Those of you who went to Turkey - what was it like?

[happyandsad]

My brother and I plan on going to Istanbul in January for our hair transplants.  I’ve done plenty of research but I always like to hear different experiences.

How long did you stay and what was the flight like on the way back?  Did you get a lot of funny looks at the airport/on the plane (lol)? 

How was your experience overall?

[ITA]

@happyandsad If your concern is the curious glances of people, especially at the Istanbul airport, I can calmly tell you to stay calm, in Istanbul, especially the locals are used to seeing hundreds of people with headbands and hats on their head, many know  that in Turkey you go there as well as to see the beauties of the city also to do hair transplants.  Your concern should instead be to rely on certified clinicians and surgeons, there is a myriad of pseudo-clinics where, if you mess up, you could find yourself ruined for life.  I can advise you to choose well so who will have to put your hands on your head and not give a damn about everything else.  Good luck

[Dazed]

I consider other elements when considering 4N travel.  What good is a nice transplant if you have no head.

The FCO has advised that Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, and Ankara, its capital, are mostly safe. ... The FCO says that “most terrorist attacks have taken place in Ankara and Istanbul”, but adds that “attacks are most likely to target the Turkish state, civilians and demonstrations” rather than tourist hotspots.Oct 14, 2019

[brinner]

Interesting question:

 

After the procedure I went straight to the hotel and to the airport a day after. Staff are used to patients.

At the airport I went to the Tax Refund and the guy asked me how much I paid for the procedure.

At the gate (Istanbul airport) I saw another older gentleman with some recent scars on his head.

In Frankfurt, the security guy told me he see's a lot of people with scars (from HT) coming from Turkey. 
Inside the plane (in Frankfurt) the flight attendants greeted me very politely and offered me water since I had to run to reach the connecting flight. People stared at me but they would do the same anyways since I was the last person boarding the plane.

Arriving in US, I saw a couple talking about my scars in the back (while we were walking to the luggage claim area). After a few seconds, the husband mentioned "hair". So they probably were trying to figure it out what my scars were.

 

No "funny" looks 99.9% of the time. When you take the flight, you're not using white bandages anymore and people won't keep staring at you. Don't worry about it.