Experts have urgently warned a growing number of ‘black market’ hair transplant procedures are taking place in the UK, carried out by rogue unlicensed technicians with no medical degree. 

These alleged botched procedures have left men who did ‘too little research’ with extensive scarring, psychological distress and disfigurement, according to the British Association of Hair Restoration Surgery (BAHRS).

BAHRS has urged Britons to be diligent in checking the credentials of who they pay to carry out the surgeries to avoid being on the receiving end of often painful, and unattractive, results.

The not-for-profit organisation’s surgeons say it is a particular problem for people trying to get follicular unit excisions (FUE), which involves the removal of hair from other ‘donor’ areas which then are implanted into thinning or balding areas.

Hair restoration surgeon and BAHRS President Chris D’Souza said: ‘It is becoming increasingly clear that patients do not need to travel thousands of miles to Turkey (or elsewhere) to have a botched hair transplant surgery procedure when the same thing happens in many cost-cutting clinics here in the UK. 

‘These clinics offer cheaper prices by using non-doctor technicians to perform the skin incisions, i.e. cuts. 

‘Indeed, one could argue the situation here is worse than overseas, as there is an expectation that UK providers are meant to be held to tighter controls, when unfortunately this is not the case.’

A single teacher, 45, from Brighton who wished not to be named, had a second procedure this year after he had to many of his ‘donor’ hairs removed from a central area of his scalp during his first surgery five years ago.

A leading non-for-profit organisation has warned there are a growing number of ‘black market’ hair transplants taking place across Britain 

Recalling the ordeal, he said: ‘I was unhappy with my appearance, thinning on the top, so I decided to go for hair transplant surgery. I found the clinic through a Facebook ad. Looking back I should have done more research, but I didn’t. I paid around £2,000.

‘With my first surgery, the incisions felt like and made the same noise as a fork going into polystyrene. It was horrific. 

‘The clinic was also very unprofessional with lots of people involved in the surgery. I wasn’t pleased at all. The hair didn’t look good—not thick enough—and I had pain and discomfort for six to 12 months.

‘I was left with deep head scarring, long-term pain and psychological damage after “black market” hair transplant surgery.’ 

This year, when he went for restorative surgery, he said: ‘I researched things properly and had a consultation.’

And he was glad he did, because, he said: ‘The second time around I couldn’t feel anything. I was so relaxed I almost fell asleep. I am incredibly pleased with the results.’

Dr Greg Williams, a hair transplant surgeon and vice president of BAHRS, said: ‘The key to FUE is that both the planning and the skin incisions should be done by a licensed medical doctor who has the ethical and legal obligation to the patient.

‘There is a problematic rise in unlicensed technicians being allowed to perform the skin incision step rather than just the graft extraction step.

The top of the head of the healthcare provider, 60, from Kent who two unsuccessful surgeries

This is the back of the head of a single engineer 32 who had a botched hair transplant surgery

He said: ‘I started losing my hair at 20 but took my time before signing up for surgery. I didn’t trust Turkish clinics so decided to stay in the UK. However my experience was extremely poor, and I know that some of the incisions were made by non-doctors.’

‘The decisions involved in harvesting follicular units rely on the knowledge and experience of hair transplant surgeon and requires judgement. It is not just a simple technical skill.’  

It’s important to not that bad experiences can still happen even at highly rated clinics. 

This was the case for a healthcare provider, 60, from Kent who wishes to not be named. He had two unsuccessful surgeries last year, with 3,500 grafts—small pieces of skin containing hair follicles—taken each time, leaving him needing a third one.

On his first impressions, he said: ‘The initial consultation was in a posh office, but the surgery venue was so poorly set up that I refused to have surgery on the day.

‘After some persuasion, I agreed to go back but I wish I hadn’t. Everything was rushed, done quickly so they could perform as many surgeries as possible in one day. Not enough care was taken throughout.’

And, he added: ‘The results were disappointing. There were lots of gaps and it didn’t look natural at all. The direction of my hair growth was all over the place. My head was sore for at least two months afterwards.

‘Hair surgery is an artform so you need someone to take their time and give you all the care they can.’

In comparison, he explained: ‘My third repair was a totally different experience—professional and expertly performed. 

Similarly, a single engineer 32, from Glasgow, had a bad experience when he decided to have a hair transplant five years ago.

When he went for a hair transplant in 2020, they overharvested his donor area, just like the other victim of a botched procedure who came forward.

On why he decided to get the procedure, he said: ‘The odd person at work and friends had joked about my receding hairline.’

This led him to looking up clinics for hair transplants on the internet, picking one online that cost around £5,000. While he looked at a ‘few others’ he said ‘looking back I should have done more research’.

The warning comes as hair transplant procedures grow increasingly popular, with 735,000 taking place globally each year.

This immense number of surgeries means the market is projected to reach £10 to £12 billion by 2030.