Hair transplant in Iran: what it involves and how to plan it

A hair transplant moves hair from a part of your scalp where it keeps growing to an area that is thin or bald. This page explains the two main techniques, FUT and FUE, and what recovery looks like, using NHS, American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) and International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) guidance. It then covers what's different when you have it done in Iran: confirming who will actually operate on you, timing your stay, and the costs. Whether a transplant is right for you is a question only your doctor can answer.

What the operation involves

ISHRS explains that hair is taken from the back and sides of the scalp, where hairs are not expected to fall out during a person's lifetime. It is then moved, in small natural groups called follicular units, to the thinning area. There are two ways to take it:

• FUT (the strip method). A strip of skin is removed from the back of the head and divided into grafts. The wound is stitched, leaving one linear scar that is usually hidden by the surrounding hair.
• FUE. Follicular units are removed one by one with a small round punch, usually from a shaved area. There are no stitches. The NHS says this leaves many tiny scars that are less noticeable. ISHRS adds that when FUE is done poorly, it can thin the donor area and leave visible scarring.

According to the NHS, the operation is done under local anaesthetic and sedation, so you stay awake without feeling pain. It is usually finished in a day, without an overnight stay. The AAD says a transplant can take four to eight hours. Covering a large area may need two or more sessions. Your doctor will tell you which technique they recommend for you, and why.

Grafts are not hairs

A graft is a follicular unit, not a single hair: the NHS says each graft holds one to four hairs. So a plan or a price stated in hairs can't be compared directly with one stated in grafts. Ask which unit a clinic uses. Our hair transplant cost guide lists the graft questions to ask.

What about DHI?

You may see "DHI" (direct hair implantation) advertised as a third method. ISHRS says the term is used for placing grafts straight after they're taken, or for a pen-like implanting tool, and that DHI is not a hair transplant method and shouldn't be marketed as one. Grafts are still harvested by FUE or FUT. Whatever the name, ask how the grafts will be taken, how they will be placed, and who will do each step.

Can women have a hair transplant?

Yes, some can. The AAD says men and women can be good candidates. ISHRS says not every woman with thinning hair is a suitable candidate, and that an accurate diagnosis comes first: a stable pattern of thinning, enough healthy donor hair, and no untreated medical condition behind the hair loss. The AAD notes that other common causes of hair loss in women can look a lot like female pattern hair loss.

ISHRS describes the same graft techniques for restoring eyebrows. If that's what you're considering, see our eyebrow transplant guide.

What your doctor will assess

Only a doctor can decide whether a transplant suits you, after examining your scalp and asking about your health. This list is there so you know what the consultation is for. It is not a checklist to judge yourself against:

• What is causing your hair loss. The NHS says transplants suit permanent, hereditary baldness, and are not usually recommended for other types, such as alopecia areata. ISHRS warns that unlicensed operators risk missing hair disorders, and the medical conditions sometimes linked to them.
• Your donor area: how much hair the back and sides of your scalp can safely give, now and for any future session.
• How your hair loss may change over time, and what a plan should allow for. The AAD says hair loss can continue after a transplant, and a doctor may suggest medicine alongside it.
• Which technique, and how many sessions.
• Your general health and medical history.

Photos you send before travelling help a doctor prepare, but the number of grafts and the plan are only confirmed after an examination. A preliminary quote can change once you've been seen.

Recovery in brief

The NHS and the AAD describe a typical course:

The NHS lists a tight-feeling scalp, swelling, scabbing and scarring as common side effects. ISHRS says most patients report no more than mild discomfort afterwards. Don't pick or rub the scabs, and follow your doctor's washing instructions over any general timeline.

Planning a hair transplant in Iran

How long to stay

We have not found a flying interval specific to hair transplants from a professional society or national health service. The NHS's general advice on cosmetic surgery abroad lists waiting times before flying for breast, body and facial procedures, but not for hair transplants. So plan your dates around the aftercare instead, and ask your doctor to confirm them:

• the first days, when grafts are most fragile and bandages are still on;
• the check-up your doctor wants before you travel;
• stitch removal at 10 to 14 days if you have FUT, or a plan to have them removed at home;
• a buffer for a delayed operation or a cancelled flight, with a return ticket you can change.

Entry rules

Your passport decides whether you need a visa. Iraqi and Omani passports come under visa waiver rules, while UK and Canadian passports need a visa before travel. Some visa-free stays are short and can't be extended, and a waiver for one purpose may not cover planned treatment. See the Iran medical visa guide. For payments and staying in touch, see our Iran guide for international patients.

What your doctor will ask for

Usually clear photos of your scalp and donor area from several angles, when and how your hair loss started, any earlier hair loss treatment or transplant, and your medical history, including any medicines you take for hair loss. With Sahleva, nothing medical is collected until you have given specific consent. You then complete an intake built for hair transplant, which goes to your doctor.

What it costs

A hair transplant trip has three separate costs: the medical fee, coordination, and travel. ISHRS says fees vary with the type of procedure, the area to be covered, where in the world it is done, and the cause of the hair loss. We don't publish price figures without real, dated data. Our hair transplant cost guide explains what makes up each part, how grafts and sessions affect it, and why a very low quote can be a warning sign.

Choosing a doctor and clinic: who will actually operate

This is the most important check for a hair transplant abroad. ISHRS has warned for several years about clinics where unlicensed technicians, not doctors, perform the surgery. Patients may be drawn in by a doctor's name and credentials, then operated on by someone else. ISHRS names Turkey, Iran and several European countries as places where such clinics recruit patients from abroad.

ISHRS's position statement on scalp surgery is specific about who should do what. It says diagnosis, surgical planning, harvesting the grafts, designing the hairline, making the recipient sites and postoperative care should be done by a licensed physician. Any step that cuts the skin, including FUE with a hand-held or robotic tool, is surgery. In some countries, licensed professionals such as physician assistants or nurse practitioners may do some of this within their licence, but only under the supervision of a physician who performs hair surgery.

ISHRS suggests asking any clinic these questions. It helps to have the answers in writing:

• Who will evaluate my hair loss and recommend treatment, and what are their training and licence?
• Who will be involved in my surgery, and what will each person do?
• Will anyone who is not a licensed doctor make incisions or harvest grafts?
• Is everyone involved covered by malpractice insurance?

ISHRS also suggests knowing exactly which doctor will operate, and asking whether someone you trust can observe in the room. If that is refused, it says, think twice. It warns, too, against claims such as a "scarless" transplant: any cut in the skin leaves a scar.

In Iran, ask for the doctor's full name and Medical Council number and look them up in the Medical Council of Iran member search, and ask whether the hospital or clinic holds a certificate to admit international patients. Our guide on how to verify a doctor or hospital in Iran walks through both. How we verify providers explains what Sahleva checks on every case.

Considering Turkey as well?

Many people compare Iran with Turkey. The operation is the same, but visas, payment and aftercare logistics differ by nationality. Our neutral comparison of Iran and Turkey for hair transplants sets those factors side by side, without ranking either country.

What Sahleva does, and doesn't do

We coordinate everything around your treatment:

• verifying the doctor and facility you've chosen, or helping you find a verified one;
• managing the consent-based intake your doctor needs to review your case;
• passing your doctor's response back to you exactly as given;
• a coordination quote, kept separate from your medical and travel costs;
• travel, accommodation, local transport and an interpreter around your dates.

What only your doctor can tell you: whether a transplant is right for you, which technique and how many grafts or sessions, what result to expect, and your personal recovery timeline. Sahleva doesn't diagnose, assess candidacy, decide when you can fly, or predict results. We're not a clinic or a doctor marketplace.

After your intake, your doctor's response comes back as one of a small set of clear outcomes. They may ask for more information, recommend a remote consultation, give a preliminary acceptance, decline, or say the decision has to be made in person. Whichever it is, it comes from them. We don't summarise or soften it. How it works shows where this step sits in your case.

Questions to ask your doctor

Drawn from ISHRS and NHS guidance:

• What is your medical training, and are you licensed to practise?
• Are you a member of a hair restoration professional society?
• How long have you performed hair restoration surgery, and how many procedures do you do a month?
• Which steps will you do yourself, and which will others do? Who will harvest the grafts, make the recipient sites and place the grafts?
• Do you recommend FUT or FUE for me, and why?
• How many grafts do you plan, and how much donor hair should be kept for the future?
• How many sessions do you expect I'll need, now and in the future?
• Will we share a language, or will an interpreter be present?
• When do you need to see me before I fly home, and who removes any stitches?
• What follow-up do you offer once I'm home, and what does it cost?
• What happens if, after examining me, you don't recommend surgery?

Risks, and when to get help

All surgery carries risk. The NHS lists bleeding, infection, an allergic reaction, transplanted hair that doesn't take, and noticeable scarring. ISHRS lists the problems it sees after illegal operators: scarring, an unnatural hairline, poor growth, hair growing in the wrong direction, an over-harvested donor area, and infection.

If you have bleeding that won't stop, spreading redness, discharge, a high temperature, or pain that keeps getting worse, contact your doctor straight away. If you can't reach them quickly, get local urgent care rather than waiting for a reply from a coordinator. In an emergency, call local emergency services. Before you leave Iran, the CDC advises getting copies of your medical records. Our guide to aftercare and complications after surgery abroad covers what to arrange before you fly home.

Questions people ask

This page was written from the sources listed below and hasn't yet been reviewed by a clinician. Each medical statement on it comes from one of those sources, and none of it is advice for your case: that comes from your surgeon.