Aesthetic Doctors See Ugly Consequences Of Cheap - Often Foreign - Operations

A patient after a poorly performed transplant, with gaps in the hairline (left). This results in round recesses, the so-called Micky Mouse effect, and the hairs also fall down in an unnatural way. Right after correction: a filled hairline, with the hairs growing in the right direction. © Kos

When it comes to hair transplants, Hasselt doctor Feriduni is considered an authority in Belgium. Not only ordinary Flemish people, but also celebrities such as De Romeo's singer Gunther Levi come to him with bald pater spots or receding hairlines. At the moment, you have to wait until April 2024 for a consultation. 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 Riziv. But to give you an idea: at ISAPS, the international association for plastic surgeons, they speak of an annual increase of 20 percent.

The demand is there, but increasingly, specialists also have to correct other people's work, says Dr. Feriduni. "These are patients who often go to southern countries because it is cheaper there. In my experience, 80 percent of them have problems afterwards." Feriduni sees disappointed, almost crying men in his office almost every day, which is why he wants to address this. "What can go wrong? Firstly: the hairline that has an unnatural shape. Southern men often have a straight hairline, while in Caucasian types it grows in a V-shape or M-shape. You have to respect that. Sometimes the hairline is also too low, which means 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. These are above the sideburns, it is a piece of hair that grows angularly into the face along the temples. If this is forgotten during a transplant, the hair grows in round curves along the head, which we call the Mickey Mouse effect."

Doctor Feriduni, hair surgeon from Hasselt. Sometimes patients sit in tears in the office after an unfortunate experience. © Photo News

Basically, all of this can still be corrected, at least if there is enough hair capital left. But that is also where the shoe pinches. “In order to be able 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 hairs are removed one by one or in small tufts. Unfortunately, in poor clinics this is done with larger ‘carpets’. That is faster and reduces costs, but often results in scar tissue afterwards, which means that you can no longer harvest hair.” 

"Transplantation can do wonderful things, but I have to say to 30 percent of the men who come to me: Sorry, you are not a good candidate. In 10 years you will be left with holes and clumps."

Hair specialist Bijan Feriduni

In the long term, that is a problem. “People continue to age. Suppose you fill in the hairline of a man in his forties, to everyone’s satisfaction. But many years later, that man may lose his hair on top. If there is still hair capital, you can fill it in nicely with a second transplant. If that capital is gone, then that man will be stuck with an intact, transplanted hairline for the rest of his life, but with a bald top. I don’t have to tell you: that looks very strange.” How can you avoid something like that? “The patient must inform himself well and the doctor must calculate carefully: how much hair is available, and can the problem area be completely filled in with it? You can do wonderful things with transplantation, but I have to say to 30 percent of the men who come to me: ‘Sorry, you are not a good candidate. Within 10 years, you will be left with holes and clumps.’ A good doctor says something like that, but unfortunately there are cowboys on the market.” A full transplant with Feriduni, as well as with other reputable doctors, costs an average of 8,000 to 10,000 euros.

In a correction, the poorly placed hairs are first removed one by one. Note how this man had a hairline in the front, but the field behind it was not filled in sufficiently (left). If enough hair capital can still be harvested in the neck, these gaps can still be closed. © RV

Feriduni: “They do it abroad for 1,000 to 2,000 euros. They advertise on TikTok with dancing doctors and hopping patients, I don't think that's serious anymore. In the meantime, they save on assistants, who are often needed to do this labor-intensive work properly. Afterwards, I sometimes have to remove those incorrectly placed hairs one by one, to then save what I can... I help with pleasure, but also with pain in my heart.”