Hair transplants are significantly cheaper in Turkey than in the UK, averaging £1,464 versus £4,820 for 1500 grafts. But lower costs often come with higher risks. Differences in regulation, clinic quality, and long-term outcomes mean patients should weigh value and safety carefully before deciding where to have surgery.
This guide helps you understand the real cost and value of hair transplants in the UK versus Turkey. It reveals how to balance savings with safety, spot red flags in overseas clinics, and make an informed choice that protects your health, results, and long-term confidence when deciding where to get your hair transplant.
Key takeaways
Dr Peter Barron and Dr Dinesh Patel provide insights that can help prospective patients decide on the best location for their hair transplant procedure.
The average cost of a 1500 graft hair transplant in the UK is £4,820, compared with £1,464 in Turkey [1-2]. So it’s more than three times more expensive to get a hair transplant in the UK.
But prices vary massively between clinics, even within the same country. Our research found a huge gulf between the highest and lowest price quotes at clinics in both Turkey and the UK:
Additionally, we found a significant difference in the cost-per-graft in the UK vs Turkey. In the UK, the cost-per-graft is £3.25 on average, compared with just £0.55 in Turkey. But while the cost-per-graft is around six times lower in Turkey, these savings come with many risk factors, as shown in the table below:
Let’s look at these factors in more depth, and discover why they’re important to establishing the value of a hair transplant in the UK vs Turkey, as well as the cost.
To conduct our research we sent photos of a male patient with Norwood stage 2-3 hair loss to 87 hair transplant clinics in Istanbul, Turkey, and 104 clinics in the UK. To ensure comparability, we sent the same photos to all clinics. Clinics were sourced using Google search.
We requested a graft estimate and cost quote from each clinic, then combined the results for each country to get a fuller picture of the price and graft landscape in each. We also established the cost of a further consultation at each clinic.
Here, we directly compare the results of our research to help you understand the difference in cost and quality of hair transplantation in the UK vs Turkey.
At face value, hair transplants are more expensive in the UK than in Turkey. But long-term costs can be higher when you get a hair transplant in Turkey. Dr Dinesh Patel explains:
“While getting a transplant in the UK might cost more upfront, the quality of care and ongoing support usually leads to better overall results and less worry down the line. Travelling abroad can work out well for some people, but for others, it can lead to extra problems and expenses later.
“In the end, it really depends on what each person values most. Some prioritise saving money right away, while others want to reduce risks and have more support during and after the procedure. Either way, it’s important to go into it with all the information and realistic expectations.”
Wimpole Clinic surgeon Dr Peter Barron agrees:
“There are decent clinics in Turkey. However, they are very hard to find amongst the ocean of disreputable clinics. If [patients] do find a reputable Turkish clinic, they often end up costing a similar amount to if they had just had their transplant in the UK in the first place.
“For those seeking the cheapest possible hair transplant, it will almost always be more expensive in the long run should they need to have their initial transplant repaired by a reputable clinic in the future than if they just had it done properly the first time around. Again, if complications arise, it’s logistically and financially easier to be seen by a UK clinic.”
Let’s take a look at why costs seem lower in Turkey than in the UK, and what patients should know when considering the short- and long-term costs of a hair transplant.
Clinic competition is a major reason for the low cost of hair transplants in Turkey. With unauthorised clinics springing up (and closing down) regularly, clinics must find new ways to attract patients. According to one British journalist, a man selling tea in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar offered to send him to “a man he knew” for a hair transplant [6].
Lots of different tactics are used to entice patients, whether it’s on-the-fly encounters like this or targeted ad campaigns. But many researchers have noted that clinics tend to understate the risks of getting surgery overseas [4-5].
As in any industry, heightened competition means lower prices. But a race to the bottom is particularly dangerous when it comes to cosmetic surgery. Problems can range from poor results to life-threatening complications.
Additionally, 6 in 10 hair transplant clinics in Turkey are said to be operating illegally [3]. So it’s up to you to do your due diligence if you’re considering FUE or FUT abroad.
Thanks to the years of medical training surgeons must undergo and the rigorous safety standards clinics must uphold, overheads tend to be more expensive in the UK. As a result, hair transplants cost more.
In Turkey, staff and clinic running costs are cheaper even at reputable clinics. But be wary of ultra low cost clinics, as they may be cutting corners to keep prices down. The International Society of Hair Transplant Surgeons (ISHRS) highlights the following examples of cost cutting measures used by some black market clinics:
These practices can put you at risk of botched results and even blood borne infections like HIV and hepatitis C. So while some clinics charge more, it’s usually so they can afford to protect patient health, safety, and satisfaction.
The number of hair grafts you need plays an important role in the cost of your hair transplant. But it’s more complicated than a more grafts = more expensive equation.
In Turkey, the average cost-per-graft is £0.55, compared with £3.25 in the UK. But we also found evidence to suggest that Turkish clinics are more likely to inflate your graft quote unnecessarily. For the same hair transplant, Turkish clinics estimated the patient would need 2,822 grafts on average, compared with 1,610 from UK clinics [1].
The chart below shows how graft quote inflation is used to balance low per-graft costs. While clinics in Turkey have an 83% lower cost-per-graft than UK clinics, many compensate for this by overestimating the number of grafts you need. As well as increasing your costs, this can also put you at risk of hair transplant overharvesting.
It’s worth remembering that you can still pay over the odds for a hair transplant in the UK. With some clinics charging as much as £15,000 for a 1500-graft hair transplant, it’s important to get quotes from multiple UK clinics to ensure you’re getting a fair price.
For this reason, it’s advisable to consult with different clinics before making your decision. This will help you identify any outliers and get a fair price for your hair transplant.
Prices at the Wimpole Clinic start at £3,499. To get an accurate graft and cost estimate for your hair loss at our award-winning hair transplant clinic, choose your most convenient location and book a consultation.
There are two main types of hair transplant: FUE and FUT. FUT is an older technique, and fewer surgeons have the skill and experience to perform it effectively. It’s more involved and invasive than FUE, and tends to require a larger team. FUT is also more often used for high graft hair transplants (such as 5000 or 6000 graft hair transplants).
As a result, FUT hair transplants can be more expensive than FUE. It’s also much less widely available, especially in Turkey. Patients seeking FUT should make sure their surgeon has the credentials and experience to safely perform this type of procedure.
Other techniques like direct hair implantation (DHI) and sapphire hair transplantation can also affect cost. While FUE and FUT refer to graft extraction methods, DHI and sapphire techniques refer to how the grafts are implanted.
DHI may be favoured by black market clinics because, as the ISHRS highlights, some have tried to argue that implanter pens or needles don’t make surgical “incisions” and therefore surgeons can delegate this task to technicians or other unlicensed practitioners. So if you do opt for DHI — regardless of cost — make sure you know who will be placing the grafts, as this can have a big impact on your final results.
You’re likely to pay more for a hair transplant performed at a highly reputable clinic by an experienced surgeon. For this reason, hair transplants costs on Harley Street in London tend to be more expensive than elsewhere in the UK [2].
In Turkey, some patients have reported hair transplants being performed by unqualified refugees, cab drivers, and even estate agents [7-8]. Sadly, at least one of these has resulted in a hair transplant patient’s death [8]. So as well as considering costs, it’s really important to know who will perform your hair transplant for your own safety.
Many clinics include the cost of travel and accommodation in their hair transplant packages in Turkey. Our research found that 100% of clinics included airport and hotel transfers, while 90% included two nights’ accommodation in Turkey [1].
All-expenses-paid trips may sound lavish, but they’re probably less expensive than you might think. A taxi ride from the airport to the centre of Istanbul costs around £15, while a 2-night stay at a 4-star hotel costs around £100. We advise prospective travellers to work out the actual savings before paying any deposits, as you could be saving less than you think.
UK clinics don’t tend to advertise to prospective patients overseas, so you’re unlikely to get these perks in the UK. However, some clinics (including the Wimpole Clinic) offer premium packages that include optional add-ons like meal upgrades, private transfers, and supplementary hair growth treatments.
Note that some essential expenses aren’t normally included in quotes from Turkish clinics. You’ll need to pay for flights, insurance, and any aftercare services or treatments you need from a different clinic when you’re back home.
The exchange rate between the Turkish lira and the British pound means you’ll normally pay less for a hair transplant in Turkey, even with everything else being equal.
Looking at the cost of a single hair transplant in isolation, it is normally cheaper to get a hair transplant in Turkey. But does this represent good value for money?
For some lucky patients, it can. If you manage to find a good clinic among the hair mills and black market operators, you may be able to get a good deal on a quality hair transplant. But as Dr Barron highlighted, these are few and far between:
“The quality of a hair transplant can be linked with price up to a point. When the cost is too low, you’ve got to be suspicious of how they are managing to cut these costs. Are they reusing equipment? Sacrificing quality of cases performed each day and instead focusing on quantity of cases to recoup money? Are they asking patients to fly to a different country where regulation isn’t as stringent to avoid practices that a UK clinic would have to abide by? Who is performing the procedures?
“As price begins to go up, you’d hope that the focus and technical quality of a hair transplant would shift from only caring about moving hair, and instead begin to consider the finer details and artistry of what makes a transplant look natural.”
For many people who travel abroad for a hair transplant, these short-term savings can lead to long-term spending on complex repair surgery. Let’s take a look at two case studies from the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons (ISHRS) to see the cost vs value of hair transplantation at black market clinics.
Here, a patient describes his experience of visiting Turkey for a hair transplant without a pre-booked appointment:
“Once in Turkey, I visited two clinics, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
I decided on the one that had the best reviews on Google and that had also been in operation for several years.
“The first meeting with them was in the afternoon before the operation and, after selling me some services that I would later never receive, we made an appointment for the next day to perform the surgery in a hospital. They promised me that I will see the surgeon the next day before starting the operation and I decided to trust him.
“I only paid €868 because I didn’t want a hotel. I know, cheap becomes expensive.
“A van picks me up and takes me to the hospital the next morning. There, contrary to what I had been promised, no surgeon was waiting for me, only translators with great social skills and a group of teenagers who would be the ones who would carry out 100% of the surgery.
“The minimal hair loss I currently had changed radically when I was told that a supposed doctor, whom I have never seen, decided that he would extract 4,200 follicles from my donor area for my Norwood 1 hair loss.
“After the aberrant extraction (yes, with 4,200 follicles already out), they introduced me to the so-called doctor that I see for just five minutes of my operation. Later, researching the company page of the clinic on LinkedIn, I discover that the CEO of the company, who is not a doctor and much less a hair surgeon, looks just like the supposed doctor. This man draws me a hair line that I don’t like at all. And when I let him know, he convinces me that it will look great this way to save himself from erasing it and drawing it again. Once again, I decide to trust the so-called specialists who I thought knew more about hair transplantation than I did.”
Paying €868 (£760) for a 4,200 graft hair transplant is a major red flag, and a clear sign that the clinic is cutting corners, as this is a major operation that could cost in excess of £13,000 in the UK. The patient indicates that the surgery wasn’t performed by qualified surgeons or technicians, but “a group of teenagers” — who are presumably much cheaper to employ than qualified medical personnel.
“They devastated my hair with complete lack of professionalism. I couldn’t regret anymore the fateful decision to stay there and let them make a mess of my natural hair that is now ruined for life. The scene in that operating room causes me anxiety even now. I imagined myself escaping from there without looking back and without giving any explanation, even at the risk of losing money; how cheap it would have been as it is costing me more in so many other ways. Without a doubt, it has been a traumatic moment that I have to deal with.”
Source
This case study indicates how patients can view cost as an indicator of quality. Very low cost hair transplants are unlikely to give you the results you want, and can even end with anxiety and trauma. So keep in mind that you’re not just paying for enhanced hair — you’re paying for support and peace of mind, too.
See photos of the patient before and after his procedure at ISHRS’s Fight the Fight.
This patient describes his visit to Turkey for a hair transplant, where the team performing the hair transplant significantly overharvested his donor region, leaving him with clear bald patches and thinning around the back and sides of his head:
“Before the surgery, I had beautiful hair, and I had specifically requested no more than 2500 grafts to fill in my temples. Doubts began to creep in when I asked about the number of grafts they had taken. I received conflicting responses, with one person saying 4000 grafts, another 4200, and yet another claiming 4500.
“The process of repairing the damage caused by an initial botched surgery can take two to three years and may cost up to five times more than the original procedure. Therefore, I urge you to approach hair transplants with caution, conduct thorough research, ask as many questions as possible, inquire about photos of the donor area immediately after surgery, verify the licensing of the technicians and clinic, and ensure that the doctor is transparent and forthright. Do not be swayed solely by the photos displayed on Instagram, as they often depict only the front of the face. Additionally, inquire about the utilization of microscopes during the procedure.”
The patient speaks out about his procedure in this video from the ISHRS:
The time and financial implications of overharvesting and other problems can extend or even block the road to hair transplant success. So it’s really important to be sure that you’re making the right choice when choosing your clinic and its location.
Avoiding the need for repair surgery is critical to keeping lifelong hair restoration costs low. If you end up needing corrective surgery, the added complexities often mean the repair procedure costs more than if you’d had a successful hair transplant in the first place. And in some cases, corrective surgery may not even be possible.
That’s why it’s always best to make sure your clinic has an excellent track record of safe, consistent results before any money changes hands. While there are some excellent clinics in Turkey, they’re hard to find among the aggressive marketing campaigns from less scrupulous clinics. While costs are higher, it’s much easier to find a good, reputable surgeon and clinic in the UK.
For most people, the actual hair transplant isn’t the only cost you need to account for. Preventative hair loss treatments like minoxidil and finasteride are essential for maintaining your hair, so you’re less likely to need further treatment down the road.
The table below compares pricing of Propecia (a 28-day supply of branded 1 mg finasteride tablets) and a 1-month supply of 5% minoxidil spray in Turkish and UK pharmacies*:
*Turkish prices are taken from ilacrehberi.com, the online Turkish Medicine Guide. UK prices are taken from the cheapest online pharmacy price as of 30th October 2025.
These medications are cheaper in Turkey, so if you are in the country for a hair transplant, it may be a good idea to stock up on your preferred treatment. (Make sure to check the rules for flying with prescription medicines with your airline.)
That said, if you choose to use generic minoxidil and finasteride, you’ll generally find a smaller price gulf compared with branded versions (namely Rogaine and Propecia). There’s no difference in effectiveness, as the active ingredient is the same. For instance, a leading online UK pharmacy sells a 28-day course of non-branded 1 mg finasteride for £14.50.
Both minoxidil and finasteride must be taken continuously. If you stop using either medication, the benefits are likely to stop and your hair loss will continue. Factor in the lifelong cost of using these medications when considering your ongoing hair loss treatment.
Cost isn’t the only factor that should inform your decision about where to get a hair transplant. Safety and results are arguably more important, and should at least play a major part. So with these three factors in mind, let’s take a look at the benefits and drawbacks of getting a hair transplant in each country.
If short-term cost saving is your priority, Turkey is generally the cheaper option for getting a hair transplant. But cutting costs is likely to leave you with subpar results (or worse). So it’s best to take other factors like safety, surgeon experience, proven results, and potential long-term costs into account.
When these factors are also considered, the UK comes out on top. All clinics must follow strict health and safety guidelines, and most clinics can show you verifiable before and after hair transplant photos so you know what results to expect. While initial hair transplant costs are higher, most patients agree that it’s worth paying for your health and peace of mind.
— Alistair
— Paul
— Ali
To speak to a patient advisor at your local Wimpole branch, book a consultation at our award-winning hair transplant clinic.
You can’t normally get a hair transplant on the NHS. In very limited circumstances, your health insurance may cover a hair transplant. This may apply if you’ve experienced burns or trauma to the scalp. But for most people, you’ll need to pay for a hair transplant privately.
Getting a hair transplant on finance is one of the best ways to spread the cost of your procedure across several months. You can also save by using non-surgical hair restoration options like minoxidil or finasteride to maximise hair growth prior to surgery, potentially reducing the number of hair grafts you need.
At the Wimpole Clinic, our hair transplant prices start at £3,499. The actual price will depend on the extent of your hair loss and the number of grafts you need. Our hair transplants are available on finance so you can spread the cost while you wait for new growth to kick in.
We’ll create a personalised hair loss treatment and prevention plan with you to minimise the risk of future procedures and help you get the best possible value. And if you’ve had a bad experience at a different clinic, we can also undertake successful hair transplant repair.
We offer hair transplants at locations around the UK, so your surgery is within easy reach for any aftercare appointments. Book a consultation at your closest Wimpole Clinic location to meet our team and get an individual quote for your UK hair transplant.
Learn more about Turkish vs UK hair transplants in these frequently asked questions.
Based on a like-for-like hair transplant, it’s unlikely this would cost more in Turkey than in the UK. That’s because even if the surgeon has similar levels of experience, or chooses to charge more, other clinic operating costs are lower and the currency is weaker in Turkey. So in general, you can expect to pay less in Turkey.
Yes, it’s advisable that you have insurance cover for medical care if you’re travelling overseas for a hair transplant. While this won’t cover the costs of the hair transplant itself, it should help pay for any other medical treatment you may need while you’re abroad. This is essential at clinics where health and safety laws aren’t strictly adhered to.
There are no legal financial protections in place to protect hair transplant patients in Turkey. Individual clinics may offer guarantees or warranties, but these aren’t always watertight. Success is subjective, so even if you’re unhappy with your results, the clinic may feel you have enough growth to invalidate the warranty.
When you’ve paid a deposit or any other money to your clinic, you shouldn’t expect to receive any of this back, even if your hair transplant is unsuccessful.
Wimpole Clinic Services:
Hair Transplants, Beard Transplants & Eyebrow Transplants.
Talk to a specialist
Dr. Dinesh Patel (GMC No: 7992217) began his medical journey by earning his MBBS degree, followed by an MD in Anaesthesiology. In 2008, he initiated his practice as an anaesthesiologist in the domain of hair transplantation, which ignited his passion for specialising in this field.
Dr. Patel underwent advanced training, completed a fellowship in hair transplantation, and actively participated in numerous national and international hair restoration conferences and live surgery workshops. Since 2009, he has exclusively focused on the field of hair transplantation and has successfully performed over 4,000 procedures.
Dr. Patel’s extensive experience encompasses a broad range of procedures, including hair transplantation for male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia), female hair transplantation, beard transplantation, and eyebrow transplantation. He has also achieved remarkable results in complex cases involving scarring alopecia, traumatic alopecia, and post-burn hair restoration. Over the past few years, he has contributed to the field by training numerous physicians and technical assistants in the follicular unit extraction (FUE) technique.
Renowned for his exceptional skill and compassionate approach, Dr. Patel is a highly regarded hair transplant surgeon specialising in both follicular unit extraction (FUE) and follicular unit transplantation (FUT) techniques. He is adept at integrating cutting-edge hair loss treatments such as low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy into his practice, ensuring optimal outcomes for his patients.
With a master’s degree in Anaesthesiology, Dr. Patel is deeply committed to a patient-centred approach. His expertise in effective pain management ensures patient comfort throughout the procedure and during the recovery process. Furthermore, he excels in providing clear and comprehensive guidance on medical and pharmaceutical treatment options for androgenetic alopecia, addressing both male and female pattern hair loss, as well as other forms of alopecia.
Through active participation in various conferences and specialised training programmes, he remains at the forefront of innovation, continuously updating his knowledge of novel approaches and cutting-edge technologies in the field of hair restoration.
