Ask Dr. İlker

Asking Dr. İlker is a request for information. You can find out whether a procedure is likely to be worth an examination, which options exist and what each involves, with no obligation to go further.

It is not an online consultation either: Dr. İlker does not diagnose, prescribe or confirm that a procedure suits you by message.

You do not need to know the name of a procedure. Describing what you would like to change is enough. These details help Dr. İlker give a more useful answer:

• What you would like to change, in your own words, and what matters most to you, such as recovery time or scars.
• The procedure you are considering, if you already have one in mind.
• Your general health: any medical conditions, the medicines and supplements you take, and whether you smoke or vape.
• Any previous surgery or injectable treatment in the same area.
• For breast and body procedures: whether your weight is stable, and whether you are pregnant, breastfeeding or planning a pregnancy.
• When you could travel to Istanbul and how long you could stay.
• Your country, and whether you prefer a reply by WhatsApp, phone or email.

Photos can help Dr. İlker give a more useful first opinion, but they are never required. If you decide to share them, you can send them later on WhatsApp. They are used only to assess your enquiry and are never published. You may cover your eyes if you prefer not to be identifiable.

Photos also have limits. As Dr. İlker explains on her Turkish website, some questions can only be answered by examining you: whether liposuction alone will be enough, for example, or whether loose skin also needs to be removed.

• Use daylight from a window, face the light and stand against a plain background.
• Do not use filters, beauty modes or edits.
• Take the area you are asking about from the front, from both sides and at a three-quarter angle.
• Please do not send photos of intimate areas. Describe the concern in words instead; it is assessed at an examination.

1. The team reads your message and replies on the channel you chose, during opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 10:00–18:00 Istanbul time.
2. If anything is unclear, you are asked a few specific questions, some of them from Dr. İlker.
3. Dr. İlker gives a first opinion: whether an examination makes sense, which options exist and what each involves.
4. If you would like to go ahead, you receive a personal plan stating what is and is not included, and your examination in Istanbul is arranged.
5. At the examination, Dr. İlker confirms whether the procedure suits you. Nothing is decided before then, and you can stop at any point.

Health information you send is processed only with your explicit consent, for three purposes: assessing your enquiry, contacting you and preparing a personal plan. It is shared only with the medical team, who are bound by professional secrecy, and, if treatment is planned, with the licensed hospital where it would take place. You can withdraw your consent at any time. The details are in our privacy notice and explicit consent text.

If you would rather not share health information, you can send only your name and contact details, and we will call or write to you. WhatsApp is run by Meta, and messages sent there are processed on its servers.

If you are under 18, a parent or legal guardian needs to send the request on your behalf.