At DHI, our patient’s safety is of utmost importance. With this as our top priority, we have attracted patients from all over the world and gained their trust through the consistent and incomparable quality of our procedures. For this reason, we would like to caution you about an increasing trend in recent years, one which is putting unsuspecting patients at a great risk, both medically and financially.
Hair transplantation is an innovative medical procedure which, when performed by certified physicians in the field, gives a permanent solution to hair loss. It improves not only the patient’s appearance, but their self-confidence as well. By contrast, a failed hair transplant exaggerates the problem by only providing a temporary solution, at best. While the initial investment might seem quite low, the long-term effects of having to reinvest and the burden of frustration are far more detrimental to the patient’s overall well-being.
In each of our DHI centers, hair transplants are performed exclusively by experienced and certified physicians trained at the Hair Restoration Academy in London. We believe that each and every hair transplant worldwide should be performed by a physician specifically trained and certified in hair restoration, no exceptions. Unfortunately, this standard is not upheld in most clinics and beauty centers, who claim to carry out similar sessions to ours, but with staff that do not have the experience or certification and, in some cases, have no medical background whatsoever. This misleading information is the primary cause for concern now in every potential client.
A recent article published by ISHRS (International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery) focuses extensively on the problem with illegal clinics operating in Turkey who offer hair transplants at a very low cost that often come with disastrous and irreparable results. According to the ISHRS, most of these unsuspecting patients come from Europe and countries in the Middle East, desperate for a miracle cure and without having done the necessary market research first.
In recent years, Turkey has become something of a hot spot in “medical” tourism with the revenue exceeding $ 4.5 billion in 2015. Despite the recent directive of the Turkish Health Ministry for all hair transplants to be performed only in hospitals in Turkey, hundreds of illegal clinics are still functioning. These clinics are not staffed by medical doctors, rather by inexperienced technicians who maraud as experts. They mislead patients by offering extremely lucrative packages combing short vacations and hair transplants at a very low price. These clinics take advantage of the huge demand in the world market and those vulnerable clients who are desperate for a cheap solution.
These illegal clinics have spread to major European countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium, where they manage to provide authorizations through the coverage offered by the certified Turkish medical doctors. Thousands of patients are endangering their health by falling prey to these unscrupulous methods which in no way honor the integrity of the medical profession.
The vast majority of hair transplants performed in these illegal clinics come with unsatisfactory results, at best, and at worst, irreparable consequences both in the psychology of patients and their monetary investment. We have seen numerous emergency cases with patients returning from these clinics in need of immediate repair, sometimes requiring more than one procedure. Unfortunately, in the cases of many of these patients, the damage done to the donor and recipient area is irreversible.
Patients suffering from hair loss should be very careful in choosing who they trust with their hair transplant. It is essential to remember that hair transplantation is a medical procedure and should be approached in the same way one would approach any medical procedure. It is important that you be in the capable hands of a physician at all times who has been specifically trained and certified in hair restoration. This medical doctor should be happy to provide their credentials for you and answer any questions you might have, every step of the way. Here at DHI, transparency is one of our key values and what has allowed us to build lifelong relationships with our patients based on trust.
You may view the article from ISHRS we have cited here: http://www.ishrs.org/press-release/buyer-beware-medical-tourism-hair-transplants-can-have-costly-consequences
