Trigger warning: mentions of suicide

A 24-year-old business student took his own life after a botched beard transplant in Turkey.

Mathieu Vigier-Latour had traveled to Istanbul in March for the procedure, which cost him €1,300, just a fifth of the price he would have paid in France.

Following the procedure, he discovered that the person who performed the transplant was not a qualified surgeon but a real estate agent.

The surgery reportedly involved transferring 4,000 hair grafts from Mathieu’s head to his face, losing 1,000 hair grafts in the process.

Mathieu Vigier-Latour, a 24-year-old French student, tragically took his own life following a failed beard transplant at a fake Turkish clinic

Image credits: Mathieu Vigier Latour

In the end, his beard had patches of hair growing at unnatural angles. 

“He found a ‘clinic’ that had the label of approval from the Turkish Ministry of Health, so he reached out to them,” the young man’s father, Jacques Vigier-Latour, told BFM TV on Monday (October 28).

“When it started to grow out, [the beard] was perpendicular. It looked like a hedgehog; it was unmanageable.”

In addition to the aesthetic issue, the failed transplant left him in physical pain, as Mathieu suffered from burns that made sleeping difficult.

“He was suffering. He wasn’t doing well. He was in pain, suffered from burns, and he couldn’t sleep,” his father said.

The man traveled to Istanbul in March for the €1,300 ($1,400) procedure and took his own life three months later

Image credits: Unilad

Image credits: Mathieu Vigier Latour

When the family consulted a specialist in Belgium to correct the procedure, they were told that Mathieu’s scalp would never recover from the hair removal. The professional also confirmed that his beard grew irregularly.

“I’ve seen much worse. I’ve seen horrible things. It was relatively easily correctable for him. We were in the process of correcting it,” Dr. Jean Devroye stated. 

The doctor believed that, despite his efforts to correct the procedure, Mathieu became deeply tormented by the feeling of having been deceived into undergoing surgery at a clandestine clinic.

Mathieu discovered that the person who performed the procedure wasn’t a surgeon but a real estate agent

Image credits: Unilad

Image credits: Unilad

The situation severely affected the student’s mental health, resulting in him developing body dysmorphic disorder.

Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental health condition that causes you to view your physical appearance unfairly. The thoughts and feelings related to your appearance can consume you and affect your thoughts and actions, as per the Cleveland Clinic.

Many people with the disorder spend excessive amounts of time fixating on at least one thing about their bodies that they perceive as a flaw or defect. 

Other symptoms include fears that others are staring, judging, or making fun of the perceived defect and feelings of shame or disgust about their appearance, which they consider abnormal.

Body dysmorphic disorder is a condition that has a high risk of self-harming behaviors or suicidal thoughts, the clinic notes.

The student suffered burns after the cosmetics operation and ultimately developed body dysmorphic disorder

Image credits: cottonbro studio/pexels

Mathieu took his own life in June 2024, three months after the failed procedure, at his student accommodation in Paris.

“He entered a vicious circle and couldn’t get out,” explained his father.

“Nothing suggested that he was going to take action.

“If this testimony could prevent this from happening again and alert everyone, I think that would be a tribute to Mathieu.”

The father advised people to prioritize expertise over cost when deciding to undergo cosmetic surgery or any high-risk procedures.

Image credits: Roman Muntean/pexels

Turkey has become a hotspot for cosmetic procedures, attracting over 100,000 tourists yearly for surgeries like rhinoplasty, tummy tucks, breast reductions, chin implants, lip fillers, and breast implants that are significantly cheaper than in Europe or the United States.

In 2019, a British woman named Melissa Kerr died at the private Medicana Kadikoy Hospital in Istanbul from pulmonary thromboembolism and fat thromboembolism—a blocked blood vessel in the lung—after undergoing a Brazilian butt-lift operation.

“We hope in the future individuals give proper consideration before traveling to Turkey for cosmetic tourism,” Melissa’s family stated after her death.

If you or someone you know is struggling with self-harm or suicide ideation, help is available. International Hotlines provide resources.

People expressed their condolences to Mathieu’s family and raised concerns about medical tourism in Turkey

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