ATLANTA — Thousands of Americans get hair transplants every year, and the number continues to grow.
Many of them are choosing to drive past clinics in their communities and leave the country to have the procedure done in Turkey.
At just 28 years old, Julius Swinson said the warning signs were there. So, he saved up, did his research and decided to get a transplant nearly 6,000 miles away.
“I told myself I would never go bald,” Swinson said.
He chose Smile Hair Clinic in Istanbul for a hair transplant. The clinic’s Dr. Mehmet Erdoğan said 98% of his patients are from outside Turkey, with about 40% coming from the U.S.
“We are nearly fully booked all year and every day, nearly from all over the world. We are receiving different kind of patients with different face styles, different hair styles, different hair types,” Erdoğan said.
One of the reasons is cost, which varies by clinic, location and procedure.
In the U.S., it’s common to pay $6,000-$8,000 per graft. So, a 3,000-graft hair transplant could run you $18,000 to $24,000.
That same 3,000-graft treatment in Turkey will run you $1,000 to $3,000 per graft, or $3,000 to $9,000.
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Many clinics offer all-inclusive packages that include a five-star hotel stay and airport transportation.
Smile’s packages run about $3,400 to $6,000.
Cost aside, Dr. Gokay Bilgin said most patients pick Turkey because this is their expertise.
“My wife gets angry with me because sometimes when we are walking, I say, ‘Oh, I wish this guy was my patient, he would get great results,” Bilgin said.
Dr. Lydia Gan is a Professor at UNC Pembroke and an expert on medical tourism.
She said anyone considering such a trip needs to choose doctors who are properly trained and board-certified.
“You really have to do your own research, and even if it takes like months, you know it’s okay,” Gan said.
She said social media is a big reason Turkish hair transplants are becoming a multi-billion dollar industry.
TikTok and YouTube have hundreds of testimonials.
“People read up about it. ‘Hey, other people have this treatment done. It’s really not that difficult. Why don’t I do the same?’” Gan said.
Swinson documented the first 6 months of his 2023, $2,400 transplant. He is planning to head back to Turkey soon for a touch-up, which is common. But he loves the look and mentally, he said he’s never felt better.
“If your self-esteem is low, or you feel as if that hair transplant surgery as a guy will boost up your self-esteem and make you look more youthful throughout the years, I say, go do it,” Swinson said.
He said the mental health boost alone made it all worth it.
Doctors Erdoğan and Bilgin say that’s exactly what they hope to hear.
“When they say they changed their life, everything has changed their self-esteem, change their family, their wives sometimes give good feedback to us,” Erdoğan said.