Istanbul Turkey: British man, 38, dies after hair transplant goes wrong at private clinic CINIK - police treating case as a possible 'reckless homicide'
A British man has died after his hair transplant surgery went wrong at a private clinic in Turkey.
The 38-year-old flew to Istanbul and had the five-hour operation on Monday at the CINIK clinic in the city’s Besiktas district. But shortly after the surgery, the tourist became seriously unwell and was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment, according to Turkish outlet OdaTV.
His body was later taken to the Forensic Medicine Institute for an autopsy before being repatriated to the UK. Police have launched a probe, treating the case as a possible “reckless homicide”.
Staff at the clinic — including the surgeon who performed the hair transplant, the anaesthesiologist and nurses — have already been quizzed by officers, it is understood. An FCDO spokesperson told The Sun: "We are supporting the family of a British man who died in Turkey and are in contact with the local authorities."
Turkish Healthcare Travel Council says more than one million people travel to the country each year for hair restoration treatments. It comes after a British man was left scarred and with bald patches after a botched hair transplant in Istanbul.
Luke Horsfield, then 26, paid £1,250 for the surgery at the Clinic Center — around half the cost of a UK procedure — but said the results were disastrous. “I did everything they told me to do as aftercare once I had the operation. But after four months, I saw literally no growth,” the IT technician from Bradford said.
He added: “I was left with scars and bald patches.” After months of disappointment, the clinic eventually offered him a £400 refund — barely a third of what he had paid — and a second procedure at half price. Luke later had the damage repaired at a Yorkshire clinic.