How To Avoid Turkey’s Unlicensed Hair Transplant Clinics

Turkey’s hair transplant industry is worth more than $1 billion to the country and it isn’t hard to see why. The hair restoration clinics in Turkey are some of the best in the world. They boast the most innovative procedures, the most experienced surgeons, and, despite all of that, the lowest prices. It is important to remember, however, that to enjoy all three of these things, a patient must go to a licensed clinic. There are a surprising number of unlicensed hair restoration clinics trying to wrangle money away from unsuspecting tourists in Turkey. These unlicensed clinics promise medical tourists effective results and masterful surgeons, along with a price tag that’s even lower than their official counterparts. Of course, they are unable to provide effective surgery. Owing to the large number of hair restoration clinics operating in Turkey – you’ll find more than 300 in Istanbul alone – it can be difficult to separate the unlicensed clinics from the ones that you can trust. In order to help guide you towards a reputable hair restoration clinic in Turkey, we have prepared this list of tips on identifying bootleggers.

Be Weary Of Advertisements In Tourist Hotspots

While most legal hair transplant clinics in Turkey arrange procedures far in advance, the country’s illegal hair transplant clinics often work by seducing non-medical tourists into an impulse procedure. This they do by advertising heavily around airports and tourist hot spots. If you encounter an advertisement for a supposed hair transplant clinic in such an area, but have not heard mention of the clinic in lesser-known areas, you should treat it with a degree of skepticism. You can find a list of the most common tourist traps in Turkey by paying a visit to this article.

Be Skeptical Of Clinics That Approach You

In Turkey, an unlicensed hair restoration clinic can make some serious cash. Many such clinics use this cash to bribe travel agencies and similar entities into giving them the names of people they know are traveling to Turkey for a hair transplant. Whether these people have already booked appointments with official clinics means little to these bootleggers. They will call regardless and try to lure patients away from their reputable surgeons, usually by flaunting lower price tags. If a hair restoration clinic contacts you out of the blue, you can be virtually certain that it is not doing things above board.

Watch Out For Love Bombing

Love bombing is a technique primarily used by cults to brainwash new members. It is also a favorite of Turkey’s hair transplant criminals. Unlicensed clinics often try to win over potential clients through compliments, favors, and excessive generosity. Some clinics, for example, will promise to send a luxury car to collect a patient prior to their procedure. Others may offer to provide a hotel. Granted, many official clinics do these same things, but they can at least follow up on their promises. With bootleggers, there’s always some sort of issue that makes the luxury car unavailable or the hotel fully booked.

Read Reviews

The only way you can be absolutely certain you’re going to a reputable hair restoration clinic is to read its reviews. The best of Turkey’s hair transplant clinics boast hundreds of positive reviews from satisfied clients, often in varying languages. If you cannot find at least double digit positive reviews of a clinic, you should not choose it over a more reputable clinic. If the clinic does have dozens of reviews, be sure to carefully read a few of them. If phrases or errors seem to reappear in each review, it’s a good sign those reviews were written by one person.