
(jazz music)
Hi, Greg.
Brought David with me.
David's been taking care of my hair
for two and a half years now.
- I wanted to make sure that I was connecting you
with the proper people for the next chapter
in your hair journey.
And that's where Greg comes in.
So the reason you're losing your hair,
it is genetic.
It's nothing that you're really doing.
It's purely a hormone called DHT.
DHT is essentially blocking the blood supply
to your follicles.
Let's doing an analysis.
Let's actually see how much miniaturization you have
and then we'll have Dr. Rome come in
and he'll do his full evaluations.
- Wow. - Wow.
- [Mike] You can totally see the difference.
- Hi, Mike. Dr. Rome. - Hi, Dr. Rome.
So, as far as hair transplants go
and what people know about them,
it's interesting that we only really ever hear
about the horror stories.
I don't really notice someone and I'm like,
"Oh yeah, they had a hair transplant."
- Because they probably had a good hair transplant.
You don't notice the good results out there.
When we do restoration we're limited
by the number of what we call, "donor hairs."
Which is the hair that we take
from the back of the head.
And you can't move all these hairs
because then you'll have no hair left back there.
With the robot we actually can
get a very accurate live read.
And we can tell exactly what the count is
and how many hairs we can safely take
without over harvesting or potentially thinning an area.
We combine this procedure actually,
with what we call regenerative medicine therapy.
So things like PRP, platelet-rich plasma.
I draw your blood,
isolate the growth factors,
inject that in after the transplant.
- We just consider this a very noninvasive
outpatient procedure.
We always track you, follow up,
and make sure you're happy.
- You have to wait a year to get your final results.
But what you have to start immediately
is good maintenance so we stop losing
the hairs that we're losing.
- Let's create a plan for you.
- Yes, all right. - Sounds good.
So, one thing to keep in mind
when we design the hair line and temples
is that we really don't plan just for now
but we plan for the future
because these are permanent hairs.
We'll add hairs that will track down
just naturally like that.
You know, probably keep the hairline
a little bit high.
Just where it is so it's natural.
- I didn't realize that men's hairlines
were so angular.
- I mean, we don't make it like a sharp right angle.
But it does have to have that geometric shape.
So we'll bring this temple up
to about here and then bring this down here.
- It's all about the journey and trusting the process.
So we're really excited about that.
- Absolutely.
- Well, thank you so much, Dr. Roam.
- All right. I'll see you next week.
- I'll get to see you on Monday
- Looking forward to it - for the big day.
- I am about to get my pre-surgery haircut.
I honestly just woke up like this.
I didn't do anything to my hair.
'Cause it's gonna be gone soon.
(instrumental music)
Oh my god.
Thank you.
Okay, wow.
This is my look now for a little bit.
All the hair that I left behind.
So, I'm touching my head.
I don't know if you guys have ever had buzzed head
before but it feels so weird.
This is just so different than anything
I've ever experienced before.
- Oh my gosh.
- Wow.
- That's so much better. - That actually looks
very good.
- Actually looks really good. - You look very great
with that beard.
- It's very distinguished.
- I love it.
- I'm looking over the pre-procedure care instructions
that Barber Surgeon Guild gave me.
Honestly, I thought I would be
a lot more nervous than I am.
But I'm just excited.
This all feels so real and it's actually happening now.
Chantel's gonna be shooting it.
She's incredible.
I think I'm in good hands.
- Today is the day of sweet baby Mike's surgery.
I know that it'll be fine
but it's just bloody.
So we're gonna be keeping blood sugars high.
I have a sugary protein bar.
That way I can replenish.
I'm just talking in circles 'cause I'm nervous.
Mike, get here so we can just do this thing.
Okay. Here we are.
Today's the day, right?
- Today's the day.
Honestly, I'm really excited.
I didn't sleep particularly well
because I was too excited to sleep well.
But yeah.
We're here with Dr. Rome and Rodney.
We'll see how it goes.
- So we're gonna go over a few things.
I'm just gonna grab a couple of photos first.
And then we'll get started.
I don't start this procedure until I like the way
it looks, the patient likes the way it looks,
and Rodney likes the way it looks.
The more opinions the better.
Do you think this one should come up a little bit?
- [Rodney] Yes.
- [Dr. Rome] Just a hair? - Yes.
- [ Dr. Rome] Pun intended.
(Chantel and Rodney laughing)
(instrumental music)
- So it's not gonna put you to sleep or anything.
It's just helps you feel a little bit relaxed
for these injections
and then you'll be all numb from there.
- I see why it's called laughing gas.
I don't know why I'm just like (mumbles).
- [Dr. Rome] You're welcome to laugh if you want.
- [Chantel] What I love about this also's
just the little show of chest hair
that we're all getting.
(jazz music)
A little show for the future boys watching.
- Oh my god.
It is such a strange sensation
to have numb - Oh yeah.
You feel like you're wearing a helmet now.
- Yeah it does.
It feels like I'm wearing a helmet.
- So I'm gonna go over the whole area now
with a long acting medicine
that's gonna keep it numb for the rest of the day.
So I'm gonna get started here.
I'm gonna make the hair pores.
So the direction that I'm making these hairs
will determine the direction the hairs grow
with these new hair pores.
And that's it.
(instrumental music)
- The robot's name is Chappie.
That's him.
Actually, I don't know how Chappie identifies.
I shouldn't make assumptions.
- [Chantel] You're making Rodney laugh.
(all laughing)
- So, how do I position myself?
- [Rodney] Put your head there.
- Oh.
(instrumental music)
Ya'll, this is crazy.
I just went on a journey.
I just felt calm, peaceful,
and then like everything's chill.
Everything's fine.
- We're gonna put on now
what we call the tensioner.
This just holds your head still, okay?
Robot's gonna look for him now.
And what it's doing now is it's tagging all the hairs
with the little green dots,
counting them,
giving us a read.
We'll get going.
(upbeat music)
How you feeling with these first couple?
Anything painful at all?
- [Mike] No pain.
- [Dr. Rome] No pain. Okay good.
So we're just evaluating the first few grafts now.
Making sure that they look great
and we don't have to change any settings.
These are looking really good already.
- Mike is getting his procedure done right now actually.
- It's crazy.
- It is crazy.
The robot is doing the work.
There's Chantel. Hi, Chantel.
- Hi.
- I didn't realize we'd be this close and personal.
- He did invite us here.
We're not just here gawking.
- He told us to come and support
so we're here. - We're here.
- We didn't just be like,
you know what, "Surprise (beep)."
I'm probably gonna head on out
but we are gonna say goodbye to Mike.
(all saying goodbye)
Love you.
- [Dr. Rome] Feels all right?
- [Mike] Yeah. It's good.
- Perfect job, guys.
Everything came out great.
- Here we are eating out lunches.
- Yes, we are.
I've got my quesadilla.
It feels a little weird to open my mouth
I think because of the numbness.
- He's doing great.
He's doing brilliantly.
(upbeat music)
- So we're gonna get the PRP now.
The PRP lives right here at the bottom.
This is what we inject right into the scalp.
Fertilizer for the hairs.
Also the growth factors will help
increase growth in the other areas
that are kind of experiencing thinning as well.
All right.
You're fertilized.
(Mike cheers)
- Oh my gosh.
What a day.
- [Dr. Rome] How you feeling?
- I feel great.
Honestly, I'm not groggy.
I mean, it feels like it's been a journey.
It's incredible that we were able
to fit this in one day.
- Most important thing you can do this week
is you just do not touch the new grafts.
This is a pretty sweet hat.
But it's just nice to wear outside.
You just don't want contamination
and things getting in your head.
So, congratulations. - Thank you so much.
- Enjoy your new hair. - This has been amazing.
Well, it is the night after the surgery.
Basically, I need to sleep at a 30 degree angle
and not roll over because nothing can touch
these bad boys.
I sleep on my side normally
so this is gonna be kind of uncomfortable.
We'll see how this goes.
Well, it's the first morning after the surgery.
I feel like the redness has gone down a little bit.
I feel good.
I feel well rested despite the fact
that it was actually quite uncomfortable
getting used to sleeping on my back.
So, the first thing I have to do now
is to remove this bandage.
It's okay.
It's just a body.
Bodies are beautiful.
I can't actually see what it looks like yet.
But I'm sure its le gross.
I am about to wash my scalp
for the first time since the surgery.
There's a very special way that I need to do it.
So 48 hours after your procedure,
begin washing your scalp using
the cup shampooing method daily
until seven days post-op.
Now I'm gonna let it soak in for five minutes
and then rinse it off.
It is remarkable how painless this has been.
I also just took a Benedryl,
which has the added benefit of helping me sleep.
Guess who's eating Thai food
delivered,
because I don't wanna go out into the world quite yet.
I mean, I do.
I kind of have cabin fever.
But this is just so much easier.
It's my first day back at the office
since the surgery.
I was honestly kind of self conscious
coming in here because no one's seen me
with a shaved head before.
And there's some gross scabbing (mumbles)
- Look at that man.
- Man so pretty.
- Look at the handsome (beep) man.
- As you can see it's been a lot better
than I expected.
People have been actually very nice
about my look.
- Why would we be mean about your look?
- First of all,
we're gonna be even better than nice.
I'll see you after work.
- We're gonna be nice plus.
- I'm getting really tired of not being able
to touch my scalp because I'm always rubbing my head.
So I'm gonna use this spray
and spray it around.
That makes it feel a little less itchy
and it just makes me feel almost as satisfied
as if I were scratching it.
But I'm not gonna do that.
I'm really mad at myself 'cause
I was laying down on my bed,
talking to my mom,
and I was absentmindedly touching the top of my head
and one graft came out.
Doctor said that it is not unusual to lose a few
and it won't make a difference.
But I'm just like, (beep).
Hi. Devin's here.
She's back in town.
- Back in town.
I wasn't able to be in any of the first bits
with the pre-interview or the surgery.
And I felt so bad.
But now we're here for a post-op checkup.
- That's right. The docs are gonna check in with me.
It's been a week since I had my surgery.
So, they're gonna let me know
how I'm doing and tell me about the next steps.
And I wouldn't be able to do it without Devin here.
Hey, guys.
- Hi (mumbles).
- Thank you.
- You got through the week okay?
- Honestly, this week was fine too.
No pain at all.
I just wanted to touch my head so badly.
- Well look, now you can touch it.
You can't do anything wrong.
- Oh that's so nice.
'Cause I was terrified of losing grafts.
- [Dr. Rome] Let's see the back actually.
- [Greg] Yeah. Almost you can't see a thing.
- At this point now regular shower.
Hundred percent back to normal.
Wash it normal.
You can touch it.
Obviously, don't go tryna pull those little hairs out.
But let them fall out as they will on their own.
- Will I be able to tell myself
when there's new growth?
Like if I'm scrutinizing it in the mirror?
- You'll be able to feel it.
You'll be able to see little hairs coming through.
Sometimes you get a little bit of delayed shedding
where some of the hairs may actually grow a little bit
and then they'll shed later.
- It's a tease.
- Yeah, exactly.
- Totally normal.
I can't wait for the before and afters.
It's gonna be awesome.
- I'm excited.
How big is the baseball bat that I'm gonna need to get
to bat all the boys away?
- Think of this whole process
as an outward aesthetic thing.
It's more of an inward, mental,
emotional, self esteem, confidence.
Confidence is probably gonna go through the roof.
And by that alone the number of people
that you're going to attract,
so yeah, you might have to be fighting
people off with a stick.
Don't go look in the mirror every single day
and like, "Grow."
There's gonna be this gradual result.
- I'm relieved.
I was a little worried coming in today.
- No, it looks perfect.
It looks just how it should.
You're healing really really well.
- It really does make a difference.
And it makes us enjoy what we do.
- [Dr. Rome] It is like a family.
- You're now in the BSG family.
Welcome. You are our newest child.
- Thank you, Greg.
I can resume normal activities today.
I can work out tonight.
I'm so excited.
I can wear a regular hat again.
I'm pretty happy.
It seems like my normal hair that had shedded
has been restored.
Just a little pan up here.
There's still kinda like the bald spot back here
which is not my favorite.
I'm excited for when it fills in.
So it's been a month and a half since the surgery.
We got some growth here.
This hair was definitely not here before.
Yeah, that's there to stay.
Man, I'm excited for when it is all in here
and not just a little weird and patchy.
It's kinda of the awkward in-between stage.
I just had my three month follow up
at Barber Surgeon Guild.
Basically, they just told me not to worry
because at the three month stage
guys tend to a little antsy that they're not
seeing drastic amounts of progress.
But at the very beginning Dr. Rome
set my expectations to be realistic.
I know that there's not gonna be a ton of progress
but in another three months I should see big changes.
I'm in Honolulu right now
filming Empty Suitcase with Kristin and Jen
and I'm actually starting to see some growth.
See this line?
It's very thin and not particularly filled in
but it's gonna be the hairline.
This is the first time that I've ever been like,
"Oh, there's stuff happening."
This is not just a myth.
It's definitely not anywhere near done yet.
But it's something.
It is now officially six months after my surgery.
This is the longest time I've ever spent
shooting a video.
This was a really unique experience for me
because most of the action and drama
happened at the very beginning
with the surgery.
You wanna see what it looks like now?
This is six months worth of growth.
And just a reminder that it's not done yet.
So once it's been a year since the surgery happened
we're gonna really see the full results.
In order to document this process
I've actually been taking a selfie of my hair
every single morning after I get out of the shower.
I started near the beginning of the recovery period
after the implanted hairs had fallen out.
We see my normal hair starting to grow back.
And then you see my hairline creeping slowly,
slowly closer over to here.
That was honestly the only way
that I believed that anything was happening.
Because I see myself every single day
in the mirror.
So I can't really discern any big difference
from the day-to-day basis.
I'm gonna keep taking a selfie every morning
in order to track the progress of my hair
over the course of a year.
I'm planning to make a follow-up video
in six months from now.
So that you can see the final results of my hair.
But I figured six months was enough time
to show you that this does actually work.
So it's easy for me to see this part of the hairline.
But it's not like I can see
what the top of my head looks like.
You wanna take a little look at that?
You can still see kind of a bald spot area
but it's filled in a lot more than it used to be.
As you can see,
I'm wearing my hair in more of a cropped hairstyle
than I was at the beginning of this video
because honestly, I tried it out
and I like it.
Little more of the hair that I was rocking
for my birthday video.
Thank you so much to Barber Surgeon Guild
for giving this incredible experience.
If this is something that you're considering
for yourself, hopefully this gave you
a little bit of extra courage
to take the plunge.
Getting a robotic hair transplant,
Mike tested.
Mike approved.
(upbeat music)