Mustache implants growing in the Middle East and Turkey
Mustache implants are a growing phenomenon in the Middle East and Turkey as the facial hair is seen as professional and even prestigious. Here Baghdad mayor Hussein al-Tahaan shows off his natural soup strainer.
Movember is everyday in the Middle East and Turkey.
Mustaches in the region signal age, wisdom and virilty and not having one may represent being less of a man.
That's why an increasing number of men in Turkey and all over the Middle East have been getting mustache impants to thicken and straighten their soup strainers.
CNN reported on the phenomenon first, referring to a Turkish plastic surgeon, Selahattin Tulunay, who said that the procedure has skyrocketed in the last few years.
He said that he performs 50-60 procedures per month, or twice per day.
The surgeon said that men are seeking to look more wise and professional, even "prestigious."
The surgery is known as follicular unit extraction, said Yahoo News, which means removing hair follicles in one part of the body and putting them somewhere else, namely under the nose.
The procedure apparently costs around $7000 and patients are expected to see the results within six months.
CNN said that mustaches often have political and cultural significance in the region, signifying whether someone is conservative, left-wing or just a plain-old businessman looking for stature.
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