“I have wanted to have rhinoplasty since I was 13 years old. I heard that Turkish doctors are good at the surgery. Several of my girlfriends have had similar surgeries and I am very satisfied. was doing.”
Benita Paroja, a 28-year-old woman from the United States, decided to do what her friends had done and flew to Turkey to undergo cosmetic surgery on her nose. She says she paid just $5,000 (€4,600) and was able to fly home on her plane a week later.
Paroja, who works part-time as a model in the financial industry, is delighted to have had the surgery. She said she is more confident now and she is getting hired for more modeling jobs.
She also fondly recalls the comprehensive care she received at the clinic. She is still in touch with her medical team, she said. “I could have had the same surgery in the US for $30,000 (€27,800), but I certainly wouldn’t have received the attention and care that I received in Turkey,” Paloja said.
Turkey has seen a boom in medical tourism since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. More than 670,000 foreigners traveled to Turkey for medical treatment in 2021, according to the country’s state-run International Health Services (USHAS) agency. One year later, that number had increased to more than 1.25 million, an increase of 88%. In the first six months of 2023, this figure remained similarly high.
Benita Paroja is very happy with her rhinoplasty Image: privat
Turkish medical facilities are generating significant revenue from this international business, which will total more than $2 billion (1.85 billion euros) in 2022. Revenue for the first half of 2023 fell slightly, but experts believe this was mainly due to February’s devastating earthquake in Turkey. It claimed the lives of over 50,000 people.
Germans top the list
According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), most foreigners who sought treatment in Turkey in 2022 were from Germany, followed by the UK and Switzerland. Botox and hyaluronic acid treatments to prevent wrinkles were the most popular non-surgical treatments among foreigners in Turkey. The top three surgical procedures were liposuction, rhinoplasty and breast augmentation.
Turkey is also becoming an increasingly attractive country for leg lengthening surgery. It is especially popular among Western men who want to grow taller.
One of the people who underwent the surgery was Ash (not his real name), a 31-year-old from the United States who until recently had been dissatisfied with his body proportions. After undergoing surgery, he grew 12 centimeters (4.7 inches) taller and now stands at 184 centimeters (just over 6 feet).
Ash says she feels much better now, but admits: “It was a very painful procedure and the recovery took an incredibly long time.” Still, he says it was worth it. Ash has more chances when flirting and he says that he now gets more respect from others.
suffering for beauty
Yunus Ok, an experienced plastic surgeon based in Istanbul, said he has performed more than 200 leg lengthening surgeries in the past two years alone.
“Previously, this procedure was mainly performed for medical reasons after an accident, or for growth problems or short stature,” he says. But in recent years, Ok says, more and more people are seeking him out for cosmetic reasons rather than medical reasons.
He believes the number of such surgeries will continue to increase over the next three to five years. But unlike nose or breast surgery, leg lengthening surgery can have very serious consequences if the desired result is not achieved, he warns.
There are increasing reports of complications from cosmetic surgery performed in Türkiye. A year ago, Germany’s public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute, reported that around 27 people had developed symptoms of poisoning after receiving Botox treatment for their stomachs. In this procedure, Botox is injected into the lining of the stomach to create a feeling of fullness for a longer period of time. The treatment caused serious side effects in some patients, including muscle weakness, blurred vision, difficulty breathing and, in some cases, paralysis.
Body modification – dangerous beauty trends
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In mid-January, a Brazilian butt lift surgery had a fatal effect on a British woman. According to British media, the mother of three went to Istanbul for cosmetic surgery and suffered a fatal heart attack four days later due to a fat embolism. This procedure involves removing fat from the patient’s body and using that fat to plump and enlarge the buttocks.
Experts urge caution
Do incidents like this indicate that Turkish doctors and clinics are not professional enough?
Dr. Suzanne Pansmann, an expert at Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Consultation Center, advised against generalizations, saying, “There can be good and bad.” [health care] Just like anywhere else, the Turkish establishment is similar. ”
Panzman points out that the title “cosmetic surgeon” is not protected by law, so those interested in treatment in Turkey should thoroughly check the doctor’s qualifications or have already completed the planned surgery. It is recommended that you check whether this is done as often as possible.
Panzman also said that doctors with the relevant qualifications are known as “specialists in plastic and cosmetic surgery.” However, she added, “Other doctors, usually surgeons, dermatologists, gynecologists, etc., are also allowed to perform cosmetic surgery.”
Turkish clinics use advertising and very competitive prices to attract more customers Image: Jens Schierenbeck/dpa Themendienst/picture Alliance
She says it is also important to check whether a doctor or clinic is accredited according to European standards such as ISO standards, and in particular whether the clinic shows that it is regularly inspected. Masu. Patients also need to know about the materials and labs used, Panzman said.
Ali Isan Okten of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) says people should be wary of unaccredited clinics. He warns that the health tourism boom is increasing the commercialization of the industry.
The market is highly competitive. Clincs employs aggressive advertising strategies such as sending texts and his WhatsApp messages and promoting low prices to attract customers from all over the world.
“An important criterion for receiving treatment in Turkey is often low cost,” says Panzman. “You can save up to 70%.”
She said that in Germany, breast implants cost at least 4,500 euros (about $4,800), but in Turkey such surgeries can be had for as little as 2,500 euros (about $2,700). In Düsseldorf, Germany, stomach reduction surgery costs about 12,500 euros ($13,400), while in Turkey it costs only a third of that amount.
This means that you can save a lot of money in Turkey, especially on expensive procedures. But these savings may motivate some people to take more risks.
This article has been translated from German
