ISTANBUL, 7 July 2023 (Newswire.com) – The BBC visited Turkey for the first time to film a documentary about medical tourism and hair transplants in the country and capture first-hand experiences. The team accompanied Paul Readman, 26, on his transformative journey to restore his hair through a low-cost procedure at Istanbul-based Smile Hair Clinic.
Dealing with the effects of hair loss
BBC reporter Tiffany Sweeney visited Paul in his hometown of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England, a week before his hair restoration treatment. In speaking with him, his parents, and friends, she learned about the impact of hair loss on Paul’s social life and why he underwent a hair transplant in Turkey.
Paul opted for a hair transplant because his receding hairline had a major impact on his confidence – he had been saving for six months to pay the £2,000 cost of the procedure at Smile Hair Clinic, but it would have cost four times as much to go to a clinic in the UK.
Meeting with Dr. Mehmet Erdoğan and Dr. Göcay Bilgin at Smile Hair Clinic
On arriving in Istanbul, the BBC team accompanied him to the Smile Hair Clinic, where he met Dr Mehmet Erdogan and Dr Gokay Bilgin for a consultation and hair analysis. The surgeons examined his hair, designed a new hairline and shaved his head in preparation for the operation.
The six-hour operation began with the surgeons injecting local anaesthetic with a needle-free syringe, after which the surgeons harvested 2,700 hair follicles from the back of Paul’s head, where the hair was thickest. In the final stage of the operation, the harvested hair grafts were reinserted into Paul’s hairline, and he was sent off with bandages.
Paul said the surgery was quick and painless. The only pain was from the local anesthetic injection.
Stages of Transformation and Paul’s Experience
A month after Paul’s hair transplant, a BBC team returned to Middlesbrough to check on him, check on his hair growth and hear his family’s reaction to his new look.
The first month after surgery is the worst time for hair transplant patients as they experience what is called shock loss.
Paul was no exception: his hair began to fall out about two weeks after the operation, and he had some patchy areas in the donor area due to the trauma of the operation, but it wasn’t until four months after treatment that he saw his first results.
In a video sent to him later, Paul shared his experience, showing off the significant hair growth and increased confidence that exceeded his expectations. He said choosing Smile Hair Clinic was the best decision he could have made, saying he was happy with the results and excited to see how his appearance changes over the next few months.
Source: Smile Hair Clinic
