A MUM has given her alopecia-suffering daughter a 'hair transplant' by shaving her head so a realistic wig could be specially made for the teenager.

Jo Green, 41, from Bournemouth grew her hair for three years and dyed it blonde so she would have enough for the natural-looking bespoke wig to be made for daughter Lauren.

Her hairdresser carefully removed the long locks which were sent to a wig makers that specialise in life-like hairpieces.

Lauren, 17, had a mould made of her head that was used to create a fine mesh netting cap.

Each strand of her mum's hair was then painstakingly hand-sewn into the cap using a knotting technique that took weeks.

The finished product is a realistic-looking hairpiece which perfectly fits Lauren's head.

Lauren, who lost all her hair at the age of eight, said: "It looks amazing, I couldn't be more happy with it.

"All my old wigs were ill-fitting and looked unrealistic but my new one feels like it's my own head of hair.

"It feels natural and it is a lot more sentimental because it is my mum's old hair, although it is a bit freaky that I now look like her."

Jo, who is now growing her hair again after being shaved bald, said: "I wanted to do something special for her.

"I normally wear my hair short so I had to grow it specially for this. I also had blonde highlights to make sure I could get a colour I thought Lauren would like.

"I cried as soon as they brought the wig out. It's amazing, they've done a really good job and it looks lovely on Lauren. She can finally pull her hair back off her face and even go swimming in it, it's just like the ones celebrities have."

Lauren lost all her hair in just three days when she first discovered she had alopecia. Her long blonde locks came out in huge clumps.

As she was due to go back to school, her mother rushed to get her a wig, but all they could find was an unflattering adult one, which they had to pull tight at the back so it would fit Lauren's head.

She has tried several adult-sized wigs over the last next nine years of varying lengths, but they sometimes fall off especially if she forgets to wear a special cap underneath.

She often wears a bandana on her head when she doesn't feel like using a wig and is happy to be bald when around the house.

Lauren was donated a human hair wig from the Little Princess Trust in 2011 but it only lasted a couple of years.