So, Ben... Yes.
..what made you decide to get a hair transplant?
Well, what it was was I was receding, and then, gradually,
as I got older,
it really affected my confidence,
and mental health, it started to depress me.
What age did you start receding from?
I could tell probably from 19 that I was starting to go thin
at the sides.
Well, we have a picture here of how you used to look.
Yeah.
So, that must have been quite hard at a young age to have receded
like that? Was that just, like...?
Really just knocked your confidence? Yeah, it did.
I wasn't happy within myself.
It was a miserable time.
How did that affect relationships you had?
I was actually...
..on online dating websites,
and someone actually turned around and said, "Oh, you're nice-looking,
"but I thought you had hair."
So, that was like the iceberg for me. Um...
That's when, like, five weeks later I said to me parents,
"I'm booking a hair transplant."
Then five weeks later, I flew to Turkey.
What did you pay for it in Turkey? About 1,900 to 2,000.
And how many follicles did you have taken from the back
into the front?
I had... I think it was three and a half I was meant to have,
but I think he ended up giving me 4,000.
OK, so we have a photo, post-surgery.
Obviously, you've less hair there.
Yeah.
And was it painful, cos your head looks
a little bit scabby?
It was more painful, the ache, lying in the chair, like on the table.
That was... But it hurt a bit
that evening. I remember feeling a bit throbby,
but once the painkillers kicked in, it was absolutely fine.
I mean, your hair looks amazing now.
Yeah, I'm a bit jealous. THEY LAUGH
Pretty brave to talk about the fact that it did have an impact
on your mental health. I think you used the word depressed, didn't you?
Yeah. You said you were quite depressed. Has it affected any of
your mental health?
I wouldn't say it's affected my mental health, but it definitely
affected my confidence.
So, what about what Ben said about, you know, people online on dating
websites, perhaps saying, "Yeah, yeah, great,
"but I need someone with hair"?
Have any of you ever felt kind of knocked back, or maybe you haven't
even approached someone, because you're not feeling confident about your hair?
I feel more comfortable approaching
a girl if I've got a hat on.
She can't see my hairline.
But I wear hats all year round, like, not just the summer, wintertime.
Even if it's cold outside and it's raining or it's snowing,
I'll put a hat on, and I'll put my hood up.
Like, I will just always wear a hat.
So, if I was to get this procedure, and it was to go well,
definitely wouldn't wear a hat as much.
That hat, at some point, is going to come off, isn't it? It does,
but then I just rely on... I'm just... My mind-set
there is...I'll just charm her,
and then when I take the hat off, it's not too bad.
How did it affect your confidence?
Like, obviously it affected it badly, but after you had the transplant?
Oh, it was like a new lease on life, especially when I started
to get thicker.
The confidence grew with the months
as the hair grew longer and thicker.
Dating-wise, it completely changed the other way.
Has it been an issue with you, approaching people?
Yeah, but I think it comes down to, like, confidence
sometimes, doesn't it?
Has Bradley got kind of good game or...?
Have you noticed his confidence?
Apart from his rubbish dancing, yeah.
I would say...
I would say, yeah, he's confident.
Like, if we're going to,
you know, out shopping
then I'll just stick a cap on.
It's much easier than messing about with my hair.
And especially when you've not got much of it, but no.
Ben, do you have any advice for our surgery-seekers?
Um, just if you want to do it, just go for it.
It's like a life-changing decision for me.
I don't ever think about it now.
I worry about what hairstyle to have, more than anything else.
So..