Planning for a hair transplant to Turkey couldn’t be much easier. That’s because most reputable clinics will do virtually everything for you.  Check with the clinic if you need any visas from where you are travelling from. And then aside from packing your suitcase and booking your flight, there’s really not much left to do.  Follow these tips to make sure it all goes smoothly.

Booking Your Flight

With the clinic taking care of most things for you, often the way they work is for you to send in your e-flight ticket, and they’ll handle everything from there. If you fly to Istanbul in Turkey, you should be aware that Istanbul is a huge city by any standards spanning over 5,000 square kilometres. It’s the largest city in Europe and has over 15 million residents. 

You should check with the clinic which airport you need to land at. There are two main airports, Istanbul Airport (IST) and Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW), but they are 62 km apart. So make sure you are arriving at the preferred airport. With that in mind, you can book your flights. Platforms such as
Google Flights, Skyscanner, and Cheapflights are good ports of call to pick up available flights at the best price. 

If you are flexible with your dates and want to grab a great price at off-peak times in the winter, then it’s easy enough to grab a deal and a return flight under £100 from London airports. Flights from other major European cities, including Dublin, Glasgow, Paris and Frankfurt, may cost a little more, but you can still get return flights for under £200.

If you want to go at non-peak times and enjoy some hot weather, then the most expensive times are August and flights are still very reasonable, and you should be able to pick up a deal from London to Istanbul for less than £200. 
Once you have booked your flight, simply send the details to your chosen clinic, who will then send you your itinerary.

Hotels And Airport Transfers

Your chosen clinic will take everything from there, and there’s little left to do other than get on the flight. The clinic will check with the airport to see if there are any delays and have either an English-speaking driver or coordinator waiting for you at the airport, usually with a sign and your name. 

Jump in the car, and you’ll either get whisked to the clinic for blood tests or straight to the hotel to relax. 
The morning after, the driver will come again to take you to the clinic for your transplant. After the transplant is done, the driver will come to take you back to your hotel once again. The driver will also come for you the day after to have your bandages changed and show you how to wash your head. 

Some clinics will arrange for the driver to come for you on day three and a sightseeing tour of the city. When it’s time to go home, your driver will take you back to the airport. So really, other than packing weather appropriate clothes and bringing some sunscreen during the scorching summer months, it’s super easy to access medical tourism in Turkey, where every last detail is taken care of for you.  What you must do, however, is avoid the following things before your surgery.

Alcohol

While you may wish to indulge in a few glasses of wine when you touch down in your Turkish hotel, unfortunately, this should be avoided. Alcohol consumption can causes issues with the anaesthesia you will have. It may also cause excessive bleeding after the transplant. It’s also best to avoid alcohol after the surgery as well, as it can negatively affect your hair transplant result.

Caffeine

It’s also best to avoid caffeine the day before and the day of your surgery too. Once again, this can affect the efficiency of your anaesthesia.

Smoking

If you smoke, it’s best to quit a week or two before your surgery. Smoking affects circulation and will decrease the blood flow to the newly implanted follicles. To get the best result from a hair transplant, it’s best to quit altogether to ensure the follicles are getting the best blood flow possible.

Medications

You should stop taking blood-thinning medications, including aspirin, three days before your surgery. Speak to your doctor about any medications you are taking to avoid any complications from stopping medications.

Vitamins

You should stop taking supplements a week before your surgery, particularly vitamin E and fish oils which can also cause heavy bleeding.