Your Rights After a Faulty Hair Transplant: Step-by-Step Routes to Complaints and Compensation

Your Rights After a Faulty Hair Transplant: Step-by-Step Routes to Complaints and Compensation

This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a lawyer for an assessment of your individual circumstances.

If you have not achieved the result you expected after a hair transplant, or have experienced a problem with the procedure, it is important to clarify one point first: could the results still be developing? The final results of a hair transplant are usually visible after 12–18 months. We explain how to tell whether there is a genuine problem in our article on unsuccessful hair transplants. If you believe there is a genuine problem, the roadmap below progresses from the least to the most serious step.

1. Gather your documents

Whichever route you choose, the first thing you will need is documentation. Gather the following: your contract or written quotation, your invoice and payment records, all correspondence with the clinic (including messaging app records), photographs taken before and after the procedure, and any monthly follow-up photographs you have.

Also ask the clinic for a copy of your medical records: the operation note, consent form, medications used and, if possible, the number of grafts extracted and transplanted. As a patient, you have the right to access your own medical records. Make this request in writing and note the date.

Having an examination and obtaining a written assessment from another doctor to document the situation impartially may also be useful later.

2. Contact the provider in writing first

Many problems are resolved at this stage. Submit a written request to the clinic clearly explaining the problem, the solution you expect and the basis for your request (for example, a guarantee clause in your contract). Many clinics commit to corrective or additional procedures under certain conditions. Our written guarantee guide explains how to interpret what the guarantee in your contract covers.

If the provider is a hospital or a large healthcare organisation, ask whether it has a patient rights or patient liaison unit, and send your request there as well.

3. Administrative complaints

If you cannot reach a resolution with the provider, or have concerns about its authorisation, hygiene or operations, you can use administrative channels. The main channels include the Ministry of Health's communication line, SABİM (184), the Provincial Health Directorate responsible for the provider, and CİMER. These complaints may lead to an inspection of the provider; however, they do not, in themselves, result in compensation being paid to you.

If you suspect that hair transplants are being performed at an unauthorised facility, make sure you report this. We explain how to check whether a provider is authorised in this guide.

4. Consumer channels

Disputes arising from services provided by private healthcare organisations are, in many cases, considered under consumer law. Depending on the type and value of the dispute, you may be able to apply to a consumer arbitration committee or pursue mediation followed by proceedings in a consumer court. The appropriate route for your circumstances depends on what you are claiming (a refund, the cost of corrective treatment or compensation) and the amount involved. Consulting a lawyer at this stage is recommended.

5. The medical chamber and legal proceedings

If you believe the doctor who performed the procedure breached professional rules, you can contact the medical chamber with which the doctor is registered. This complaint concerns disciplinary proceedings; it is not a route to compensation.

If serious harm to your health is involved, a compensation claim and, in some circumstances, criminal proceedings may also be options. An independent medical assessment (an expert report) is usually decisive in such proceedings. As the process is lengthy and technical, make sure you proceed with a lawyer.

Complaint channels at a glance

Points to bear in mind

Time limits apply to complaints and claims. As soon as you notice the problem, gather your documents without delay and ask a lawyer about the relevant deadlines.

You may wish to share your experience on social media or review websites. When doing so, describe only what happened to you; avoid insulting statements or claims you cannot prove. Otherwise, you could face legal proceedings yourself.

If you live abroad and had your procedure in Türkiye, the same channels are available to you. By granting power of attorney to a lawyer in Türkiye, you can manage the process from where you live.