Mathieu Vigier Latour, 24, had traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, to undergo a beard transplant - where hairs are implanted into the face to replicate a thicker and fuller beard area.
Latour had chosen to travel abroad for the procedure in March, as it cost him €1,300 ($1,400), which is a fifth of what it would have cost him to have it done in France, where he was from.
However, his father claims that Latour ended up taking his life after being left with many issues from the treatment, which he claims was performed by an estate agent posing as a surgeon.
'A young Frenchman took his own life after a botched beard transplant in Turkey performed by an estate agent posing as a surgeon.' https://t.co/IedEOG9dZR
— Paul Litterick (@fundypost) October 28, 2024
Latour's surgeon allegedly lost 1,000 grafts of hair while undergoing the procedure to transplant 4,000 grafts from the man's head to his face.
The business student was then left with a beard that was irregularly shaped and which grew at an unnatural angle, like a "hedgehog", his father claimed, as reported by the Daily Mail.
The bereaved father told local broadcaster BFM TV: "When it started to grow out, it looked like a hedgehog, it was unmanageable."
Latour also allegedly suffered burns after the procedure and was unable to sleep well at night due to the discomfort.
According to reports from The Telegraph, Latour was horrified to later discover that the man who'd performed his beard transplant was not in fact a qualified surgeon, but was actually an estate agent.
🇫🇷🇹🇷 Mathieu, 24 ans, a mis fin à ses jours dans sa chambre d’étudiant à Paris à cause d’une greffe de barbe ratée en Turquie.
— LMS Radio, La Musique Star (@LAMUSIQUESTAR) October 25, 2024
Source BFM TV pic.twitter.com/FOo2LXNdMS
Latour's family found a specialist in Belgium to correct the procedure, but the young man was told that the part of his scalp where the grafts were taken from would not recover.
His family says Latour then began to experience post-traumatic shock and severe body dysmorphic disorder, a mental health condition in which a person becomes obsessively fixated on perceived flaws in their appearance.
Latour's father said, as cited by The Telegraph: "He entered a vicious circle and couldn’t get out."
Tragically, Latour took his own life at his student accommodation in Paris just three months after the surgery.
Traveling abroad for cheaper procedures such as hair or beard transplants has grown in popularity, but can come with big risks. Credit: byakkaya/Getty ImagesFollowing his death, Latour's father is hoping to raise awareness of the dangers of low-cost medical tourism.
Many people opt to travel to countries including Turkey to get procedures done at a fraction of the cost, however, there can be greater risks of ending up with unqualified surgeons or suffering complications, which can be costly and dangerous to resolve.
Latour's father added: "If this testimony could prevent this from happening again and alert everyone, I think that would be a tribute to Mathieu."
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.
Featured image credit: Daniel Day/Getty Images
