Warning: This article contains images of surgery
One radio conversation, two fellow gym-goers and a trip to Sydney later, Sam Wallace is one of many Kiwi men sporting a ‘new’ head of hair thanks to hair transplants. The Coast radio star tells Mitchell Hageman why men who are on the fence shouldn’t be afraid to take the leap.
“I kind of treated it like a filling‚” Sam Wallace says of his recent hair transplant.
It may sound like the 45-year-old is shrugging off the procedure but he sees the comparison as being more about taking steps to help become the best version of himself – a mantra he and his wife Sarah wholeheartedly believe in.
“I was like, oh, my hair’s fallen out, why not get it fixed? You know, feel good, be good and be happy,” he says.
“I think there’s a sense of staunchness for a number of people to keep [getting a hair transplant] a secret. I don’t really care. For me, I see it as, if I want to get something fixed, I just go and get it fixed.”
Wallace, a father of three, is straight up when it comes to his transplant journey and why he did it.
He’d talked about it on his Coast breakfast show with fellow hosts Toni Street and Jase Reeves, but decided there was no point going through with the process.
However, the successful transplants of two fellow gym-goers and their subsequent satisfaction kept lingering.
“I eventually started doing some research. Then, I spoke to the doctor on a whim one day and just booked it. I had my transplant two weeks later.”
While it may look gory and complex, the concept of a transplant is a lot simpler than you might think. The process involves extracting healthy hair follicles from a donor area, which is typically the back of the scalp, and implanting them into bald or thinning areas.
“At the absolute core of it, it’s quite simple: take it out, clean it up, put it back in,” Wallace says.
The procedure took almost a full day at a clinic in Sydney.
“It was really nice actually, because I’ve got three kids and it’s the longest time I’ve ever sat down and done nothing for about six years.”
And while the images of his bloody scalp and bandages taken after the procedure suggest the grafting process would be painful, Wallace says it looks worse than it feels.
“It wasn’t painful at all. The only thing that was painful was the injections at the start to numb the top of your head, just like a dentist.”
Wallace is now in the early stages of what is described as the “Ugly Duckling” phase, where all the hair put in the top of his head has gone into shock and is coming out again. He says it’s a “waiting game” from here.
“It’s kind of like a farmer planting a crop,” he jokes.
Besides wanting to feel good about himself, Wallace says he thought carefully about his life circumstances and the impact a transplant would have.
“I guess for me it kind of makes sense, from a kind of commercial perspective, as well,” he says, pointing out the reality of having a public-facing job like his.
”If you look good, you can kind of justify spending the $10,000 [on a hair transplant], where other people might not be able to see or justify it.
“There’s nothing wrong with going bald either. But I’m not very good bald,” he says, recalling his shock after shaving his hair for the first time.
Christchurch editor Liam Stretch, who undertook the same transplant in Sydney in 2024, also decided the time and circumstances were right for him. Now, more than a year down the track, he says it’s increased his confidence.
“It’s a world away from where I was when I look at the before pictures, and the result is absolutely amazing,” he says.
“Sometimes you don’t even think about it, but it’s good to remind yourself how far you’ve come.”
Stretch says since having the transplant it’s the “little things” that have made the biggest difference. He recalls experiencing anxiety after spending half an hour trying to perfectly manicure his hair, only for wind and rain to cause stress.
“There is a societal stigma. It seems that balding is one of those things that people do just comment on and sort of have free rein, and it does affect you.”
Now, he openly talks to others about the transplant process and encourages people to give it a go if they think it’s right for them.
“There are other things you need to consider before doing it, like how you’re actually going to feel with hair. But for me, it’s been really, really, really positive.”
Wallace and Stretch opted to travel to Sydney as opposed to Turkey, which is another country at the forefront of hair transplant technology. They agree while the process itself is cheaper in Turkey, the safety of being closer to home was a bigger drawcard.
“You still have to fly to Turkey. You still have to get accommodation, and you can’t get on the flight immediately to get home because it’s such a long flight. Plus, I wasn’t away from my kids for two weeks,” Wallace says.
The price for the treatment varies depending on the clinic, the number of grafts required and the team involved.
In New Zealand, some clinics charge as much as $14 per graft, while in Turkey, you can expect to pay between $1 and $4 per graft. Liam has 4900 grafts.
But, as both men note, it’s up to what each individual feels would be the right thing to do in their circumstances.
Wallace’s advice before taking the leap: do your research and figure out what treatment will be the best fit.
“Don’t be afraid to spend a little bit more money. For some people, it just wipes 10 years off them straight away, you know? I don’t know if it’s going to help this dusty old man, but we’ll see.”
Mitchell Hageman joined the Herald’s entertainment and lifestyle team in 2024. He previously worked as a multimedia journalist for Hawke’s Bay Today.