How far would you go for a full head of luscious locks?
Alex Finken (@iam.thats.a.bad.idea) forked out $17,500 for a hair transplant, hoping to boost his confidence. But the next morning, he woke up to severe swelling that made him look less like a heartthrob and more like Humpty Dumpty.
“Some people look OK—it goes around their eyes and just looks like they got in a boxing match,” Finken said in a now-viral TikTok. “I literally just look like an egg.”
Alex Finken has been documenting his hair transplant journey on TikTok—but the swelling caught him completely off guard. (@iam.thats.a.bad.idea)
The 27-year-old from Denver isn’t alone in his follicular frustration. An estimated 35 million American men experience noticeable hair loss, and while the risk grows with age, up to 30% start thinning before they even hit 30.
“I’d been dealing with thinning and male pattern baldness since my early 20s,” Finken told The Post. “By 24, I was basically living in hats and felt uncomfortable in social situations without one.”
Hair loss may be common, but the emotional impact can be heavy. Many men face anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem—feelings that can lead to embarrassment and social withdrawal.
Finken had joked about getting a transplant for years, but eventually, he decided to take the plunge and booked the procedure.
Finken’s swelling left him looking nearly unrecognizable.
“For me, it wasn’t about vanity — it was about confidence and feeling like myself again,” he said.
He flew to Salt Lake City for the procedure, where doctors harvested 3,536 follicles from the back of his head and redistributed them across his thinning scalp.
“We completely restored my hairline, my temples, and added density to Zones 2 and 3,” he explained in a TikTok, pointing out the bald spots on the back and middle of his head.
@iam.thats.a.bad.idea Replying to @jayyybabayyy #hairtransplant #hairtransplantjourney