By Bob Mitchell
STAFF REPORTER
He spent much of his first 20 years as a physician delivering babies.
But for the past 14 years, Dr. Larry Fremont has been delivering hair- transplanted hair to the heads of balding men and women.
The Scarborough doctor took a big gamble in 1981 when he left a promising family practice to venture into what was then uncharted medical territory In Canada.
But nearly 5,000 hair transplants later, Fremont, 56,is operating internationally as a hair-transplant surgeon.
His Hair and Faces International operation has expanded to Europe and the Far East and is poised to enter the lucrative American market where more than 50,000 hair transplants are done annually.
Fremont and fellow surgeon Dr. Mark McKenzie about two patients a day in his Scarborough clinic where he carries the title of owner, president, salesperson and chief surgeon.
Customers relaxing in a chair like a dentist’s and watching the latest Hollywood flicks pay between $3,000 and $10,000 for the chance to regain their youth in what Fremont says is the fastest growing segment of the cosmetic surgery industry.
There are other people who charge more but frankly I don’t believe its worth more than $10,000." said Fremont, who graduated with a medical degree from the University of Toronto in 1966. Just because someone charges more doesn't mean they're better.
Known as the "Amazing Hair Doctor" and the "Hair King," Fremont is a physician with a flair for marketing. He’s a frequent guest on radio and television programs and in this highly competitive industry, surviving depends on price, service and showmanship.
Fremont has conducted broadcasts of transplants live on radio on five occasions and a sixth will be held in the near future when CITY-TV weatherman Harold Hosein takes the plunge on CFRB.
FREE TRANSPLANT
"CITY-TV might even broadcast part of it live when Harold does the weather report from the chair," Fremont said.
Sherry Bassin, assistant general manager of the Colorado Avalanche (formerly Quebec Nordiques), and radio personalities Jesse Dylan and Henry Shannon previously got their new locks during a live transplant. Listeners phoned in and talked with them and Fremont as he removed hairs from the back of their heads and surgically inserts them into the bald areas of their scalps.
During one of the live broadcasts, two members of the studio audience were given a free transplant.
"There’s nothing better than having two hours of advertising on the air with people calling in to talk to the patient while the surgery is being conducted," Fremont said. "You need to have an edge in this business."
But, for all the media hype, Fremont is better known outside Canada, especially in Israel, where he says he’s still the only show in town."
Born in Toronto, Fremont was among the first doctors to be hired at Centenary Hospital in Scarborough when it opened in 1967.
GREENER PASTURES
Friends and colleagues said he was crazy to venture into the hair transplant business. But Fremont had grown tired of working seven days a week and with many of his colleagues heading to greener pastures in the United States, he felt it was time to explore new opportunities. "Things were changing in the medical profession. I decided to protect my future," he said. "I was getting older and so were many of my patients and some were asking me what they could do about hair loss."
"At that time, there weren’t many doctors who were trained to know anything about hair loss. I decided to investigate it. I went and watched a doctor do one. I thought it was simple even so I came back and did the service for a few of my own patients. They told their friends and business took off."
Fremont became so busy that he let another doctor take over his general practice.
"I figured I could always go back if it wasn’t working out, but after a year there was no turning back."
Fremont estimates about 10,000 transplants are done annually in Canada and with many clinics now operating, he thinks it’s time for the industry to be regulated by the medical profession. Hair and Faces International is also expanding in Canada with clinics set to open before the end of the year in London, Vancouver and in Windsor and Fort Erie where American clients can take advantage of the dollar exchange.
Hair and Faces International is also in the process of acquiring shares in several other companies that specialize in hair weave systems.
The cost is based on time, not on the amount of hair transplanted and sessions are divided into 2?-hour segments. Some people require more than one session, while others are satisfied with their new look after just one session.
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