‘Botched Up Bodies’ Man Left Bald After Failed Hair Transplants

Appearing on the Channel 5 documentary ‘Botched Up Bodies’, Michael Avola has described the problems he has had after seeking treatment for his hair loss condition. The 49-year old unemployed man from Northampton has now undergone seven failed hair transplant operations in an attempt to restore his hairline.

Speaking to producers of the show, Mr. Avola claims that the failed operations have “ruined [his] life”. As well as a complete failure to promote regrowth, the surgery has also left him with significant scarring which may prevent new growth in the affected areas.

Mr. Avola has experienced significant hair loss since the age of 23. As his hairline receded, so too did his confidence, leading Mr. Avola to make the decision to seek surgical assistance.

“They promised me there would be a really good result,” he said. “They said the scarring would be invisible and that there would be full coverage at the front.”

Seventh time lucky?

The first transplant operation seemed to pass off successfully, but the transplanted hair follicles never produced the anticipated hair regrowth. A further five operations were then undertaken at Mr. Avola’s own expense to try to correct the situation.

Photographs reveal a tiny patch of wiry hair at the front of his head with an otherwise bald crown. The back of Mr. Avola’s head shows where hair follicles have been harvested for transplantation and never grown back, leaving horizontal scars that are clearly visible through the remaining hair on his head.

Following the first six, abortive operations, Michael Avola has since sought assistance from another surgeon. The prognosis remains uncertain.

Treating hair loss without surgery

With hundreds of men choosing to try and treat their hair loss conditions with surgical assistance, Mr. Avola’s experiences are obviously far from normal. They do however clearly demonstrate the potential risks of any kind of surgery.

Whether Mr. Avola first sought non-surgical treatment for his hair loss condition is unknown. However, scarring and unnatural-looking hair regrowth would not have been a concern had he worked with a hair loss expert to undertake a holistic hair loss treatment programme. In all likelihood, such a programme would have combined proven hair loss medications with ancillary treatments and on-going monitoring to ensure maximum regrowth.