Cosmetic procedures are on the rise in the UK. More and more of us would consider having work done. More and more of us are having work done. In 2013, cosmetic surgeons performed over 50,000 procedures on us Brits. It seems that we no longer fear going under the knife. That’s understandable, as cosmetic work is safer than ever. We’ve lived with modern plastic surgery since the First World War. It’s obvious that procedures are less troublesome than before. Practice makes perfect, after all.

People have a lot of assumptions about plastic surgery. They think that it’s only for women and that it’s all about vanity. That’s not true. More men are having surgery than in the past. Vanity isn’t always an issue. Body image isn’t something that we all understand. We all want to feel comfortable in our skin. A lot of people overlook that fact. Comfort breeds confidence, and there’s nothing worse than not having confidence in yourself. That can undermine your whole life. How we look is important for us all, and it affects us all.

In today’s world of unrealistic Photoshopping, our faith in our bodies is falling fast. Cosmetic procedures can help to restore our confidence in the way we look. One area that people often overlook here is hair transplants. People who are losing their hair are often the victim of cruel jokes. We see it as acceptable to mock those who are going bald. In reality, that’s not the case.

 

Hair loss can be a source of anxiety and stress for many men. It’s a sign of ageing, and of mortality – two things we all want to avoid. Cosmetic surgery can correct hair loss. Hair transplants are more effective than they have been in the past. The results are extraordinary. Some people are still put off from the surgery. That’s thanks to the jokes that we often make about people who’ve had the work done. Wayne Rooney was the subject of much ridicule when he had a hair transplant.

We should all learn to be more understanding of men who’ve had hair transplants. They’ve identified something in their lives that makes them unhappy. They’ve fixed it, with excellent results. They’re not hurting anybody. What’s wrong with that? Nothing at all. It’s outrageous that we’ve decided that this sort of behaviour is OK. Baldness is genetic – nobody chooses to lose their hair. If we mock something over which people have no control, aren’t we encouraging even worse behaviour?

 

Everybody wants to look good. That’s why supermarkets stock their shelves full of beauty products for men and women. Nobody says a word about any of that – but we mock bald men without mercy. That’s been the case ever since Bobby Charlton’s combover. It’s high time we all started to act like adults around hair loss. It’s not nice to criticise people – it’s downright hurtful. If a hair transplant can make someone feel better about themselves, we should encourage them. At the end of the day, isn’t that what we all would want?