Hair transplants have come a long way over the years, with the fairly bloody procedure almost as common as a trip to the dentist.
But even though thousands of men look to extend the longevity of their hairline every year, it doesn't mean it works every time.
Take Cole Anderson-James, for example.
The 28-year-old content creator recently travelled - as many, many do - to Turkey to get his barnet sorted out, thinking it would be a one-way trip to a full head of hair.
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Sadly, however, it didn't quite go according to plan, with doctors pulling the plug on the operation at the last second due to concerning symptoms, which meant his life would have been at risk.
'One percent chance you’ll die'
“They checked my blood pressure… my blood pressure had to be stable, and apparently it was a bit low,” Cole tells LADbible.
“My heart rate was really high… but my blood pressure was really low. So my heart was, like, going really fast, but it wasn’t very strong,” said the online skit maker, originally from Colchester.
Doctors gave him medication and IV fluids to raise his blood pressure, but it continued to stay low as his heart rate kept going up.
This combination was considered risky because the procedure required sedation and anesthesia.
Since his body did not respond normally to the treatment, the anesthetist decided it would be unsafe to continue.
“The doctors just said, ‘99 percent chance you’ll be alright, but one percent chance you’ll die’,” he recalled.
“I actually told him, ‘Do you know what? I’m not gonna die. Just do it… If I die, it’s fine’. But they were like, ‘No’. The anesthetist called it off.”
Cole, who has 2.9 million followers on TikTok (@coleandersonj), later suggested the clinic may have been particularly cautious because he was documenting the experience on camera.
Second hair transplant attempt
Although the Turkish clinic declined, Cole didn't let that stop him, and later went under the needle back on London's plastic surgery mecca, Harley Street, in February this year.
The content creator said the transplant itself was relatively straightforward and took around five hours.
“The process was easy… it was all nice and relaxing. Just a little chair in this room, a big TV,” he tells us.
“I laid on my front, and I put myself in like a massage chair so the back of my head is exposed.
“And then they jabbed me in the back of the head… in, out, in, out, in, out, loads.
“And then they extract the hairs. Can’t feel that. You just hear it. It’s like ‘zoop zoop zoop.’ It feels like you can hear the hair has been extracted. That happens for maybe an hour.
“And then you sit up, and he said this is the painful bit… where they’ve gotta inject the front of your head.
“They get a needle, and they shove it in your head, and they inject fluid into your head. So it, like, creates a bubble.
“Just so they can get some more sort of anesthetic in and put the hairs in. Mine was about five hours. I think at one point I fell asleep.”
'The pain is just the injections'
Cole noted that the injections were the most painful part of the experience.
“After about thirty seconds, you can’t feel it anymore, which is brilliant. But it is about six out of 10 pain on the back of the head,” he explained.
“It feels like you can hear the hair has been extracted, which is a bit weird.
“He said this is the painful bit… where they’ve gotta inject the front of your head.
“That was about eight and a half, nine out of 10 pain for a good fifteen, twenty seconds.
“But after that, you’re calm… the pain is just the injections.”
How much did it cost?
While the typical cost for a hair transplant is around £5,000, Cole revealed that he was able to get it done for free because he was documenting the procedure.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t have got it done if it wasn’t offered to me for free,” he said.
“Like, if you’re offered a free hair transplant, you’re gonna take it, aren’t you?”
“I thought I might as well. Like, if I’m getting it for free, anyone’s gonna take it.”
“They wanted me to document it, so I did. And they did it at discounted rate, which was good.”
Cole noted that although his 'forehead has gone back a little bit', the main reason he got it done was because it was free.
“I wasn’t overly insecure about it… I had a bit of a big forehead,” he said.
Cole's hairline update
The TikToker doesn't regret getting it done and said his hair has 'started growing back a little bit wispy at the moment'.
“I did mention to the clinic, I was like, ‘Oh, is this gonna get better?’ And they said, yeah,” he said.
The main aftercare involved spraying saline solution on his scalp regularly, sleeping upright with a neck pillow, and using a specific shampoo, although he admitted he didn’t strictly follow all the instructions.
“It’s usually four to six months. Like, six month mark is getting fit. You’re seeing noticeable things,” Cole added.
“I’m at the two and a half month mark… so it’s not at its full thing yet. So it’s still a little bit thin, but it will get better.
“When it does, I’m gonna be really happy, I think.”
Topics: Hair, Lifestyle, Social Media, Health
Anish Vij