The Hasselt Doctor Who Even Helps World Stars Get Rid Of Baldness

““What language should we do the interview in?” asks Dr. Feriduni (60) after we have taken a seat in his practice. “Dutch? German? Italian? English? French?” It says something about his international clientele, but also about his roots. “My father moved from Iran to Germany when he was eighteen to study medicine,” he says in a juicy ‘Low German’. “He wanted to open a hospital in his home country, but then he met my mother in Germany. I was born there and studied in Frankfurt. My former boss opened clinics in Hasselt, the Netherlands and Germany. That’s how I ended up here in Limburg, although I still live in Aachen. My wife wanted to move with me, but only as far as the border.”

Here you meet patients from all over the world.

“Even from Australia. We have a good reputation, for 24 years now. Every patient is special to us and I always give myself two hundred percent. But most people also choose us because we transplant in the most natural way. Someone who has a lip augmentation done wants there to be a difference from before. A hair transplant should not be noticeable. Then it is perfect, and that is what we strive for.”

It is said that even world stars come here…

“Of course I can't mention names. We ensure discretion if necessary. These procedures usually take place on Saturdays and we arrange a private driver to bring them here. There is a guesthouse set up near our practice, for patients who prefer not to stay in a hotel (for privacy reasons). The first contact with celebrities is usually via the manager. Often we don't know who it is either. After a while I ask for photos of the hair, and then I get them without a face. Only when there is an agreement about a transplant do I know who it is.”

Niels Albert, on the other hand, was very open about his surgery and shared a photo on social media. Is that a good thing?

“It is simply the easiest thing to be honest. I have patients who do not do that. They stay indoors for a few weeks and tell their friends that they are on holiday. But then those friends eventually see that there is a light on in the patient's home. Sometimes relationship problems even arise, because the partner is not allowed to know anything. Someone who was also very open was Gunther Levi. A few days after the operation he was already at the Schlagerfestival with the Romeo's.”

Why is there still such a taboo surrounding hair transplants?

“It remains something different than an intervention at the dentist. Going bald sometimes leads to psychological problems for young men. People in their fifties are more likely to accept it than young people in their twenties, for whom it can be very drastic. But don't forget: women also have to deal with it. For them, the mental impact is even worse. About fifteen percent of my patients are female. During consultations, that percentage is even higher, but you have to select. Women usually have diffuse hair loss, so both on the head and on the sides. You can't solve that with a transplant. We can help women with a high forehead or a masculine hairline. We are also seeing more and more trans women. Hair loss usually stabilizes with hormone treatment, because it is the testosterone that converts into the harmful dihydrotestosterone or DHT. Together with the genetic situation, that causes hair loss.”

What determines whether or not someone goes bald?

“It's purely genetic. Today, seventy percent of men in Europe are affected. But about five percent of our interventions are medical-aesthetic. This involves baldness after injuries from an accident, fire…”

What exactly does a hair transplant entail?

“We prefer the FUE technique, which stands for Follicular Unit Extraction. This is less invasive, only produces very small scars but they are not visible and the patient retains the option of shaving the hair short. First, we document the patient's situation well, with photos. Then the hairs are shaved and we remove the hair root groups or hair units one by one with a small needle. Nowadays this is done with a machine, but in the past it was done by hand. However, it is still extremely precise work. It takes six to ten hours. We then make incisions with a small blade that determine the direction of the hair. Finally, these hairs are implanted one by one.”

So there is still a minimum of hair needed. Can you be too bald to be helped?

“Advanced baldness is a challenge. With the help of microscopes and artificial intelligence we can calculate whether this is still possible.”

Is only head hair transplanted?

“Usually yes. Although women sometimes also request an eyelash or eyebrow transplant. If they have plucked their eyebrows too often in the past, traction alopecia can develop. Occasionally a man wants a fuller beard, but I advise against that. That never gives a natural look. Pubic hair transplants are also popular in Asian areas. I have colleagues in South Korea who perform five to six such procedures every week. It is a different culture. In Europe we want to get rid of body hair in most places, but in Asia it is a beauty ideal.”

Do you also perform pubic hair transplants yourself?

“We don't do that in principle. It must have been ten years since I last performed a pubic hair transplant. And that was after an accident, on someone who had a scar there.”

Let’s get back to head hair transplants. How much does such a procedure cost?

“On average six to nine thousand euros, excluding VAT.”

Do people get turned off by that?

“People who inform themselves well in advance and want a good result, don't. Of course it depends on the financial situation of the patient. Some have to save up for it.”

Some people move abroad because it is cheaper there.

“There are good doctors there too, but I also have colleagues there who do ten operations a day. You can see that in the results. Thirty to forty percent of the interventions we do are corrections of previous transplants abroad. Look, a hair transplant is a lifelong decision, both positive and negative. If it is done right, you will have a lot of fun. But if it is not done right, it is a disaster.”

Could something go wrong for you too?

“If done correctly, a hair transplant is the least risky operation in aesthetic surgery. But something can always go wrong. We work with local anesthesia, which can also lead to a heart attack at the dentist. Fortunately, that has never happened to us (knocks on the wooden table). I estimate that more than 95 percent of my patients are satisfied after the transplant. If there are complaints, they are about small things. I then have those people come back and then I solve that little problem.”

Is a transplant a lifelong solution to baldness?

“We make that decision in advance. Is it wise to perform a hair transplant at the age of 25? The answer is very clearly no. Then you would fill in the small corners, but five years later the hairline will have shifted again. Then you can perform another operation, but another five years later that person might be here again. The intention is not for people to take out a subscription here (laughs). Men of forty or fifty are in principle suitable. With them we can already make a long-term prediction and then they normally have no more problems after the transplant.”

Is a transplant before the age of 35 by definition too early?

“It is possible, but then we have to look at the family history. Do the father and grandfather still have a lot of hair? Is there often hair loss on the mother's side? Then we can take the risk. But if the father and grandfather are completely bald and also on the mother's side all the men, then it is better to wait.”

Is there a maximum age?

I once had a Dutch patient of 74 years old. We investigated his situation with cardiologists and his family doctor and they gave their approval. Then I think: why not? I still follow up all the patients anyway. A year later, that man came here and he was so happy. ‘The young women are all looking at me again,’ he beamed. When I asked how old those women were, he answered: 60, 65 years old.” (laughs)

I can imagine that patients are often very happy after such an intervention.

“That's the beauty of my profession. Unfortunately, we have to tell some people that a transplant is not a good idea. But if you select well, it is a very positive experience for the patients who are eligible.”

Do you notice that gratitude afterwards? Do you ever get a card or presents?

“Absolutely. We get chocolates weekly for sure. Once a month I perform one surgery for free. That is done through our own foundation and it concerns people who have the transplant done for a medical reason, that is a condition. One of those patients gave me a big cake afterwards, with ‘Feriduni Forever’ on it (laughs). Yes, I thought that was very sweet.”

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