A surgeon who carried out hair transplants at a Glasgow clinic used by top footballers has been struck off after putting his patients at "risk of harm".
Dr Juan Ruiz Alconero, was found to have carried out treatments for four patients that "fell short" of the standards reasonably expected of a doctor while working at KSL Hair Ltd in the city.
KSL Hair boasted of visits by former Celtic ace Leigh Griffiths and ex-Hibs and Hoops striker Anthony Stokes. The hair transplant clinic, where clients paid up to £7k for treatments, was owned by Simon and Kayleigh Lindsay and closed in March 2018 after dozens of customer complaints before the company finally dissolved in 2019.
Initial concerns about Dr Ruiz Alconero's clinical standards were raised with the General Medical Council (GMC) in May 2018 by the patients. It then transpired that surgeries has been carried out by the medic at KSL Hair before he was granted a licence to practise or GMC registration.
Four patients came forward with similar stories regarding their treatment at the hands of Alconero, who was judged to have shown a disregard for patient care. The case put before the Medical Practitioners' Tribunal Service (MPTS) alleged that he used the same room he was using for one patient's surgery to treat another in between phases of the surgery, risking cross-contamination.
For one patient, he failed to supervise the implantation of the hair follicles, didn't inform the person of how many follicles were implanted, and made slits in their head while they were standing up.
For another patient, he also allowed a technician to implant hair follicles them without direct supervision. One patient claimed that he allowed an assistant to perform invasive aspects of the surgery and left the operating theatre while this was happening and didn't assess the patient postoperatively.
He also failed to offer a face-to-face consultation or cooling-off period, failed to explain the procedure to patients, and failed to obtain fully informed consent.
The Tribunal concluded that his behaviour amounted to "serious misconduct", that he acted dishonestly and had brought the medical profession into "disrepute".
Back in 2014, Parkhead players Griffiths and Stokes appeared in an advertising campaign for KSL Hair after both players shared clearly receding hairlines while still in their 20s.
Griffiths plugged the firm on Twitter, writing: “I’ve been thinking about this for some time now and thought now is as good a time as ever to get it sorted.”
In an online video testimonial filmed to promote KSL he said: “Opting for a hair transplant was easy. I was going bald very very quickly, and getting a hair transplant seemed the only thing to get my confidence back.
“The procedure took about eight hours and it was pain free. The next day I was obviously a bit nervous – once you’ve had it done you don’t really know what to expect. But now you can see that I’m reaping the rewards for it.”
Griffiths went on to say the procedure was 'pain free' and said he had 'no regrets' before going on to recommended the clinic to other players at the club suggesting 'some of the boys could do with it'.
Anthony Stokes also took to Twitter to share the results of his hair transplant at the clinic in 2015.
Speaking of his hair loss at the time, he said: “It’s only started to become more noticeable in the past two years, so I thought it was time to do something about it. I believe KSL Hair are the team to sort this issue once and for all for me. They understand what you’re going through.”
He later posted an image of his results captioned: "Barnet is almost back."
The pair also posed for pictures with staff at the clinic. Stokes and his former fiancee Debbie Lawlor, who also signed up with KSL for hair extensions, were seen smiling in snaps with owners Simon and Kayleigh Lindsay. Griffiths was also pictured with Simon Lindsay before his treatment.
Another image shows Stokes and Griffiths together, gleefully pointing at their fuller hairlines after treatment while the pair sat in the back of a cab.
Mrs Linda Lee, Tribunal Chair, said: "It was ruled that Dr Ruiz Alconero should be erased from the medical register and an immediate order of suspension was placed on his ability to work.
"Having determined that Dr Ruiz Alconero’s conduct was fundamentally incompatible with continued registration, the Tribunal considered that erasure was the only appropriate and proportionate sanction to protect the public interest, mark the seriousness of the misconduct and protect public confidence in the profession."
The Tribunal heard that Dr Ruiz Alconero did not engaged with the medical standards regulator during the hearing and sought to minimise his behaviour and had failed to take responsibility for his actions.
The doctor is no longer in the UK and who is now practicing in Spain. According to his website, he is the founder and Mecial Director of Clínica Capilae in Madrid which carries out private hair transplant surgeries.
Capilae's moto statement says Dr Ruiz Alconero has more than 10 years experience in capillary surgery, is a "leader" in surgical medical treatment of capillary problems and is "in demand" as a teacher at seminars and conferences.
Capilae offers deals for surgery at the clinic with two nights accommodation included.
The Daily Record contacted KSL Hair owner Simon Lindsay for comment but he has not responded.
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