To travel abroad or stay home?

[toasteroven]

I was hoping for a discussion of the risks and rewards of traveling abroad for a hair transplant!

I'm based in California and I'm in the fortunate position of being able to afford a surgery in the United States. But based on my consultations, it seems my surgery is going to be larger in graft count and so traveling will mean sizable savings. (Think $10-12,000.) It's not just savings motivating me either, as Dr. Bicer in Turkey has done similar cases to mine and her work really impresses me.

That being said, I'm a little hesitant about traveling abroad for a medical procedure. I know it's unlikely, but in the event something goes wrong, I worry about being far from home and outside the protection of my medical insurance. There's already so much unknown in taking this leap; adding in travel to a country I've never visited (and where I don't speak the language) only compounds to it!

My question is: Are there any real risks to traveling abroad? Or is this just anxiety talking? I'm sure I'm not the only one who's wrestled with this issue. Any and all advice is recommended!

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by toasteroven

[StillAlive]

It's the anxiety talking man.

Turkey actively sells HT's to foreigners, it's a really big industry to them, medical tourism. Same as with regular tourism, it's in their best interest to protect their reputation for that because it puts a lot of food on a lot of families' tables. The cost of a 'cheap' HT in Turkey is the equivalent of 6-7 months' salaries for the average Turkish office worker. (Do the math in terms of EUR or USD). There is no real danger if you know how to behave yourself. 

Take the leap, life is short.

[Fue3361]

The risks to traveling abroad are very slim, as long as you're smart about it.

Research where your hotel is.  Research what areas are safe.  Once that is done, do the bare minimum like "don't walk around with a gold rolex on" if it's a third word country.  

As for risks due to complications, a HT is a very very safe procedure when done by a real professional.  Complications only ever arise from bad hair transplants, where there is overpacking, unsanitary conditions, etc.  This should never happen in a top end clinic.  Not something I'd worry about.

Sure, might you be extremely unlucky and have a bad outcome?  Yeah, but that can also happen in your home town.