Authors :
Samuel Filima; Victor Binoit
Volume/Issue :
Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 8 - August
Google Scholar :
https://tinyurl.com/yh4s9m2a
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26aug1600
Note : A published paper may take 4-5
working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and
ResearchGate.
Abstract :
Background
Hair transplantation is a high-volume component of the global medical tourism market, valued at USD 76.1 billion in
2025 [1]. Pricing is organised under two contrasting structures: per-graft billing, common in Western private markets, and
fixed all-inclusive packages, common in Turkey. The total-cost implications of these structures have not been systematically
compared.
Methods
Retrospective cohort of 220 male patients treated with FUE or DHI at a single centre in Istanbul between January 2024
and December 2025, stratified by Norwood-Hamilton stage into three cohorts. The two pricing structures were compared
using a standardised graft-count scenario (weighted-mean cohort volume of approximately 3,600 grafts). Comparative
pricing for the United States, United Kingdom, and Dubai was drawn from published market averages. Graft survival was
not a primary outcome of this cohort and is referenced from the clinic’s separate graft-survival studies.
Keywords :
Hair Transplantation; Health Economics; Medical Tourism; Cost Analysis; Follicular Unit Extraction; Turkey.
References :
- Global Market Insights. Medical Tourism Market Size & Share, 2026–2035 (Report GMI3022). Selbyville: Global Market Insights Inc.; February 2026.
- Fan Z, et al. The effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy combined with hair transplantation surgery for the treatment of alopecia. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2021. doi:10.1111/jocd.13665. [full citation details to be verified before submission]
- Vera Clinic Academy. A prospective observational cohort study on hair transplantation growth dynamics and regrowth timelines in 789 patients: photogrammetric and AI-assisted trichoscopic evaluation. Unpublished data / manuscript in preparation.
- Yalçın E, Filima V. Graft survival rates following follicular unit extraction at 12 and 24 months: a retrospective cohort study at Vera Clinic, Istanbul, Turkey. Unpublished data / manuscript in preparation.
- Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Health, Directorate of Health Tourism. Health services price tariff within the scope of health tourism and tourist health (Annex Ek-2A; minimum tariff). Ankara: Ministry of Health.
- Vera Clinic. Hair transplant Turkey cost 2026 (published price schedule). Available at: veraclinic.net/hair-transplant-turkey-cost/
- Rassman WR, Bernstein RM, McClellan R, Jones R, Worton E, Uyttendaele H. Follicular unit extraction: minimally invasive surgery for hair transplantation. Dermatol Surg. 2002;28(8):720–728.
Background
Hair transplantation is a high-volume component of the global medical tourism market, valued at USD 76.1 billion in
2025 [1]. Pricing is organised under two contrasting structures: per-graft billing, common in Western private markets, and
fixed all-inclusive packages, common in Turkey. The total-cost implications of these structures have not been systematically
compared.
Methods
Retrospective cohort of 220 male patients treated with FUE or DHI at a single centre in Istanbul between January 2024
and December 2025, stratified by Norwood-Hamilton stage into three cohorts. The two pricing structures were compared
using a standardised graft-count scenario (weighted-mean cohort volume of approximately 3,600 grafts). Comparative
pricing for the United States, United Kingdom, and Dubai was drawn from published market averages. Graft survival was
not a primary outcome of this cohort and is referenced from the clinic’s separate graft-survival studies.
Keywords :
Hair Transplantation; Health Economics; Medical Tourism; Cost Analysis; Follicular Unit Extraction; Turkey.