Nearly one million people travel to Istanbul, Turkey each year for a very specific reason—and it’s not to hunt for treasures inside the Grand Bazaar’s labyrinth of shops or take in the grandeur of the Blue Mosque. It’s to bring home a new head of hair. You may have seen the many TikToks and memes about hordes of men flocking to “Hairstanbul” for hair transplants and flying back to the United States with bandages wrapped around their freshly shaved scalps—even New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joked he’s taking minoxidil to try and “push off Turkey”—but it’s not just men who are crossing borders in pursuit of more luscious locks. A growing number of women—especially Black women—appear to be doing the same.

Eloise Dufka, a 25-year-old fashion and lifestyle content creator based in New York City, says that her most-worn hairstyle is a slicked-back bun. To be more precise: Dufka has been tugging her hair back into a sleek up-do about six times a week since 2022. “I feel so much more confident when my hair is slicked back,” she says. “I love the way it looks. I love how my jawline is accentuated.” But after almost four years (and an estimated 1,300 slicked back styles) later, she started to notice the hair framing her face was thinning. Dufka did not receive a formal diagnosis from a dermatologist, but assumes that she was dealing with traction alopecia, a form of hair loss caused by continuously pulling on the hair follicles. Instead of seeking out medical care in the United States, she decided it was time to head to Turkey.

Although that may seem like an impulsive decision for someone to make—a hair transplant is, in fact, a major medical procedure—Dufka wasn’t too concerned. “I live my life on a YOLO basis,” she says, adding that she’d rather get the procedure over with than spend her time trying to see if other hair restoration methods would work.

During her preliminary research last fall, Dufka came across a woman on TikTok who had posted about the positive experience she had at the Turkish clinic HairNeva. It was one of the only clinics she found that had multiple testimonials from women. She was sold, and contacted them through their website. The process was simple: After sending the clinic photos of her hairline and chatting with a concierge about what the procedure entails, she received a text summarizing their call with photos of what the surgery would look like along with how many grafts they think they’ll need and a quote for how much it would cost. Shortly after, she booked her roundtrip flights from Paris to Istanbul for a few weeks later.

On November 13, 2025, Dufka hopped aboard “Turkish Hair Lines” and landed in Istanbul. She was picked up from the airport by transportation arranged by HairNeva and brought to a Marriott hotel housed in the same building as the clinic. The next morning she had a consultation with her doctor, where they took her blood, did an EKG, and marked up her new hairline for approval. After, they shaved a small window on the back of Dufka’s head to prepare for harvesting donor follicles, brought her into the operating room where she was numbed, and then, the extraction began. Dufka had 1,850 grafts removed, which took around four hours. “You're face down, you're not asleep,” she says, “and then after that, they flip you from face down to face up and they go straight into implanting.”

In total, Dufka was in the operating room for eight to nine hours with one break in the middle. While she says that, in retrospect, she could’ve easily flown home the next day, she had booked a hotel in Turkey until November 19 because she couldn’t predict how much she’d swell. The total cost of her procedure was $2,900—it was originally $3,300, but she says she received a “winter discount.” She was not compensated nor given an additional discount for later posting about her experience on social media.

Dr. Crystal Agbuh, a board-certified dermatologist and director of the Ethnic Skin Program at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, says hair loss among women has exploded in recent years. While there are reports that this may be due to a number of things like GLP-1 use, an increase in stress, and the COVID pandemic, Dr. Agbuh offers another explanation: “It's an epidemic, and that's because of traction alopecia.” An uptick in awareness surrounding the condition may be another reason why Dr. Agbuh has been seeing more patients recently, she says. It also could be why the majority of women Allure has seen posting about their hair loss-related jaunts to Turkey are Black.

While other types of hair loss, like androgenetic alopecia—a condition caused by genetics and hormones that shrinks hair follicles that’s also known as female-pattern hair loss—are more common and occur equally across racial and ethnic groups, Dr. Agbuh says traction alopecia disproportionately affects women of color because they’re more likely to wear tight buns, braids, weaves, and locs that put added pressure on hair follicles. Curly hair is also more fragile and easier to pull out. While the sources who responded to Allure's interview requests for this story were all Black women, Dr. Agbuh says traction alopecia is also occurring at significantly higher rates in women who have straight hair due to the increasing popularity in hair extensions and slicked-back hairstyles.

According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS), the number of women receiving hair transplants across the globe rose by 16.5% between 2021 and 2024. People aren't flocking to Turkey for new hairlines because the country's surgeons have access to cutting-edge transplant technology that’s unavailable in the U.S. It's in large part because it has two other things: Low prices and a great PR team. Turkey’s growing hair transplant and restoration industry in particular entices people with easy-to-digest all-inclusive packages advertised on their websites, online placements, and social media. Dufka was able to receive her hair transplant, a platelet-rich plasma treatment (also known as PRP, a process that injects your own processed blood into your scalp and is considered to be a helpful treatment for hair regrowth), one month of medicated shampoo and conditioner and post-op medication, local transportation, and accommodations for two nights in her package deal. Meals and the flights to Turkey weren’t included, so she paid for her tickets from Paris, where she was staying at the time, and back to the United States.

Fateh Bey, a communications professional at HairNeva, says the clinic has recently invested in partnering with more influencers (a.k.a giving them free or discounted treatments in exchange for posting about their experience) from the United States and the United Kingdom to bring in more international patients. “Right now we are living in a world where people keep browsing social media,” Bey says. “People are on Instagram, TikTok, and social media all the time, so when they see one of the influencers they follow or they trust and they see that they went to a clinic and did a treatment, they are more intrigued to research this clinic.” Each hair transplant recipient Allure spoke to for this story says they were influenced to book their procedures by first-person testimonials they saw on social media, so it seems like HairNeva’s plan is working. (They also said they did not receive any influencer discounts in exchange for posting.)

Dr. Oma Agbai, a board-certified dermatologist based in Northern California who has expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of hair and scalp disorders, says she’s personally seen how social media has inspired more women to seek out treatment for their hair loss. “I am getting more and more women coming in asking not only for hair transplantation, but also for just hair restoration in general,” she says, which includes non-surgical modes like PRP and both topical and oral medications. It makes sense—sharing an intimate experience like a hair transplant online is a surefire way to go viral, and seeing someone’s first-hand review can encourage others to follow in the creator’s footsteps or, at least, take the first step in seeking out treatment.

Affordability is also a driving factor for many patients who decide to leave the country: As previously reported by Allure, a hair transplant in the United States could run you upwards of $20,000; the four women who were interviewed for this story all paid under $4,000 for similar comprehensive packages. This reduced price is made possible in part by the country’s decades-long investment into its medical tourism sector, cheap labor, and low equipment costs.

Chizi Duru, a 30-year-old beauty influencer who built a career styling her natural 4C hair, says the low cost was what motivated her to book the procedure abroad. Duru first started noticing hair loss and soreness in her scalp around 2016. After years of unanswered questions, continuing symptoms, and thinning around her hairline, she underwent a scalp biopsy in 2024. At last, she received an answer: androgenetic alopecia. “Part of me grieves for my younger self and all the time that I could have been preventing this [pain] or getting it treated much earlier,” she told Allure last year following her diagnosis. “But I'm also grateful that I decided to advocate for myself and try again and get some answers.”

With help from New York City-based dermatologist Michelle Henry, Duru started a combination of prescription minoxidil (the active ingredient in Rogaine which, as an oral medication, is FDA-approved to treat high blood pressure but is often prescribed off-label for hair growth) and ketoconazole shampoo (a topical that helps manage hair thinning). On top of that, she started applying hair serums and vitamins she received from brands, giving herself scalp massages, using a dermaroller, and washing her hair more often. Still, it wasn’t enough. “Although I was seeing a little bit of improvement with hair growth, it wasn't drastic enough for me to be okay with that for the rest of my life,” she says.

A year after her diagnosis, Duru was scrolling through social media when a Turkey hair transplant vlog caught her attention. It was the final catalyst in her decision to go overseas. “I saw the video probably in April, and I went for the treatment in May,” she says. “It was very fast.” She paid $3,600 in total for her all-inclusive package and an additional $1,300 for a roundtrip flight.

Tia, a 34-year-old director at a non-profit based in Atlanta who asked to be referred to by first name only, had been experiencing thinning around her hairline since she was 15 years old. She too made a spur-of-the-moment decision after scrolling. “It's always been something that I was really self-conscious about. I never wore my hair up in ponytails because of the thinning of the edges,” she says. During her first and only PRP treatment two years ago, the technician suggested that she may be experiencing traction alopecia, although she has not received a formal diagnosis. She decided to look into hair restoration surgery in the U.S., but was quoted over $7,000—a number she says was out of her budget at the time.

This past summer, Tia decided to take action. “I saw this one girl's results [online] and it was about two o'clock in the morning, and I was like, You know what? I'm just going to book it and I'm going to do it,” she says. The clinic Tia ended up reaching out to was Heva Clinic, which markets itself as “Afro-textured Hair Experts” and also offers dental work. “Heva Clinic is the one I kept seeing Black women going to with really good results,” she says. Tia arrived in Turkey on September 18, 2025, and received her hair transplant on the 19th. The next day, she was on a flight back home. In all, she paid $2,600 for the package and $700 for flights to and from Atlanta.

Not all women who seek out hair transplants are experiencing hair loss. Nychy Eyanna, a 26-year-old based in Virginia, says she received a hair transplant to make her forehead smaller. She had been studying abroad in Italy when she came across a video on TikTok of someone flying to Turkey for a transplant. After watching, she booked her appointment for less than two weeks later. “I always just told myself if the chance ever came to make [my forehead] smaller, I would do it,” she says. “The opportunity came, I had the money, I was already living in Europe, and I decided to do it before I came back to the U.S.” While Eyanna is happy she went through with the procedure, she says she “hasn’t had great hair growth” since her surgery in 2023—so much so that she’s thinking about getting another one.

Dr. Jason Champagne, a double board-certified plastic surgeon and hair-restoration surgeon based in Beverly Hills often recommends a hairline lowering procedure, which is when the hairline is physically pulled down through an incision, instead of a hair transplant to decrease forehead size. For women who choose the transplant route, Dr. Champagne says achieving the same density at the hairline is difficult because grafts can’t be placed too close together. This may be what Eyanna is experiencing.

While the internet may make it seem like women are heading to Turkey in droves, it’s still a small percentage of the entire hair restoration industry. Medical tourism as we know it is booming, although most American professionals would not recommend traveling to a foreign country for any kind of cosmetic surgery. Dr. Champagne says that while crossing borders for care is ultimately the patient’s decision, it needs to be an educated one. "I wouldn't say that surgeons in Turkey are less qualified and that this procedure is not properly researched. There are many qualified surgeons there,” he tells Allure. “But people going to some high-volume or destination clinics, whether in Turkey or somewhere else, should pay attention not only to price and marketing but also to the actual performance of their surgery."

“Be cautious and do your homework,” he adds, “and at a minimum, try to get to the bottom of why you're experiencing hair loss before you jump right into a surgical procedure.”

Dr. Champagne says whether a patient is receiving medical care in the U.S. or Turkey or anywhere else in the world, they should know exactly who is going to perform the procedure, their qualifications and experience, and how personalized the surgical plan is going to be. “Hair restoration cannot be regarded as something related solely to a number of grafts being moved,” he says. “Factors such as hairline design, the direction and angle of every single graft, proper density, preserving the donor area, and plans for future hair loss will help to achieve long-term, natural results.”

Plus, any negative side effects from the surgery (not to mention future hair loss) can be difficult to care for when you’re across the globe. “The issue of continuity of care is also very important,” Dr. Champagne says. “If the procedure is performed abroad, it may be difficult for the original surgeon to evaluate and manage concerns once the patient has returned home.” Those concerns could be things like infections, poor healing, excessive swelling, shedding, scarring, problems with graft survival or growth. “The patient may then need to seek care from a physician who did not perform the procedure and may not be familiar with the surgical technique used or the specifics of their case,” he explains. “That lack of continuity can make postoperative care more challenging.”

A hair transplantation is generally considered a safe surgery, but can come with complications like an adverse reaction to anesthesia, infection, or bleeding. “The worst case scenario would be death,” he says, which is true no matter where you’re getting the procedure.

The women Allure spoke with for this story are satisfied with the treatment they received but still had to deal with the not-so pleasant healing process, which can entail itching, scabbing, swelling, sleeping upright for two weeks, temporary shedding, not exercising for a month, and waiting an entire year before seeing final results. Taking time off work beyond the travel days is also a likely scenario, and may need to be factored into the total cost.

Duru posted a follow-up video to YouTube this past July detailing her hair transplant experience and healing process. “The main thing that was really uncomfortable was sleeping,” she says, describing how she had to sleep propped upright so her head didn’t touch any surfaces. Another side effect she wasn’t prepared for was the itchiness. “The only thing to kind of alleviate it was [washing] my hair every day,” she says. She also used aloe vera on her donor section and, after ten days, started putting hydrocortisone on her scalp. And she purchased a cap that she kept in the freezer to wear around her house.

Then, there’s the scabbing process. “Listen, if you are somebody that gets triggered by textures on your scalp or seeing a lot of bumps, [you] may want to think twice about a hair transplant because that de-scabbing process is so triggering,” Duru says in her video. She also spoke about how she couldn’t exercise or sweat for a month.

Another side effect that’s entirely possible? The transplant just might not work.

The majority of men with hair loss experience male pattern baldness, a diagnosis that makes them good candidates for hair transplants because it follows a predictable pattern and often leaves donor areas intact. For women, there are many more reasons for hair loss: There’s female pattern baldness, yes, but also different types of alopecia can be caused by stress, hormones, and nutritional deficiencies, and don’t necessarily make the patients good candidates for hair transplants. “It really is not as simple as simply transplanting the hair follicles,” Dr. Agbai says. “[You] really need to treat the underlying cause of hair loss so that the transplanted hairs do not continue to thin out over time.” The best candidates overall, she says, are people whose hair loss has been medically stabilized. Otherwise, hair loss can continue to happen even after a procedure.

According to the patients Allure spoke with, many of these clinics overseas only evaluate patients through photographs before they come in, though, including HairNeva and Heva Clinic. “That makes it difficult to diagnose any inflammatory or scarring hair disorder,” says Dr. Agbai, which can lead to a failed hair transplant. Most commonly, that means there’s low graft survival—that happens when there are fewer successful follicles than expected, resulting in inadequate density or coverage. “It can also refer to an unnatural-appearing result, such as an unnatural hairline, direction, or distribution of the transplanted hairs, or simply a result that does not meet the patient’s expectations,” she adds.

According to Bey, the process at HairNeva goes something like this: A patient reaches out either through the clinic’s website or social media profiles and is immediately contacted by a medical consultant. The medical consultant will ask “a couple” of medical questions and request photos of the scalp. Through the photos, the consultant will assess the patient’s hair loss using the Norwood-Hamilton Scale (which was developed by studying only male patients and is typically used to diagnose which stage of male pattern hair loss a person is in). Then, the medical consultant will schedule a call to discuss how many grafts they think the patient will need, how many sessions it will take, and how many days they’ll stay in Turkey. They’ll also answer any further patient questions. After that’s complete, HairNeva will then ask for a deposit to secure the appointment.

HairNeva rejects female patients less frequently than male patients because they usually have more hair in donor areas. “Weakness in the donor area can cause rejection to the case because there's not enough grafts to take,” Bey says. “But in the case of women, women's hair is very dense… so it's never rejected because of the hair status. It's mainly rejected because of a health situation,” including pregnancy and breastfeeding. The clinic does not provide a formal diagnosis for hair loss.

Dr. Agbai says there are three steps to take before turning to a hair transplant, which should be the very last step in the hair restoration process. “You should not just walk in, get a procedure, and go home,” she says. “You need to walk in, get a diagnosis, get stabilized, treat the underlying cause of hair loss, and then, yes, hair transplantation.” Stabilization, she says, means hair stops actively thinning for at least six months. Pre-transplant options include PRP treatments and exosome therapy (a topical that can be used in combination with microneedling) as well as oral and other topical medications.

While the doctors Allure spoke with have all had patients travel to Istanbul for the procedure, they won’t recommend specific clinics in the country. “I always refer to colleagues in the United States. I do not provide referrals to [clinics in] Turkey, ” says Dr. Agbuh. “I don't know who's operating there. I do not know what their certifications are.” If a patient comes to her before their surgery abroad, Dr. Agbuh cautions them of the potential risks. Then? “After that, that's on you,” she says.

Hair loss itself doesn’t cause any physical harm, but the mental toll can be immense—especially for women. “Hair represents identity and self-confidence and femininity and the way a woman shows up in the world to herself and to others, and it's deeply, deeply personal,” Dr. Agbai says. “Hair loss can have a very profound psychological impact.” This can be particularly true for Black women. “It can feel like one of our most important jobs, specifically as a Black woman, is avoiding hair loss at all costs,” journalist Zahra Spencer wrote in a story for Allure in 2025.

Right before Duru decided to book her trip to Turkey, she was in what she calls a “state of deep sadness. I was sad that my hair had thinned out so drastically that I could not wear my hair in its natural state anymore,” she says. “As somebody that is not only known for my hair and creating natural hair videos, just personally, I enjoy my hair. I want to wear my hair out. I want the freedom of that. Even though I know there are other options like wigs and extensions, there's nothing like the freedom of being able to wear your own hair.”

Read more about hair loss:

• I Tried Everything to Treat My Hair Loss
• The Best Products for Thinning Hair to Create Fullness and Lift
• I Never Thought I’d Be Wearing a Toupee at 46, But Here We Are