Hair loss is one of the very disappointing issues for men and hair transplant has become a highly growing demand since previous years. However, for those who want to have hair transplant surgery, it is an issue to know several important things to know before considering a surgery. Here you can find out all the necessary information and things to know before getting a hair transplant surgery in Istanbul, Turkey.
Why Medical Tourists Choose Turkey for Hair Transplant?
Hair transplant Turkey has recently become one of the top choices in the world for hair transplant surgeries. The quality of service with very reasonable prices, the world-class clinics having the latest technology, and affordable healthcare are the main reasons.
Turkey is also one of the top 3 countries in the world taking medical tourists for hair transplant surgeries. Same for Istanbul too. The city offers a range of high quality hair transplant clinics at very affordable prices.
Things to Know Before Getting a Hair Transplant in Istanbul Turkey
If you decide to visit Turkey for hair transplant surgery, you should make sure several general issues and country specific ones.
Are you the right candidate?
This is a must that you should convince yourself that you need it. To make it clear, you should check out whether your hair loss is stable or not. If so then you can be a good candidate, as the treatment will not prevent progressing hair loss.
You are also advised not to take this treatment at the young ages, and just after your hair loss has begun. The legal and medical age limit of hair transplantation is 20. Anyone who is over the age of 20 or over can have a hair transplant surgery for sure.
If you are into the treatment for sure, then you should make sure that the donor area is sufficient. The most common FUE method can be recommended for those who won’t want a straight line scar in the donor area, wish to implant more grafts in one session, and want to use their donor area hair short. There is also a new generation method which is called DHI hair transplant.
You should bear in mind that if you have any disease that will constitute a contraindication to an operation to be performed under local anesthesia, you should first get treated with your disease and then start your hair loss treatment.
Also if you have unrealistic expectations and your donor area is insufficient, you are not a good candidate and you should not take this treatment. Again, in patients with active skin disease, it should be done after active disease treatment.
You should also keep in mind that a hair transplant does not promise a dense hair.
Other must be treated health situations for your hair transplant include;
- Your B12, B6, and zinc levels should be normal,
- If you have any thyroid issues, it should be treated,
- Your blood sugar levels should be at the normal levels especially for those who have diabetic,
- If you have psychological disorders such as trichotillomania, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and body dysmorphic syndrome, you should be aware with this treatment and all those should be investigated.
The cost of the hair transplant treatment
While hair transplant surgeries are one of the most popular medical tourism fields, and the procedures are same, the costs of the operation vary from country to country.
You should know that this treatment must be done by experienced surgeons and team of assistants, specialists, and technicians.
As for hair transplant in Istanbul, we can say that you’ll find more than 300 clinics and 500 surgeons to choose from.
How much is a hair transplant in Istanbul and Turkey?
A hair transplant in Istanbul and Turkey would cost about between $1,500 – $3,000, depending on the extent of your hair loss, the procedure you’ll take, and the quality of the clinic and its team. Note that you can take this operation with the same quality of service around $10,000-15,000 in the US, UK or most of the European countries.
Experience of the surgeon & clinic’s certification
This is also a critical issue that you should ask and request information about the experience of the surgeon you wish to get hair transplant treatment. It should consists of the number of years and patients. You should choose a a reputed surgeon and clinic for your hair loss treatment and surgery.
And as for clinics and medical centers in Istanbul and Turkey, they should have all the necessary certificates and accreditation such as ISO and JCI. They also must have been certified by the Turkish Ministry of Health.
Type of the Hair Transplant Treatment
There are two surgical techniques in the field of hair transplantation surgery. They include the Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). You should know and decide which you want to choose. The difference between them is how your donor’s hair is extracted from your scalp. You should discuss this and take consultation from the clinic or surgeon before you decide.
FUT Technique
In the FUT technique, a piece of skin is removed and divided into individual groupings of follicular units under a microscope, and then transplanted into the recipient’s area.
FUE Technique
The FUE technique is very common and popular in Istanbul and Turkey. Each hair graft is removed from the donor one by one using a punch tool, and this avoids scarring, while the FUT technique leaves a permanent scar on the donor and recipient.
Sapphire FUE Technique
While Sapphire is a quality stone known for its hardness, durability and brightness, this is the FUE technique where sapphire blades is used. With sapphire, small and thin channels are opened very well, the grafts won’t have much contact with the external side, has minimal risk for tissue damage, and recovery process is shorter.
DHI Technique
DHI hair transplant is a different way of FUE technique where the main difference is the method of how hair is implanted. In the FUE technique, incisions made on the whole scalp and follicle units are placed on these incisions. And with the DHI technique, there is no need any incisions, as a patented tool is used during each implantation on the scalp. And also with this method, robotic hair transplant system can also be applied.
Post-surgery Care Issues & Side Effects
You should know that it is not done after you have a successful hair transplant treatment. You’ll need several weeks or months to go back to your daily routine life. This means that you’ll need to have daily rests and after surgery hair cares for your transplanted scalp.
You should know that you’ll not be able to sleep on your back, or touch your head until your transplanted hair starts to grow.
There can also be several side effects of your hair transplant such as possible infection, temporary loss of sensation over your transplanted scalp, bleeding or sometime bruising around the eyes.
You shouldn’t be panic if you see your transplanted hair falling along the next couple of weeks. This is normal as it makes way for your new hair. You will see a successful growth of your new hair in between 8 to 12 months after hair transplant surgery.