Travelling abroad for cosmetic surgery can seem very appealing. Prices are often lower than undergoing treatment in this country. In recent times, there has been a big rise in men travelling abroad to undergo hair transplant procedures in places like Turkey, Hungary and Greece.
Mr Mouzakis has performed over 1600 hair transplants and is a fully accredited Plastic Surgeon based in the UK. His memberships and professional standards, commitment to superior patient service, as well as using the most up-to-date hair restoration techniques.
But are there any risks of going abroad for a hair transplant? Sadly there are many, and we’ve listed just a few below.
Clinical standards may not be the same
In this country, private doctors and surgeons are subject to strict hygiene and safety standards. Clinics are regularly inspected and reviewed by the Care Quality Commission to ensure that these standards are met.
Government bodies in other countries may not perform the same rigorous checks, and often a discounted price reflects this.
It is important to meet with your surgeon
In the UK it is expected that the first step in the hair transplant process is that you will meet your surgeon. In your consultation, you can discuss your personal hair loss experience and what you hope to achieve from the surgery. You must then be allowed a two week cooling-off period before booking in for the surgery itself.
When you book to have a hair transplant abroad, you will usually not meet with the surgeon until you have arrived in the country where the operation will be performed. So unless you have booked a very extended holiday, that mandatory cooling-off period is unlikely.
If you do have a consultation before leaving the UK, it is likely to be with a salesperson – not the surgeon. So their knowledge of the surgery itself is minimal, and whose main priority is to encourage you to go ahead.
Seeing the clinic
Another important consideration is the clinic itself. As mentioned above, it may well not be subject to the same stringent checks as a UK clinic, but you won’t know for sure what it is like without seeing it.
As medical tourism continues to rise, more and more people are seeking to take advantage of this by operating illegal clinics offering low-price procedures with minimal expertise, hygiene or safety standards.
Post-operative care
Of course talking to your surgeon is important before the procedure. But you need to be able to contact them with any concerns you may have afterwards too. So this can be very difficult to organise when they are based abroad.
With hair transplants in particular, it can take several months before the real results start to be seen. And you may well have a number of questions and worries in the intervening period.
Dr Mooz and his experienced team in the UK are committed to you throughout the whole hair transplant process. From the initial consultation to every aftercare appointment, they are with you every step of the way. There is also a 24-hour phone line should you feel worried or concerned about anything.
Mr Michael Mouzakis is one of the UK’s top hair transplant surgeons, so if you are considering a hair transplant, you couldn’t be in better hands. For more information or to book an appointment, please contact us.