Hair transplants growing in popularity

Rising incomes, changing attitudes and stronger advertising from industry players fueling market boom in China

It's 9 pm on a weekday, and Zhang Yanhua, a hair transplant surgeon with Cloud Hair BeauCare Clinic in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, is still busy at work.

The clinic, which specializes in hair-related cosmetic surgery and is a branch of Beijing-headquartered chain of plastic surgery clinics Beau-Care Clinics, has been in full swing since the Spring Festival. Zhang, who is operational president of the facility, often works late.

As hair loss has become one of the top concerns for young Chinese people, who are losing their hair earlier than before, the hair transplant industry is also booming in China, mostly in the private sector, according to industry insiders.

Despite the lack of national surveys on hair loss problems in China, a recent report on the overall health of Chinese people showed hair loss among the top health concerns, ranking fifth after bad skin, depression and anxiety, poor sleep and digestive tract discomfort and illness.

About 31 percent of those born after 1990 said they suffer from hair loss, according to the report based on a survey with about 50,000 respondents nationwide.

The report was jointly released early this year by DXY, a leading online healthcare platform, and Health News, a national publication focusing on pharmaceuticals and healthcare.

Wang Wenhui, a senior dermatologist with Peking University Third Hospital, said hair loss can be heredity or result from illness, medication and an unhealthy lifestyle. Stress, staying up late, insomnia and dieting, among many other factors, are the main reasons that can aggravate hair loss.

Chinese people also frequently search for hair loss prevention and treatment on online healthcare platforms, the report said.

Last year, market research company iResearch said in a report that China's hair transplant market in 2017 was 9.2 billion yuan ($1.37 billion), with a year-on-year growth of more than 100 percent.

Liu Zheng, CEO of Lotus, a major chain of private hair transplant clinics, said industry insiders believe the country's hair transplant industry has already exceeded 10 billion yuan, and within five to 10 years the market value will be 50 to 100 billion yuan.

The company has more than 30 clinics nationwide, including in first-tier cities and most provincial capitals. Its revenue has risen by 60 percent annually in recent years.

"As Chinese people's living standards continue to rise, they are willing to spend more on their looks, a reflection of the ongoing consumption upgrade," Liu said.

"Young people especially are more prepared to have plastic surgery and hair transplants. They just cannot stand a receding hairline and being bald."

He said most of Lotus' clients are aged between 20 and 35, adding that with the devices and technologies developed in China, hair transplantation is a relatively safe procedure when performed by qualified surgeons in certified facilities.

Li Xuemei, head surgeon of a hair transplant team at Beijing-based JuvenateBeauCare Clinic, said she noticed a fast increase in demand for hair transplants from Chinese customers in recent years, most of whom are well-educated young men with high incomes.

Li explained that is because young people care more about appearance than older people, are willing to pay to look better, and are open-minded toward new experiences. Besides, hair loss is more likely to affect men than women, she said.

She also credited the booming market to rising incomes of Chinese people, and stronger advertising from industry players.

Zhang observed that more and more Chinese now see hair loss as something that can be solved, rather than a medical condition that they feel ashamed of.

"In the past, many people suffering from hair loss didn't know they could get help. Now, more of them are resorting to hair transplants to deal with the problem," Zhang said.

A Beijing resident, who asked to be identified as Xiao Liu, is happy he had a hair transplant.

He noticed relatively heavy hair loss in 2013 when he was a sophomore in Zhengzhou University, Henan province, and tried using medication and shampoo to treat it.

After graduation, he became a programmer in a famous internet company. As his late nights increased, so did his hair loss.

In 2017, at the age of 26, he decided to have a hair transplant.

"Young people care a lot about how they look, because good looks benefit your career and personal relationships," Xiao said, adding that his friends and colleagues are open-minded about it.

He spent two months carrying out research online, comparing prices, reputations and certification of facilities, before choosing a private clinic and spending 34,000 yuan on the procedure.

Waiting times at public hospitals are too long, and the clinic he chose gave him a good discount and promised him a refund if the surgery failed, he said.

The number of female customers is also rising fast, and an increasing number of people without hair loss problems are undergoing procedures to change their facial hair, both Liu and Zhang said.

Female customers mostly want a widow's peak or lower hairline to make their face look smaller, while men want to reshape beards, mustaches, and hairlines.

A widow's peak, a V-shaped point in the hairline in the center of the forehead, is widely considered a beauty trait in China.

About 10 percent of Lotus customers have "artistic hair transplants," according to Liu.

Chen Xiong, who was born in the 1990s, had surgery to give her a widow's peak and lower her hairline when she was 25 years old. The procedure cost her about 30,000 yuan, and required her to take a few days off work.

Chen, who works in the fashion industry as an agent, said cosmetic surgery, especially nonsurgical procedures, is increasingly popular among young Chinese.

After recovering from her surgery, she combed her hair back from her forehead for the first time since she was 18 years old. None of her colleagues noticed her new hairstyle, but they did say that she looked prettier.

"I only wish I had surgery earlier. It was just a minor operation but it gave me the hairline I wanted," she said, adding that previously she always felt uncomfortable about her big forehead.

Apart from looking good, hair transplants also help strengthen someone's self-image, which is another reason they are popular among young people in first-tier cities, according to Zhang.

Many men don't like the shape of their hairline, beard, mustache or eyebrows, and will seek to alter their facial hair so that it fits better with their self-image and personality, Zhang said.

liuzhihua@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Global 05/30/2019 page9)