Arab politicians covet ‘Tatlıses moustaches’

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Moustaches like those of Turkish stars like Kadir İnanır (L) and İbrahim Tatlıses (R) seen in this one decade old photo are most frequently asked for by potential moustache implant patients. Turkey is today exporting moustache implants.

Turkey, which has made a name for itself in hair implants, has now begun to export moustache implants.

More and more patients are coming to Turkey every day in search of the thick moustaches they see on their favorite Turkish television shows and stars like İbrahim Tatlıses and Kadir İnanır. Arabs – and especially politicians from the region – are particularly keen on the moustache implants.

Doctor Selahattin Tulunay, who has been working in the hair implant and aesthetic arena for 30 years, said in a press release that moustache implants have now become as popular as hair implants, adding that patients often come with photos of their favorite stars saying, “I want this moustache.”

Adds to tourism sector
“Due to the large demand, we have signed partnership agreements with agencies in Dubai and Iraq and have opened representative offices in Europe. Our patients book tourists packages and while they have the implants, their families are able to vacation in Turkey, thereby contributing to Turkey’s tourism sector,” Tulunay said.

In fact, according to Tulunay, politicians from the Arab world are now coveting moustache implants to add to their charisma during election periods. “Every month we have about 60 applications for beard and hair implants,” Tulunay said.

“We have applicants from Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Germany, France and Ireland who come for hair, moustache and beard implants. Whether they are from Western Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, or South Korea, we there is serious demand for hair and moustache implants,” he said.

Tulunay said the special implant technique called “FUE” was developed in Europe but was implemented most successfully in Turkey. Tulunay also conducts the implants on burn patients who have lost their hair or facial hair and those who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy.

Turkish hairdo has already gone beyond borders with the popularity of Turkish TV series increasing in the Middle East and North Africa every day, Turkish actors are becoming idols in the region. In many of the barbershops in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, one sees posters of Necati Şaşmaz, who plays Polat Alemdar on the Turkish TV series “Kurtlar Vadisi” (Valley of the Wolves), and Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ, who is very popular in Arab countries.