Hair transplant clinics in Turkey are known for their cheap costs and aggressive marketing tactics, leading to more people heading to Turkey for their hair restoration procedures. But multiple medical bodies have warned against the risks of getting cosmetic surgery abroad — so it’s important to know what a safe Turkish hair transplant clinic looks like [1-2]. From worryingly low costs to accepting ineligible candidates, here are the key red flags of Turkish hair transplant clinics.
Getting a hair transplant in Turkey carries more risks than having your procedure in the UK, but it can be achieved safely if you know what to look for. Here, we explore the red flags to look for in Turkish hair transplant clinics, why they’re important, and what to do if you experience complications after your hair transplant.
Key takeaways
Dr Patel and Dr Barron offer their expert insights into the clinics operating out of Turkey, and the repair cases they’ve seen as UK-based surgeons.
It can be. The risks of getting a hair transplant in Turkey depend on the hair transplant clinic you choose. While Turkey is home to some great surgeons, there are also many black market clinics in operation [1]. The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons (ISHRS) says:
“In Turkey, Iran and several countries throughout Europe, unscrupulous clinics are luring patients from around the world to travel to these countries for hair restoration procedures. However, the vast majority of patients are having their procedures performed by technicians who do not have medical licenses or surgical training.”
Surgery performed by someone without the required skill or credentials is dangerous. There are many examples of hair transplant infection, poor results, and even deaths resulting from illegal hair transplant clinics in Turkey, as highlighted in the ISHRS’s Fight the Fight campaign:
“One ISHRS member from Belgium describes a recent devastating experience of trying to repair a botched beard transplant from a black market clinic who ultimately took his own life. ‘A young 24-year-old patient of mine committed suicide in the prime of his life. He was seduced by the promise of finally having a beautiful beard. Especially as the prices offered are so attractive. The decision was made – he would go to Turkey for the operation he’d been dreaming of. Unfortunately, like thousands of others before him, he realized that the ‘operators’ were not only unqualified, but the surgery was not even performed by a doctor – resulting in a depletion of his donor area. Sadly, he is another victim of the black market,’ said Jean Devroye, MD, FISHRS.”
Cheap hair transplants can be tempting, but they can take a toll on your physical and mental health if they go wrong. So it’s important to weigh up the potential for hair transplant failure. There’s no guarantee that any hair transplant will give you perfect results — but you’re much more likely to get the hair you want if you choose a skilled, experienced surgeon.
For these reasons, it’s normally best to seek a clinic that doesn’t cut costs or corners when it comes to your health and safety. In Turkey, you’re more likely to encounter:
While there are some good clinics in Turkey, it’s harder to find them among the multitude of black market and low-quality clinics in operation. Dr Patel says:
“I’ve treated quite a few patients who had their initial hair transplants done in Turkey. While there are definitely some excellent clinics there, I’ve also seen a number of people come back with results that didn’t meet their expectations — often due to the clinic cutting corners or rushing the process.
People often come in hoping to save money by going abroad, but if things don’t go well, they end up spending even more trying to fix the results. In some cases, the damage is difficult or impossible to fully correct — especially if the donor area was overused the first time. So while going abroad can work for some, it really comes down to choosing the right clinic and not just the cheapest option.”
If you’re considering heading to Turkey for a hair transplant, it’s really important that you thoroughly research the clinic so you know what to expect when you get there. And if the reality doesn’t match the expectation, you can make informed decisions to prioritise your safety and appearance.
To this end, here are all the red flags of black market hair transplant clinics you need to look out for.
Promising to harvest “unlimited” or “maximum” grafts from your scalp is sometimes marketed as a selling point, but it’s actually a sign that the clinic isn’t prioritising your interests. Ethical surgeons will only take as many grafts as they need to ensure you get good hair transplant results. Dr Barron explains:
“Overseas clinics are notorious for giving inflated estimates for grafts because patients think it sounds better, or they’re getting more for their money, or these clinics are more skilled. Regularly I have patients come and say they have been given double my estimate elsewhere, and ask if it is a skill problem that we can’t do as many grafts.
“I like to think of it as a skill issue with the overestimating clinics — they feel they may need double the amount of grafts to get a similar result to me using a fraction of the amount of hairs. If you can get a similar result at the front, and have less of an impact on the donor area then why wouldn’t you? This of course is assuming that clinics are truthful in their work and actually do the number that they state.”
Taking more grafts than necessary can result in overharvested donor areas, which appear thin and depleted. And if you need an additional hair transplant in future, you may not have enough grafts left to perform it effectively. As Dr Patel explains:
“Overharvesting the donor area is actually something I see quite often in patients who had hair transplants in Turkey, especially from cheaper clinics that focus on doing a high number of surgeries every day. Not all clinics are like that — there are definitely some very good ones — but unfortunately, not everyone ends up in the right hands.
“When too many grafts are taken from the donor area (usually the back and sides of the head), it can leave the hair there looking thin or patchy. In worse cases, there can be visible scarring or even permanent damage. This becomes a real problem if the patient wants or needs another transplant later, because there just isn’t enough healthy donor hair left to work with.
“Fixing this kind of issue can be tricky and expensive. Not only does overharvesting affect how the hair looks, it also limits what can be done in the future and can end up costing a lot more to fix. That’s why choosing a clinic with proper planning and experienced surgeons is so important — it really makes a difference in the long run.”
Taking a large volume of grafts may be suitable if you’re older and your hair loss has stabilised. But a clinic that’s prepared to harvest 4000+ grafts from a patient under 30 is a major red flag. Planning for future hair loss is the sign of a good clinic, so instead of seeking maximum or unlimited grafts, look for a clinic that offers good donor hair management.
The cost of hair transplant surgery in Turkey is the main reason for its popularity as a medical tourism destination. But while you can expect lower prices even at good clinics, very low prices should ring alarm bells.
In our research, one clinic quoted just £850 for a procedure that cost £4,820 on average in the UK — a discrepancy of 82%.
If a clinic is offering significant discounts straight off-the-bat, this could be because:
Tactics like these are used by shady clinics looking to make a quick buck, so you should be wary of all-inclusive hair transplant packages in Turkey that offer heavy discounts.
Dr Patel offers this advice to those considering cheap hair transplants in Turkey:
“Turkey does have some excellent clinics with experienced surgeons, but there are also many places that aren’t as careful. Sometimes, clinics will rush the surgery or let unqualified staff do important parts of the procedure. That’s when problems like poor growth, scarring, or unnatural hairlines happen.
“I always remind people that the initial cost isn’t the whole picture. If things don’t go well, fixing those issues back here in the UK can be expensive and take a lot more time. So my advice is to look beyond just the price. Do thorough research and pick a clinic based on reputation and surgeon experience — not just on how cheap it is.”
Avoid clinics that use discounts and other pricing tactics to get you to commit quickly. Make sure you know exactly who will perform your surgery and the location of the clinic. Ask about possible card/bank fees in advance and get your final quote in writing. Check the terms closely so you know exactly what’s included.
Patient safety should be every clinic’s top priority, but unfortunately there are documented cases where this hasn’t been the case in Turkey [2-4]. Turkish clinics have been known to employ estate agents and taxi drivers to perform hair transplants, leading to increased risk of infection and poor results [2-3].
While Turkey does have health and safety laws that clinics are required to follow, it’s pretty easy for black market clinics to evade these. Some disguise themselves as quality clinics with slick marketing materials and bait-and-switch tactics, where they advertise real surgeons but swap these out for underqualified technicians in reality. Others open and close quickly, helping them operate without being detected by the authorities.
All clinics should have safety protocols which patients can view on request. Establish their hygiene and safety practices (including appropriate anaesthetic and sedative practices, sterile environments, and modern surgical instruments) and what happens if things go wrong. After all, while a hair transplant is a low-risk procedure, the risks can quickly increase without the right safety precautions.
Knowing who will perform your hair transplant is important. In Turkey, only qualified surgeons are legally allowed to create incisions in hair transplant surgery [5]. Technicians and assistants may assist with extracting and placing the grafts (although it’s preferable for a surgeon to perform or at least oversee as much of the surgical action as possible).
You need to know who’s responsible for your safety and results in advance, so you can research their credentials and check their qualifications and experience. If a website doesn’t list a surgeon — and won’t tell you who performs their procedures when you ask — this is a major red flag.
There’s a high turnover of clinics in Turkey. When we surveyed 87 Turkish clinics to find out the cost of hair transplants in Istanbul, almost a fifth of emails bounced before reaching the recipient. Many clinics were no longer reachable, despite advertising hair transplants online.
Because of this, it can be difficult to find clinics with a genuine track record of long-term results. Even websites that appear to show before and after hair transplant photos can obscure some of the facts, including:
Dr Patel outlines the disconnect between reality and expectation in some patients who’ve had procedures in Turkey:
“Patients returning from Turkey often start out with high hopes, mainly because the cost is so much lower. But sometimes they come back feeling disappointed or stressed if the results aren’t what they expected. This can happen because they didn’t get as much detailed information beforehand or didn’t receive much support after the surgery. If they need revision surgeries or other fixes, it can be both emotionally and financially difficult for them.”
When browsing before and after hair transplant photos, make sure you know how long it took to achieve the results and avoid clinics that don’t show long-term outcomes. If in doubt, avoid the clinic.
Good hair transplant surgeons will turn you away if you’re not a good candidate for a hair transplant for your own safety. This includes people who:
Accepting anyone who requests a hair transplant — or worse, putting pressure on ineligible patients to put down a deposit — shows an unethical approach to the procedure. Dr Barron discusses the issues associated with getting a hair transplant too young:
“I avoid performing procedures on those under 25 and probably could count the number I’ve done on one hand. Those that I have done have stabilised their hair loss prior to a transplant and have a long term plan in mind should they lose more hair.
“My hairlines, even for young patients, err on the conservative side so as to not look incongruous as they get older. If you give them an 18 year old’s hairline whilst they’re 25, it is going to be their permanent hairline for when they are 50/60/70 years old. A transplanted hairline doesn’t change with time as a natural one does. My goals are also to try and recreate a hairline that they would have had at some stage in their life. Therefore, unlike some clinics, I don’t lower hairlines into the muscles of people’s foreheads, or to the degree that it will throw off the proportions of their face for the aforementioned reason that follicles are difficult to remove when healed, should they not like their transplanted hairline.
“Unlike some clinics, I’m not afraid to turn away patients that come in with aims that are outside of my principles or what I feel may be outside the patient’s long-term best interests.”
If you are eligible for a hair transplant, you may not encounter this red flag. But the best way to be sure is to consult with a trusted clinic in your home country. Most UK clinics offer free consultations, so you can establish whether you’re a good candidate and how many grafts they’d recommend. This is a good way to benchmark against the recommendations of Turkish clinics.
It’s not uncommon in Turkey to experience bold or even pushy sales tactics. The ISHRS notes the prevalence of clinics that engage marketing agencies, paying them referral fees to get patients through the door.
These practices are well-documented on social media. Some patients describe negative experiences before they even set off for Istanbul. In a YouTube video of his experience at a Turkish hair transplant clinic, one patient recounted the clinic’s response when he had to reschedule due to a flight cancellation:
“They weren’t happy. There was a language barrier with the person I was originally talking to, so they didn’t fully understand, but I thought we had come to an understanding. I guess we didn’t, because ten minutes later I got another call from a guy and a woman. I’m on speakerphone and they’re both talking to me, asking me why I’m not coming. I was a little confused and taken back about why they were so upset and the level of aggression they had.”
Patient advisors are there to listen to your concerns, and then offer impartial advice on the best course of action for you.
If you don’t feel heard by your advisor, doctor, or surgeon, don’t be pressured into a hair transplant at their clinic. Pushy behaviours that should ring alarm bells include:
It’s always best to work with a consultant you can meet in person, so you can see how they treat you as a patient in the flesh. Where this isn’t possible, find a clinic with staff who speak English and arrange a video call, so you can meet your consultant (and ideally your surgeon) virtually before any money changes hands.
If you feel uncomfortable with their sales tactics at any time, remember that it’s never too late to turn back.
All prospective hair transplant patients should be advised of all the treatments available, especially if you’re young and/or in the early stages of hair loss. In some cases, it’s possible to restore your hairline with non-surgical treatments like finasteride and minoxidil alone.
A hair transplant should be a last resort. So any clinic that tries to get you to book an appointment for a surgical procedure without discussing non-surgical hair loss treatments is a major red flag.
There are several reasons why it’s a red flag if a clinic can fit your hair transplant in at short notice.
Good clinics see a limited number of patients per day, so they can give each patient the required care and attention. In Turkey, there are reports of multiple transplants taking place in the same room. In an ISHRS article, one physician recounts a report from one of their patients:
“Patient had ‘2,500 FUE grafts’ performed in Turkey. Disfiguring result. Came to me for corrective surgery. Patient informed me that approximately 20 hair transplant procedures were being performed simultaneously by techs in this clinic at the time of his procedure.”
Performing multiple surgeries at the same time in the same room is a serious health risk. All hair transplants should take place in a clean, sterile environment.
Scheduling fewer patients on the same day also means that staff aren’t overworked, minimising the risk of surgical fatigue that can compromise results [6]. This is why reputable clinics tend to have waiting lists and schedule appointments weeks or even months in advance.
Additionally, it’s important to give other treatments time to work before booking in surgery. Medications like finasteride and minoxidil usually need to be taken consistently for at least 3-6 months to see any impact.
Claiming a recent cancellation has allowed them to squeeze you in sooner than expected is a tactic used to create the impression of a sought-after, reputable clinic. But it’s not always true — so watch out for this often-used red flag.
Not even the best clinics can guarantee hair transplant success. While they’ll do everything they can to ensure you get good results, some of the responsibility lies with the patient and how well they adhere to the recommended aftercare programme. This is outside the clinic’s control, so promising to guarantee your satisfaction or a specific amount of coverage is a strong red flag.
Nonetheless, many clinics in Turkey do offer guarantees for the growth or survival of a specific percentage of grafts, or that your hair transplant will last a set number of years.
There’s often limited information available about the warranty beforehand, which gives clinics a chance to find a loophole should you want to actually use it. If you do use a clinic that provides a warranty or guarantee, check the terms in your contract before signing it or putting down a deposit.
Hair restoration often requires ongoing maintenance and future planning. In particular, patients who are young and/or in the early stages of hair loss should use conservative methods to tackle their hair loss, so you have plenty of grafts left should you need them for future hair transplants.
Donor area management is a key part of hair transplant surgery, but it’s not always a priority for clinics in Turkey that are unlikely to see you again. These clinics are known to deplete your donor area, leaving you with fewer options if you need corrective or top-up surgery in future.
To help retain your hair in the long-term, book a free consultation at a reputable clinic near you. At the Wimpole Clinic, you can get advice from trusted surgeons about how they’d recommend tackling your hair loss now and in the long-term. You can then use this information to benchmark against the recommendations from clinics in Turkey, and avoid those that may resort to overharvesting.
Instant quotes and one-size-fits-all packages aren’t a good sign. While it can give you an indication of hair transplant costs in Turkey, top clinics will want to examine your hair and scalp to give you a proper diagnosis before prescribing a hair transplant.
If you do choose a clinic that gives a quick quote without a proper hair exam, be prepared that the price and/or graft quote may change on arrival.
Third-party review sites like Trustpilot are a good way to find out if a clinic has a good track record with its patients.
Make sure to double-check any claims on the clinic’s website against the third-party site. It’s very easy to put a five-star badge on a website, but not quite as simple to trick review site algorithms.
You can also check out sites like Reddit and YouTube for independent reviews and patient experiences. If you are relying on social media posts, make sure they’re not sponsored, funded, or published by the clinic, as these are unlikely to be impartial.
Some clinics make it very easy to contact them when you’re seeking surgery, but a lot harder if you need support after your procedure. Disappearing clinics aren’t uncommon in Turkey, where opportunist clinics open and close quickly to fly under the regulation radar.
Before booking your appointment, try to find out as much as you can about the clinic’s aftercare service. Ideally, they’ll have a UK aftercare clinic you can visit if needed, so you don’t have to travel back to Turkey (or find a new clinic) in case of complications.
Disappearing clinics are fairly easy to spot:
Hair transplant surgery is a semi-invasive procedure that inevitably leaves some scarring, especially if you opt for an FUT procedure. FUT involves removing a strip of skin from the back of the head then stitching the wound together. A high level of skill is required to keep the scar as small and inconspicuous as possible.
FUT is uncommon in Turkey. But even FUE will leave tiny hair transplant scars, though these are normally hidden by your hair. So don’t be fooled by promises of scarless surgery. Dr Patel explains:
“Scarring is another concern. Even though FUE is advertised as scarless, that’s not always the case. When large or blunt tools are used, it can leave small but visible marks all over the donor area.”
Visible scarring is more likely if a high number of grafts are extracted. This is another reason to avoid unlimited/maximum graft extractions. But regardless of how many hair grafts you have, no surgery is truly scarless. So it’s important to manage your own expectations in terms of scarring, and don’t let any clinics convince you otherwise.
Researchers have noted that lack of accreditation is a problem in Turkish clinics [7]. In 2024, just 39 hospitals in Turkey were accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI) [7]. And as of June 2025, there are just 16 doctors registered with the ISHRS in Turkey.
This makes it very difficult for foreign patients to find reliable independent sources to verify their surgeon’s credentials.
If possible, it is best to choose a clinic or surgeon that’s registered with a recognised accreditation body. Search for JCI-accredited organisations here, or browse the ISHRS surgeon database to check your surgeon’s qualifications.
Use this checklist to help you decide if a Turkish clinic is safe to use:
Botched hair transplants can result from both short- and long-term complications. Infection is a major concern when hair transplants aren’t performed in sterile conditions, and aftercare support is poor or non-existent. Infection can lead to tissue necrosis, sepsis, and even death if left untreated. So if you’re concerned about unexpected pus, bleeding, or pain, seek immediate medical attention. Dr Barron explains more about what these serious conditions look like:
“In the realm of hair transplants, infection and necrosis are clinically made diagnoses based on how the skin looks. Infection can occur as pustules, or sloughy areas that are red, hot and swollen. This is difficult to differentiate from a normal post-op patient’s skin for a novice. Necrosis is typically a depressed area that is black in colour.
“Patients shouldn’t monitor this on their own. Patients should go to a clinic that has an aftercare programme in place, where they are in semi-regular contact and send pictures for review daily for the first 10-14 days when a complication is most likely to arise.”
In the long-term, Dr Patel explains some of the issues he sees in patients who have previously had a hair transplant in Turkey:
“One of the most common problems is overharvesting the donor area. Basically, too many grafts are taken without a proper long-term plan, which leaves noticeable thinning or even scarring at the back of the head. That makes it really hard to do any further transplants down the line because the donor area is already depleted.
“Another issue is poor placement of the grafts. I’ve seen cases where the angle or direction of the hairs just doesn’t look natural — especially at the hairline. It can result in a look that draws unwanted attention rather than blending in. Some patients also experience poor growth because the grafts weren’t handled properly during the procedure, so a lot of them didn’t survive.
“Scarring is another concern. Even though FUE is advertised as scarless, that’s not always the case. When large or blunt tools are used, it can leave small but visible marks all over the donor area.
“Unnatural hairlines are probably the most frustrating for patients. Some are designed too low or too straight, making the result look artificial. Fixing that often requires removing some of the grafts or redoing the area entirely.”
There’s no right or wrong answer — it all depends on your risk tolerance level and how confident you are that your chosen clinic can create the results you want. Dr Barron advises:
“There are decent clinics in Turkey, however they are very hard to find amongst the ocean of disreputable clinics. If they 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. If complications arise, it’s logistically and financially easier to be seen by a UK clinic.”
There’s little doubt that it’s riskier to go to Turkey for a hair transplant than to have FUE or FUT in the UK and many other European countries. But it is more expensive here, and there are no guarantees with hair transplants anywhere. So you have to trust your gut and make sure you’re prepared for the results of your procedure.
If you’re still making up your mind about where to have your hair transplant, book a free consultation at the Wimpole Clinic. Whether you’re seeking corrective surgery, free advice, or a second opinion, we welcome all prospective patients to our award-winning hair transplant clinic. And with clinic locations across the UK, it’s simple and convenient to visit us at a time and place that suits you.
Book a consultation with London’s top hair transplant clinic and see why we’ve been trusted to carry out more than 20,000 hair transplants over 50 years.
Learn more about staying safe and getting excellent results when opting for a hair transplant in Turkey in these frequently asked questions.
There are several hospitals and medical facilities recommended by the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) if you need emergency medical treatment after a hair transplant in Turkey. Get emergency care by calling 112 when in Turkey.
You may have to pay for any treatment you receive. Make sure you have adequate insurance coverage before you travel.
Yes. Foreign patients have the same rights as Turkish patients when getting cosmetic surgery in Turkey. However, in practice, there are some challenges that can limit or prevent you from taking legal action over a botched hair transplant in the country. For example, if you booked your surgery through an intermediary that isn’t based in Turkey, you may not have the same legal coverage as if you booked directly with the clinic.
It can also be difficult to navigate language barriers and complex legal systems.
Yes. Most UK-based hair transplant clinics offer free consultations, where you can get an independent assessment of your hair and scalp and confirm if you’re eligible for a hair transplant.
Trustpilot and Google reviews are good places to start. They’re more likely to have independent reviews from real patients than clinics’ own websites.
Social media sites like YouTube and TikTok show patient experiences, but many of these are sponsored or paid influencer advertisements. So take these with a pinch of salt, as they may not be wholly representative of a real patient’s experience.
There are excellent hair transplant clinics in both the UK and Turkey. But there is a higher risk of finding clinics that cut corners to save money and time in Turkey. These shortcuts can put your safety and results at risk, so no matter which country you choose for your hair transplant, make sure it’s at a safe, reputable, responsible clinic. Compare the costs of hair transplant in Turkey vs the UK to learn more.
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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.
