Score 1
Named medical accountability
A clinic should identify who assesses suitability, designs the hairline, supervises extraction, controls recipient sites, manages medicines, and handles complications. A coordinator-only process is not enough for medical decision-making.
- Ask who the responsible doctor is and what they personally do.
- Ask which steps are delegated and under what supervision.
- Ask how the doctor reviews medical history before travel.
- Ask who signs off final suitability on operation day.
Score 2
Donor plan quality
A strong clinic explains donor capacity, safe extraction, future hair loss, and what graft number would be unsafe. A weak clinic sells the highest number without donor logic.
- Ask how donor capacity is estimated before travel and confirmed in person.
- Ask what donor reserve remains after the procedure.
- Ask how overharvesting is avoided.
- Ask what happens if fewer grafts are safely available than expected.
Score 3
Consent and alternatives
Good consent covers benefits, risks, alternatives, uncertainty, recovery, costs, and who is responsible. It should include discussion of no surgery, medical treatment, staged planning, or delay where appropriate.
- Ask for written risk and alternative information before travel.
- Ask whether medication or monitoring should be considered first.
- Ask what would make the clinic postpone or refuse surgery.
- Ask whether final consent is rushed on operation morning.
Score 4
Realistic claims and photo evidence
Before-after photos are useful only if they are comparable and contextual. Success-rate claims should define what is being measured and when.
- Look for consistent lighting, angles, hair length, and timepoints.
- Ask whether photos show similar hair type and loss pattern to yours.
- Ask what a success-rate claim actually measures.
- Avoid guaranteed-result and risk-free wording.
Score 5
Aftercare and return-home support
Aftercare should include written wash guidance, medicines, red flags, follow-up photo schedule, emergency contact, and handoff documents for local clinicians if needed.
- Ask what happens outside clinic hours after surgery.
- Ask what symptoms require local urgent care after returning home.
- Ask when and how follow-up photos are reviewed.
- Ask for an operation summary and medication list before leaving Turkey.
Score 6
Price transparency and insurance awareness
Package price should not hide medical exclusions, refund terms, revision rules, hotel costs, transfer limits, medicines, tests, or complication responsibilities. Insurance exclusions should be checked before payment.
- Ask what is included and excluded from the package price.
- Ask deposit, refund, postponement, and revision terms in writing.
- Ask whether medical unsuitability affects refund rules.
- Check travel insurance wording before booking.
How to use
Reject clinics that fail on fundamentals
A low price or impressive photo should not override missing medical accountability, weak donor planning, poor consent, vague aftercare, or unrealistic claims. The scorecard is meant to identify risk before money and travel pressure make decisions harder.
- Use the same questions with every clinic.
- Save written answers, not just verbal promises.
- Compare how clinics explain uncertainty, not only advantages.
- Prefer a clinic that says no to unsafe requests over one that promises everything.
