No sex? This TikToker might be taking things a hair too far.
Social media socialite Cathair Curran, better known as Kegs thanks to his 111,000 TikTok followers and 225 million viral video views, is giving up sex, smoking, swimming and more after undergoing a new, cutting-edge hair transplant procedure in an attempt to regrow his diminishing mane.
“For the first 30 days after the transplant, you’re not allowed to drink alcohol, smoke, exercise, go in the pool or sea, or have sex,” Kegs, 24, explained to Kennedy News and Media. He underwent the restoration procedure with Now Hair Time in Turkey on Feb. 6.
Kegs, from Loughmacrory, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, began experiencing the loss of his locks at age 19.
As a kid, he was bullied for having a “really big forehead.”
The internet influencer initially tried covering up the perceived imperfection with his hair, which he ultimately overpacked with products that, in turn, promoted permanent damage.
And over the last five years, he’s implemented a number of unmaintainable hair recovery and replacements systems in an attempt to conceal his early onset baldness.
“I’ve done three things in the past — the spray paint, a hair system then the hair transplant,” said Kegs.
Wearing spray-on hair, however, made him feel “really self-conscious,” especially on rainy days or during waterside outings.
“You have to use products to make sure it’s covering everywhere and you’d get really self-conscious if it was raining,” he said of the faux-hair substance, which might have washed off of his head if it got wet. “If I was going to the beach or the pool, I wouldn’t be able to get in the water.”
Despite his insecurities, Kegs gained TikTok fame after openly sharing his hair loss journey online. His vulnerability and popularity lead to several partnership offers from hair restoration brands, including Now Hair Time.
The company gifted him the $2,724 operation, which, for the cyber superstar, also included first-class transportation and accommodations.
“When you arrive there, they pick you up in this unbelievable car, proper pimped out, and drive you to your five-star hotel,” Kegs said of the Now Hair Time facilities. “They walk you about the place, get a free breakfast and you get your blood taken. Then when you go in, they give you a juice, they interview you and talk to you, they tell you the whole process then draw on the new hairline.”
He documented the luxe experience on TikTok.
“The doctor then shaves off all my hair,” Kegs explained to his followers in the voiceover of a trending TikTok, which visually chronicled each step of the procedure.
“Next, I get an anesthetic, which is the sorest part but it numbs your whole head,” he continued. Kegs then gave fans a glimpse of the physicians conducting the actual transplant, during which he remains awake.
“So, they’ve basically taken 4,000 grafts from the back of my head and implanted it to the front of my head,” he said. “I bled a lot that night, but it’s expected.”
Despite the bleeding, Kegs told Kennedy News that the hourslong surgery was “pain-free.”
“It was just the anesthetic I had pain during,” he said to the outlet, noting that the professionals injected him with the numbing needle around 20 to 30 times. “You’re awake the whole time but I think I dozed off a few times, which you’re allowed to do.”
And in the days since the procedure, Kegs has been excitedly monitoring his hair’s regrowth progress.
“For the first two months, all of the implanted hair will fall out, then it needs to regrow,” he explained. “You start noticing the new hair growthat around three months but they said it can take a year to 18 months for it to fully grow out.”
On TikTok, Kegs joked with his subscribers about the minor head swelling and scalp scabbing he’s endured since the procedure.
He even shared a comical clip about the surprise sensations he feels each time he uses the bathroom.
“It’s so f–king weird. I was taking a poo, and every time I squeeze to s–t, every single cell or hair that’s been worked on vibrates vigorously,” Kegs teased. “Like, it’s weird as f–k.”
The unsuspected tingles notwithstanding, Kegs told Kennedy News that the transplant “is making me feel amazing and it’s a lot easier than the hair system.”
“I never had a good hairline before,” he added. “And for the first time in my life, I’ll be able to rock new hairstyles like a buzz cut.”
