We have more hair transplant clinics today in 2018 than we have ever had before. Yet, modern hair transplant patients are receiving some of the worst results the industry has ever seen. We don’t need to remind you that quantity does not entail quality. In this article we will explore why, with the great proliferation of hair restoration clinics across the nation and the world, has there been a rise in botched jobs and damaged hairlines.
As hair transplants and hair restoration practices grow in popularity and accessibility there has sprung up a dangerous class of hair transplant practitioners and technicians. For many this comes as a shock, that in 2018, with all of the scientific and technological advancements taking place in medical care, the hair transplant industry can be so infested with shady malpractice.
For one thing, as witnessed with pharmaceutical and other major industries, innovation and advancement of product inevitably means there will be those trying sell knockoffs and cheap substitutes.
This dangerous and greedy class of hair technicians seek to capitalize on a service so many people genuinely desire and need. Using flowery marketing tactics and savvy sales campaigns, these inexperienced and unskilled physicians lure in customers for cheap and faulty operations. Many crooked hair transplant clinics will sucker clients in with seductive-looking technology and highly scientific sounding brochures. An obvious fallacy, as we all know that having the best stereoscopic dissecting microscope or other fancy instrumentation does not confer ability or experience on the operating physician or technician. Yet most people often cannot help wanting to take advantage of a seemingly good deal and are thus caught in the trap.
British celebrity and MTV star, Kyle Christie, notoriously underwent an embarrassing and cosmetically gross hair transplant. A devastated but hopeful Christie now speaks about the importance of finding a proper physician who is ethically and technically pure.
Media personality, Yousef Erakat (stage name Fousey), who began experiencing male pattern baldness in his early 20s sought to recover his healthy hair look with scalp micropigmentation (SMP), but also suffered at the hands of an inexperienced and unethical clinic. After his scalp procedure, Yousef rushed to book another appointment at a different clinic to salvage what had been needlessly lost. In an interview following the incident Yousef’s words are an urgent reminder: “I made an appointment [but] I didn’t do any research, I didn’t check any reviews, I didn’t think about it.”
This abuse of hair restoration promises has crushed the spirit and confidence of so many people that it is causing industry outrage. The emotional toll and psychological repercussions of inexperienced and faulty hair transplant work has caused many men (and women) to spiral into a constant battle of obsessive perfectionism and low self-esteem.
Kyle Christie and Yousef Erakat suffered under bad clinics residing in America and the UK, but many who seek a cheaper alternative overseas are even more likely to experience dissatisfaction. Many individuals have been seduced by low prices and sweet promises by foreign hair transplant clinics as well: Turkey Hair Transplant Gone Wrong.
Perhaps most importantly, however, these surgical abuses and empty promises seriously impact and undermine the brilliant hair transplant work performed by ethical and leading hair care physicians.
The hallmarks of a bad hair transplant procedure are always coarse, scarred, uneven, and fake looking hair. The hallmarks of a good hair transplant, however, are much harder to spot, because the best physicians will give clients the most natural-looking hair possible. A seasoned hair transplant surgeon will consistently produce ultra-refined, dense, and natural looking hairlines. Expert clinics and expert physicians are rare, but they’re worth the research to find.
The best hair transplant doctors will also work tirelessly over many years to perfect their FUE and FUT method. Board certified physician Dr. Amir Yazdan, for example, developed his own propriety FUE extraction method and personalized set of instruments over the course of a decade. With every operation he continually refined and improved his method in order to provide patients with the greatest possible aesthetic outcome.
Dr. Yazdan also oversees the entire hair transplant procedure to guarantee proper graft orientation, prevent hair graft loss, and ensure natural hair grouping design. Dr. Yazdan, like other top doctors in the industry, adamantly promote the ‘doctor only’ model of hair transplantation, and stress the importance of expert oversight from start to finish and even during post op.
True veteran hair transplant doctors will carefully assesses hair density, hair angle variance, hairline shape, hair grouping design, and other key elements in order to determine exact graft selection and placement sites.
Luckily, there are strong ways of separating the experts from the imitators. Highly reputable medical forums and review boards such as realself.com are indispensable.
Read our breakdown on how to vet hair transplant physicians and what to ask them: Choosing the Right Hair Transplant Surgeon
As you continue on your hair transplant journey, know what to look for and what questions to ask. Your hair, your appearance and your confidence deserve to be in the most capable of surgical hands.
For all matters hair contact one of our offices at 888-717-5273 or visit Modenahair.com.
Dr. Amir Yazdan, MD, is an internationally renowned hair transplant surgeon, expert guest on Dr. Phil and The Doctors, creator of the GroMD hair restoration product line, ISHRS member, and an advocate for patient care. Learn more about Dr. Yazdan or read rave reviews from his patients.