A young woman has shared how a hair transplant changed her life – after struggling with low self-esteem for years due to her naturally high hairline.
Tiegan Handsley, 25, had felt uncomfortable and insecure for years due to her hairline giving her a larger forehead.
After trying out various hair styles and being unhappy with the results, she decided to take the plunge and get a hair transplant in July 2022 – setting her back £5,300.
Tiegan, from Doncaster, has gone viral after sharing the effects a year on, with a video garnering nearly 10 million views.
“The impact it’s had on my life in the last year is just out of this world – it sometimes leaves me speechless,” Tiegan, a clinic supervisor at Specsavers, told http://NeedToKnow.co.uk .
“I naturally had a high hairline – especially at the corners – and I was so insecure about it so I had a fringe for all my life.
“Growing up it was a full fringe and then gradually became a swooping side fringe, with hair spray to ensure it didn’t move.
“I felt so self-conscious.
“I used to think everyone was looking at me and judging me as mine wasn’t a normal hairstyle – it was like that to hide my forehead.
“It stopped me from going swimming, going down slides on holiday, which I absolutely love, and I just never wanted to get my hair wet.
“I’ve been with my partner, Nathan, for eight years and I never let him see my forehead until the start of the hair transplant journey.
“The list is endless on how much it impacted my life, so I felt confident I’d have to have surgery.”
In July 2022 Tiegan paid £5,300 to receive a hair transplant at a hair clinic in Nottingham, using her personal savings.
In total, she underwent 2,655 individual hair grafts.
She said: “Even though it’s something I had always wanted, I was nervous leading up to the surgery day.
“Mainly because there was no way to hide it, and all of a sudden, I no longer had a side fringe.
“I felt nervous for all the questions and attention of it all.”
After only a few hours, Tiegan woke up from a successful surgery.
She said: “Directly after surgery I looked sore, even though there was no pain in my opinion.
“It wasn’t as bad as I thought and I actually felt so proud of it.
“People do describe it as gruesome, but I don’t blame them because that was my initial thought.
“I had a bit of swelling on my temples but not half as bad as other I have seen in the past.”
Tiegan was sent home the same day and, over the course of the next few days, saw a decrease in swelling and soreness, with the area scabbing over.
She added: “Once the first two weeks passed and the scabs started falling off it started looking so much better.
“To see the new hairs grow was actually so nerve wracking, you sort of doubt everything as they come through one by one.
“It’s so important to be patient.
“Once the hair grows and thickness it’s the most surreal feeling.”
Now, a year later, she feels like a changed woman, with her hair giving her confidence and changing her life for the better.
Tiegan said: “As cliché as it sounds, it’s changed my life.
“I have so much more confidence.”
Sharing her journey on TikTok ( ), Tiegan has garnered over 724,700 likes and thousands of comments from supportive users.
In the clip she can be seen in a series of photos, showing off the growth of her new hair.
In the first image, she can be seen in bed, with the top of her forehead looking sore and showing dots from where the hairs would grow.
In the next picture, she shows how her blonde, luscious locks look now, thick and bouncy, before showing more photos of her transformation.
Mary commented: “Can we just talk about how happy she looks within herself afterwards.”
Brad said: “Whoever did that, did an a-star job, best transplant I’ve seen on here.”
Mia wrote: “You look amazing!”
“Beautiful,” added Kelsey.
“Front hair looks strong and healthy,” commented Taylor.
“Slayyyyyyyyyyyy looks so good,” wrote vic. [sic]
