(Newswire.net — October 1, 2018) — It is believed that last year alone, of the 750,000 health tourists that visit Turkey each year almost 60,000 of them come for hair transplants. Current estimates reckon that between 150-500 hair transplant surgeries are performed every week.
For those who are beginning to lose their hair, and have likely tried every non-surgical product available on the market to slow or reverse hair loss, it is one way to get back the hair they had as a younger man or woman. Every day more and more are turning to Turkey for answers.
How does hair transplant surgery work?
The theory is really quite simple. It is the execution that requires the best doctor to ensure it all goes smoothly.
Firstly, a donor area is identified. This is where living hairs will be taken from. On the day of the surgery, this area must be shaved to around 1-2 mm in length. Local anaesthetic is then applied. During the entire procedure you will remain awake.
Next up the follicular units, which contain 1-5 hair follicles are extracted from the donor area using a small punch-like tool of approximately 0.6-0.8mm in diameter, and a small pair of tweezers or forceps.
Each one is checked and placed ready to be implanted in the new location, bathing in a special solution until the time to transfer them comes. They are then implanted into the new location once tiny orifices have been made making sure that the density is good and natural looking.
Why travel to Turkey for the procedure?
When travelling to Turkey for this procedure, it is not just a medical operation. You can expect to be collected from the airport by a private chauffeur, and take to a 5* hotel for your stay. You’ll usually also be driven to and from your appointment also.
In addition, as hair transplantation is now a major industry in Turkey, it has the infrastructure to deal with the volume of inbound hair transplant tourists. The hospitals are built to state of the art design, and ensure maximum comfort for patients. They are also geared for any other things that could happen, for example emergency care, recuperation management and the ability to carry out standard testing.
CapilClinic hospitals where the work will be carried out are all Joint Commission International (JCI) accredited. This ensures that the hospital is safe and operates under the strictest of guidelines. The JCI carries out independent evaluations to determine whether health care organisations meet a set of standard requirements that are designed to raise the quality standards of healthcare.
The country also boasts some of the best surgeons and medical professionals for this procedure in the world.
On a more practical level, the country is very accessible, and for Europeans operates a ‘visa free’ system and travel from Europe very reasonable both in time and price.
But perhaps the biggest reason, is the hair transplant cost. You can get the procedure done in Turkey for under €2,500, 80% cheaper than in other countries.
Why is it so cheap?
Firstly the local currency is the Turkish Lira – not the Euro. It has a much lower value, so some of the drop is simply down to exchange rates. Salaries are also a lot lower in Turkey and so this also brings down the cost.
Finally Istanbul has positioned itself as the world leader in hair transplants, and a little healthy competition always brings down the price.
But this doesn’t mean the quality or expertise is reduced – in fact far from it. The country is looking to maintain it’s new reputation as King of the Hair Transplants, and so makes sure that standards remain high, with legitimate businesses being regulated and accredited.