Which makes this high -level destination for hair transplants: NPR

Istanbul – In a brilliant clinic on the eastern side of Istanbul, a man leans over the scalp of another man.

There is a marker in his hand, and he drew thin and cautious lines through the skull. It almost looks like an art class. Except that the canvas here is a human head.

Dr. Mehmet Erdogan (unrelated to the president of Turkey) directs the Smile Hair Clinic in Istanbul, an elegant multi-structure complex which has a 90 to 95%hair transplant rate. Since its opening in 2018, the clinic has been dealing with around 500 patients each year. Most come from abroad: about a third come from the United States only.

“Okay, I’m going to draw according to what I recommend,” said Erdogan, while the grinted pen against his patient’s scalp, Justin R., an authorized California nurse. Justin, at the start of his forties, did not want NPR to use his last name so that he could discuss a private health care problem.

Hair transplants are not new – but suddenly, they are everywhere. And Turkey has become the unofficial capital of industry.

The country now attracts patients from around the world, attracted to lower costs, grouped travel packages and an increasing network of clinics. The result was a new booming industry, with an important economic gain. But although the procedure is generally considered safe when carried out by a qualified surgeon, the success of the industry has aroused concerns about the possible risks and surveillance.

For Justin, the decision became dollars.

He told NPR that his transplant, including the plane ticket and accommodation, cost him about $ 3,400. He was given quotes for more than double than in the clinics he contacted in California.

In the United States, the average price of comparable procedures costs more than $ 13,000, according to a study in 2023 published by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Turkey has built an entire industry on this type of cost difference.

According to the Turkish Health Tourism Association, around 1 million people went to the country in 2022 for only hair transplants, spending about $ 2 billion.

Nationally, health tourism has sparked even more: around 2 million medical tourists in 2024, generating nearly $ 3 billion, according to data from the Turkish health ministry.

Browse the airports of Istanbul and you will see advertisements – smiling men with fresh hair, clinics promising all -inclusive packages with hotels, airport transfers, translators, even visits.

Hidden risks

Not all stories end with a perfect hair root.

The International Society of Restoration Surgery has reported concerns concerning the so-called “black market clinics”, where licensed practitioners carry out delicate procedures or rush by several patients per day. The medical association indicates that it has received results reports ranging from botched Histrières to infections and scars.

Glen Jankowski, psychologist at the University College Dublin and author of an upcoming book Brand branchwarns that there are also medical risks that exceed physical results.

“It is really important that, especially the hair follicles, you do not do too much harvest in a single session,” he explains. “This has an effect on your blood pressure. It is really important that medically trained people do it – and sometimes this is not the case.”

Jankowski also says that patients are sometimes pushed to drugs such as minoxidil or finasteride without consent. “These drugs can have significant side effects,” he said. “You should only take them with appropriate medical advice and informed consent.”

The Turkish Health Ministry has promised stricter surveillance and more inspections. However, criticisms say that the number of clinics – some estimates take it to 5,000 in Istanbul alone – makes the application difficult.

The effect of social media

So why do so many men register? These are not just savings. Or vanity.

It’s psychology – and Tiktok.

“Most people are concerned about hair loss, whatever their real number of hair, because advertising is so strong around it,” said Jankowski.

At Smile Hair Clinic, the waiting room tells this story. A giant tiktok and instagram giant screen wrapped with happy customers, sliding their hands on fresh hair. “Five months ago, I gave myself up for Istanbul,” boasts a man. “The best decision of all time.”

Social media has transformed transplantation into a lifestyle upgrade. It is a youthful treatment to display, not to hide. And the more the men show their results, the normal the surgery.

A few months after his operation, NPR registered with Justin R. He says that he feels younger, more confident – and recognizing that he did not have to go twice as much at home.

Doctors like Erdogan say that most patients feel the same. But he also admits that the rush of clinics and customers has created a “Wild West” atmosphere, where it is up to patients to do their homework.

Of course, not everyone is registered.

Jankowski, the psychologist, chose another route.

“The hair we wear on our heads, we think it is really significant. This is not the case,” he said. “(My hair) no longer clogs my shower. She does not fall into my porridge. There is a beauty and a wisdom for (hair loss) that we unfortunately lose.”

For some, it is the safest and cheapest choice of everyone – shave it and move on.