Woman gifts husband with £5,600 Harley Street hair transplant after holiday horror

A hairdresser who gifted her husband a £5,600 hair transplant after a holiday photo and jokes from his friends hurt his self-esteem has said his “confidence is growing back with his hair”. Construction worker Ben Ashman, 46, received the £5,600 procedure as a gift from his wife Jo, 45, after coming out of two separate hair transplants in Turkey.

The mum-of-three invested in hair loss treatment to help her husband with his low self-confidence after a seemingly innocuous photo taken on holiday made Ben more concerned about his thinning hair. Usually the joker of his group of friends, Ben had been on the receiving end of playful banter from his mates who teased him about the matter.

So this February he underwent the procedure which involved nearly 2,000 grafts being taken from the back of his head and placed between the bald spots at the front of his hairline. Since then, Ben’s hair has started growing back, and while it may take up to nine months to see the final result, he said he’s “very happy” with how it looks so far, noting that his wife even commented on how he is sure now.

Ben, who lives in West Malling, Kent, with Jo and their three children Georgia, 25, Billy, 22, and Frankie, 19, said: “I’ve got a few mates I’m mates with since then. school and we make fun of each other all the time. I’m probably the worst at giving it as much as it is, but it starts to wear on you when the same thing happens over and over and it’s something that really bothers me.

“They told me that my forehead has grown and things like that. They’re breaking out now because I’ve done my hair and they’ll make jokes like, “I preferred the old you, not the new you.” We’ll grow up one day, but it’s pretty funny. Now I just laugh and tell them maybe they should get a hair transplant.”

Ben first started noticing his receding hairline about six years ago and recalled how it started to bother him when he noticed a bald patch forming near the front of his head. In an attempt to hide his receding hairline, Ben began growing his hair out, but said his friends would “pull the plug” on him, referring to his baldness.

He said: “These are friends I’ve had since we were very young and we’re always joking around and taking the mic from each other, but they were telling me I was going bald and sneaking up on me. They used to make fun of a tattoo I had, which I eventually covered, but my hair wasn’t something I could cover.”

Things came to a head in September 2023, during a trip to Athens with his wife Jo and some of their friends. After a day out on a boat, a photographer took a picture of the couple and Ben realized how ‘thin’ his hair was getting.

Ben said: “I contacted some clinics in Turkey to ask about a hair transplant but backed out because I wasn’t sure. They were all over WhatsApp, you send them pictures and then they hit you with a price and how many grafts you’re going to do without seeing anyone face to face. So, I was a little unsure about it.”

The idea of ​​a hair transplant stuck in Ben’s mind when Jo had a surprise up her sleeve during a day out together in London. Convincing Ben that they were going into a nearby shop, the hairdresser took her husband to Harley Street, where she had arranged a consultation at Wimpole Clinic.

Ben added: “We sat down with the doctor who gave me great confidence in the process and how the treatment would go. The clinics I had asked about in Turkey had said I would need about 3,500 grafts, but the Wimpole Clinic said I would need about 2,000 because more could damage the hair.”

In February 2024, Ben had almost 2,000 follicle grafts taken from the back of his head and placed in bald spots and his receding hairline. Now, Ben will have to wait around nine months after the procedure to see the final result, but he said he is already happy with the change.

“I’m still in the development process and they say it takes about six to nine months to fully develop. Well, I’m three months in and I’m already impressed,” he said. “The clinic gave me some numbers and they sent me messages, but I didn’t have any problems or anything. I am absolutely fine with the procedure, it was perfect.”

Despite the physical change in his hairline, Ben said the biggest change during the process was his confidence. He added: “I’m a lot more confident now. I like to play sports, golf and stuff, so I used to wear a hat all the time to cover my hairline, but I haven’t worn hats since I had the treatment.

“Jo also commented that I look a lot happier now.” Jo added: “One of my best friends booked a surprise birthday trip for her husband – his best friend Ben – in September 2023. We, along with another couple who are also great friends, all got together in Athens as an extra surprise.

“When we took a photo of Ben and I, it revealed a huge bald patch on the side of Ben’s head. He got upset when he saw how obvious it was and it completely ruined the day because I knew how upset he was. That’s when I decided I had to do something. I started planning and looking for hair transplants.

“I had some money set aside for a few holidays this year but when I found the right hair transplant clinic I decided to make it a surprise gift for Ben instead of a holiday. I took him for a consultation first and then booked him. That was in February. Three months later we are already seeing the results. Ben’s confidence is growing back along with his hair.”