A Glasgow man says his life has been devastated by a botched hair transplant that left him with permanent scarring and emotional trauma.
Mark Sweeney, 57, paid £3,500 for a hair transplant at Merchant City Medical Center in Glasgow. He chose the clinic after hearing cautionary tales about getting similar procedures done abroad. But instead of restoring his confidence, the procedure left him with a large scar across his forehead, visible damage to his scalp, and a deep sense of regret.
“They’ve ruined my life,” said Mark. “I can’t face people anymore. I’ve lost all confidence and had to give up my job.”
Mark previously worked as a waiter at the well-known Buttery restaurant in Glasgow. He says he can no longer work in public because of the way he looks. Since the procedure, he has developed anxiety and depression and is now on medication prescribed by his doctor.
He now uses his longer hair to cover up the damage. “I grow my hair long at the front and shave the hairline to try to disguise it,” he explained. “But it’s hard, because the hairline is uneven and unnaturally low on one side.”
The procedure also left him with a bald patch on the side of his head, where grafts were removed. He described the damage as “over-harvesting” and said other hair transplant specialists have told him the grafts were placed too deeply, leaving ridges and lumps.
Mark said the surgery was done by a man from Romania, assisted by technicians he believed were from Pakistan. “They had trouble communicating in English and even told me they would have to speak in their own language because they weren’t fluent,” he recalled.
Merchant City Medical’s website advertises a wide range of cosmetic services, including hair transplants, scalp pigmentation, PRP treatments, and other surgical and non-surgical procedures.
Mark is now saving to have the damage repaired at a specialist clinic in the United States. “I’ve sent pictures to an expert there,” he said. “They don’t want to openly criticize another clinic, but they told me it’s the worst case they’ve ever seen.”
When contacted, Merchant City Medical’s CEO, Paul Mulholland, confirmed that Mark had been a patient but declined to comment further. “Mark turned up at our office yesterday and was told to leave,” he said.
Mark is now warning others to thoroughly research their options before undergoing hair transplant surgery, even within the UK. “People think it’s only risky abroad,” he said. “But this shows it can go horribly wrong right here at home.”
