Angela Raine started losing her hair when she was just 18, suffering from hereditary pattern baldness that caused her self-confidence to plummet.
The 45-year-old finance worker, from Peterlee, County Durham, used to 'hide in the kitchen' to avoid visiting relatives seeing her without her 'nightmare wigs' on and spent many years being terrified of her hairpieces flying off on rollercoaster rides or open-top buses.
Determined to make a change, earlier this month (January 8th), Angela sat down for an appointment with hair replacement firm Novo Cabelo in a bid to restore her self-esteem. The results have proven life-changing.
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In a TikTok vid which has since gone viral, Novo Cabelo owner Rob Wood can be seen attaching a £350 'hair system', made up of real hair, to Angela's scalp.
After seeing the completed look, Angela can be seen crying tears of joy, with her confidence further boosted by the many encouraging compliments from those who've seen the vid.
Angela said: "It's taken me back to being 14 or 15 years old, because I haven't had a proper hairline since then. I feel very youthful. At 18 I couldn't have done the quiff like Rob did because you would have seen my scalp, then it got worse to a point where I wouldn't go anywhere without a wig on. It was so soul-destroying".
Although Angela "was really nervous in the morning of the transformation", this was "an excited nervous" and she still feels as though it's "just like a dream and I'm going to wake up and not have my hair".
Reflecting on how she previously perceived herself, Angela said: "I don't think anybody would have realized my confidence was dented, but if I was out and people wanted to take a photo I'd hate it because I could tell it was a wig. I hated photos or videos"
The mum-of-two was sadly left "scared to exercise outside the house" as she'd get embarrassed about getting too hot with her wig on and having to itch.
Angela finally decided to look into having a hair transplant when, while babysitting her nephews in the heat of the summer, they began asking questions when she removed her wig.
Having been impressed by Rob's previous online videos, Angela first met up with him in November, with the pair deciding to use grey hair. Rob had been inspired by comedian Dawn French's new look when recreating Angela's style and feels "honoured" to have helped her life a little easier.
Rob, 39, said: "She's such a lovely woman and that's why I got quite emotional. I understood how important it was for her and that dawned on me at the time. It was a relief for her and she just deserves it. She's one of those women who've never asked for anything off anyone and this was about her this time".
Angela's 'hair system' is made up of a stretchy 'polyskin' membrane, attached to her head and existing hair using double-sided adhesive tape made especially to be stuck to skin. The system will last around six months, with Angela having it professionally cleaned by Rob every month at his salon in Seaham, County Durham.
Rob's Tiktok vid has been viewed nearly 5,000 times at the time of writing and has clocked up more than 400 likes. Among Angela's admirers is her husband Chris Raine, who says her newfound confidence reminds him of the woman he first fell in love with way back in 1996.
Chris, 45, said: "I always thought she was beautiful anyway and we're going strong, but it's almost changed her back to how she looked when we first met. I just thought 'wow'. She used to change her wigs that often, the colour would change, so to go for a natural grey of her normal hair it was unbelievable".
Have you undergone a transformation that's boosted your self-esteem? Let us know in the comments below.
