How we work with international patients
The medical tourism market in Istanbul is large and varied. At one end are high-volume clinics running on package deals, hotel collection, multiple procedures stacked into a single trip, and surgeon-patient interaction only on the day of operation. At the other are surgeon-led practices where the surgeon answers enquiries personally, sees patients in consultation themselves, performs the operation themselves, and conducts follow-up themselves.
Our clinic is in the second category. Doç. Dr. Erdal personally reviews every international enquiry, conducts the pre-operative video consultation himself, performs the surgery, and runs the follow-up. There is no intermediary coordinator selecting between procedures or quoting prices on his behalf.
This affects what we can do and what we cannot. We do not operate at the volume of a large medical-tourism clinic. We do not run buses to and from the airport. We do not include hotels in surgery packages. We work with patients individually, on the basis that the surgical relationship — including the conversation about whether to operate at all — is between the surgeon and the patient, not mediated by a sales process.
Why patients travel to Istanbul for body contouring
The honest reasons most international patients consider Istanbul are some combination of:
- Cost. Even at surgeon-led, individualised practices, the cost of body contouring in Istanbul is meaningfully lower than equivalent care in the UK, Western Europe, the Middle East, or North America. The differential is not because care is lower quality — it is because the cost base in Turkey for surgical care is lower across the board.
- Combined procedures. Many patients seeking body contouring need or want more than one procedure. In their home country, the cost of two combined procedures is often prohibitive. In Istanbul, the cost saving makes combined procedures financially accessible.
- Wait times. Patients in countries with publicly funded medicine and limited cosmetic-surgery access often face very long waits or no access at all. This is especially the case for post-bariatric body contouring, which is often only partly funded or not funded at all.
- Privacy. Travelling for the operation provides a degree of separation from home life that some patients value during recovery.
These are reasonable considerations. They do not, by themselves, mean that Istanbul is the right choice for every patient. The discussion at consultation includes whether travelling is the right plan for the procedures you need, given your home situation and the recovery you can accommodate.
In four parts
The pages below cover the practical aspects of travelling to Istanbul for body contouring surgery in detail. The international patient guide is the page to read first.
International patient guide
The complete process from first enquiry to final follow-up. Video consultation, surgical planning, what happens on arrival, hospital stay, post-operative review schedule, and how follow-up works once you have returned home.
Read →Our Istanbul clinic
The clinic itself — location in Nişantaşı, facilities, the hospital where surgery is performed, the team, and what to expect on the day of consultation and surgery. With practical orientation for the surrounding neighbourhood.
Read →Travel and accommodation
Practical Istanbul: which airport, transfers to the clinic, recommended areas to stay in for post-operative recovery, length of stay we recommend for different procedures, and practical advice for the return flight.
Read →Cost information
How we approach pricing — why we do not publish per-procedure price lists, what is included and not included in the surgical fee, the typical cost range for each procedure, and how the all-in cost of an Istanbul body contouring trip compares to home-country pricing.
Read →Country-specific notes
The pages below cover practical considerations for patients travelling from specific regions: visa, flight options, common questions about insurance and follow-up at home, and the realistic comparison with body contouring access in each market.
From the United Kingdom
Flight options from London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and other UK cities; NHS context; private body contouring pricing comparison; and follow-up at home.
Read →From the United States
Direct flights from major US hubs, the cost differential with US private cosmetic surgery, and notes on the longer recovery before return flight that we typically recommend for US patients.
Read →From Germany
Flights from German cities, the German private vs Krankenkasse coverage situation, and practical considerations for the short flight back home.
Read →From the Middle East
Flights from Gulf cities and Levant, considerations around the climate on return, and the cultural-fit aspect of treatment in Istanbul that many regional patients value.
Read →A note on Istanbul medical tourism in general
The reputation of Istanbul as a cosmetic surgery destination is complicated. Genuine surgeon-led practices operate alongside large package-deal operations, and from outside the country, telling them apart is difficult. Some specific things worth checking when evaluating any Istanbul clinic, ours included:
- Is the surgeon performing the operation board-certified? In Turkey, the recognised qualification is the Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery specialty board, confirmed by the Turkish Medical Association. International equivalents include FACS (American College of Surgeons) and FEBOPRAS (European Board).
- Does the clinic hold the USHAŞ International Health Tourism Authorization? This is a Ministry of Health certificate, legally required for clinics treating international patients. Verifiable on the Turkish e-government portal.
- Will the surgeon themselves be doing your video consultation, or a coordinator?
- Where is the surgery performed? A licensed accredited hospital, or a smaller facility?
- Who is responsible for follow-up after you return home?
These questions apply to any clinic. If a clinic is unwilling to answer any of them clearly, that is itself useful information.