Man transforms confidence with hair transplant but trolls call him a 'catfish'

27 September 2023 , 14:52

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He lost most of his hair in his twenties and became insecure about his appearance (Image: @lmeado1 / CATERS NEWS)

Most people have insecurities or hang-ups about their appearance, and with the influences of social media, people can often feel as if they have to look a 'certain' way.

One man knows this feeling all too well after tackling his insecurities head on by changing his appearance. But now cruel trolls have called him a "catfish" over his new hair transformation.

After losing his hair in his early twenties, Lee Meadows discovered a glue-on hair system that gives the appearance of a fuller and thicker barnet. It's safe to say it's transformed his confidence - but some of the reaction he got to his new look is not what he was expecting.

He forked out £900 for the hair but claims it's worth every penny (@lmeado1 / CATERS NEWS)

He reapplies it every few months (@lmeado1 / CATERS NEWS)

Lee would avoid socialising and going to the gym and friends' houses due to feeling extremely self-conscious in his younger years. After googling what his options were, he discovered that a salon in Birmingham was fitting these systems for men in the same position as him.

The water company worker from Nuneaton took the plunge and opted for a £900 lace "hair system" which was fitted by professionals in a salon. Expressing his pride in the decision, Lee insists you shouldn't have to "embrace what you're given" and believes if you can do something "to make yourself feel better in little ways" you should.

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The 32-year-old argues that women get hair extensions that no one questions, and asks why he should be treated any differently. "A lot of women will get the hair extensions and sit in a salon for three to four hours," he noted. "That's normal and nobody questions that. Nobody sees that as a thing anymore so why should this be any different?"

No longer needing the help of professionals, Lee has begun breaking down barriers online by sharing his hour-long routine of reapplying his hair system, which he does every four to six weeks. He spends around £50 a month maintaining his new locks. Lee is hoping to help other men realise that hair loss is a normal thing, as it's not usually spoken about.

Despite being called a catfish, he feels a lot more confident with his hair (@lmeado1 / CATERS NEWS)

He sticks it on and spends around £50 a month maintaining it (@lmeado1 / CATERS NEWS)

Lee has now been dubbed a male catfish, with his fake hair making him look much younger, but he doesn't care and has perfected his hair routine. "We call it a hair system. I think that's just to get away from the older generation of, 'Oh, it's a toupee' but my first one at the salon cost me £900, which was a lot of money for me at the time," he explained.

Admitting there will be a lot of glue on his head, he says he puts three layers on to make sure it stays in place. Lee adds: "Some people just put one layer of glue on their head and then stick it on. I tend to do a layer of glue on my head, hair dry it, or let it dry, and actually, a second layer of hair dry it, and a third layer of hair dry it. So there's quite a substantial amount of adhesion on my head."

"The front becomes a little bit looser than the rest of the hair because that's where you probably sweat a bit more so, it's quite easy to just just pull it off, to be honest. However, if you put the adhesion removal spray on the front and just keep doing it as you go back, it's not as bad."

Niamh Kirk