'I was dumped on first date for being bald - Turkish transplant transformed me'

A man who was dumped on a first date because he was bald says he now looks years younger after undergoing a hair transplant in Turkey. Bradley, from Manchester, was devastated when he turned up for the date only to be told it was a no-go because of his lack of hair.

The now 28-year-old told how he turned up to meet his would-be date only for it to go "horribly wrong". He said: “I’d used an old picture of myself on Facebook.

“When my date saw me in real life and realised I was basically bald, she told me she didn’t want to continue seeing me. She literally said it was because of my hair.

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"I was 22, still young, and that stuck with me.” Bradley said the cruel incident shattered his confidence saying it was his “worst experience” with hair loss.

Bradley started losing his hair in his teens and was desperately trying to cover it up in his early 20s. He tried everything from from combovers to sea salt sprays, gels and hats to no avail.

He was the butt of his mates jokes who nicknamed him “crafty comb” for brushing his hair forward to hide the bald spots. He said: "I hated when it was rainy or windy outside. I’d put a lot of effort into styling my hair, and the minute I got out, it was all messed up. My whole day would just be ruined.

“I have a lot of friends with good hairlines, and they would jokingly take the mickey out of me. Unfortunately, people don’t realise the emotional toll this takes.”

In an effort to find a solution, Bradley tried a variety of things, including minoxidil and microneedling. He spent between £600 and £900 on minoxidil over six months, applying it religiously in the hope it would stop the shedding, but eventually gave up.

However, things finally changed in 2023 when a friend returned from Turkey after having a hair transplant. He said: "I’d always wanted a transplant, but it was too expensive in the UK, and I’d obviously heard horror stories about Turkey, which made me hesitant.

"But after seeing my friend’s results, I said to myself, ‘You know what? I’m going to take the plunge. I’m going to do this,’ because I can’t keep hating the way I look.”

Bradley chose Longevita Hair Transplant, a UK-registered provider with locations in London and Istanbul. A total of 3,000 grafts were transplanted using the FUE method, which involves removing individual hair grafts and implanting them.

The procedure took 8 hours, and although Bradley was nervous, he said the only pain he felt was during the anaesthesia. “The anaesthesia part does hurt a little, but it’s 10 minutes of pain for a lifetime of having a full hairline. I’d take that over anything.”

Regarding his aftercare experience, he added: “People think you just fly out, get it done, and hope for the best, but that’s not the case. There were constant check-ups, even six months after. Any issue I had, I could go to their team, and they’d do a full screening. It’s honestly the best decision I’ve ever made and the best money I’ve ever spent.”

Now, two and a half years later, Bradley looks nothing like his old self. “When I show people photos from before the transplant, they’re shocked. They go, ‘Oh my God, is that really you?’ They say I looked about 20 years older back then!”

After his own experience, Bradley now encourages anyone to go ahead and have a hair transplant done if they’ve ever looked in the mirror, felt unhappy with their appearance and wanted to make a change. He said: “I don’t stress about my hair anymore when I’m going out. I don’t even use half as many gels or hair products.

"People don’t realise what hair loss does to you. They think you’re being vain, and I get that it may seem vain, but as a man, you don’t have much to hold on to. All we really have is our hair.”