How to choose a plastic surgeon abroad

What qualifications should the surgeon have?

Look for a specialist in plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery: a doctor who has completed full specialist training in this field. NHS guidance points out that standards and qualifications abroad can differ from those in the UK, so ask directly about training, the professional organisations the surgeon belongs to and how many operations like yours they have done.

Ask to see the medical degree and specialist certificate; it is reasonable to ask any surgeon for these. In Türkiye, the titles 'Op. Dr.' and 'Uzm. Dr.' both mean a doctor who has completed specialist training, so check which specialty it is in. BAAPS adds that both the surgeon and the hospital should fall under the national medical and healthcare regulator.

Who will operate and look after you?

Ask whether the surgeon you meet will perform the whole operation, who gives the anaesthetic and who will see you at check-ups. BAAPS guidance is that you should see your surgeon before surgery and that the same surgeon should review you afterwards, at least once before you travel home.

Language matters as much as credentials. NHS guidance stresses that the surgeon should speak a language you understand, explain the procedure and understand your concerns, so that you can discuss risks directly. Op. Dr. Bilgehan İlker consults in English and Turkish.

Where will the operation take place?

Ask for the name of the hospital before you book your travel, so that you can check it and plan where to stay, and ask whether the facility is licensed or accredited, as ASPS suggests. Larger operations need hospital care: ASPS guidance, for example, says that liposuction removing more than 5 litres of fat and fluid should be done only in a hospital or accredited facility, with monitoring through the night.

NHS guidance warns against procedures carried out in mobile settings such as hotels or private homes, and against practitioners who only advertise on social media.

How much time should you allow before deciding?

More than a single meeting on the eve of surgery. NHS and BAAPS guidance recommends two consultations before surgery, at least one of them in person, with a cooling-off period of about two weeks. BAAPS also suggests that the in-person examination takes place at least 48 hours before the operation.

Messages and photos can give you a useful first opinion, but suitability can only be confirmed by examining you. NHS guidance is not to pay for a procedure until you have had a consultation.

Ask Dr. İlker a question

What separates a careful plan from a risky one?

Why does the number of operations matter?

Fitting several operations into one trip can look efficient, but risk rises with operating time and with each procedure added. In a 2025 forensic study of 35 deaths after liposuction in Istanbul, 85.7% of the patients had had several operations at once. A higher BMI, multiple procedures and buttock fat transfer, as in a Brazilian butt lift, were named as major risk factors.

A careful surgeon will tell you when a plan should be split into stages, even if that means a second trip.

Which questions should you ask at the consultation?

• What is your specialist training, and how often do you perform this operation?
• Will you perform the whole operation yourself, and who gives the anaesthetic?
• Which hospital will I be in?
• What is realistic for me, and which risks matter most in my case?
• What are the most common complications, and how would they be handled?
• What does the written plan include, and what does it leave out?
• What indemnity cover do you have, and can a patient from abroad make use of it?
• Whom do I contact after I fly home, and what happens if I need further treatment?

What happens if there is a problem after you get home?

Agree this before you travel. NHS guidance advises finding out what happens if there are complications and where follow-up appointments will be. BAAPS adds that you should know how to contact your surgeon, have follow-up arranged once you are home and know how to get emergency treatment in your own country, where charges may apply.

Check your travel insurance as well: it does not normally cover things going wrong in surgery. Keep your surgical notes and, after implants, your implant details, and tell your own doctor about the operation. ASPS notes that people who develop complications after surgery abroad may find it hard to locate a qualified plastic surgeon at home.

What does a good consultation feel like?

Clear and unhurried. You should hear what the operation can and cannot change, which risks apply to you and what recovery involves, with figures drawn from the medical literature. On her Turkish website, Op. Dr. Bilgehan İlker puts it plainly: a surgeon who inflates expectations, or nudges a patient towards a more expensive operation, does that patient no favours.

Sometimes a smaller procedure, a non-surgical option or no operation at all is the wiser first step, and you should be able to stop at any point before surgery. If you would like a first opinion on your own plan, you can ask Dr. İlker.