Turkey’s hair transplant boom is powered by modified tools and AI

In short: Turkey became a global hub for hair transplants by adapting existing medical tools and adding AI systems that help doctors plan procedures more safely.

What's going on

Turkey’s hair transplant business has grown into a major part of medical tourism, with 1.39 million people visiting the country for medical treatment in 2025, according to Turkey’s Ministry of Health. Wired reports that a significant share of these visits are for aesthetic treatments, which include hair work. Global estimates put the hair transplant market at roughly $7 billion to $12 billion in 2024.

The report says the growth was not only about lower prices. Clinics and suppliers in Turkey modified equipment to handle large demand. For example, companies adapted cheaper motors originally used by dental labs, then redesigned them so blood would not damage the device. This helped cut some procedures from two or three days to about six hours.

Turkey also adopted new tools and techniques. Some clinics switched to FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction, which removes hair roots one by one instead of cutting a strip of skin), which can mean fewer risks and a faster recovery. Suppliers also began using synthetic sapphire tips, first used in eye surgery, to make cleaner channels in the scalp, and they created special “punch” tools for curly hair follicles.

AI is starting to play a role too. Wired describes a system called KE-BOT that scans a patient’s head, takes hundreds of images, and uses machine learning (software that learns patterns from examples, like a photo sorting app) to count follicles and measure hair thickness. Doctors can use this data to estimate how many grafts can be taken without permanently thinning the donor area.

What to watch

Wired also points to a downside: unlicensed “hair mill” clinics that rush high volumes of patients, sometimes using untrained technicians. For patients, experts quoted in the report recommend checking that a clinic and doctor are properly licensed, and being cautious of quick promises based on a single photo.

Source: Wired