Your Guide to Having a Hair Transplant in Istanbul
Nov. 24 2023, Published 2:31 a.m. ET
Even though androgenetic alopecia, otherwise known as genetic hair loss, affects approximately 50% of men and women around the globe, that doesn’t make it easy to accept when it’s happening to you.
As things currently stand, there’s no cure for it. Some medicated shampoos can slow it down, and some serums and lotions can help your hair seem thicker and more voluminous. However, there’s no reversing it. The only way to permanently correct it is with surgery.
With a hair transplant operation, your surgeon harvests healthy hair follicles from the side of your head unaffected by hair loss and transplants them to the parts that are. While the surgery isn’t risky, it requires surgeons with years of experience with hair transplant surgery who can guarantee natural results. More and more people are finding such surgeons in Turkey.
What do hair transplant clinics in Istanbul have to offer?
Having a hair transplant in Istanbul, Turkey, is probably not the first thought that comes to you when you start experiencing excessive hair loss. However, perhaps it should be. Turkey is one of the most popular destinations for medical tourists seeking cosmetic and healthcare treatments.
That hardly comes as a surprise, considering how heavily the country has invested in building its healthcare system and medical tourism industry.
You’ll find few locations with such well-equipped medical facilities and well-trained medical staff as Turkey, whether we’re talking about public or private clinics.
Most clinics boast cutting-edge tools and equipment, while many Turkish doctors are often internationally recognised experts admired within the medical community.
All clinics adhere to the strictest EU standards, ensuring that every domestic and international patient receives the best possible care.
With such high quality of care and the simplified Visa application processes for medical tourists, it’s no wonder that Turkish hair clinics welcome millions of international patients annually.
The costs of hair transplantation services in Turkey
Having a high-quality hair transplant in the UK is often a treatment available only to those who don’t have to worry much about their finances. Depending on your condition and the specific transplant method, FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) or DHI (Direct Hair Implantation), hair transplant costs as much as £30,000 in the UK.
Since the NHS doesn’t cover cosmetic treatments like hair restoration at hair clinics, every last penny would have to come out of your pocket.
On the other hand, your hair transplant in Turkey cost can be as much as 90% cheaper at clinics like NimClinic.
NimClinic is a well-respected cosmetic surgery clinic that has gained renown for its utmost quality of service. Offering everything from hair transplant procedures to dental aesthetics and plastic surgery, it welcomes thousands of international medical tourists annually.
Hair transplantation services at Turkish clinics like NimClinic are significantly more affordable not because of differences in the quality of treatments but because of the lower living costs and the overall currency devaluation.
Therefore, whether you need the DHI or the FUE hair transplant, your hair transplant in Turkey will set you back only around £3,000 on average.
What’s included in the all-inclusive transplant packages?
Since having a hair transplant in Turkey can become stressful for international medical tourists, many clinics offer all-inclusive transplant packages to make things easier. The specific packages will vary from one hair transplant clinic to the next, but at NimClinic, for instance, your package will include:
● Surgery with the maximum number of grafts
● Medications before, during, and after the operation
● Accommodation at a hotel during your treatment
● Transfers between the airport, your hotel, and the clinic
That means your only additional cost will be the airfare from the UK to Turkey. The clinic will take care of everything else through the package you choose.
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Hair transplantation services at Turkish clinics
Every surgeon specialises in a different hair transplant technique. At NimClinic, the surgeons offer FUE and DHI transplants.
While the two techniques are similar, they serve different purposes.
The FUE technique is better for those with extensive hair loss over a larger area. First, the surgeon extracts individual hair follicles from the donor area. They then make minor cuts in the recipient area to make space for the harvested follicles and insert them into the predetermined locations.
The DHI technique is suitable for those who need to increase hair density in a smaller area. This surgery requires the use of a specialised motorised tool. Once the surgeon extracts individual follicles from the donor area, they load them into this tool and immediately insert them into the recipient area. There are no additional cuts or incisions since the tool makes room for the new follicles upon insertion.
Both techniques are minimally invasive and painless, and it’s up to you and your chosen surgeon to determine the best one for your needs.
What you can expect post-surgery
Since hair transplantation at clinics like NimClinic is minimally invasive, you can enjoy a fast and seamless recovery post-surgery. Most commonly, patients must stay in Istanbul for only two to three days. Afterwards, you can go home and continue with your normal daily activities.
Most patients experience minor swelling and itching in the first couple of weeks post-surgery. You can treat those with shampoos and medications your doctor has recommended.
Since hair growth takes a while, you won’t immediately notice the results. In the first few weeks, some transplanted hair might even fall out—a normal, expected process that shouldn’t worry you. Within approximately three months, you should notice signs of new hair growth. By 12 to 18 months, the full results will be visible.
On average, patients at NimClinic enjoy a 90% success rate for their transplanted hair. The surgeons at the clinic work hard to customise the treatments, creating natural-looking hairlines that match every patient’s facial features, so each surgery delivers slightly different results.
To familiarise yourself with what you can expect, you can explore the clinic’s before-and-after images and see the results the previous patients have achieved.
Final thoughts
Hair transplant clinics in Turkey, like NimClinic, offer astounding services at affordable prices. Therefore, if you’re dealing with hair loss, you might want to consider having your hair transplant in Turkey.