The new hair transplant hotspot that isn’t Turkey… where people say they’re getting better results than New York

For years, Turkey has been the destination for hair transplantation, attracting patients from all over the world with its most affordable prices.

But after a series of horror stories, including the death of a Briton last month, and amid concerns about a lack of regulations and high-performance production-line-style procedures, some patients are having a rethink.

Now, a new hotspot is emerging and Americans are increasingly turning to London as the new destination for their hair treatments.

Dr Manish Mittal, a hair transplant surgeon in the UK capital, told the Daily Mail: “It was surprising, we have a lot of patients from the US now. they come from all over the country.

“It used to be that 3% of all my patients came from the US. Now, it’s closer to 30 to 40 percent.’

Hair transplants performed in the UK are still generally cheaper than those in major US centers such as New York or Beverly Hills. American surgeons charge up to $20,000 compared to about $10,000 in London.

Once flights and hotels are factored in, however, the total cost can be similar to staying stateside and is more than Turkey, which can offer a hair transplant for as little as $4,000.

But surgeons in London say the city remains an attractive alternative because, as well as being slightly cheaper, it has excellent, experienced surgeons and patients trust British regulations.

Below is Nader Hassen, from Ohio, who flew to London for a hair transplant. He is shown above before and just after the transplant he received in the UK

Hassen is pictured above with his partner, who joined him in London. After the transplant, the couple used the time to explore the sights, Big Ben looms in the background, and meet family in the UK

Among the American patients who sought hair transplants in the UK was Nader Hassen, 35, a salesman from Cleveland, Ohio.

Hasen started losing his hair in his 20s. He had tried rosemary oil to treat his receding hairline, avoiding medication due to concerns about side effects. But after his older brother had a hair transplant in South America, Hasen also decided he wanted to undergo the treatment, especially as he planned to propose to him in the near future.

Then 33, Hassen found only one surgeon in his area who performed the procedure, but he used antiquated techniques and wanted more than $20,000.

This led Hassen to contact a social media influencer who had undergone a hair transplant and put him in touch with Dr Mittal, who would charge him just $10,600 for a more up-to-date procedure.

Dr. Mittal initially had no space in his calendar. But after a slot opened on Christmas Eve, Hassen closed the process. He flew to the UK on December 23, had a hair transplant the next day and stayed in London for a week to wait for the swelling to subside.

Overall, the total cost was $14,000, including the procedure, flights and hotels, but because Hassen took his partner with him, the price was higher than it would normally be for a patient.

While in the UK, the couple mostly stayed at the hotel to wait for the swelling to go down, but they did go out to Borough Market, the famous Big Ben clock tower and saw family members who live near Heathrow.

Hassen is pictured above with Dr Manish Mittal before his hair transplant on Christmas Day

Hassen is seen above after a hair transplant in an apple orchard. He is thrilled with the results

Hassen told the Daily Mail: “I don’t have to worry about the wind blowing my hairline now when I’m in the park or walking to the gym.

“I knew I was going to propose, we’re planning it now, so getting my hairline in order was definitely a big part of that.”

Patients like Hassen travel to the UK for Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), the most popular hair transplant procedure where individual follicles are removed from the back of the scalp and implanted in the front

Estimates show patients pay about $4,000 to $13,000 for this procedure in London, compared with $5,000 to $20,000 in New York.

In Turkey, estimates show that this operation, including hotels, can be offered for $4,000, although it is usually performed by a technician rather than a surgeon, which can compromise results and potentially safety and hygiene.

In the UK, hair transplants always involve a surgeon because this is required by the country’s regulations.

There is no federal rule requiring a surgeon for hair transplants in the US, although some states require a physician to be present when incisions are made.

Dr Aziz Elgindi, a hair transplant surgeon at Harley Street Hair Transplant Clinics, who has also seen an increase in hair transplant patients coming from the US, said American patients seeking hair transplants are drawn to the UK because of the offer of excellent surgeries at an affordable price.

He told the Daily Mail: “To me, Turkey will always appeal to a purely price-conscious audience. I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon, so for this patient, I don’t think he’s losing ground.

“But where I think they’re losing ground is patients who want value for money, as a cheap price usually comes with a cheaper service provided. This is simply a risk versus reward decision for a patient to make.”

Surgeons at Harley Street said they were seeing an increase in patients flying in from the US for the procedure

London is home to Harley Street, which is world-renowned as the base of many leading private doctors (stock image)

Dr Greg Williams, a hair surgeon at the UK’s Farjo Hair Institute and the only member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons to carry out hair transplants, told the Daily Mail.: “There has been a deviation from Turkey, partly because of… a campaign several years ago to raise awareness that, in Turkey, many of the surgeries are not done by doctors. There have also been some widely publicized deaths in the country.

“In the UK, people might think it’s a country with standards and good levels of care if they can get transport here and find it cheaper.”

Dr. Mittal added: “Patients trust what I do, they trust the fact that I’m a British doctor, I was born here, I studied here, I trained here. My surgeries are also of high quality. I’m there for everyone and I only do one a day.”

He said social media also helped patients find him, adding that it meant people in “any part of the world” could see his work.

Most patients in the U.S. are men trying to restore receding hairlines, surgeons said, and come from all over the map, including New York, Texas and California.

Global data suggests there may have been a shift in the market.

The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, a US-based nonprofit, said Europe saw 112,000 hair restoration procedures in 2022, the latest year available, up 5% from 2019 and 240% from a decade earlier.

By comparison, in the US and Canada the number of hair restoration procedures fell to 149,000 in 2022, down 18 percent from 2019, although still higher than in Europe.

The data did not distinguish between countries or whether procedures were performed for medical tourists or nationals.

Asia and Australia, which includes Turkey, remained the largest market, according to the report, recording 256,000 procedures in 2022, up 31% from 2019.