Diego Cavero, Deputy Head of Mission and Consul at the Uruguayan Embassy in Riyadh, has enjoyed a successful career as a diplomat in Saudi Arabia. However, in his mid-30s, his hair began to thin. “Baldness made me look much older,” Cavero said. “I looked in the mirror and did not like what I saw. I had to do something to restore my confidence.” In order to rectify this issue, Cavero searched for a hair treatment clinic and opted for  Advanced Hair Clinics, a leading hair restoration clinic located in the centre of Athens. Recession proof Despite facing one of the worst monetary crises in EU history, Greece has benefitted from an uptick in medical tourism. The increasing popularity of hair transplants around the world has only acted to support this burgeoning industry. Dr Anastasios Vekris, the founder and Medical Director of Advanced Hair Clinics, recognises that the good service and affordable prices of procedures in Southern Europe, particularly compared with Northern Europe and the US, draw foreign customers to his clinic: “Many of them come from the Middle East, Central and Northern Europe, but mainly from the UK. We also have clients who come from as far as the US, Canada and Panama.”

Despite facing one of the worst monetary crises in EU history, Greece has benefitted from an uptick in medical tourism

In fact, many of his clients combine travelling for a hair transplant with a holiday. Just two days following a hair procedure, patients have recovered enough to go sightseeing in Athens or escape to a tranquil Greek island. “Almost four out of 10 patients are not from Greece,” said Vekris. Quality results  Vekris says word-of-mouth references make the clinic successful. That’s when the experience of the physician and team show their value. “I would not advise anyone to choose a clinic solely by the price of the services,” said Vekris. “There are multiple clients who are dissatisfied with the results they’ve had with low-budget procedures.” The most popular hair restoration technique, a follicular unit extraction (FUE), is noninvasive and painless, and leaves no scars compared with the traditional follicular unit transplant technique. Hair grafts are extracted and implanted one by one, under local anaesthesia, resulting in a natural appearance. Thanks to local anaesthesia, hair restoration procedures aren’t painful. Cavero said: “I had some discomfort during the first night and the first two days after the procedure, but nothing else. After one week, my head looked normal again.” Cavero arrived in Greece four weeks before the procedure, spending the time in Mykonos, Santorini and Athens. “People cannot believe it when they see me,” he said. “I can comb my hair again, and style it however I want. The density that was achieved is perfect. The most important thing for me is that I got back my self confidence.” In 2017, Advanced Hair Clinics was awarded International Hair Clinic of the Year by the  IMTJ Medical Travel Awards for the second year in a row. The judging panel evaluates the entries based on types of patients treated, quality, range of services and patient satisfaction. Advanced Hair Clinics is the only clinic in Greece that performs Advanced FUE, the most advanced hair transplantation technique on the market. This new method combats hair loss in men and women with no pain, no permanent marks or scars, and a natural result.