Istanbul, hour by hour.
The medical part of a hair transplant abroad worries people less than the travel part: a country you don't know, a language you don't speak, and the 2am question — who do I call if something feels wrong?
Here is the entire trip, with times, so there is nothing left to imagine. One person — your coordinator — is with you from the arrivals hall to the flight home, and on WhatsApp long after.
Day after surgery. One of our patients and his wife above the Bosphorus — recovery and a city break are not mutually exclusive.
Four days, no gaps to fill in
Times shown are typical for an afternoon arrival and a standard single-session procedure. Yours is confirmed in writing before you fly.
Day 1 — Arrival
- 1On landing
Met in the arrivals hall
Your coordinator — whose face and WhatsApp you'll already know — meets you personally. No hunting for a driver holding a misspelled sign.
- 2~45 min transfer
Private transfer to your hotel
Check-in is handled for you. If you've brought a partner or friend, the room is a twin or double at no drama and no surcharge.
- 3Late afternoon
Hospital: bloods and consultation
Blood tests processed on site, then the face-to-face consultation. The plan you agreed remotely is re-examined in person — and it can still change or stop here, at no cost.
- 4Evening
Free evening
Eat well, skip the alcohol (it thins blood), sleep normally. Your coordinator sends tomorrow's pickup time on WhatsApp.
Day 2 — Procedure
- 107:30
Pickup and admission
Light breakfast, comfortable clothes with a button or zip front — nothing pulled over the head for the next few days.
- 208:00–09:00
Hairline design, in the mirror, with you
Drawn, discussed, redrawn until you approve. Nothing starts until you're happy with the line — see Lloyd's design session.
- 309:00–16:00
The procedure
Local anaesthetic. You're awake — most patients watch films, doze, and complain about the lunch being too healthy. Breaks whenever you need them.
- 4~17:00
Back to the hotel, bandaged
Written aftercare, medication pack, neck pillow for sleeping upright, and your coordinator one message away all evening.
Day 3 — Check and wash
- 1Morning · ~30 min
Bandage off, first wash
Grafts checked, donor checked, the first wash done for you and taught to you, with the technique on paper and on video to take home.
- 2Rest of day
Yours — carefully
Gentle sightseeing is fine. Sun on the grafts, swimming, the gym and the barber are not. Your coordinator knows the shady restaurants.
Day 3 or 4 — Home
- 1Any flight time
Transfer and fly
Flying is safe from the day after surgery. Board last if you can, keep the headrest off the grafts, and yes — airport security is used to seeing post-transplant heads in Istanbul. Nobody will stare.
- 2Months 1–12
Follow-up from home
Photo reviews at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months on WhatsApp, with your team's comments — not an autoresponder. The 12-month review is the one that counts.
One named person, not a call centre
Every photo on this page with a patient in it also has the same other man in it. That's not an accident — it's the product. Airport, hospital, hotel, follow-up: one person who knows your case, speaks your language, and answers his phone.
He has done this trip hundreds of times. You are in practised hands from the moment you land.
Bring your partner. Or your mate. Honestly, bring your mate.
A striking number of our patients don't come alone — a wife who fancied Istanbul, a brother, two friends who booked the same week and recovered together over room-service football.
It works. Companions keep you honest about aftercare, the trip stops feeling medical, and two patients travelling together share transfers and support anyway — so we plan for it rather than pretending everyone comes solo.
The practical ones
Desk job: many patients fly out Thursday, are operated on Friday, and are back at their desk Monday or Tuesday — with a visibly post-operative head. If you'd rather colleagues didn't know, allow 10–14 days before you look unremarkable, or ask us about the unshaven technique. Physical work: two weeks minimum before heavy lifting and sweating.
Flights are the one thing you book yourself — from most of Europe, Istanbul is a 2–4 hour flight with constant availability. Visa requirements depend on your passport; most European nationals enter visa-free or with a simple e-visa. We send a country-specific checklist when you book.
Your coordinator handles everything in Turkish. Consultations run in English as standard, with other languages available on request. You will never be handed a Turkish-only document to sign — everything you sign, you sign in a language you read.
Walking distance or a short transfer from the clinic — and yes: we send you the actual hotel name before you pay a deposit, so you can check it on any review site yourself. A 4★ stay is included and a 5★ upgrade is available — either way you get the name first. Clinics that only say “5-star luxury hotel” without naming it are hoping you won't.
Button-up or zip-front shirts, a wide loose cap for the flight home (we'll tell you when you can wear it), your regular medications with a note of what you take, and half-empty luggage space for the aftercare kit. Leave the hair products at home — you won't be using them for a while.
You message the coordinator's number — the one that's been answering you all trip, not a “24/7 support line” that turns out to be a form. Genuine urgency while in Istanbul means the hospital where your procedure takes place — you get its address and emergency line on day one, in writing.
The trip is the easy part. Start with the plan.
Three photos gets you a surgeon-reviewed plan and a fixed price. The itinerary above gets attached to a date whenever you're ready — and not before.