But in a lightly regulated industry, the procedure, performed by self-taught YouTube amateurs, can have deadly consequences.
I have lost my son and I don’t want any other mother to lose her child because of the wrongdoings of a few people. Ashia Begum
Rasheed was the family’s sole breadwinner and wanted a better life, owning a house and marrying off his two sisters.
But after undergoing a hair transplant procedure at a Delhi clinic last year, her son developed sepsis, said his distraught mother Ashya Begum, 62.
The swelling spread from his head and he was in great pain.
“My son died in great suffering. His kidneys stopped functioning and all his other organs failed,” she said, breaking down in tears.
The family filed a police report, providing photos of Rasheed’s swollen face and the black rash that covered his body from his final hours.
Four people, including the two who performed the surgery, have been arrested and are awaiting trial.
“Every day I think about my son and he is slowly dying,” she said, sitting in her modest one-room rented apartment in a run-down part of the capital.
“I lost my son and I don’t want other mothers to lose their children because of the wrongdoings of a few people,” she said.
A hair transplant performed by a skilled surgeon can be a life-changing, confidence-boosting experience, especially for young Indian men seeking personal and professional growth.
Social commentator and gender equality campaigner Harish Iyer said changing lifestyles had led men to pay more attention to their appearance.
“The desire to appear youthful and vibrant is something that both men and women share,” Iyer said. “Women have always felt pressured to look a certain way to be accepted, but that’s now changing.”
Ashia Begum, mother of Athar Rasheed, who died after undergoing a hair transplant at a clinic in New Delhi. Photo: AFP
At the same time, experts point out that a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, poor diet and stress can lead to premature hair loss.
In hair transplant surgery, hair follicles are taken from areas with a high hair density, such as the back of the head, and then transplanted into the affected area of the scalp.
Dr Mayank Singh performs up to 15 surgeries a month at his upscale clinic in an upscale New Delhi neighborhood.
Most of his patients are between 25 and 35 years old and looking to get married or advance in their careers, especially in jobs where appearance is important.
The operation costs about 350,000 rupees (US$4,300), a significant sum in a country where millions of people live on less than $2 a day.
Dodgy clinics staffed by untrained staff perform the procedure for a nominal fee.
Singh, who is also the general secretary of the Indian Association of Hair Restoration Surgeons, said quack doctors were giving the industry a bad name.
“There is a misconception that this is a simple operation, but it is a lengthy procedure – six to eight hours,” Singh said.
“It requires a lot of local anesthesia administered over a long period of time. It can be a dangerous procedure if you don’t have the knowledge of what to do.”
India’s National Medical Council issued a warning in September, alarmed by the proliferation of clinics offering poor services at discount prices.
Dr Mayank Singh examines a patient’s scalp before a hair transplant procedure at his clinic in New Delhi. Photo: AFP
“Watching workshops or platforms such as YouTube does not provide sufficient training to undertake cosmetic procedures, including hair transplants,” the company said.
He added that only properly trained doctors should carry out such procedures.
Singh, the plastic surgeon, said it was essential to strictly adhere to the guidelines.
He has many satisfied clients, including Lakshmi Narayanan, a doctor who for years avoided social gatherings because of his baldness.
“My hair loss started when I was 18. I avoided taking pictures of myself or even looking in the mirror,” says Narayanan, now 29.
“But that’s not the case anymore. I now have confidence in interacting with people and am looking for a life partner.”
