I had botched hair transplant 10 years ago but it didn't put me off trying again (2025)

EXCLUSIVE: Krunal Nirban was struggling with his confidence and 'was ready to give up' after a botched hair transplant made things worse rather than better at the age of 24

When Krunal Nirban was 24, he decided it was time for a hair transplant. But unfortunately, his first attempt didn’t go as planned. “For years, I tried various medications, powders, and gadgets like infrared hair combs, before deciding on a hair transplant at 24,” Krunal, the owner of cricket coaching company Perfect Timing Academy, remembers. Losing my hair massively impacted my confidence, especially as it was from such a young age. I grew up in an Indian culture where having hair was a source of identity and pride. Losing it really impacted my self-esteem. “I would constantly have to style my hair to cover areas that had thinned. I would wear hats almost every day to hide my hair loss. The worst was having family members constantly ask about my hair and my health as I was losing so much.

"It was so difficult and it was partly the reason why I was looking into having surgery - mainly to get people to stop asking me about my hair." But Krunal’s first attempt at a hair transplant left him feeling disappointed with his hairline. “My first attempt didn't go as planned,” he recalls. “I was left unhappy with my hairline and overharvested sides - I found that too many hair follicles were extracted, and there was a visible reduction in my hair density even in the implanted areas. “My hairline was brought too low and I didn’t have much say in the actual plan itself. I also wasn’t counselled well around the future progression of my hair loss which is so important.

“Since having the procedure, I’ve become aware that I may not have been operated on by surgeons but by lay people who aren’t appropriately trained in surgery. This may have led to my surgery not working as well as it should have done.” With no future planning from his initial clinic, Krunal was left unhappy with his hairline and overharvested sides, still lacking the hair growth he hoped for. Having given up, he even went as far as to shave his head. It wasn’t until May of last year that he went to The Treatment Rooms for hair transplant number two.

Dr Dilan Fernando and Dr Roshan Vara removed his low hairline and recycled the hair into a stronger, more natural-looking hairline, using additional scalp donor hair extracted in this first stage repair. They performed a second stage repair on his crown, extracting hair from both the scalp and beard due to limited donor hair. “Due to the lack of hair density, I still completely lacked the hair growth I was looking for,” Krunal adds.

“I was still struggling with my confidence, and I was ready to give up. I even went as far as to buzz it. But this still meant I had a hairline that was too low and it was the opposite of the outcome I truly wanted - which was hair on my scalp.

“I wanted to see how it could be fixed and whether my hairline could be brought higher and thicker. “Since my first procedure I had also thinned in my crown, so I also wanted to thicken that area too, but they had taken so much hair from my initial procedure I wasn’t certain this could be achieved alongside a repair to my hairline. “I decided to have hair transplant number two at The Treatment Rooms London, back in May last year. My experience was a huge contrast from the first transplant, and I felt like I was actually prioritised as a patient. “The process with them was so different to my first experience. They were with me throughout the procedure. They took so much time to plan the repair and make sure we were thinking about the long-term future of my hair and how I would look as I grow older. “It was truly night and day from the surgical day itself to the recovery and aftercare where they were constantly in touch with me.”

Krunal is delighted with his new look, and wants to caution people to choose where they get their hair transplants wisely. “I think the most important thing people should know about hair transplants is that you need to speak to a surgeon and have them plan your surgery,” he adds. “Patients ought to be careful not to over-harvest their donor area as you may require another procedure and you don’t want to be in a position where you don’t have enough left to have further work. “I feel I've come such a long way, both mentally and physically. As a happy husband, father and business owner, it's nice to be happy with my appearance as well!”

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