With the increase in hair transplant facilities, there’s a growing number of reports about poor hair transplant procedures and outcomes. The problem is that many hair transplant patients fall victim to cheap deals and unrealistic promises of hair regrowth.
In this article, we discuss the problems of patients going abroad and those searching for cheap hair transplants.
What is Black Market Hair Restoration?
Hair restoration is a huge industry, with some $4 billion in revenue a year. Consider that number and the number of patients who are looking for hair restoration surgery, and you understand the enormity of the problem. Moreover, many of these patients are searching for the cheapest hair restoration surgery they can find. This often leads them to black market transplant clinics.
What are Black Market Hair Restoration Clinics?
Black market hair restoration clinics are usually run by unlicensed technicians. There may be one doctor at the clinic with several technicians. The doctor is only there for show, and even they may not have a valid medical license or work permit. The patients who visit these clinics and research hair transplant surgery have no possible course of action for redress if they suffer negligence and health issues from poor medical practices.
The black market clinics have created an industry that looks legitimate, with sophisticated websites, Google ads that rank high in the search engine, and more. These methods work to capture the client’s attention. Patients who are suffering from hair loss only see the “glamor” of getting the surgery done abroad or for a cheap price. The outcome is usually not what they were expecting.
The Reality of Black Market Clinic Hair Transplant Surgery
Patients who receive a hair transplant surgery from an illegal clinic may have a technician or a doctor who doesn’t have medical training or a license to practice medicine. It’s also possible that patients may be operated on in the same room at the same time, together. It’s something like an assembly line.
Technicians may act as surgeons by the doctor, who allows unlicensed, unregulated technicians to perform the surgery. The doctor uses the technicians as cheap labour and doesn’t have to perform the surgery themselves.
Unlicensed technicians have no regulatory oversight. In such a clinic, a patient may see the doctor for a moment, and the technician then does the surgery. The doctors in these clinics generally use their credentials to attract patients and discuss the procedure with them. After that, the technician takes over and performs the hair transplant surgery.
Black Market Clinic: Problems After Hair Transplant Surgery
Patients who have had someone do their hair transplant surgery without medical training may experience any number of problems. These can include, but are not limited to the following:
- Scarring
- Unnatural hairlines
- Poor hair growth
- Incorrect hair direction
- Depleted donor areas
- Infections
- Inaccurate graft counts
- Recipient area necrosis (tissue death in the recipient area)
- Lower number of grafts than quoted
- Death: from an infection or an adverse reaction to a drug
Why is It Essential to Choose a Hair Transplant Clinic with a Licensed Surgeon or Doctor?
Why is it essential to find a qualified, experienced surgeon? The reason is that hair transplant surgery is a surgical procedure that includes the extraction of hair grafts and implanting them. This may sound like a simple procedure but consider the crucial decisions that must be made for each patient’s procedure:
- Scalp assessment
- Assessment of other medical conditions
- Number of grafts necessary
- Where to transplant the grafts
- Selecting only quality grafts under the microscope
- How to deal with the patient’s ongoing hair loss & scalp conditions
- And more
This is why hair transplant surgery requires a medical license, knowledge, and experience. Black market clinics violate their patients’ rights, and their procedure is usually not performed by a licensed doctor with knowledge and experience with hair transplant surgery. These are only possible if the surgeon has a medical degree and surgical experience.
In some reputable, surgeon-led hair transplant clinics, not every step of the procedure is performed by the surgeon. However, the surgeon does provide medical advice, decision-making, and more. It is possible that technicians will do parts of the procedure, but they are supervised to ensure that the process is carried out correctly.
The reason the surgeon does not take care of the entire process is that a hair transplant surgery can last 10 hours or more. No one person is able to do the entire surgery; the hair transplant surgery requires a well-trained team that is headed and led by a qualified surgeon.
What to Look for in a Hair Transplant Surgeon-Led Clinic
Here are some tips to help you find a reputable clinic that’s surgeon-led:
Take your history and plans ahead: an experienced surgeon assesses your hair loss and plans ahead to what may happen over the next 3-10 years.
Understands your hair loss pattern, age, family history, and more: a qualified surgeon should also recognise your hair loss pattern, age, family history, and lifestyle. This information gives them information about your overall health and what to expect.
Number of hair transplants done: a licensed hair transplant surgeon should have performed thousands of hair transplant procedures. They will have more experience and knowledge. The surgeon will also have dealt with a wide range of patients, different hair loss conditions, and more.
Registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC): in the UK, reputable hair transplant facilities are registered with the Care Quality Commission. So, make sure the facility you choose is a member of this organisation.
Avoid being pressured: avoid any facility that uses pressure tactics or offers deep discounts to get you signed up for a hair transplant surgery. Avoid these clinics in the UK or abroad.
Summing It Up
It is tempting to go abroad or visit a heavily discounted hair transplant clinic in the UK. However, the results are usually not favourable. You may end up with poor results or worse.
Instead, choose a hair transplant facility that’s surgeon-led. Ensure the surgeon has the right credentials and experience to perform hair transplant surgery. Use the tips above to find the right facility, and remember to only visit clinics that are registered with the Care Quality Commission (in the UK). You’ll be much happier with the results and will have your health, too.
