Health, Beauty and Lifestyle with Denise McNamara

Since going public about his hair transplant, Dáithí Ó Sé has had nothing but positive feedback from both strangers and celebrities.  The long-time Galway resident who co-hosts The Today Show on RTÉ1 said he expected to be contacted by men in their 20s and 30s who were bothered by hair loss.

“But the most surprising thing is the amount of emails I’ve got from females. One woman reached out just this morning who had done the PRP [Platelet Rich Plasma] treatments. She had psoriasis on the top of head that was stopping her hair from growing. She was very embarrassed about it and thanked me for speaking out.

“I’ve had a few well-known people too who said they’d had it done and haven’t looked back. But they were too embarrassed to admit doing it.”

Three years ago, Dáithí noticed his hair was rapidly thinning, which was getting very noticeable “up close and personal”.

“They say your hair comes from your mother’s side and all my uncles were bald on the sides. So it was only going in one direction and it bothered me. I’m 47 and had plenty of hair at the back so now was the time to do it.”

A friend told him about the Cosmetic and Hair Restoration Clinic at the Bon Secours Hospital in Tralee, which is home to Ireland’s only artificially intelligent hair restoration robot – the ARTAS iX.

The robot uses a high-definition system to identify and select the best hair follicles for transplanting and harvest in a way that does not scar the donor area.

“The doctor said there would be no pain at all and I thought, ‘ah here now lad, you’re just saying that’, but really it felt like a small prick on the head as they take out the hair at the back. If you did it on a baby they wouldn’t cry. Then they turn you over and put the hair in the front while you watch Netflix. I was in at 8.30am and back in the car at 5.15pm. I was back at work two weeks later and looked like I’d had a really tight haircut.”

Pictured: Dáithi Ó Sé after his transplant. Inset: before his transplant. Pics by photographer Domnick Walsh.