A British man has gone viral after he suffered a jaw-dropping reaction following a hair transplant.
The cosmetic treatment, often obtained by men experiencing baldness, has seen a dramatic 240% spike in the past decade, according to recent reports.
While the procedure has become common place, with more than 2000 operations occurring every day around the world, it’s not without its risks – as London-born Kanah Flex recently found out.
The professional choreographer has been documenting his hair journey on TikTok where he revealed his head had dramatically swollen after the procedure, so much so he even compared himself to the fictional character “Megamind”.
In a recent video, Flex detailed exactly what parts of his hair he was having rejuvenated through the procedure.
“My hairline was alright, to be honest, [so I didn’t bring it forward] it was mainly my crown and donor area,” he said.
“I could have put my hairline forward, and everyone was saying I should, but if I did put my hairline forward it means they would have had to take more graphs.”
He explained that a graph is two hairs. As he had 4000 graphs done, it meant 8000 hairs were implanted into his head, none of which were used to bring his hairline forward as it would have meant more graphs being taken from the top of his head.
“It would have made my hair less dense at the top, and I didn’t want that,” he said.
After a consultation at a clinic in the UK’s capital, Flex was walked through the risks, before heading into the procedure room. They shaved his head, which he was “gassed” to see.
However, the procedure, which involves his scalp being injected repeatedly ahead of the surgery, led to a large amount of swelling in his head.
The surgery took four hours in total and a headband was put in place to assist with the swelling.
“Oh my god, what’s going on,” he said when he first noticed the size of his head.
“God damn, look at my head. I look like Squidward. I look like Megamind. I look like Roger from American Dad. What is going on?
“The hairline will restore back. I know I’m looking crazy but just the process. In six months I will be looking better but right now I am looking like an alien.”
Better Health Victoria states swelling is an expected side effect of the procedure.
They also said bruising, numbness, a tight feeling on the scalp and pain are common side effects.
However, the large amount of swelling caught the attention of social media, with many comparing Flex to several fictional characters.
“It’s normal after hair transplant but you shouldn’t have remove this band,” one person commented.
Another social media user asked: “Why is the headband so tight?”
“What happens if you take off the headband,” another pressed.
As one social media user commented: “I’ve never seen this level of swelling in all of hair transplant surgeries.”
Three days later, Flex joked that his “Megamind” swelling had gone down.
“I don’t know what any of y’all are talking about, my swelling’s going down. You just have to trust the process,” he said.
He said he knew a few days ago he was “looking crazy” and “like Megamind” but now he was looking more back to normal.
“It’s coming through,” he declared.
“In five months it will be looking brand new. Trust the process and keep watching.” he said.
