RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Bimini has shared unpleasant complications from her recent hair transplant, including extreme swelling that caused her head to swell up.
In a clip shared on the drag queen’s TikTok, Bimini compared her new look to that of the character Sloth in the classic 1985 adventure film The Goonies.
Bimini, the stage name of Thomas George Graeme Hibbitts, recently revealed on Instagram that he was undergoing a hair transplant to restore his hairline that began receding when the star was 13.
“I didn’t really expect it until I got a mullet in 2018,” Bimini says. “But I knew I wanted to get a transplant at some point.”
Bimini, the stage name of Thomas George Graeme Hibbitts, recently revealed the after-effects of his hair transplant.
It now appears the procedure, which was carried out in the UK, has caused a common side effect that occurs when fluid builds up under the scalp.
This is because fighter cells and other inflammatory proteins sent by the immune system head to the site of injury to protect against possible infection.
in a TikTok videowhich already has two million views, Bimini, who came second in the second season of the popular reality show, said: ‘A natural part of the healing process when you have a hair transplant is facial swelling as all the anesthesia and fluid drains from your face.
“So it’s the trauma and the body’s response to that. But nobody told me I was going to like The Goonies.”
To emphasize her point, Bimini, 31, posted a snap of the iconic Sloth character from the adventure comedy film along with a caption below the video that read: “Sign me up for the Goonies reboot.”
Bimini, originally from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, previously detailed on Instagram how he had wanted a hair transplant since he was about 13.
‘From the age of 13 or 14 I started to regress and when I was discovering my identity and who I was, there was something about me and my body that was so masculine that I couldn’t control.
‘I was pretty self-conscious about it until about 2018, when I got a mullet cut.
‘This is a very personal thing and I feel vulnerable sharing it, but I’m here to share it because I know I’m not the only person who has felt this way.’
Hair transplants are cosmetic procedures that involve surgically moving hair removed from another part of the body, usually the back of the head or chest, to an area of the scalp that is thinning or bald.
The procedure is not available on the NHS and costs between £2,000 and £30,000 if carried out privately in the UK, depending on the extent of the transplant.
Bimini has not revealed what the cost of his transplant will be.
Recovery from the transplant itself takes about two weeks, but it takes about four months for the new hair to start growing.
The NHS says it is common for patients after a hair transplant to experience a tight, sore and swollen scalp for a few days, temporary scabbing where the hair was transplanted and some minor scarring.
Bimini, who came second in the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, has previously said she wanted a hair transplant since she was 13, when she started losing her hair. Pictured at the 2024 Attitude Pride Awards in London in June.
Documenting her recovery from the procedure, which involves placing hair taken from other parts of the body back into the scalp, Bimini posted a photo of Sloth from The Goonies (pictured) with the caption: “Sign me up for The Goonies reboot.”
Bimini had the procedure in the UK, but many British men fly to Turkey to have the procedure done for a fraction of the price – however some have warned of mixed results.
Like any operation, a hair transplant is not risk-free and patients may experience bleeding, infection or an allergic reaction to anesthesia.
The health service urges people considering a hair transplant to thoroughly research both the procedure and the clinic they intend to use.
This includes checking whether the clinic is registered with the Care Quality Commission, the health and care watchdog, and whether the surgeon is registered with the General Medical Council and a member of the British Association of Hair Restoration Surgery.
However, many British men are opting for transplants abroad, carried out in surgical tourism destinations such as Turkey, for a fraction of the price they would pay in the UK.
But many have reported poor results after undergoing surgery abroad.