If lifestyle changes and medication don’t help, some people may consider getting a hair transplant. While these procedures have come a long way from the barbaric techniques in the 1950s, they are often very expensive, especially in larger cities. One way to bypass this issue is to get your procedure done in another country. This reasoning is why Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey has seen an incredible growth in medical tourism.
Let’s get into the story behind the hair transplant industry in Istanbul.
Visitors from the Gulf Countries
With more than 200 hair transplant surgeries done every day, Turkey is the leading country for hair transplant surgeries in the world. The majority of these visits comes from Arab countries, as Turkey is a much cheaper alternative than, for example, Saudi Arabia.
In fact, this trend has spread so much that you can often see people wandering the streets of Istanbul with bandages and marks on their heads. This phenomenon has inspired photographer Emanuele Satolli to create a whole series of photographs dedicated to the people who come to Turkey to get their hair transplant.
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
Although people get these procedures done in Turkey mainly because of their low prices, that isn’t to say that the hair transplants done in Istanbul are below par. On the contrary, most of these clinics can do the follicular unit extraction procedure (FUE), which is the industry standard of the 21st century.
During this procedure, the surgeon takes hair follicles from the donor area (usually the back and sides of the head) and places them on the desired area.
Conclusion
The hair transplant industry in Istanbul is no. 1 in the world. If you fancy taking an exotic trip and checking out the Turkish seaside, you can kill two birds with one stone and get your hair transplant done in Istanbul.
