I Flew To Turkey At 52 For A Total Makeover

Liz* is a 52-year-old woman living in the Los Angeles area, who traveled to Istanbul, Turkey for a lip lift, lower face and neck lift, rhinoplasty revision, and breast implant revision surgery. This is her story, as told to TZR, edited for length and clarity.

I’ve had plastic surgery before — I did rhinoplasty for a deviated septum five or six years ago by a reputable surgeon in Beverly Hills because I couldn’t breathe out of my nose. While he was doing that, I had him reshape the square tip. I also had my breasts augmented about 20 years ago. I knew I wanted to get them redone smaller because originally I was a size D. At 5-foot-8 with an athletic build and weighing about 140 pounds, they didn’t look overdone, but they did feel disproportionate for my frame. They had also completely scarred over [Editor’s note: a condition called capsular contracture], so I needed to get the old implants out of my body. While thinking about getting my breasts done, I was looking to also have my rhinoplasty revised. I also wanted a lip lift and a lower face and neck lift. I thought it would be best to do everything together because realistically, I don’t get much time off of work. I thought I might as well take advantage of the two weeks I had off after the winter holidays.

As for the “why now?” question: At this point in my life, I’m divorced, which means I don’t have to justify using all my vacation days or spending my money on something that is purely for me. For years, I put this on the back burner, partly because I didn’t want to deal with the “you don’t need that, you’re beautiful already” speeches or the guilt-tripping around cost and timing. A lot of women hear those same lines from their partners, and while they might come from a good place, they miss the point: We’re not doing this to please anyone else. We’re doing it to feel our best. And I finally had no one in my way.

I could have had all of these procedures done in Beverly Hills, 15 minutes away from my home, but there’s no way I could have afforded that. Also, insurance wasn’t going to cover aesthetic surgeries, so I knew I needed to find a more economical way. I started researching other states in the U.S., trying to find the best doctors in the least expensive regions, but then that led me down a rabbit hole of international options. What if I stepped outside of the U.S.?

Instead of looking for a specific country to travel to and then finding the best doctor there, I instead started my search looking for the best doctor. But I didn’t want to solely trust reviews because those aren’t always accurate. So I searched for one of the surgeries I wanted done, a lip lift, using a Google Images search — the lip lift was what scared me most because of its placement right in the middle of my face — and I went through thousands of images without knowing who the doctors responsible were. I was most concerned with the ones with the most natural result.

I found that, a good portion of the time, the images I favored would lead me back to one doctor: Dr. Giray Genç, M.D., a European board-certified surgeon in Istanbul, Turkey, who is an active member of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) and an international member of The Aesthetic Society (American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) who predominately works with international patients. As I started researching natural face and neck lifts, his name would come up there as well. (I wasn’t as concerned with the breast reduction component because I figured if the doctor was good with the face, they’d probably be pretty good with the breast region. Although once I chose Genç, I did look at his breast work and it was phenomenal.)

I decided to do a face-to-face video consultation with Genç. I hadn’t yet decided that he would be my surgeon, I just wanted to speak to him and see what he had to say about the procedures I was interested in. Although it must have been late in his time zone, he spent at least 45 minutes talking to me and asking me what exactly I wanted done. He gave me as much time as I needed to discuss my concerns as well as get his feedback.

“Opting for surgery in another country is never an easy decision,” says Genç. “It requires thorough research and strong doctor-patient communication. I highly recommend patients speak directly with their surgeons and schedule at least one video consultation. Making a decision based solely on social media, before/after photos, or price comparisons is not a safe or healthy approach.”

When I got off our call, I knew immediately that he was the doctor I wanted to go with. Initially, I had wanted to do a full facelift, but Genç said, “No, you don’t need it, let’s keep it simple.” I was also pushing to do an eyelid lift. My reasoning was, “Listen, I'm not going to be back here for another several years, let's get it done.” And he said, “I hear you, but you don't need it right now.” I was annoyed in the moment, but I really respected that he wanted to keep me looking as natural as possible, which is what I wanted as well. So in the end, we agreed on the breast revision, the rhinoplasty revision, the upper lip lift, and the lower face and neck lift.

“I conduct detailed video consultations prior to surgery to evaluate medical history and ensure that expectations are realistic,” says Genç. “If a patient presents with elevated surgical risks or unrealistic goals, I respectfully decline the procedure. My goal is never to ‘sell’ something to the patient, but rather to identify and offer the simplest and most effective solutions tailored to their specific complaints.”

Once I decided to go through with the surgery and picked the date six months later, there wasn’t much paperwork or pre-surgery information to go through like there is in the U.S. The surgery package I selected includes your hotel, transportation, and breakfast every day. Also, there's an infirmary inside the hotel with a 24-hour nurse in case of emergency. Other than that, I didn't really know what I was walking into, to be honest. I paid $250 in advance and bought my plane ticket, but I didn’t know if I was getting all of the surgeries in one day or if they would be separated weeks apart, so I booked my trip for three weeks, just in case.

We went over all of the procedures and the timeline early on, but because I was having a revision rhinoplasty, Genç explained he couldn’t make a final call on whether to do everything at once until he saw me in person. Sometimes revision work requires taking cartilage from behind the ear, which adds time and complexity, and he wouldn’t know for sure until he could assess things during surgery. I mentally prepped for it to be two separate procedures — face first, breasts the following week. That way, if he ended up doing everything at once, I’d just have extra downtime at the end for sightseeing or rest. (It ended up being two separate surgery sessions, so my timeframe ended up working out.)

About three months before my trip, I reached out to confirm my appointment, since I had originally booked it seven or eight months in advance. Naturally, I’d been thinking about it constantly, and while Genç’s team likely would have contacted me closer to the date, I just needed reassurance. Anytime I messaged them, they responded within hours, so I never felt out of the loop. But there isn’t as much handholding as there is with an American clinic because you aren’t physically in the vicinity until the time of surgery. This can be hard if you are very type A.

We had booked all of my procedures in June 2024, and I followed up in early October to confirm we were still on for the original check-in of Dec. 25. That’s also when they handled my hotel arrangements. During that check-in, Genç was concerned about the number of supplements I take (which is a lot), and flagged my liver enzyme levels as something to check. So I got my labs done a few weeks prior and sent them the results. Two weeks before surgery, I got a final checklist: what medications and supplements to stop, payment instructions, etc.

About a week before the trip, I asked for the name and address of the hotel, and Genç’s team sent a video tour of the place. They have a rehabilitation gym with a pool, a yoga center, a movie theater, and a big cafeteria.. You’re assigned your own apartment — I had one with a kitchen and I cooked every day. There was also 24-hour room service, so you could order food anytime. They also gave me a map to the nearest market so I could stock up on food for recovery.

The day before my flight, I asked for airport pickup details. They sent clear instructions, including a video of exactly where to go and the driver who would be meeting me. I flew into Istanbul by myself — I didn’t bring anyone with me, which at first was my biggest worry. I really wanted someone to go with me, but I wasn't going to force somebody to go and sit with me for three weeks. My mom knew I was going to Turkey but she didn’t know I was having surgery — she thought I was going with a friend for fun. So that wasn't the wisest move, but I didn't want to panic her. [Editor’s note: While Liz’s surgery turned out positively, it is not generally advised to travel for a surgical procedure without a medical proxy with you to make decisions in case something goes wrong. For tips on safe medical tourism, check out our expert insights from a doctor at the end of this story].

When I landed, the driver picked me up at the airport and took me to the hospital to immediately do a medical check-in and draw blood. I then finally got to go to my hotel and sleep. I met with the doctor for the first time the next day, which was Christmas Day, did a little touring around Istanbul, and then mentally prepared for my surgery the following day. The doctor decided an hour before my surgery to break up the procedures into two separate sessions, so I had the lower face and neck lift, lip lift, and nose revision done that first surgical day, and the breast work would be done a few days later.

I forgot to tell the hospital staff I had an antithrombin III deficiency (a blood-clotting disorder). When I’d had my rhinoplasty years earlier, it wasn’t treated as a major concern, so I didn’t even think about it until I was literally preparing to go into surgery. The anesthesiologist and Genç settled on a solution for the anesthesiologist to cut Genç’s surgery time in half out of caution to avoid any potential issues with blood clotting, even though it’s rare.

“We had thoroughly reviewed her medical history, however, she did not disclose a condition related to blood clotting, as it had not caused issues in previous surgeries and had not required precautions,” says Genç “We still approached the case with increased caution and consulted with our anesthesiologist. Together, we determined the condition did not pose a surgical contraindication, and we proceeded with additional safety measures.”

Genç’s team wanted me to get up and start moving as soon as possible, so I did my best to follow instructions post-op. “Unlike the practice in the U.S., we do not discharge our patients the same day of surgery,” he says. “Depending on their needs, they stay in the hospital for one or more nights, during which we manage their medications, check-ups, and dressings. During their hotel stay, we continue their postoperative follow-up with scheduled visits — either at the hotel or in the clinic — offering personalized care throughout their recovery.

I left the hospital the next day and went back to the hotel. I was given an ointment for my face and a big bag of medications with instructions on when to take them. I returned a week later, on Jan. 3, for my next round of surgery, the breast implant revision.

It was a little bit different than the first time I had surgery, which was done over the muscle and through the nipple. This time around, he opted for what’s called a lollipop cut, meaning he took off the entire nipple, removed the old implant, scraped away everything that had built up inside around it, put a proportionate-size implant for my body in, and then stitched my breast and nipple back in place. I didn’t have a specific size in mind, but at this point I trusted him so much that I told him to decide whatever size he thought would look best for me. I had looked at so many of Genç’s before-and-afters, especially his breast augmentations and revisions. They were all beautifully done — natural, balanced, artistic. I trusted him to get it right. And he did — Genç brought me down to a full C, which feels much more balanced and natural for my body.

Before checking out of the hospital, Genc checked me thoroughly to make sure I was OK to fly. His strategy to tackle the face surgeries first was to allow for more healing time. In comparison, the breast surgery wasn’t as concerning from a recovery standpoint. “Many patients wish to return home as soon as possible — but I always advise them to align their travel plans with their surgeon’s medical recommendations to ensure safe and full recovery,” says Genç.

For the weeks following my surgery, I couldn’t really see what my face looked like because I had a wrap that covered my head that I had to keep on almost all the time. When Genç removed the bandages and wrap, I had a moment of panic over how unrecognizable I looked. In fact, when it came time to head home on Jan. 7 (four days after my breast surgery), I did get detained on my way back into the U.S. because my passport picture didn’t match my current face, which was still partially bandaged and healing. But, other than that, no one back home really noticed, honestly. I had a few people say I looked younger, but no one knew I had had surgery done. Even my mom didn’t notice.

Six months post-surgeries, I'm exceptionally happy with my results. I still put the silicone tape on my incisions because I want them to heal up nicely. It's taking a while, but the incision under my nose is healing very, very well. Not including the plane ticket, the total cost of the trip and procedures was $14,000 — that included the surgeries, hotel, meals, transportation to and from the surgery center, medication, and follow-up appointments. I looked up what it would have cost me in the U.S. and I would have paid $150,000. If I need another surgery done, I won’t go anywhere else. I feel most confident with Genç’s ability as a surgeon.

What American Doctors Want You To Know About Medical Tourism

While Liz had a positive experience abroad, not everyone is so lucky. To help you make safe decisions, we spoke with Dr. Scott Hollenbeck, M.D., a board-certified plastic surgeon and president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), for some helpful tips on what to look for to ensure you are receiving appropriate care while traveling.

-Identify doctors who are affiliated with an international organization. In the U.S., the gold standard is accreditation by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. “It becomes exponentially more challenging abroad because there is no international plastic surgery governing body or credentialing organization,” Hollenbeck explains. Instead, he says, look for surgeons who are affiliated with internationally respected organizations, universities, or hospitals. See if they have had any papers published or led any lectures at medical conferences. And no, social media does not count. He notes that the ASPS has a list of international partners on their website, which is a good place to start.

• Keep a full copy of your medical records with you. You have no way of knowing what information might be important (as Liz found out the hard way), so be sure to request a copy of your medical records from your primary care physician and share it with your surgeon well before your surgery. And ask your surgeon for a copy of your records post-procedure. “So if there are complications when you return, that can help physicians figure out what's going on,” says Hollenbeck.
• Make sure the facility looks clean and like a medical facility — not part of a mall or someone’s home. “There should be other people there,” says Hollenbeck. “If there's multiple staff members working there, that implies that they can at least run an operation.”
• Don’t travel alone. “You're going to have anesthesia, you're going to be in a foreign country, you're going to be recovering from surgery — you need somebody there that's going to be fully at wits and can advocate for you, can take you to the hospital if you're having a major problem, [or] can just simply get you out of one of these bad situations if you find yourself in one,” cautions Hollenbeck.
• Take your time and don’t feel pressured into any decisions. “Do your research, watch for red flags, and don't be afraid to cancel,” says Hollenbeck. “That's probably the hardest thing about traveling and spending thousands on your procedure. It gets very hard to walk away. But this is your life, this is your body. You wouldn't want to risk that if you identify these red flags just to save a little money.”

*Name has been changed to protect her identity.