Many prospective hair transplant patients debate whether to get a hair transplant in Turkey or the UK. While Turkish hair transplant costs tend to be much cheaper than those in the UK, they also come with serious risks that aren’t seen in the UK hair transplant industry.
Our research shows that hair transplant costs in Turkey are approximately 70% lower than those in the UK [1]. This is one of the main reasons why people travel to Turkey for a hair transplant.
But cost isn’t everything. In fact, you can actually end up spending far more than the average UK hair transplant cost if you need repair surgery or multiple top-up transplants after a botched hair transplant in Turkey. An article from the London School of Economics claims that across Turkey’s medical tourism industry [2]:
“It is clear that across many websites of facilitators, clinics and hospitals, treatment risks are underplayed, and there exists an imbalance between objective information and promotion and advertising used for marketing purposes.”
So it’s up to patients to assess the risks and weigh up the costs when deciding where to get a hair transplant. Here, you’ll learn everything you need to know about hair transplant costs in the UK vs Turkey. This includes:
The average cost of a 1500 graft hair transplant in the UK is £4,820, compared with £1,464 in Turkey. 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:
So why do hair transplant costs vary so much? Let’s take a look at the factors affecting hair transplant price in Turkey vs the UK.
Lots of different factors can impact your hair transplant price quote, no matter where a clinic is based. But others also come into play when you’re considering quotes from a hair transplant clinic abroad. Let’s take a look at what can impact hair transplant costs in Turkey and the UK.
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 [5].
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 [2, 4].
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 overseas.
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 when it comes to patient safety to keep prices down.
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.
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 important to get a range of graft and price quotes from several different clinics. This will help you identify any outliers and get a fair price for your hair transplant.
There are two main types of hair transplant: FUE and FUT. FUT tends to be more expensive than FUE, as it’s a more involved, invasive procedure that often needs more surgical team members to perform correctly. FUT is also more often used for high graft hair transplants (such as 6000 graft hair transplants or even 8000 graft hair transplants).
FUE is usually cheaper than FUT, though the procedure is often longer. Find out more about the differences between FUE vs FUT techniques.
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.
You’re likely to pay more for hair transplants performed at highly reputable clinics by an experienced surgeon. For this reason, hair transplants tend to be more expensive on Harley Street in London than elsewhere in the UK.
In Turkey, some patients have reported hair transplants being performed by unqualified refugees, cab drivers, and even estate agents [6-7]. Sadly, at least one of these has resulted in a hair transplant patient’s death [7]. So as well as considering costs, it’s really important to know who will perform your hair transplant for your own safety.
In Turkey, many clinics include the cost of travel and accommodation in their hair transplant price packages. Our research found that 100% of clinics included airport and hotel transfers, while 90% included two nights’ accommodation in Turkey [1].
UK clinics don’t tend to advertise to prospective patients overseas, so you’re unlikely to get these perks in the UK.
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.
This head-to-head table will help you compare hair transplant costs and risks in the UK vs Turkey:
On the face of it, Turkey appears to be the cheaper option for getting a hair transplant. But when it comes to risks and rewards, you’re likely to get the best value in the UK. That’s because there are higher safety standards which are strictly adhered to, and surgeons are generally highly trained and qualified.
Still, it’s not always easy to find £5,000 or more to pay for a hair transplant in the UK, even if you know it’s the safer option with a better chance of getting results. But there are ways to make getting a hair transplant more affordable at a reputable UK 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 find an alternative way 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.
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.
Take a look at our hair transplant gallery to see the results you can expect from our experienced surgical teams. 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 aftercareappointments. Book a consultation at your closest Wimpole Clinic location to meet our team and get an individual quote for your UK hair transplant.
Find out more about hair transplant costs in the UK vs Turkey in these frequently asked questions.
There are a few ways you can verify the safety and effectiveness of Turkish hair transplant clinics:
See these Turkish hair transplant clinic red flags to learn more.
Many clinics in Turkey are run by qualified, experienced surgeons who can deliver excellent results. If you find one of these clinics, you may be able to get a good hair transplant for a low cost.
But the difficulty is in identifying which clinics are genuinely safe and effective. Choosing the wrong clinics brings a lot of risks, so you must be sure before you take the plunge.
Risks include:
If you have complications like a hair transplant infection, poor wound healing, or excessive bleeding, and you can’t get back to Turkey to see your surgeon, it’s important to seek medical attention in the UK. These issues can cause further health issues, so go to your GP as soon as possible.
For other issues, such as lack of growth or unnatural results, you’ll need to see another hair transplant clinic for repair.
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