{"id":20514,"date":"2026-09-03T12:50:04","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T09:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/?p=20514"},"modified":"2026-09-03T12:50:40","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T09:50:40","slug":"medical-tourism-risks-cheap-procedures-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/en\/medical-tourism-risks-cheap-procedures-abroad","title":{"rendered":"Medical Tourism: Dr. Anastasios Vekris Warns of the Dangers of Cheap Procedures Abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"dp-section\">\n    <div class=\"dp-inner-wrap dp-owl--m\">\n \n            \n        \n                     \n        <div class=\"dp-headline-text__content dp-list-inner--xs dp-text-max--90\">\n            <p><strong>Infections, damage, even deaths\u2026 price should never be the first criterion.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Speaking live on Mega TV&#8217;s Live News with Nikos Evangelatos, plastic surgeon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/en\/plastic-surgeon-dr-anastasios-vekris\">Dr. Anastasios Vekris <\/a> connected from Shanghai, where he was attending the World Congress of Cosmetic and Aesthetic Medicine\u00a0 delivered a clear message to the public: aesthetic procedures have become part of our everyday lives, but they never stop being medical procedures, with everything that entails.<\/p>\n           \n        <\/div>\n        \n            \n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n<section class=\"dp-section dp-media-text-blog\">        \n    <div class=\"dp-inner-wrap dp-media-text-blog-inner dp-owl--m\">\n                <div class=\"dp-inner-wrap dp-media-text-blog-inner-headline dp-owl--s\">\n                                    <h2 class=\"dp-media-text-blog-inner__heading\">\n                &#8220;It&#8217;s not a stroll along the Bosphorus\u2026&#8221;            <\/h2>\n                    \n                        <div class=\"dp-media-text-blog-inner__intro\"><p>Dr. Vekris began by noting that wanting to improve one&#8217;s appearance is a positive thing. However, he took a firm stance on the way many aesthetic-procedure packages abroad are marketed today, combining the procedure with a tourist experience (hair, facial changes, and a vacation, all bundled into one package). As he stressed, a medical procedure must follow strict protocols, and the moment such a procedure is advertised as a travel deal is exactly the point where something has gone seriously wrong. A medical procedure, as he put it, has nothing to do with a vacation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Watch the full interview of Dr. Anastasios Vekris on Mega TV&#8217;s Live News:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                \n        \n                        <div class=\"dp-media-text-blog-inner__media dp-media-text-blog-inner__media-youtube dp-aspect--16-9 perfmatters-lazy-css-bg\"\n            data-youtube=\"thumb\" \n            data-img-thumb=\"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/dr-xrysanthi-agioti-single-mobile-new.jpg\" \n            data-img-alt=\"\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f Dr Anastasios Vekris LIVE at Mega TV\"> \n            <iframe class=\"dp-media-fit\"\n                src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/y66xdH2Rrik?autoplay=1&#038;rel=0&#038;enablejsapi=1\" \n                width=\"560\" \n                height=\"315\" \n                title=\"\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f Dr Anastasios Vekris LIVE at Mega TV\" \n                frameborder=\"0\" \n                allowfullscreen>\n            <\/iframe>\n        <\/div>\n        \n        \n            <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"dp-section\">\n    <div class=\"dp-inner-wrap dp-owl--m\">\n \n                <div class=\"dp-headline-text-wrapper dp-width--full\">\n                    \n                        <h2 class=\"dp-headline-text__heading\">\n                Not just Turkey \u2014 the phenomenon is spreading\u2026            <\/h2>\n                    <\/div>\n            \n        \n                     \n        <div class=\"dp-headline-text__content dp-list-inner--xs dp-text-max--90\">\n            <p>An important point the doctor raised is that the problem is no longer confined to Turkey. The complications his clinic deals with on a daily basis now also come from other Balkan countries\u00a0 mainly Albania and Kosovo. This, he explained, is an evolution of the same marketing model originally built by Turkey, which has now spread worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>This strategy relies on aggressive promotion on social media, low prices, and &#8220;packages&#8221; presented attractively to the wider public, without being matched by equivalent transparency about the qualifications of those performing the procedures. The result is that more and more countries are entering the map of cheap medical tourism, following the same model Turkey pioneered. As Dr. Vekris characteristically noted, the complications he sees have become &#8220;an everyday occurrence&#8221; for his clinic, and on a dramatic scale.<\/p>\n           \n        <\/div>\n        \n            \n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"dp-section\">\n    <div class=\"dp-inner-wrap dp-owl--m\">\n \n                <div class=\"dp-headline-text-wrapper dp-width--full\">\n                    \n                        <h2 class=\"dp-headline-text__heading\">\n                Safety first, then results, then cost            <\/h2>\n                    <\/div>\n            \n        \n                     \n        <div class=\"dp-headline-text__content dp-list-inner--xs dp-text-max--90\">\n            <p>Asked about the chaotic price differences between Greece and abroad, Dr. Vekris responded by laying out a clear hierarchy of criteria for any medical procedure. First and foremost is <strong>safety<\/strong> the patient must not be harmed. Next comes the <strong>result<\/strong> the procedure must achieve the goal it was performed for. <strong>Cost<\/strong> comes third, not first.<\/p>\n<p>This order, he pointed out, is neither random nor purely theoretical it reflects how one ought to think before undergoing any medical procedure, whether it&#8217;s a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/en\/fue-hair-transplant\">hair transplant<\/a> or any other aesthetic intervention. The lower the price drops, the more likely it is that steps ensuring that very first criterion safety have been skipped. The problem, in his view, is that many prospective patients unknowingly reverse this hierarchy, putting cost first in their decision-making instead of evaluating it last, after the first two criteria have already been secured. When price becomes the sole deciding factor, patients flip this hierarchy in a dangerous way.<\/p>\n           \n        <\/div>\n        \n            \n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"dp-section\">\n    <div class=\"dp-inner-wrap dp-owl--m\">\n \n                <div class=\"dp-headline-text-wrapper dp-width--full\">\n                    \n                        <h2 class=\"dp-headline-text__heading\">\n                The cost of a bad procedure: real cases of restoration            <\/h2>\n                    <\/div>\n            \n        \n                     \n        <div class=\"dp-headline-text__content dp-list-inner--xs dp-text-max--90\">\n            <p>Over more than 20 years of experience, Dr. Vekris and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/en\">Advanced Hair Clinics<\/a> team have been called upon to handle dozens of cases involving patients who returned from procedures abroad with serious problems from poor graft distribution and density to extensive scarring, infections, and unnatural results requiring months of treatment to correct. Each such case presents its own unique challenge, as the clinic must work on tissue that has already been damaged, with limited room for correction.<\/p>\n<p>Many of these patients arrive at the clinic emotionally burdened, having already been through one or more failed attempts, seeking not just a technical solution but also reassurance that something can still be done for their case. The evaluation process in such cases is typically more demanding than for a standard first-time procedure, as it requires a detailed assessment of the extent of the damage before deciding whether, how, and to what degree improvement can be achieved.<\/p>\n<p>The images that follow come from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/en\/fue-hair-transplant-before-after-results\">real cases<\/a>, before and after corrective intervention, and illustrate more clearly than any statistic or description what a poorly performed procedure can actually mean in practice.<\/p>\n           \n        <\/div>\n        \n            \n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n<section class=\"dp-section\">\n    <div class=\"dp-inner-wrap\">\n                        \n        \n                <ul class=\"dp-transformations-static-list dp-list--none dp-gap--m dp-grid--2 dp-grid--m-1\" \n            data-module=\"transformations-static\">\n                                    <li class=\"dp-transformations-static-item dp-flex--1\">\n                                <div class=\"dp-transformations-static-item__wrapepr\">\n                    <figure class=\"dp-aspect--4-3\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"dp-media-fit\" \n                            src=\"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/kontini-lipsi-vlavi-img-01.jpg\" \n                            alt=\"Patient with severe inflammation along the front hairline after a poorly performed hair transplant abroad\">                        \n                    <\/figure>\n                <\/div>\n\n                            <\/li>\n                                    <li class=\"dp-transformations-static-item dp-flex--1\">\n                                <div class=\"dp-transformations-static-item__wrapepr\">\n                    <figure class=\"dp-aspect--4-3\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"dp-media-fit\" \n                            src=\"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/flegmoni-hairline-img-02.jpg\" \n                            alt=\"Close-up of an infected area on the scalp following a hair transplant complication\">                        \n                    <\/figure>\n                <\/div>\n\n                            <\/li>\n                                    <li class=\"dp-transformations-static-item dp-flex--1\">\n                                <div class=\"dp-transformations-static-item__wrapepr\">\n                    <figure class=\"dp-aspect--4-3\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"dp-media-fit\" \n                            src=\"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/molynsi-trixoto-img-03.jpg\" \n                            alt=\"Top-down view of the scalp showing hair transplant graft pattern with surgeon's marker dots\">                        \n                    <\/figure>\n                <\/div>\n\n                            <\/li>\n                                    <li class=\"dp-transformations-static-item dp-flex--1\">\n                                <div class=\"dp-transformations-static-item__wrapepr\">\n                    <figure class=\"dp-aspect--4-3\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"dp-media-fit\" \n                            src=\"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/pano-opsi-metamosxeusi-img-04.jpg\" \n                            alt=\"Extreme close-up of a dark, damaged area of scalp skin after a failed procedure\">                        \n                    <\/figure>\n                <\/div>\n\n                            <\/li>\n                    <\/ul>\n        \n\n                \n        \n        \n                \n                \n            <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"dp-section\">\n    <div class=\"dp-inner-wrap dp-owl--m\">\n \n                <div class=\"dp-headline-text-wrapper dp-width--full\">\n                    \n                        <h2 class=\"dp-headline-text__heading\">\n                The worst-case scenario: deaths            <\/h2>\n                    <\/div>\n            \n        \n                     \n        <div class=\"dp-headline-text__content dp-list-inner--xs dp-text-max--90\">\n            <p>Asked about the worst case he has dealt with among patients who chose procedures in Turkey, Albania, or Kosovo, Dr. Vekris answered without hesitation: deaths have been recorded. Procedures such as hair transplants, which are presumed to be very safe, have led to patient deaths when carried out without medical protocols, in unsuitable settings, and by individuals who were not doctors, with no safety standards whatsoever observed. The fact that a procedure appears, on the surface, to be simple or low-risk, he explained, doesn&#8217;t mean it stops being a medical act and when the basic safety conditions are missing, even the &#8220;simplest&#8221; procedure can turn into something irreversible.<\/p>\n<p>As he noted, these are few but real cases, which should not be treated as isolated or random incidents, but as an expected consequence when a medical procedure is carried out entirely outside any framework of safety. As the doctor rightly pointed out, there is no worse possible outcome than death and precisely for that reason, it is not something anyone should treat lightly when deciding where, and by whom, they will be operated on.<\/p>\n           \n        <\/div>\n        \n            \n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"dp-section\">\n    <div class=\"dp-inner-wrap dp-owl--m\">\n \n                <div class=\"dp-headline-text-wrapper dp-width--full\">\n                    \n                        <h2 class=\"dp-headline-text__heading\">\n                The difficult (and not always achievable) restoration            <\/h2>\n                    <\/div>\n            \n        \n                     \n        <div class=\"dp-headline-text__content dp-list-inner--xs dp-text-max--90\">\n            <p>Beyond the extreme cases, the doctor also addressed the numerous complications his clinic is called upon to repair on a daily basis. He made clear that the issue isn&#8217;t simply financial it&#8217;s not just about a higher cost of correction. Many times, as he said, doctors&#8217; hands are technically &#8220;tied&#8221; in terms of what can actually be done, since restoring such complications is not always easy on the contrary, it is often extremely difficult, or even impossible.<\/p>\n<p>This, he explained, is because much of the damage caused by such procedures isn&#8217;t merely cosmetic it affects the very tissue and the &#8220;reservoir&#8221; from which material could otherwise be drawn for a corrective procedure. When, for example, a hair transplant is performed incorrectly, the grafts that are destroyed cannot be replaced they are permanently lost, drastically limiting the options available to the next doctor.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, the patient isn&#8217;t simply left with a poor outcome, but with a situation where even the most experienced surgeon has far fewer &#8220;tools&#8221; available to fix it. This, he said, is precisely why prevention that is, choosing the right doctor and clinic from the outset matters so much, since in many cases there is no second chance to properly do what the first procedure has already ruined.<\/p>\n           \n        <\/div>\n        \n            \n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"dp-section\">\n    <div class=\"dp-inner-wrap dp-owl--m\">\n \n                <div class=\"dp-headline-text-wrapper dp-width--full\">\n                    \n                        <h2 class=\"dp-headline-text__heading\">\n                The bottom line            <\/h2>\n                    <\/div>\n            \n        \n                     \n        <div class=\"dp-headline-text__content dp-list-inner--xs dp-text-max--90\">\n            <p>Dr. Vekris&#8217;s appearance on Mega TV&#8217;s Live News served as a clear warning: the low price of an aesthetic-procedure package abroad does not reflect the real risk the patient is taking on. When safety is pushed down to third place, behind cost, the price paid can be irreversible and, as has unfortunately been documented, even fatal.<\/p>\n<p>The message he left behind wasn&#8217;t meant only for those already considering such a trip, but for every prospective patient who treats an aesthetic procedure as a simple, low-risk decision. The reality, as he described it through the daily experience of his clinic, is far harsher than what the advertisements show: behind every tempting package lies a medical procedure with real consequences that don&#8217;t disappear with a return flight home. Choosing the right doctor and clinic, he concluded, isn&#8217;t a matter of preference or cost it is the only real insurance a patient has before sitting down in the operating chair.<\/p>\n<p>Those who are wondering what they should really consider before deciding on a hair transplant or any cosmetic procedure can contact Dr. Vekris\u2019s team for an initial assessment of their case and receive clear answers to the questions that, as described above, can truly make a difference.<\/p>\n           \n        <\/div>\n        \n                <a class=\"dp-btn--bg dp-margin-top--m dp-link--none dp-text--regular dp-justify--self\" \n            href=\"#contact-us\">\n            Contact the clinic        <\/a>           \n            \n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20501,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20514"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20516,"href":"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20514\/revisions\/20516"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.advancedhairclinics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}