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Prince William’s rugged new look is inspiring patients to seek beard transplants abroad – with inquiries at one Turkish clinic trebling in recent weeks.
The Prince of Wales, 42, was previously clean-shaven in keeping with military tradition but has been sporting more facial hair since August.
Murat Alsac, co-founder of the Estenove clinic in Istanbul, christened the surge in interest “Prince William effect”. He said: “The number of transplants we are carrying out has increased by 200 per cent.
“People are bringing in pictures of Prince William on their phones and saying: ‘Make me look like that.’ They think it looks rugged and masculine.”
Prince William previously revealed he had shaved off the beard after it did not go down well with his daughter.
He said: “Charlotte didn’t like it the first time. I got floods of tears, so I had to shave it off. And then I grew it back. I thought, hang on a second, and I convinced her it was going to be okay.”
Mr Alsac said it was common for patients to want to emulate a certain celebrity’s hairline or facial hair when seeking a transplant.
He added: “Previously, they might have cited Prince Harry, but right now it’s all about his brother.
“People seem captivated that one of the most famous men in the world has chosen to grow a beard and they like his new look.
“It seems that many of our clients want to achieve similar results.”
Estenove treats 3,000 patients a year and offers hair, beard and eyebrow transplants for both men and women.
Beard transplants usually account for only around 7% of its procedures but this has risen to 20% in recent weeks.
A beard transplant involves taking hair follicles from a donor site, normally the back of the head. Estenove charges £2750 for a full procedure, including flights, hotel and medication. Around half of the clinic’s patients come from the UK.
The global medical tourism market is growing. However, NHS chiefs recently warned against seeking cut-price weight loss surgery abroad.
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