What you need to know before you send a deposit
Before you wire a deposit for a hair transplant, you should know three things: whether your donor area can realistically support the plan being sold to you, who will actually perform extraction and placement on the day, and what happens if growth falls short of the quote. Most regrets we see on the forum start with a rushed booking—often after a 48-hour “limited slot” message—not with the surgery itself. A serious clinic will answer those questions in writing, show unedited case photos at 12 months, and give you a named medical contact before money changes hands. If any of those are missing, pause.
This page is a pre-op checklist built from patient reports, clinic directory data, and years of threads on HairTransplantSelf. It is not a substitute for a consultation with a licensed physician. Use it to slow down, compare options on our clinic directory, and spot pressure tactics before they cost you.
Realistic timeline: from first message to visible growth
Patients often assume the whole journey fits into a long weekend. That can be true for travel logistics, but not for planning quality or for biological results. Here is a timeline that matches what experienced patients describe—not marketing brochures.
Months 1–3: research and shortlisting
During this phase you are not booking; you are filtering. A typical patient reads 15–30 clinic profiles, saves 5–8, and asks each the same written questions: maximum graft estimate, who performs each step, policy on touch-ups, and total all-in cost including aftercare. Many also post anonymised photos on the English forum for informal feedback on donor density and realistic coverage.
Expect 2–4 weeks of back-and-forth per serious candidate. Clinics that reply with generic PDFs only, or push for a deposit within 24 hours, belong on your caution list—not necessarily on a scam list, but they are not showing clinic-level patience either.
Weeks 4–8: consultation and medical clearance
A proper consultation includes scalp exam (in person or high-quality video), discussion of medication history, and honest limits. If you are under 25, many ethical surgeons will suggest stabilising hair loss first. If you have diffuse thinning, FUE may not be appropriate. Blood tests or GP clearance may be required depending on country and clinic policy.
Budget 1–2 weeks after consultation to decide. Sleep on it. Compare written quotes side by side. Two clinics quoting “3,000 grafts” may mean different zones, different density targets, and different surgeons on the day.
Weeks 6–12: booking and pre-op preparation
Once you choose a clinic, dates are usually 4–10 weeks out for popular destinations (Turkey, Spain, UK private chains). Pre-op instructions often include: stop smoking, limit alcohol, pause certain supplements (fish oil, high-dose vitamin E), and wash hair with a specified shampoo 24–48 hours before.
Arrange time off work: most patients take 7–10 days before returning to desk jobs; physically demanding work may need 14 days. Plan follow-up availability at day 10–14 for first wash and scab removal if the clinic provides it remotely.
Day 0 and week 1: surgery and acute recovery
Surgery commonly runs 6–10 hours for 2,500–4,500 graft FUE cases. You will leave with a bandaged donor area and thousands of tiny scabs in the recipient zone. Swelling around the forehead and eyes peaks around days 2–4. Sleeping elevated reduces it.
Pain varies: many describe donor soreness rather than sharp pain in the recipient area. Clinics should provide emergency contact details. Red flags on the day include: a different team than promised, no interpreter when you were told there would be one, or pressure to accept a higher graft count without a revised written plan.
Months 1–12: shedding, ugly duckling, and first real growth
Transplanted hairs typically shed by weeks 2–6. The “ugly duckling” phase—patchy regrowth and thin appearance—often hits months 2–5. First visible improvement for many appears around month 6; meaningful density is commonly judged at 12 months, with some crown cases still improving toward month 18.
Do not judge your result at week 8. Do start documenting monthly photos in the same lighting. If a clinic promised a “full head” from 2,000 grafts on advanced Norwood scale, your photos will tell that story long before an online review does.
Pre-op checklist: documents and questions
Print or save this list. Send it to every clinic on your shortlist. Compare answers in a spreadsheet—not from memory after a slick video call.
- Surgeon identity: Full name and role on the day (design, extraction, implantation, or “supervision only”).
- Graft plan: Estimated graft range, zone map, target density, and what happens if donor supply is lower than expected.
- Total cost: Itemised quote in writing—procedure, anaesthesia, medications, PRP add-ons, hotel, transfers, revision policy.
- Technique: FUE, FUT, DHI, or mixed—and why this clinic recommends it for your pattern.
- Donor assessment: Was your donor measured (density, miniaturisation)? Is a second procedure realistic later?
- Aftercare: Who answers messages at week 3? Is there a written protocol for washing, sleeping, exercise, sun?
- Complications: Infection, necrosis, shock loss—what is covered medically vs cosmetically?
- Touch-up policy: Cost, timing window, and medical criteria—not vague “lifetime guarantee” language.
- Consent and language: Consent form in a language you read fluently, signed before sedation.
- Cancellation: Refund rules if you postpone or if the clinic cancels.
Clinics that dodge written answers often rely on verbal promises that are hard to enforce across borders. Our scam clinic checklist overlaps with this list but focuses on fraud patterns—fake credentials, stolen photos, and deposit traps.
Red flags before you send a deposit
A deposit is not inherently wrong; it secures a surgical date and blocks a long OR slot. It becomes a problem when it is demanded before basic transparency, or when refund terms are one-sided.
- Instant booking pressure: “Pay today or lose your surgeon” with no named surgeon.
- Graft inflation: Quotes of 5,000+ grafts without donor photos or exam—often a sales tactic, not a medical plan.
- All-in-one influencer package: Luxury hotel reels but no medical team page, no registration numbers, no address.
- Reviews that look cloned: Same phrasing across Google, Trustpilot, and Instagram within the same week.
- No clear medical licence path: You cannot verify who is legally responsible for the procedure in that country.
- Deposit non-refundable for any reason: Including clinic-side schedule changes or failure to provide promised interpreter.
- Technician-only work sold as “doctor-led”: Common in high-volume mills; ask who holds the needle for extraction and implantation.
Patient report, forum thread 2024: “I sent €300 after a WhatsApp call. The ‘doctor’ on the website was never in the building. Three technicians worked in shifts. I only realised when I compared my experience with others on HairTransplantSelf.”
That outcome is not guaranteed at every low-cost clinic—but it is preventable with the checklist above and cross-checks against independent threads, not just star ratings.
How much should you deposit—and when?
Amounts vary by country and clinic tier. Patient reports cluster around:
| Clinic type | Typical deposit | When patients feel comfortable paying |
|---|---|---|
| Established clinic with verifiable surgeon | 10–30% of quoted total | After written plan + confirmed date + refund terms |
| Mediation / agency booking | Fixed fee €200–€500 | After confirming who the medical provider legally is |
| High-pressure WhatsApp-only seller | “Small deposit” €100–€300 | Often paid too early—highest dispute rate in forum reports |
Pay by card or platform with chargeback options when possible. Bank transfers to personal accounts are a recurring warning sign on our scam resource page.
Using the directory and forum together
Start on Explore to filter by country, technique, and price band. Open clinic profiles and note what is verified vs self-reported. Then search the forum for the clinic name plus words like “deposit,” “regret,” “infection,” and “12 months.” One angry review means little; repeated patterns with photos mean a lot.
If you are still early in research, read why patients fixate on reviews—it explains how marketing shapes what you see before you ever sit in a chair.
Reputable clinics can also list on HairTransplantSelf with structured data; absence from a directory does not prove a scam, but presence with consistent patient discussion is a useful signal.
Medical and legal reality check
Hair transplantation is cosmetic surgery with real risks: scarring, poor growth, unnatural hairlines, and in rare cases infection or necrosis. Outcomes depend on donor quality, team skill, adherence to aftercare, and biology you cannot fully predict from a consultation photo.
No article—including this one—can tell you whether you are a good candidate or which clinic you should choose. A qualified physician examining your scalp in context of your history is the only appropriate source for that advice. Use this checklist to ask better questions and to walk away when answers are evasive.
Frequently asked questions
How long before surgery should I stop minoxidil or finasteride?
Policies differ. Some surgeons ask you to continue finasteride; others request a brief pause before surgery. Minoxidil is often stopped a few days before to reduce bleeding risk. Do not change prescription medications without guidance from the prescribing doctor and your transplant clinic. Write down their exact instruction and date it.
Is it normal for a clinic to ask for a deposit before a face-to-face consultation?
It happens, especially for international patients booking limited surgical days. It is not automatically fraudulent—but you should still receive a written treatment outline, named medical lead, and refund terms before paying. If consultation is only available after deposit, treat that as a major red flag unless the provider is widely verified independently.
What graft count is realistic for a first procedure?
There is no universal number. Patients with early hairline recession might need 1,800–2,500 grafts for a conservative hairline; advanced patterns may require 3,500–4,500 for one pass, with the understanding that donor limits may cap density. Anyone promising maximum coverage from a single session without examining your donor is selling, not planning.
Can I fly home the day after FUE?
Many patients do, but clinics often prefer you stay 2–3 nights for a first check and emergency access. Long-haul flights immediately after surgery increase swelling and make post-op support harder. Build at least one buffer day after procedure day before flying, and follow your clinic’s written travel guidance rather than an agent’s convenience schedule.
