‘My hairline threatened my identity so much the ground felt shaky’: why hair transplants are booming

Celebrity endorsements, new techniques and lockdown have led to rising demand for follicular transplants. But with patchy regulation, are men being exploited when they are vulnerable?

Hamish says he's not at all vain. He wouldn't consider getting his teeth whitened. He has an average life, with a happy marriage and two children. But when he caught sight of the top of his head in a family photo about eight years ago, something consumed him.

I just saw this massive receding hairline and it triggered intense emotions," he says from his home in Edinburgh, where he works in marketing. I can feel my heart rate has increased just talking about it. It somehow threatens my identity so much that the ground feels shaky."