A 36-year-old British man has died in Istanbul after undergoing both a hair transplant and dental treatment during a week-long trip to Turkey, according to local reports.
Mentor Rama, who arrived in the city last week, first received a hair transplant at a clinic in Istanbul’s Fulya district before attending a dental appointment the following day in Ayazaga. He later returned to his hotel in the Sisli area, where he collapsed. Emergency crews transported him to Seyrantepe Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital, where he died around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
His body was sent to the Forensic Medicine Institute for an autopsy, and officials have not yet released a cause of death. After the examination, his family retrieved his remains and returned him home. Authorities in Istanbul have opened an investigation.
“We are supporting the family of a British man who died in Turkey and are in contact with the local authorities,” a spokesperson for the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told The Mirror.
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Rama’s death comes four months after another Briton, 38-year-old Martyn Latchman, died following a £1,500 hair transplant at a Besiktas clinic — a case that also prompted a provincial investigation.
Meanwhile, Telegrafi reported that at least 28 British nationals died in Turkey following elective procedures between March 2019 and March 2024, citing figures from the Foreign Office.
Turkey remains one of the world’s busiest destinations for hair transplant tourism, driven largely by lower prices. The Turkish Healthcare Travel Council estimates more than one million people travel there annually for hair restoration, and the Dr Serkan Aygin Clinic projects Turkey will receive 1.1 million hair transplant patients in 2025. Procedures can cost as little as £1,500, compared with £3,000 to £10,000 in Britain.