“It ended up affecting my personal esteem”

Hair loss is experienced differently from one man to another, but for some, it is a source of significant concern.

Posted at 6:30 a.m.

This was the case for Charles-Émile Beaudry, who was only 22 years old when her hair started to fall. This situation had a huge impact on his confidence. “I always wore a tuque or a cap,” he says. When I was going to the barber, I said to myself: what will he be able to take it away? It ended up affecting my personal esteem. »»

At 30, after considering different scenarios, he opted for a hair transplant. “I thought I would go to Türkiye, like many people, but I did not trust too much, so I turned to a private clinic in Montreal,” he explains. The cost is high, but I was not disappointed. »»

The young man, whose top of the head was practically relaxed, found his adolescent wavy mop. But he had to pay $ 16,000 to do this, according to the prices in force last year. We met him at the DHD clinic in Montreal in early April, where he returned for 700 additional follicles, which are added to the 4000 located last year.

The intervention is painless. It is a question of taking the follicles by making punctures – most of the time at the back of the head, where the hair is less sensitive to hormonal and therefore more resistant variations, but also in the beard, taking care to keep the sheath which contains the stem cell, specifies its treating doctor,^re Jessica Chbat.

It should be noted: in Quebec, this type of intervention must be practiced by a doctor, which is not always the case in Turkey or in other destinations targeted by medical tourism, such as Tunisia, Hungary or India.

Charles-Émile presents androgenetic alopecia, better known as baldness, a hereditary condition called to evolve over the years. To ward off spell, he will follow a medical treatment, a combination of finasteride and minoxidil, two drugs offered both in oral and topical form.

The D^re Véronique G. Dorval put aside her career as a neonatologist pediatrician, five years ago, to devote herself to hair transplant. The owner of the DHD clinic is also involved in the improvement activities of doctors in catering and hair transplant, at the College of Physicians. They are only ten in Quebec to practice transplants, she said.

The market associated with hair loss is nevertheless expanding. In North America, therapies, services and products have generated more than 3 billion US in 2023, a sum called to double by 2032. Medical clinics and spas offer cutting -edge grafts, but also a series of expensive regenerative treatments: plasma rich in platelets, micropucture, laser … Medicines and a multitude of hair solutions can now be prescribed in line and delivered to your home.

Does hair loss affect more men than before? “No, but I think it bothers people more than before,” replies the D^re Dorval.

On social networks, advertising and the famous “before” photos abound.

The transplants in Türkiye

Turkish marketing is particularly aggressive on the Facebook social network. Groups of “testimonies” are administered by French -speaking representatives of clinics in Türkiye, who offer transplants for only $ 5,000.

On Reddit, the testimonies of people who had their transplants in Türkiye have been counted by the thousands. In a few clicks, there are clinics to avoid. Either because there is no medical follow -up, or because the transplant technique is deficient (the grafts are poorly oriented, the hair density is unequal, the donor area has been too relaxed, etc.).

“The risk of having less optimal results is probably a little higher in Turkey than in Canada or the United States, but that does not mean that there are no very good results in Turkey: there are,” said Canadian dermatologist Jeff Donovan. His advice: first ask an online meeting with the surgeon, and ask him the right questions. How many interventions have you practiced? What are your results? Do you have photos of your results? Who is your team?

The press He exchanged with fifteen men who made the operation in Türkiye in the last two years, and most say they are very satisfied with the result. This is the case of Jean-François Beauchamp, who had a transplant two years ago, at 49 years old.

Others say they are generally satisfied, but underline that they will have to return to Türkiye soon to garnish their head more. Most of the men we have spoken do not follow any treatment to slow the progression of their baldness, preferring to redo another transplant, if necessary.

The fact remains that poor choices of clinics or doctors – in Türkiye or elsewhere – can lead to disasters. The story of a transplant that turned badly in a Turkish clinic made headlines in France last fall. A young 24-year-old Frenchman, Matthieu Vigier-Latour, had been grafted on the beard-4000 follicles had been taken from the back of his head to be replaced on his face. The technician who had conducted the intervention was in fact a real estate agent. He would have made several mistakes. Confused by the result, the boy killed himself three months later.

Alexander on the side, he made sure to do exhaustive research before going to Istanbul, Turkey. Six months of research where he was able to identify the clinic where he would go, but also the doctor who would practice his transplant. “I wanted the doctor to be as involved as possible,” he said, “because there are several clinics where the doctor supervises all this from afar and others where there is no doctor at all. »»

At the time of his transplant, he was 35 years old and already a good ten years of medical treatment behind the tie – a combination of minoxidil and finasteride. Two years later, the result is up to its expectations. He continues his medical treatments, but taking breaks, concerned about the side effects of the finasteride (see other text). In his case, 3,500 follicles of hair was taken behind his head. And its original front line has been reproduced quite faithfully. “I was extremely lucky, because sometimes the result is not always so successful. »»