We had some fresh national newspaper coverage for Crown Clinic on Mail Online this week.
Here are the full findings of our new research.
Hair we go…how having a full head of hair can boost your chances of finding love
* Model Ben Southerst, 29, went on dating app Tinder with five different looks to find out which got the most matches;
* He digitally altered his picture so that he had five different looks: full head of hair, thinning hair, almost completely bald, heavy stubble and a beard;
* Each picture was posted on Tinder for a week and there a big difference in number of right swipes he got for each picture
* The experiment was carried out by Crown Clinic in Manchester, Britain's leading hair transplant clinic
Having a full head of hair can significantly boost your chances of finding love on dating sites, according to a new survey.
Male model Ben Southerst went on the dating app Tinder with five different looks to find out which got the most matches from potential female partners.
He posted one profile with a picture of how he really looks with a full head of hair and heavy stubble and gauged the reaction over a week.
Ben then made digital alterations to the picture and posted four profiles in successive weeks with slightly different looks – clean shaven, thinning hair, completely bald, with a full beard.
There was a big difference in the number of right swipes he got for each picture.
The experiment was carried out by Crown Clinic in Manchester, Britain's leading hair transplant clinic.
Ben said: “It was incredible to see how quite subtle changes in your appearance can make a phenomenal difference to your dating success.
“What is clear from this experiment is that if you want to be a hit on dating apps like Tinder it is best to be clean shaven in your profile and have a full head of hair.
“That had by far the most positive reaction – not just in the number of swipes but in the way that women interacted with me after we had matched up.”
Here's how Ben got on with the five different looks:
* Full head of hair and clean shaven – 120 matches
Ben said: “I got a phenomenal response and I was very flattered that so many women wanted to date me.
“I think that being clean shaven does make me look a bit younger and I think that might help you to get matches on a site like Tinder.
* Full head of hair and heavy stubble – 85 matches
Ben said: “This is how I look naturally – so it was reassuring to see that it was a pretty popular look, too. It is a close-run thing over whether to go clean shaven or let the stubble grow for a few days. Women are all different and lots clearly do prefer a bit of growth. My one observation from the responses was that the women who swiped were a little more forward than the clean shaven fans. It was obvious in most cases that they were looking for a quick hook-up rather than a boyfriend.”
* Full head of hair and full beard – 30 matches
Ben said: “You hear that the hipster look is still very fashionable so I wanted to see how I would fare dating with a heavy beard.
“It might look good on fashion pages but it does nothing for your appeal on dating apps. It was the second least popular look and a few of the women who contacted me suggested that I shave it off. I looked several years older than when I was clean shaven.”
* Thinning hair – 12 matches
Ben said: “I wanted to see how ageing my appearance by thinning my hair slightly would affect my popularity.
“The response was pretty emphatic – I got a quarter of the responses that I got from my most popular look.
“The ages of the women who approached me was significantly higher than I got with my real appearance. I was getting swiped by women in their 30s who mistakenly thought I was the same age as them. It was quite depressing to realise even marginal hair loss can hammer your chances of finding love.”
* Bald – 3 matches
Ben said: “I thought it would be useful to see what would happen if I completely lost my hair like Prince William.
“The results were pretty depressing – just 10 matches. The only bright spot was that you would like to think that those 10 women must really like you!”
Crown Clinic hair transplant surgeon Asim Shahmalak said: “This survey shows just how much men's attractiveness declines when they lose their hair.
“When he was a young Prince William was hailed as one of the handsome royals in the world.
“Now that he is almost completely bald, William is seen as almost middle-aged and no one views him as a sex symbol.
“The impact of hair loss on dating app like Tinder is very clear. People are ruthless in their selections and a full head of hair can have a significant impact on your chances of finding love.”
Dr Shahmalak treats lots of celebrity patients and his clients include Calum Best, TV doctor Christian Jessen, Chris Butland-Steed from Gogglebox and Homes Under The Hammer star Martin Roberts.
Bookings at Crown Clinic are up 25% in the last five years and a key factor has been the 'Rooney effect' – with young men copying stars such as the ex-England captain in having a transplant.