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Once upon a time there’s no doubt that hair transplant surgery was off the menu for most. It was a relatively new treatment on the block and in addition, it was incredibly expensive. In fact, the only people who you did tend to see receive the procedure was the rich and famous.

travel for hair transplant

Well, times are changing. Is this still an expensive form of hair loss treatment? Unfortunately, it is. However, prices are becoming more competitive and particularly in Tunisia, there are some really reputable clinics to visit.

In fact, a lot of people are heading specially to Tunisia just to take advantage of clinics that offer this surgery. If you do fall into this category, or you are a resident of the country looking for the surgery, let’s mull over the main information that you should be digesting before you go ahead.

 

Is the surgery going to be painful?

Let’s start with a bit of a general point about the level of discomfort you can expect when you do opt for this procedure.

Firstly, it’s worth pointing out that this is a procedure which is carried out under local anaesthesia. Ultimately, it means that you will be awake during proceedings, but the area in question will be numbed and this means that you should not feel any pain.

The nature of the surgery can be emphasized through the fact that many patients opt to entertain themselves with a book, or even television, during the eight or so hours that it takes. Many clinics will also schedule a lunch break and again, this just highlights how relaxed things are once you start the surgery.

In terms of exact levels of pain, this will depend on your own pain thresholds. It’s worth stating that there isn’t a one-fits-all painkiller here; you can receive any number of different dosages depending on how you are feeling. As such, pain levels can be managed very well and generally kept down to a minimum.

 

How should you plan for the treatment?

Before you travel for the treatment, it’s worth reading up exactly what it is going to entail. Hopefully, much of this guide will help you out here, but you should also research about the various types of hair transplant treatments that are available in Tunisia. For example, you might opt for FUT, FUE or PRP – all of which have their advantages and drawbacks. Most clinics will give you the lowdown on each to help you along your way, and help you find out which is the most suitable for your own circumstances.

It’s also worth understanding your current condition. If you are traveling to Tunisia from abroad, be aware that you might need various vaccinations before visiting the country. On a similar note, depending on where you are traveling from, you might also require a Visa.

Finally, remember that this isn’t a quick procedure. As we have already alluded to, it can take eight hours, and when this is combined with the recovery time you will probably be looking at two overnight stays. On top of this, most people will require a further week to recover – which should be built into your trip.

 

What are the do’s and don’ts before the surgery?

The nature of hair transplant surgery means that there are various do’s and don’ts you need to take into account beforehand. For example, you should not cut your hair in the two weeks beforehand. This detail should be left to the surgeons to carry out.

Perhaps a more surprising tip relates to hair products though. As well as not cutting your hair, you should cease using any products like shampoos or lotions which are designed to prevent hair loss.

From that point on the “standard” rules apply. This means that you shouldn’t smoke 36 hours before the surgery and not drink alcohol in the week prior to it, and the three days after it. Taking the likes of aspirin and vitamin E is something that should not occur once you get three days from the operation as well.

 

What do you need to take along with you?

You will need all of the usual essentials here; ranging from your medical history right the way to emergency numbers.

One of the more interesting items you will need to take is your shirts. Be careful on which ones you pack, as you won’t be able to pull clothes over your head. It means that the best piece of advice in relation to shirts is to take ones that button-up.

You should also bring any items that can keep you entertained as well. Sure, the reputable clinics in Tunisia have televisions, but books are always recommended, or anything else that you can think of which will make things a bit more tolerable for you during the procedure.

 

What about after the treatment?

As already mentioned, there is something of a recovery period associated with hair transplant treatment and this is something that you need to build into your travel plans.

It should go without saying that these travel plans should not include sunbathing. After all, in the immediate aftermath, the area that has been transplanted will be covered by bandages. It will be sore and swollen, and this is likely to be the case for the best part of the next week.

When we mentioned sunbathing, it wasn’t just because of the aesthetics of the bandage either. Any sweat that goes into the area that has been transplanted might make the healing process a little less efficient, as well as increasing the chance of infections. Nevertheless, you should still look to perform light exercise, just so you can keep your circulation in good order.

 

Are there any clinic recommendations?

Following on from the above, let’s move onto some suggestions for clinics. Unsurprisingly, this is a growing industry and while you might have struggled to find many establishments in Tunisia offering hair transplant surgery a few years ago, now this isn’t the case. In fact, some of the best in the world are now located in this country.

The first recommendation is Dr Khaled Meddeb, who is based in Tunis. This doctor has one of the best reputations in the whole nation when it comes to this treatment, as he was the first in Tunisia to practice true follicular unit transplantation. This was almost 20 years ago and since then, he has prospered to become one of the most respected professionals in the industry. He works with a team of five and at the time of writing, he will only practice FUE treatments.

The next one we will recommend comes in the form of Cosmetic Tour. This is a company who specialise in both FUE and FUT, and happen to operate under a certified doctor. This is one of the most modern facilities in Tunisia and this is one of many reasons that it tends to attract patients from all around the globe. In other words, it’s very friendly to non-locals, which will be an important point for some of you. In fact, if we breach this point further, the clinic will even arrange to pick you up and drop you off at the airport.

 

About Olivia Marsh

Olivia Marsh - Author - Professional chef and Travel enthusiast.
Culinary Institute of America (CIA) graduate. Chef Marsh has traveled the globe from France, Italy, Germany to China, Thailand, India, Tunisia and more.
Olivia lived in Tunisia for almost 10 years now.
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