Like with anything that becomes more common it doesn’t take long before you know a friend of a friend or someone closer who takes the plunge and has it done. You have lots of questions and you just want somebody you trust to give you the honest lowdown and then you can decide whether it’s something to seriously consider or dismiss and move on.

I’ve been thinking about hair transplants recently. They are becoming much more common, more affordable and are a physical solution to the "problem" of male baldness. There are so many products and supplements targeting the Achilles’ heel of men losing their hair and prey on the desperation to find a solution, but, to me, a physical solution seems the most logical and reasonable answer.

I’m not hung up on my hairloss, but, if somebody said you could have a full head of hair, of course, I would say “yes”. I’ve asked two friends who recently have had the procedure, completely anonymously, their honest thoughts and whether they would recommend it. Here’s what they had to say:

CG: How did the procedure work in practise? Was it painful? Sore?

1) “The procedure took part over the course of two days. Eight hours per day, four hours extracting the hairs from the donor area at the back of the head and four hours implanting the new hairs to the front of the head. Unfortunately, I didn't take well from the meds on the first day so I did feel a level of soreness (they can only put a certain amount of local anaesthetic in the head as it has an adverse effect if they add too much). Discomfort came from laying in the same position for eight hours.”

2) “I had a hair transplant, so the ‘roots’ of my hair were transplanted from one area – called ‘the donor area’ – to the places where hair was missing. The donor area is around the side and back of your head, and the missing areas for me were quite common in many men, the crown and the top of my hairline at the left and right.

They shave the donor area down, they extract the hairs one by one and place them on a petri dish. Incisions are made in the areas that will be receiving the hairs. Obviously you’re under anaesthetic – that is, arguably, the most painful part – so you can’t feel anything, but you can most certainly hear it. It sounds like a knife cutting a raw carrot. So it’s not that it’s painful, really, it’s just that you have a rush of adrenaline because you’re expecting it to be painful. Obviously it can be quite bloody, so it’s not for the faint-hearted…

Don’t forget that each hair was transplanted individually in my case – I felt this would look better than transplanting sections of hair (grafting rather than transplant).”

CG: Was it how you expected? Did you get the results you wanted?

1) “When you have a surgery like this, you don't believe that you can get amazing results as it seems too good to be true. But, a year on I am thrilled with my results and have certainly grown in confidence.” 

2) “I think it was exactly how I expected it to be, perhaps a little quicker. I was expecting it to take about eight hours and I was probably done in six, including lunch. The thing with this procedure is it takes up to eight months to really show properly, so you get a bit impatient waiting to see results. It’s also good to go into it knowing that you may need a second and third transplant for it to really take, or to get the kind of density you want.

“But now, almost nine months on, I actually have hair growing in what were previously bald spots. And not just fuzzy little hairs, we’re talking long actual comb-aside hairs. It makes me laugh because obviously you’re not sat there watching it, and suddenly one day you go ‘hang on, I don’t actually have bald spots any more’. 

“I think the most telling thing is that I always, always used to wear a hat. It was kind of my ‘thing’. But I don’t anymore. I didn’t make a conscious decision, I just kind of stopped. And I realised that it had really affected my confidence and this transplant had changed all that.

In fact, I’m growing my hair long now. Just to see. Because I can!”

CG: What has been - if any - the biggest disappointment(s)?

1) “After the donor hair is implanted and it starts to go back, after about two months your hair sheds to the same as it looked before. You have to be really patient to see growth, which happens at a slow pace.”

2) "The only disappointment I can say, and this is nothing to do with the actual procedure and everything to do with my age, is that the new hair – i.e. the hair from the back of my head – is growing in grey and wiry! I suppose I could dye it, but I’m going to embrace being a silver fox.”

“I suppose you could add one thing about disappointments. I had hoped it might be a bit thicker, but I guess that’s down to my age and hair being thinner – and obviously being forewarned that I might need a second transplant to get the desired effect. But having said that, I have hair where previously I had none and that’s pretty amazing!”

CG: Would you say it was worth the money?

1) “I was lucky enough to be in a position where I was a case study for the clinic, so did not pay - however, the surgery was valued at 8.5K and I feel it would be worth the money if I was in a position where I had to pay for it.”

2) “It’s costly, but not something that you want to do on the cheap - you’ve got to get it done properly. So I would say, personally in my case, it was worth the money.”

CG: Would you recommend it?

1) “Absolutely, it's improved my confidence beyond belief.”

2) “I would definitely recommend it to anyone bothered by hair loss that can afford the procedure.”

CG: Is there any on-going maintenance or follow ups?

1) “You have the opportunity to start again with your hair, so it's important to use good shampoos (Aveda), wash hair daily, hair masks and hair oils to keep it in top condition.”

2) “The first week is slightly odd, as you have to sleep as though you’re sitting up in a plane – you can’t lay flat on your back. And it’s your natural instinct to do that. You have to spray the transplants all through the day, and you can’t wash it for the first few days. A minor inconvenience for what you’re ultimately going to get though. And it’s quite gratifying after a week or so to be able to knock off the tiny scabs… Too much information? Well, you are having multiple incisions made into your scalp!” 

So, overall, it seems very positive. It does feel like a big commitment as the operation is lengthy and I would like to be reassured I could stick it out. The prices are still fairly high, but from these testimonies it seems to be worth it. 

TheChicGeek says, “The first men’s specific range from Dr Perricone, the 3-part CBx range contains a face wash, post-shave product and a moisturiser.

The "CBx" part is a reference to Phytocannabinoids. Phytocannabinoids are non-psychoactive cannabinoids derived from the cannabis sativa plant - but have no ‘recreational’ use. Perricone MD’s phytocannabinoids are extracted from the mature stalk of the fiber-type hemp plant. They are valued for their powerful antioxidant properties and have been used to address a variety conditions such as chronic pain and sleeplessness, as well as skin conditions such as acne.

Left - Perricone MD - CBx For Men - Super Clean Face Wash - £29, Soothing Post-Shave Treatment - £39, Lightweight Moisturizer - £49

These are some of the best products I’ve tried this year. They all feel like quality, while not being overly rich which is sometimes the problem I've had with Perricone's products in the past. They are in the “premium” side of pricing, but these feel like they have the science behind them to make them worth it.

The phytocannabinoids help stressed, excess sebum prone skin feel soothed, healthy and refreshed. These benefits are especially important for men’s skin which tends to be dry and irritated as a result of shaving or frequent exposure to the elements. 

The collection features a fresh woody fragrance with a subtle top note of fresh hemp.

You could easily skip the post-shave treatment and just get the face wash and moisturiser if you had to make a choice. This stuff is goooood."

TheChicGeek says, “Let’s just say I’ve waited so long to try this trimmer I’ve ended up looking like a ginger Brian Blessed!

First complaint, why haven’t they put the “iShaper” name on the box? I’m never going to remember “Panasonic ER-GD60” when searching. I’ll be saying, or typing, “it’s like a big silver mascara type wand thingy”, give me a nice name, people, and all over it.

Left & Right - The Panasonic iShaper is an elegant wand-type desig

Secondly, the man on the box. I don’t want to look like the man on the box. Again, grooming companies always use those slightly too stylised black-and-white-classically-lit-barber-shop-haircut-inspo. pictures on their boxes. I want to look natural, not overly groomed. I would say not to put any man on the box, just leave the gadget on there, with the name. Easy.

The reason I wanted to try this was because it looks different, it looks like it should feel substantial and I wanted to like it. 

The worst thing about getting a new gadget is all the little bits and the set-up part. This seemed pretty simple. The only thing I hadn’t seen before was the oil for the blades. You simply just add a couple of drops to the blades and then run it for a few seconds.

You can trim and dry shave with this and you can run it under the tap to clean it. There is charge time of 1hour for 50-minute usage and can be used with a cord or cordless.

I like the nice pencil case like travel pouch which makes it easier to pack into your luggage than those large rigid travel cases.

There are 3 ways to use it: without any heads as a shaver - this is pretty simple, but I would suggest, because it is a thin line of blades, you could easily miss bits if in a rush.

A trimmer - this is the best attachment I’ve seen on one of these. It goes on really sturdy, unlike many of those flimsy comb type attachments, and you simply rotate to the correct length. You’re very aware of what you are doing and what length you are on. It looks like an optician’s instrument or a mini axe and I like it.

Then the final option is another head attachment that reduces the size of the blade to give you more control for styling and “design”. The idea of “design” in beards or facial hair always makes me nervous and I have a worry you’ll end up looking like Adrien Brody - which isn’t a good thing btw. When you get the feel of this, you’ll probably not use this again.

Below - The detachable trimming head with rotating length.

Overall, I like it. I feels like a proper tool and very safe. I like the design and, as I said, the trimming attachment design is the best I've seen. The only down side is I think this is more suited to trimming as I think you’d find easy to miss hair when trying to cover the whole face as a shaver.”

Below - Panasonic - i-Shaper ER-GD60 3-in-1 Trimmer - £99

Looking for a new trimmer? See more ChicGeek reviews here

The classic touch of lavender is altered by noble iris, that master perfumers Nathalie Lorson and Olivier Cresp placed at the heart of the fragrance. Combined with smooth, sweet pear and in a subtle nod to the original 1975 release, a patchouli-leather accord structures this new woody floral fougère fragrance. 

Left - Gentleman Givenchy - 100ml - £66

TheChicGeek says, “Off we went to Paris for the launch of this and even after two days it still wasn’t sinking in exactly which way around gentleman and Givenchy were arranged. The new fragrance is called Gentleman Givenchy and not Givenchy Gentleman - do you see what they did there? - which is the original 1975 fragrance and, to many, a classic.

Right - Face - Aaron Taylor-Johnson representing the "Gentle Man"

The new version is getting a lot things right: the face Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a good choice. He looks great in the ad. and the commercial, shot by his artist wife, it sees him dancing and looking hot. The bottle is the classic Givenchy shape and the idea of a “Gentle Man” is modern and reflects the change in masculinity over the 40 years since the original.

The main problem I have is, the fragrance smells like everything else. I’m not getting the original here and it’s certainly not memorable. Again, another fragrance not to dislike, but nothing to get excited about either.

With Givenchy’s pedigree they should have reintroduced the original with all its seventies-ness to a new generation and re-owned one of the great male fragrances. Givenchy is a storied brand and they have a respected history, they just don’t use it enough.

They have a new designer, Clare Weight Keller, and it will be interesting if she has any input into the beauty side of the business which has been neglected under the former Creative Director, Riccardo Tisci.”

Left - TheChicGeek giving good "Gentleman" on the red carpet in Paris

Below - TheChicGeek getting his Gentleman Givenchy on in the Eurostar lounge on the way home from Paris