“I know someone who went to Turkey for their hair transplant. Should I consider this?”
Medical tourism has been a popular and controversial phenomenon recently. A particularly popular destination—and procedure—is Turkey for hair transplantation.
It is true that there are some world-renowned plastic surgeons in Turkey. A number of these doctors attend and speak at international conferences and discuss their cutting-edge work. However, it is also true that in Turkey and other international destinations for medical tourism, there are fewer regulations overseeing businesses like hair transplant clinics. There are far more clinics run by unlicensed hair transplanters than those led by licensed surgeons with international recognition.
The two most common reasons patients state for why they considered going abroad is lower cost and higher number of grafts performed in a procedure. In our office, the average cost of a hair transplant is $5 per graft. And the average one-day procedure will include 1500-3500 grafts. Hair transplant clinics in Turkey can quote prices as low as $1-2 per graft, and numbers as high as 5000-8000 grafts per procedure. On the surface this may seem like a fantastic cost savings; however, I believe there are more than a few reasons to hesitate. One reason for the cost savings may simply be the lower cost of living, which can translate to lower wages for technicians and overhead costs for the clinics, which can then yield lower-cost procedures. There are also other reasons that are more suspicious. These ultra-low cost procedures may be performed by less reputable clinics without proper training or licensing and less strict sterility and hygiene standards. Additionally, some may be overestimating the number of grafts transplanted. As we know, every hair follicle can contain 1-4 hairs; some clinics may be counting and charging by the hair rather than the follicle graft to inflate their numbers.
One of the reasons we limit our hair transplant procedures to about 3500 grafts is to ensure the optimal survival of the grafts. If too many are placed in one area, it can compromise the blood supply to that portion of the scalp. If the area is too congested, some of the grafts may not survive, and this could lead to less predictable and suboptimal results.
Lastly, we like to follow up with our patients throughout their post-op period as their new hair grows in to help troubleshoot any issues that may arise and celebrate with our patients their success. Since we know hair follicles cycle through three stages of growth, (anagen, catagen, and telogen phases), it may take several months for all the transplanted follicles to cycle through and begin to grow. If a patient has their hair transplant in Turkey, or another destination, they may not have the luxury of long-term follow-up.
If you would like to learn more about our hair transplant services and other hair restoration options available here at The Aesthetic Facial Plastic Surgery Center, Inc., or if you would like to schedule a consultation, please contact us today.
— Dr. Catherine Weng – Board-Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon
