Experience of 'Hair Transplant' in Turkey
Three Times Cheaper Than Other Countries
One Million Medical Tourists Visited in 2022 Alone
T?rkiye is rapidly emerging as the "holy land of hair transplantation." This is thanks to its affordable prices and relatively superior medical expertise. Medical tourism aimed at hair loss treatment is also thriving.
On the 12th (local time), the U.S. economic media outlet Business Insider published a firsthand account by reporter Spencer McNaughton, who underwent a hair transplant in T?rkiye.
McNaughton said his hair loss began as early as 2015 when he was 24 years old. He tried several hair loss treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but none could stop the progression of his hair loss.
Eventually, McNaughton, worried about his hair loss, even started taking antidepressants. One day, he was shocked when he saw his friend Bennett’s hair. Bennett’s hair, which had been nearly bald, was fully restored. Bennett revealed that he regained his hair thanks to a "hair transplant" he received in Istanbul, the capital of T?rkiye.
In the end, McNaughton boarded a flight to Istanbul. The doctor he chose was Dr. Serkan Aygin, a renowned hair transplant specialist in T?rkiye. Dr. Aygin, a Turkish national, was a member of an international dermatology society that includes prominent U.S. doctors and had received numerous awards in the field of hair loss.
After a 5,000-mile flight, McNaughton arrived at the "Serkan Aygin Clinic." The hospital was already filled with men who had come for hair transplants like him. McNaughton had a 15-minute consultation at the clinic and successfully completed the surgery.
McNaughton said, "It has been about four months since the surgery, and although it takes about a year to see the final results, I have noticed new hair growing along my hairline every day for the past month. Now, I even want to take photos with my friends and family."
The surgery cost was only $3,500 (about 4.8 million KRW) paid upfront. This price even included aftercare and hotel accommodation. In the U.S., the cost of a hair transplant surgery alone typically ranges from $10,000 to $20,000 (about 13.7 million to 27.3 million KRW).
There are various factors behind T?rkiye’s low medical service costs. First, the value of the Turkish lira has sharply declined over the past few years, and overall living expenses and worker wages in T?rkiye are low. Most importantly, the Turkish government offers tax reductions and subsidies to hospitals to attract medical tourists.
Thanks to this, T?rkiye is now considered the world’s "holy land of hair transplantation." According to analysis data from the Turkish Medical Tourism Association, about one million tourists visited T?rkiye in 2022 for hair transplants alone. The amount they spent in T?rkiye reached $2 billion (about 2.73 trillion KRW), and by the end of this year, it is expected to increase more than fivefold to $11 billion (about 15 trillion KRW).
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