Should I Go To Turkey For My Hair Transplant?

With many patients looking at Turkey and other countries for their hair transplant, this topic is incredibly important. There are problems of going abroad for any surgery let alone hair transplantation. However, there is a wider issue of poor surgeries being performed in Turkey with many patients coming back to the UK and asking for a fix from a reputable hair transplant clinic.

Turkey and Modern-Day Medical Tourism

With the rise of social media some clinics are now able to aggressively advertise treatments attracting people from abroad for low cost treatments. In many cases these treatments are cheap because the clinic is cutting corners in the quality of care and he questioned whether those clinics truly had the patient’s best interests in mind.

In many clinics in Turkey surgery is not being carried out by a qualified Doctor or Surgeon. Ultimately this really does put patients at risk. Often clinics in Turkey advertise hair transplants in the following way:

• 2000-4000 graft one session transplants (so called “giga-sessions”)
• 5 star hotel stay, airfare and airport transfers
• A “Guarantee Certificate”
• Gimmick technology concepts like “Sapphire technology” or “Ice technology”
• A meaningless “Certificate of Quality”

In the UK, hair transplant clinics are bound by the Advertising Standards Authority. The ASA puts a framework in place whereby clinics cannot advertise false claims or incentivise patients to undergo a medical treatment- including having a hair transplant. This means patients are given the time to reflect on whether a UK hair transplant clinic is suited to them. There are no “add-ons” like those listed above to cloud a patient’s judgement.

Ultimately, a patient should judge a hair transplant clinic and surgeon on the following baseline criteria:

• The licensing and regulation of the clinic and surgeon
• Trust in the surgeon and their experience around managing hair loss not just hair transplantation

In the UK, Doctors and Surgeons often lead their patient’s care, providing direct one to one care. This will ultimately benefit a patient in the following ways:

• The patient can ask questions about his or her procedure at any time directly to the person in charge of their care
• The Doctor or Surgeon can check the quality of grafts- making sure everything is being done to ensure the patient’s best outcome
• Better aftercare management, as the Doctor or Surgeon have been directly present during the transplant- noting any difficulties or problems that may have occurred
• If you live in the UK, choosing a UK hair transplant clinic is an easier decision. As you may know already, hair transplant surgery is a long day and being able to go back home to rest afterwards is important.

Secondly, as a transplant involves surgery, there can be side effects and complications. You will want to see or touch base with your Surgeon at your convenience. Not only will this mean your mind is put at ease but also any treatment that is needed can be started immediately. This is obviously very difficult if you have had your transplant in Turkey.

If you were interested in booking a consultation with Dr Fernando or the hair transplant surgeons at The Treatment Rooms London please feel free to contact us today.