Seth Sebastian 
If you’ve checked out the prices on the hair transplant Turkey market, you’d be forgiven for being a little cynical. Why are these procedures so cheap compared to the UK? Why is the equivalent of a six thousand pound treatment, less than half the price in Istanbul than it is in London? Is there something amiss?
Every week, between 150 and 500 patients undergo a hair transplant in Turkey’s exotic capital. The majority of these treatments would be considered very inexpensive compared to UK prices, which has caused a boom in the hair transplant Turkey market.
The truth is, there are good and bad surgeries everywhere. The top clinics in Turkey are as good as the top clinics anywhere else. The surgeons are just as qualified, the clinics just as clean and well organised, and the assistants just as experienced. The technology is the same. However, it’s not expensive to live in Turkey, and wages are far lower. A high-end clinic in Kensington has to pay Kensington prices to attract the very cream of the clientele, who can afford to pay fifty thousand pounds for a transplant, plus a stay in a top hotel down the road. They must work with celebrities and pay for advertising, and constantly spend money in order to survive. In Turkey, because of the lower prices, companies like London-based MedAway build up a relationship with world-class clinics, and bring patients to their door. This means that treatment is accessible and affordable for the many, rather than the few.
While the prices for surgery in Turkey seem inexpensive to us, they are just as eye-watering to residents of Turkey themselves, as a Harley Street doctor might be to the average UK office worker. The cosmetic surgery trade is a huge boon to the Turkish economy, and everything from airlines to restaurants and hotels rely on the clinics to fly in tourists from all over the world. Making the treatments too expensive would put off the tourist trade, and so Turkey makes an effort to welcome travellers with low prices and a high standard of treatment.
As with anywhere else in the world, it is vital to choose the right clinic, with a reputable surgeon and a proven track record of successful operations, in order to get a natural looking hairline and successful transplant. A UK company can liaise with clinics and surgeons, and take care of the booking of the entire trip, as well as the procedure and consultation. Without the need for huge margins on procedures, the cosmetic surgery industry is flourishing, and bringing wealth and jobs to Turkey, and that is why a hair transplant is so affordable.
