Quality of the surgeons
Turkey is now the leading country in the world for hair transplants.
As you can see from the chart above, Turkey is projected to do more hair transplant procedures than the rest of Europe combined!
Among this huge volume of work will be some shoddy clinics, and some exceptional clinics.
I believe with careful research, you can find clinics in Turkey, which are as good, if not better, than what you find in other leading hair transplant destinations.
There is probably more variability in quality in Turkey given the massive volume, but the top quality clinics are still there.
So the key here is research, research, research.
Safety
This ties in closely to the previous section.
The better your research, the better your chances of ending up with a quality clinic.
And off course, good clinics have good safety records.
Turkey has a good safety record in general in terms of the medical field.
It is well regulated and has become a major health tourism destination over the last 20 years.
When things go wrong, it is because people have rushed things, went for the cheapest option, or done little research, and invariably this increases the risk of ending up in the hair transplant black market.
Convenience
Getting there
Getting to Turkey is easy if you live within Europe or even the eastern side of North America.
The flights to Turkey from the UK for example is a little over 3 hours.
Flying New York to Istanbul is 9 hours, which is less than flying from New York to Hawaii!
Entry requirements
On arrival VISA requirements are relaxed for most countries.
If you are from the UK or US/Canada ; you can visit Turkey for up to 90 days without a VISA.
Transport and hotels
Turkey is a very well developed country.
It has a good transport network. And most of the time, your hair transplant clinic can arrange your transfers.
The hotels are exceptional too, with many 4 and 5 star hotels even in the smaller cities.
Cost
This where i think Turkey has big edge on the competition.
It is significantly cheaper than all the other well established hair transplant destinations (Europe/North America).
It is cheaper in all aspects, from the procedure itself, to the travel and hotels.
This is partly due to the relatively weak Turkish currency, compared to the Euro/Dollar/Sterling.
In summary, you get a lot more bang for your buck
Cost of hair transplants | cost per grafts
Turkey consistently comes up cheaper than other major destinations for the hair transplant procedure itself.
Often, the same procedure in Turkey is as much as 50% cheaper compared to the UK or north America for example.
Why?
well, life is generally more expensive in those countries. And secondly, surgeons charge more for their time as a result.
You can read more on the cost of hair transplants in Turkey with our detailed article here:
Real Cost of Hair Transplants in Turkey in 2020
The hair transplant package
Turkey has developed clever hair transplant “packages” to make the whole procedure as convenient for clients.
And off course, to make more money!
I will break down this model in the rest of the article.
Usually most of the following are included in a package?
- The surgery itself. Off-course!
- Transfers. Including from airport to hotel, and from hotel to clinic. Some clinics even include days out trips to local places of interest. But don’t expect this!
- All the pre-assessments. These may include any tests needed before the procedure.
- Hotel costs (ask if it is full/half board or self-catering)
- After-care. For example any medications you may need immediately after procedure.
- Flights to turkey and back
Are packages cheaper than sorting everything yourself?
Usually no, but it’s not that simple.
Some elements of the packages are more or less “fixed” cost.
The cost of the procedure itself is likely fixed because if you agreed to see a particular clinic you have to accept the price they charge for their service.
If you are an experienced traveller, and you know Turkey well, you can make good savings in how you book your flights, hotels and transfers.
But if you are not an experienced traveller it may be better to let the clinic know what your budget is for travelling part of your trip and they can try to get the best bang for your buck.
After all, they want your business and its in their interest you make it there!
Plus they probably know the ins and outs of their own country better than you do. They may even have deals with certain hotels and transfer companies.
Do all clinics offer a package?
Most do. Not all.
You will find the “big” clinics, that have been going for years, usually have a representative in charge of customer relations.
This is the person in charge of getting you from your front door to the surgeon’s office.
If you decide you want to go with a package then this is the person you need to liaise with.
Advantages of a package
If you can’t be bothered sorting everything else out yourself then going with a package is ideal for you.
All you have to worry about is packing and making it to an airport.
Easy!
You leave the headache of flights, hotels and transfers to someone else!
Also, if you are not an experienced traveller you minimise the risk of making a mistake; by leaving the fine details to the professionals.
Disadvantages of packages
Well, the main disadvantage is cost.
Packages will almost always be more expensive than doing it yourself.
Also you may not have say in the type of hotel you stay in for example. A package by nature is kind of fixed.
Should you go for a Turkey hair transplant package?
I think if you have little experience as a traveller, and particularly to Turkey, you are better off with a package.
Yes, you will probably pay a little extra but you will have peace of mind that everything is sorted; and you can concentrate on getting ready for your day with the surgeon.
But if you are a frequent traveller, and can book everything with your eyes closed, then you will make a saving by doing it yourself.
A word on agencies
There are some agencies affiliated with some clinics, who promise to book the hotels and transfers for you.
Personally i wouldn’t use them.
I would only use the in-house team at the clinic to provide my package directly.
The reason is simple.
The clinic have the biggest interest in making sure you get to Turkey in comfort.
So they will most likely go that extra mile to make sure your journey is as smooth as possible.
Conclusion
I think Turkey is an excellent hair transplant destination provided you do your homework.
If your priority is to get the cheapest hair transplant possible, you are likely heading for a disaster.
But if you do your research properly, then Turkey is as good as any place in the world for a hair transplant.
Pharmacist with special interest in hair loss and hair transplantation.
Read my book on hair transplants in Turkey on Amazon:
https://track.more-info.co.uk/amazon/authorprofile