A man who was losing his hair has opened up about how he underwent a hair transplant to avoid resembling his father. Dean Simmonds never thought he’d lose his hair, but as the years disappeared, so did his hairline.
The 35-year-old Londoner noticed his hair thinning after becoming a father and dealing with life’s everyday stresses. But it wasn’t until he saw his own reflection and recognised his dad staring back that he chose to take action.
Jetting off to Turkey, Dean spent a total of £3,220 on a hair transplant, and now, he finally feels like himself again. “It’s a personal thing,” the project manager told NeedToKnow.
“One of my first thoughts when I started to go bald was just how much I’d started to look like [him]. It was all I could think about, and it made me incredibly sad.
“Just seeing people with good hairlines and hair made me feel down about myself. I wore a hat all the time, and I really didn’t like having my photo taken.
“Even if someone did take a photo of me, I’d see it before they posted it online. I was just really conscious about it, and it ate away my confidence.” Initially, Dean didn’t consider a hair transplant and instead explored other medicinal options.
However, he was soon ‘put off’ by their side effects and sought other ways to tackle his genetic baldness. He continued: “I knew people who were using those spray-on hair fibres, but if it were to rain, I was worried about them washing off.
“I was out with my partner and she took a photo of me – when I looked at it, all the hair at the front was completely gone. I was bald, and it really hit me then.
“While I was at work, I showed the same picture to a friend of mine who was also losing his hair. He turned around and said that if I get my hair done, he’ll get it done with me.
“Turns out, having someone alongside me was all the confidence and support I needed to take the next step.” After reading countless horror stories of hair transplants going wrong, Dean was quite apprehensive at first.
But after doing his research, he settled on Longevita Hair Transplant. He’s now eight months post-operation, though final results can take up to a year.
“I couldn’t be happier,” he added. “I feel like a completely different person. I went out with my mates for my birthday recently and every single one said: ‘You’ve got some fibres or products in there or something.’
“They were in complete disbelief. One of the best birthdays I’ve had. The recovery, I will say, is probably the longest part of it. You can’t do certain things right after, and you have to sleep at an angle, and I’ve had some itchy, sleepless nights.
“But the biggest thing I say to everyone is you’ve got to be patient.”
