Hair transplants are not a new development. We have seen them rather publicly on celebrities for some time, Magically re appearing in the public eye after a short break with a new head of hair. Yet now the latest techniques in hair transplants are becoming accessible to the everyday person thanks to the new hotspot for the procedure: Turkey.
Almost 60,000 people from Europe, the Middle East and further afield are believed to have travelled last year for a hair transplant in Turkey, with anything between 150-500 per week. It is a booming market and is finally the answer for people who wish to do something about their hair loss.
How do hair transplants work?
The most popular technique is known as Follicular Unit Extraction (or FUE). It is minimally invasive, mostly bloodless and considered ‘non-surgical’. Local anaesthetic is used throughout, meaning the patient is awake and conscious throughout and the risks of general anaesthetic are not a problem.
The patient and the doctor carrying out the procedure will decide together which site on the body will be the donor area. This is the area from which living hairs will be taken and moved to the balding area.
During the procedure that area is shaved to get all the hair down to approximately 1-2mm in length before the local anaesthetic is applied. Once ready a small tool that looks like a punch is looped over the hairs and pushed into the skin only far enough to isolate the follicular unit. The unit, which can contain anything between 1 and 5 hairs, is then removed from the donor area with the help of a small pair of forceps, checked and then laid to wait for transplantation in a special solution.
Tiny little incisions are then made in the receiving site, and the follicular units inserted one at a time. This can be done thousands of times to ensure the new growth will be dense enough and look natural once fully healed.
Turkey is leading the way in the latest techniques
With Turkey becoming the world centre of excellence for hair transplantation. A good clinic, using the advanced FUE SAPPHIRE method can ensure successful implantation and minimal scarring even in trickier cases such as covering scarred areas or the donor area is very small. Patients can even return to normal activities quicker.
With Turkey being the hub of all things hair transplant, the best physicians and experts are flooding the country to be part of the exciting growth in the field.
Not only that, the infrastructure around the procedure is modern, effective and safe. After care is provided in the best hospitals that adhere to the highest quality standards as defined by the Joint Commission International Accreditation.
An affordable price without sacrificing safety or quality
A hair transplant procedure in Turkey will typically come in under €2,500, compared with around €12,500 in the UK, and as much as €25,000 in the US.
And lets not forget that this price also includes a private chauffeur to and from the airport, to and from the procedure, a personal translator throughout to assist you and the icing on the cake: a stay in a luxury 5* hotel.
Anybody would be forgiven for thinking that deal seems almost too good to be true. There must be some catch or risk. But the truth of the matter is, do your research and choose the right hospital and doctor with the right accreditations, and this is the price you will pay.
One of the biggest reasons for the low price comes down to the currency exchange rate. Turkish Lira does not perform well against the euro, the dollar or sterling.
Added to that the fact that salaries and facilities are simply a lot cheaper in Turkey, and the fact that the competition, particularly in Istanbul, is pretty fierce and you are bound to get the highest standards for the cheapest price.
