Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You’re reading this now from Entrepreneur Asia Pacific, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
It’s common for both men and women to experience hair loss at some stage in their lives – in fact, male pattern baldness affects half of men by the age of 50, and hair loss affects one in four women worldwide.
Despite this, hair transplant surgery to treat hair loss is not very common. Most people have limited knowledge about hair transplant treatment, and even for those who are aware, the cost of a hair transplant in European countries such as the UK can reach £30,000, making it unaffordable for many. Medical tourism in countries such as Turkey has made hair transplant surgery more accessible, but finding a trustworthy hair transplant surgeon is essential. The history of hair transplants in Turkey has not been smooth sailing, leaving many skeptical.
In cases where hair transplant clinics used fake reviews and left patients disappointed with the results, affordable clinics in Istanbul have come to be seen as risky places to get the procedure done. However, over the past decade hair transplants in Turkey have become increasingly popular, with Turkish clinics offering the professional procedure in affordable all-inclusive packages.
Although there is a black market for hair transplant procedures in Turkey, the standard of legal, trustworthy hair transplant clinics in Turkey is excellent. Government incentives and fierce competition for hair transplant procedures have forced many hair transplant clinics in Turkey to specialize and improve their skills in order to stay in business. As a result, Turkey has become a hub of innovation in the hair transplant industry, and one surgeon at the forefront of these innovations is Dr. Serkan Aygin.
Finding the Right Surgeon
Dr. Aygin is one of those doctors who have raised the bar for hair transplant surgeons in Turkey. Some are surprised that despite being based in the affordable medical tourism hub of Istanbul, he has been recognized globally for his advancements in the industry. He has been performing hair transplants for over 25 years and in 2019 was awarded the “Best Hair Transplant Surgeon” by the independent European Medical Awards. He also won the “Best Medical Tourism Facility” award at the 8th Health Tourism Awards organized by La Razon, Spain in 2019.
What does a hair transplant involve?
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Direct Hair Transplantation (DHI) are the two most common methods used in hair transplants. The main difference between the two is that with the FUE method, the transplant site is created before the grafts are implanted, whereas with the DHI method, the site creation and graft placement are performed simultaneously using the Choi Implanter Pen, giving you full control over the depth, direction and angle of placement of each hair graft.
Both methods will give you natural-looking results, but your doctor will need to determine which transplant method is best based on your classification of hair loss, the size of the thinning area, and the quality and quantity of the donor area.
Dr. Aigin developed two key innovations: the Sapphire FUE technique and soft anesthesia. The Sapphire FUE technique uses a sapphire blade that creates smaller incisions during surgery and heals faster than traditional blades, while soft anesthesia eliminates the need for needles and makes the procedure painless. Both methods have revolutionized the hair transplant industry.
Why should I travel to Türkiye for a hair transplant?
Hair transplant clinics in Turkey offer hair transplant surgery for as little as 3,000 pounds. However, price is not the underlying factor that makes Turkey a preferred destination for hair transplant surgery. Many patients get their hair transplant surgery in Turkey because they are attracted by the presence of experienced hair transplant surgeons. The medical team in Turkey are experts in hair restoration and can perform hair transplant surgery with extreme precision.
Turkey is also known worldwide for its long-term research into alopecia. Around 500 established clinics and hospitals perform hair transplant procedures, and surgeons are gaining recognition for increasing patient referrals.
There are several reasons why clinics in Türkiye are able to offer hair transplants for as little as £3,000.
Turkish Economy: The Euro, Dollar and Pound are trading at 9.64 TRY, 7.93 TRY and 10.63 TRY respectively, with foreign tourists benefiting from the cost savings of exchanging money.
Cost of Living: The cost of living in Turkey is significantly lower than in the US, UK and many Western European countries.
Affordable and qualified labor: All hair transplant surgeons in Turkey must adhere to strict medical controls that require them to be certified if they are to take part in the procedure.
Traveling for plastic surgery has become a welcome norm, and with world-class surgeons operating in more affordable economies, more people are likely to continue to visit Turkish hair clinics for procedures. This could lead to an interesting shift in perceptions of how much a hair transplant procedure should cost globally, with clinics now being judged by the services they can offer rather than where they are based.
