Hair transplantTürkiye5 min read
Did İlkay Zaman have a hair transplant? Yes, and he filmed the whole trip
In June 2024 the Turkish-American YouTuber İlkay Zaman told his followers that the first thing he did on a family trip to Turkey was get a hair transplant. Here is exactly what he said, where it was published, and how the procedure and its recovery work today.
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Medically reviewed by Ellina V. Goncharova, dermatovenereologist, trichologist, surgeon. Review date: .
The main points in 30 seconds
- İlkay Zaman had a hair transplant on a family trip to Turkey, June 2024
- He called it “the first thing I did” after arriving, no secrecy
- FUE from $2,200, DHI from $2,500 at City Medical Centre
- Final result is usually assessed 12–18 months after surgery
- City Medical Centre has no connection to İlkay Zaman or his treatment
Key facts about the procedure
- Stay in clinicSame day
- Final result12–18 months
- AnaesthesiaLocal
- Price
$2,700from $2,200
Profile
İlkay Zaman
- Country
- Türkiye
- Who
- YouTuber
- Year of operation
- 2024
- Quote source
- İlkay Zaman, 24 June 2024
Hi everyone, I came to Turkey and, like every bald guy, the first thing I did was get a hair transplant :) ... Doctorium Clinic convinced me, both with its work and its attentive team.
What did İlkay Zaman say about his hair transplant?
In June 2024 the travel and lifestyle YouTuber İlkay Zaman posted a video about a family trip to Turkey. On his own YouTube channel, dated 24 June 2024, he opened the video by saying: “Hi everyone, I came to Turkey and, like every bald guy, the first thing I did was get a hair transplant :)”
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WhatsAppThat is the full basis of this article. He did not describe the surgical technique or the number of grafts, so we do not guess at them. The sections below explain hair transplantation in general, not his own treatment, and we do not name or assess any clinic.
Why his openness matters
İlkay Zaman is best known for travel and lifestyle vlogs rather than content about cosmetic procedures, which makes his matter-of-fact tone notable: he treated the hair transplant as just another stop on the trip, filmed it alongside family outings, and joked about it rather than hiding it.
More on this topic: Hair Transplant, FUE Hair Transplant, DHI Hair Transplant, FUE & DHI Hair Transplant in Detroit, FUE & DHI Hair Transplant in Denver.
For viewers who have been putting off the decision, seeing a well-known vlogger talk about it so casually is often more persuasive than any advertisement.
His video also shows that a transplant is rarely decided on the spot. He said he had been thinking about it for a long time before finally going ahead with it during this particular trip — a reminder that most people weigh the decision for a while before booking a date.
Hair transplant abroad: choose a city and clinic
Prices, the clinic and a free online consultation for each city:
How a hair transplant is done today
A modern hair transplant is an outpatient procedure performed under local anaesthesia. Follicles are taken one by one from the donor area, usually the back of the head, and implanted where hair is thinning or missing. The two main techniques are:
- FUE — grafts are extracted individually through tiny punctures and placed into channels prepared by the surgeon. No linear scar and no stitches.
- DHI — grafts are implanted directly with a special pen (Choi implanter), without pre-made channels, which allows precise control of angle and direction.
How grafts are placed
- FUE
- Into channels prepared in advance
- DHI
- Directly with an implanter pen
Anaesthesia
- FUE
- Local
- DHI
- Local
Stitches
- FUE
- None
- DHI
- None
Typical use
- FUE
- Larger areas, more grafts
- DHI
- Hairline and dense packing of smaller areas
Price at City Medical Centre
- FUE
- $2,200
- DHI
- $2,500
A combined approach — FUE extraction with DHI implantation — is also used; which option fits depends on the extent of hair loss and the donor area, and is decided at a consultation.
Who is a good candidate
A transplant works best when the donor area is dense enough and the pattern of hair loss is clear: a receding hairline, thinning at the crown, or an overall drop in density are the usual reasons people consider it. Contraindications include patchy (focal) alopecia, age under 18, trichotillomania, body dysmorphic disorder, severe heart disease, diabetes mellitus, epilepsy and intolerance to anaesthetics; the surgeon checks for these before a date is booked.
Recovery step by step
The first ten days are about healing: small crusts form around the grafts and gradually come off, and patients follow instructions on washing, sleeping position and headwear. In weeks two to four the transplanted hairs typically shed — a normal stage, because the follicles themselves stay in place under the skin.
New growth starts around months three to four, density becomes clearly visible at six to nine months, and the final result is usually assessed at 12 to 18 months. The timeline below summarises the stages.
How hair transplant results usually develop
- Day of surgeryLocal anaesthesia, grafts are taken and implanted; you go home the same day.
- Days 1–10The scalp heals and small crusts fall off; you follow the washing and sleeping instructions.
- Weeks 2–4Transplanted hairs shed. This is expected: the follicles remain under the skin.
- Months 3–4New hair begins to grow, often fine at first.
- Months 6–9Density becomes clearly visible.
- Months 12–18The final result can be assessed.
Hair transplant at City Medical Centre
City Medical Centre performs FUE, DHI and combined hair transplants for international patients. The first consultation is free and can be done online: the doctor reviews photos of the hair and donor area, estimates the number of grafts, and names a price that is then fixed in the contract.
Prices start at $2,200 for FUE, $2,500 for DHI and $2,700 for the combined method, and include a lifetime guarantee of hair growth plus follow-up appointments at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. More details are on the hair transplant page.
To be clear: City Medical Centre has no connection with İlkay Zaman or his treatment. His story is quoted here only because he chose to talk about it publicly.
Hair transplant prices in this article are the current offer, valid until 30 November 2026. Regular prices: FUE $2,700, DHI $2,900, combined method $2,900. The price that applies to you is confirmed at the consultation.
Frequently asked questions
When did İlkay Zaman have his hair transplant?
He posted about it on his own YouTube channel on 24 June 2024, saying that getting a hair transplant was the first thing he did on a family trip to Turkey.
What did he say about deciding to do it?
He said he had been thinking about it for a long time and used the family trip to Turkey to finally go through with it, talking about it with humour rather than hiding it.
Is a hair transplant permanent?
Transplanted follicles usually come from the back of the head, where hair resists genetic hair loss, so they tend to keep growing for life. Surrounding native hair can still thin over time, which the doctor accounts for when planning the hairline.
How much does a hair transplant cost at City Medical Centre?
Prices start at $2,200 for FUE, $2,500 for DHI and $2,700 for the combined method. The final price is confirmed after a free consultation and fixed in the contract.
Does a hair transplant hurt?
It is done under local anaesthesia, so the injections are the most noticeable part. Afterwards most patients feel tightness and mild discomfort for a few days, not sharp pain.
Sources
What the article says about the celebrity is based only on these public statements.
- İlkay Zaman (own YouTube channel), 24 June 2024
Medical background and further reading
General information about the procedure from health authorities and medical societies. It is not advice for any individual patient.
- PubMed / NCBI — Follicular Unit Extraction for Hair Transplantation: An Update (Actas Dermosifiliogr, 2017)
- PubMed / NCBI — Donor site healing in follicular unit extraction hair transplantation (Cell Mol Biol, 2025)
- International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery — Hair loss treatments and solutions
How we prepare and review medical content · Medical disclaimer
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