Man, 34, ‘Wanted a Nicer Hairline’ So He Got a Hair Transplant in Turkey. The Cost of 4,200 Grafts Is Shocking

Jared Gravatt had been considering a hair transplant for “years” and he tells PEOPLE about the process of going to Turkey to get it done

 

 

Jared Gravatt, 34, wanted to “stop thinking” about his hair all the time, so he went to Turkey for a hair transplant

• He got 4,200 grafts on the top of his head during a seven-hour procedure
• The hair transplant package he chose costs $4,500, which he says is a fourth of what it would cost him in the U.S.

Jared Gravatt was “gifted with the genes of a receding hairline,” as he puts it.

The 34-year-old from rural Illinois dabbled in hair-growth treatments throughout his life and tells PEOPLE that he considered getting a hair transplant for “years.” It wasn’t until one of his friends went to Turkey for the procedure that he decided to do the same thing himself.

“He went to Istanbul, and he had amazing results and said it was one of the best decisions he’s ever made,” Gravatt tells PEOPLE. It’s what convinced him to look into Now Hair Time, the same facility his friend went to, for his own transformation journey — which he’s been documenting on Instagram over the past few months.

“I love traveling, so the idea of getting it done in Turkey wasn’t intimidating to me,” Gravatt explains of choosing to go to Istanbul for his hair transplant. “A lot of people asked why I didn’t get it done in America, but I liked the idea of going somewhere, plus it was about a fourth of the cost over there.”

Because Gravatt was working from his friend’s recommendation and the power of good social media marketing, he quickly trusted Now Hair Time. He was even more convinced it was the spot for him after he started the consultation process, which includes an extensive health check with a representative from the facility who evaluates a potential client’s scalp and determines what may be necessary for the procedure.

It’s also during this process that potential clients can ask as many questions as they want, which Gravatt found especially soothing as a self-proclaimed “anxious” person. Everything is laid out in terms of how many grafts will be needed to transplant the hair on the scalp and where it will come from, what transplanting procedure will be used, what your stay at the facility will look like, how long your stay will be, etc. — and it’s customizable.

Now Hair Time offers different tiers of packages that you can tailor to your needs and your budget. Gravatt notes it’s cheaper than what you’ll find in the U.S. and has what he calls a “clean, professional” environment. He was also given access to a translator at all times.

What’s unique — and appealing — about many of these medical and esthetic facilities in other countries is that on top of the procedures they’re offering to patients, they’re also including a luxury experience. This is part of what is drawing people from other countries (in addition to the price). Gravatt says as much and notes that for his hair transplant package, not only did he get the procedure, but he was also given a luxury transfer from the airport and a stay in a five-star hotel, as part of the package. The package options vary, but this tends to be the standard, in Turkey especially.

 

Jared Gravatt in Turkey.

Gravatt’s FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) transplant took upwards of seven hours. He was in a twilight state the whole time, which he says was a weird feeling, but at least there was no pain.

“They took the donor hairs out and then they punched holes on the top and they implanted those donor hairs on the top. They did 4,200 grafts for me,” he says.

Immediately after, he was told all his dos and don’ts — drink water, don’t touch your head, don’t hit your head, don’t have sex. He essentially had to mitigate the blood flow to his scalp to prevent swelling.

“The first three days are absolutely crucial,” he says. “I wanted to go explore, but then I thought, you know what? I better just stay in my room and try not to get in a situation where I’m going to hit the top of my head. So I did, for the rest of the trip, I pretty much just stayed in my room.”

 

Jared Gravatt after his hair transplant.

Taking care of his scalp was easier than expected. He was able to wash the transplant area right away with a cleanser that Now Hair Time provided him with. He had to pat it onto his head and rinse with cold water. Though he couldn’t use any harsh water pressure, a gentle stream was fine for the area.

Sleeping, however, was tough in the beginning because you aren’t allowed to lie down.

“They want you to sleep at a 45-degree angle for about a week, so you’re sleeping sitting up,” he says. “That was a harder adjustment for me because I actually sleep on my side or on my face. Sleeping with the neck pillow made it so much better. If I had just been sitting up, it would’ve been hard, but the neck pillow really just kind of kept everything great.”

Gravatt is now in the maintenance phase — and the “ugly duckling phase” — of his hair transplant. Now Hair Time recommended he do four to six months of PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections to help with the healing and hair growth process. They also recommended he uses finasteride and minoxidil, which are hair growth stimulants. He admits he was hesitant because of the price and side effects of some of the above, but he says he already went all the way to Turkey for the procedure, so he’s going to continue to do as much as he can to make sure he takes care of his scalp and sees the best results.

 

Jared Gravatt after his hair transplant.

As of right now, his hair is all falling back out, which is completely normal. Over the next year, the 4,200 grafts will take hold and grow in as normal and Gravatt will — hopefully — have a full head of hair.

The package Gravatt selected at Now Hair Time costs $4,500, which, he says, is much less than what he estimates it would have cost in the United States, especially when you factor in the luxury accommodations, number of grafts and aftercare he was provided.

Typically, hair transplant prices in the U.S. are figured by graft, though it’s not as simple as that, and every facility and patient will vary. Usually, in the United States, patients can expect to pay anywhere from $2 to $10 (or even more) per graft, and Gravatt says his procedure would have cost about four times as much for the number of grafts he got.

As Gravatt has been documenting his hair transplant journey on Instagram, he’s been fielding all kinds of comments — both positive and negative — as his posts go viral. He’s heard from people who don’t trust traveling to other countries for medical procedures, as well as men who have confided in him that they, too, have sought out help for thinning hair and appreciate his openness.

“I’ve had people being like, man, I’m so thankful to see someone go through this. I was kind of unsure of how this process worked,” he says. As someone who’s always willing to share his experiences, he didn’t think twice about doing as such.

Gravatt will continue with his scalp care and maintenance for the next several months, until eventually, you’ll never know he had a hair transplant at all. He admits that, at the end of the day, he did this for no one but himself. Put very simply, he just likes having hair.

“It wasn’t like this crippling insecurity thing where I’m like, I needed to fill this void in me, I just did it because I want to stop thinking about my hair. If I can have a nicer hairline and have my hair back, that’d be great. Now I can focus on other things rather than worrying about how my hair looks.”