Dr. Feriduni warns on increase repair hair transplants

When it comes to hair transplants, doctor Feriduni is regarded as an authority in Belgium. Not only ordinary people, but also famous people such as De Romeo's singer Gunther Levi come to him with bald spots or receding hairlines. At the moment, there is a waiting time for a consultation until April 2024. Due to the high demand, because since corona time more people than ever want to change their appearance. Figures are difficult to find, because many cosmetic treatments are not reimbursed by the NIHDI. But to give you an idea: at ISAPS, the international association for plastic surgeons, they speak of an annual increase of 20 percent.

So the demand is there, but specialists increasingly also have to correct other people's work, says doctor Feriduni. “It concerns patients who often go to southern countries because it is cheaper there. In my experience, 80 percent of them have problems afterwards.” In his private clinic, Feriduni sees disappointed, almost crying men almost every day, which is why he wants to raise this. “What could go wrong? First: the hairline that has an unnatural shape. Southern men often have a straight hairline, while Caucasian types tend to grow in a V-shape or M-shape. You have to respect that. Sometimes the hairline is also too low, so that the proportions of the face are no longer correct.” Feriduni continues: “Secondly, it is often forgotten that men have temporal peaks on the sides. They lie above the sideburns, it is a piece of hair that grows angularly in the face along the temples. If this is forgotten during a transplant, the hair will grow in round curves along the head, which we call the Mickey Mouse effect.”

Basically, all this can still be corrected, at least if there is enough hair capital left. But there, too, the shoe pinches. “In order to transplant hair, it must first be able to be ‘harvested’,” explains Dr. Feriduni. “That often happens at the back of the head, where balding men still have the most growth. This 'harvesting' must be done carefully and with high-quality blades. Preferably, the hair is removed one by one or in small tufts. Unfortunately, in bad clinics this happens with larger 'carpets'. That goes faster and reduces costs, but afterwards it often gives scar tissue, so you can no longer harvest hairs.”