“I wanted a nose job since turning 13. I heard Turkish doctors were good at them. A few girlfriends of mine had similar surgeries; they were very satisfied.”
Benita Paloja, a 28-year-old woman from the US, decided to do as her friends had done and flew to Turkey to get cosmetic surgery on her nose. She says she paid just $5,000 (€4,600) and was able to fly home a week later.
Paloja, who works in the finance industry and as a part-time model, is pleased she had the surgery. She says she feels more confident today and has been hired for more modelling gigs.
He also fondly remembers the comprehensive care he received at the clinic. He says he is still in contact with the medical team. “If I had had the same surgery in the United States for $30,000 (27,800 euros), I actually would not have gained the kind of attention and care that I would have gotten in Turkey,” Paloja says.
Turkey has seen a medical tourism boom since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, over 670,000 foreigners visited Turkey to receive medical treatment, according to the country’s state-owned International Health Services (USHAS) agency. One year later, that number rose to over 1.25 million, an increase of 88%. In the first six months of 2023, the figures remained similarly high.
Turkish health care facilities are generating considerable revenue from this international business, totaling more than $2 billion (€1.85 billion) in 2022. Revenue fell slightly in the first half of 2023, though experts believe this was primarily due to Turkey’s devastating February earthquake, which claimed the lives of more than 50,000 people.
In 2022, the majority of foreigners seeking medical treatment in Turkey came from Germany, followed by Great Britain and Switzerland, according to the International Society of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery (ISAPS). Botox and hyaluronic acid treatments to combat wrinkles were the most popular non-surgical treatments. The 3 main surgical procedures were liposuction, rhinoplasty, and breast augmentation.
Turkey has also become ever more attractive for leg lengthening procedures. It is especially popular with men from the West who want to be taller.
One of those who underwent the procedure is 31-year-old Ash (not his actual name) from the US, who until recently was dissatisfied with his body proportions. After undergoing surgery, he has gained 12 centimeters (4.7 inches) in height and is now 184 centimeters (just over 6 feet) tall.
Ash says he feels much better now, though he admits that “it was a very painful procedure and the recovery phase took an incredibly long time.” Even so, he says it was worth it. Ash says his chances when flirting have improved, and he now enjoys more respect from others.
Yunus Oc, an experienced orthopedic surgeon founded in Istanbul, claims to have performed more than two hundred leg lengthening procedures in the last two years alone.
“I did this procedure basically for medical reasons after injuries, expansion disorders or short stature,” he explains. However, in recent years, more and more people have sought it out for aesthetic rather than medical reasons, Oc says.
He believes the number of those surgeries will continue to increase over the next three to five years. But he cautions that, unlike nose or breast surgeries, leg lengthening procedures can have very serious consequences if the desired effects are achieved.
There are increasing reports of headaches stemming from cosmetic surgeries performed in Turkey. A year ago, Germany’s public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute, reported that around 27 more people had been poisoned as a result of gastric Botox treatment. It involves injecting botox into the lining of the abdomen to create a prolonged feeling of fullness. The remedy has caused serious side effects in some patients, adding muscle weakness, blurred vision, shortness of breath, and sometimes paralysis.
To view this video, please allow JavaScript and switch to an internet browser that supports HTML5 video.
In mid-January, a Brazilian butt lift had deadly consequences for a British woman. The mother of three went to Istanbul for the cosmetic surgery and suffered a fatal heart attack four days later that was triggered by a fat embolism, according to British media. The procedure involves removing fat from the patient’s body and using it plump up and enlarge the buttocks.
Do these incidents imply that Turkish doctors or clinics are professional enough?
Dr. Susanne Punsmann, an expert at the Consumer Advice Center of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, advises against generalizations, saying: “In Turkey, as elsewhere, there are good and bad [healthcare] facilities. “
Punsmann cautions that the name “cosmetic surgeon” is not protected by law, so he recommends anyone interested in seeking treatment in Turkey to check the qualifications of doctors or ask how they have already performed the scheduled procedure. .
Punsmann also says that doctors with the relevant qualifications are known as “specialists in plastic and aesthetic surgery.” She adds, however, that “other doctors — usually surgeons, dermatologists or gynecologists — are also allowed to perform cosmetic surgery.”
According to Punsmann, it is also essential to check whether the doctor or clinic is qualified according to European standards, such as ISO standards, adding that the clinic is inspected. Patients also deserve to ask about the tissues or lab used, according to Punsmann.
Ali Ihsan Okten of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) says other people are wary of uncertified clinics. He warns that the rise of fitness tourism is leading to greater commercialization of the industry.
The market is highly competitive. Clincs are using aggressive advertising tactics, sending out text and WhatsApp messages and promoting their low prices to attract customers around the world.
“The key criterion for finding a solution in Turkey is low cost,” explains Punsmann. “It’s possible to save up to 70%. “
She says that a breast augmentation procedure costs at least 4,500 euros ($4,800) in Germany, such a procedure can be performed for as little as 2,500 euros ($2,700) in Turkey. In Dusseldorf, Germany, undergoing surgery to reduce the length of the abdomen costs around 12,500 euros ($13,400), while in Turkey it costs only a third of that price.
This means that a lot of cash can be saved in Turkey, especially on expensive procedures. But those savings would likely increase some people’s willingness to take greater risks.
This article was translated from German