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The world hair transplant capital is in Turkey, but is clinics’ golden age nearing an end?

Istanbul is a hub for hair transplants, with 5,000 clinics seeing patients from around the world. But competition from elsewhere is rising

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Patients after hair transplant surgery in Istanbul, a Turkish city that has become a global hub for hair transplants. Photo: AFP

Men with bloody, bandaged scalps are a striking feature of Istanbul’s bustling cityscape, whether they are strolling along the shopping streets or posing in front of its landmarks.

The Turkish metropolis straddling the Bosphorus waterway connecting Europe and Asia has become a global hub for hair transplants, and is home to an estimated 5,000 clinics catering to patients from around the world.

However, opinions are divided on whether Istanbul can maintain its crown as the world’s hair transplant capital.

Winter is high season for Istanbul’s hair transplant clinics, which operate at full capacity. One such patient is Aydin Kesti, a 27-year-old from Zurich, in Switzerland.

He is reclined on a treatment couch, slightly dazed from painkillers administered via a drip, while medical staff meticulously insert hair follicles into his scalp.

A close-up of a man at a hair transplant clinic. Winter is high season for Istanbul’s hair transplant clinics. Photo: Shutterstock
A close-up of a man at a hair transplant clinic. Winter is high season for Istanbul’s hair transplant clinics. Photo: Shutterstock

He is doing this for his ego, he says.

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