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How long should you stay in Istanbul after surgery?
For anyone planning to travel to Istanbul for plastic surgery. You will know how many days to allow before and after each type of operation, what those days are for and what to arrange before you book.
At a glance
Plan your stay in two parts. If your travel time is around four hours or more, UK guidance from BAAPS suggests arriving at least 72 hours before surgery, or a week before an operation lasting more than three hours, so you can be examined in person at least 48 hours ahead. After surgery, allow about 7–10 days for facial operations such as rhinoplasty, at least 5–7 days for breast surgery or liposuction and 7–10 days for a tummy tuck. Longer or combined operations usually need 10–14 days or more.
On this page
- Why does the length of your stay matter?
- When should you arrive before surgery?
- How many days do you need after each operation?
- What are the days in Istanbul for?
- When is a longer stay sensible?
- What should you arrange and ask before you book?
- Does the time of year make a difference?
- What should you watch for during your stay?
- What happens once you are home?
Why does the length of your stay matter?
The days after surgery are when splints, stitches and drains are dealt with and when you are checked in person. They are also the days when a flight would add to the raised risk of blood clots after an operation: NHS guidance notes that air travel and major surgery both increase that risk.
BAAPS recommends at least one review by your operating surgeon before you travel home. Your flight date should therefore be confirmed at that check, not fixed far in advance with no room to move.
When should you arrive before surgery?
Early enough for an unhurried examination, blood tests and an anaesthetic assessment. If your travel time is around four hours or more, BAAPS suggests being in Istanbul at least 72 hours before an operation of up to three hours under general anaesthesia, and a week before a longer one. Your in-person examination should take place at least 48 hours before surgery.
For a short procedure under local anaesthesia, BAAPS does not call for extra days, but you still need an examination before treatment and a check afterwards. Whatever the operation, bring a list of your medicines, any recent scan reports and, if you have had surgery in the same area before, the notes from that operation.
How many days do you need after each operation?
These are typical stays after surgery, taken from the guidance our procedure pages follow. They are minimums rather than targets, and your surgeon confirms your flight date after checking how you are healing.
| Operation | Typical stay after surgery | What the days cover |
|---|---|---|
| Rhinoplasty or septorhinoplasty | About 7–10 days | Splint removal around day 7 and a check before you fly |
| Revision rhinoplasty | 7–10 days; at least 10–14 after a rib graft | Splint removal, plus a chest wound check after a rib graft |
| Eyelid surgery | About 7 days; 7–10 for all four lids | Stitches out within the first week |
| Facelift | Usually 8–10 days; at least 10–14 if combined or over 3 hours | Stitches out at around 7–8 days |
| Neck lift alone | 7–10 days | Drain removal and a check before you fly |
| Breast augmentation, lift or reduction | At least 5–7 days | A wound check and a plan for follow-up at home |
| Liposuction or arm lift | At least 5–7 days | Compression, short walks and a check-up |
| Tummy tuck or mummy makeover | At least 7–10 days | Wound and drain checks |
| Brazilian butt lift or buttock implants | Set by your surgeon; no long sitting for about 2 weeks after a Brazilian butt lift, or 2–3 weeks after implants | Sitting rules and a seating plan for the flight |
| Thigh lift or body lift | Set by your surgeon; about 10 days of rest after a thigh lift, and drains for 7–14 days after a body lift | Rest, wound checks and drain removal |
What are the days in Istanbul for?
- Before surgery: your examination, tests, anaesthetic assessment, a final talk about the plan and signing the consent forms.
- Surgery day: many operations include a night in hospital; after some smaller ones you go home the same day, with an adult to stay with you.
- The first days: rest at your accommodation, with short walks several times a day. NHS and ASPS advice after surgery abroad is to avoid alcohol, sunbathing, swimming and sightseeing tours.
- Check-ups: splints, stitches, drains and dressings are dealt with, and any concern is examined in person.
- Before you fly: a final review by your operating surgeon, who confirms your flight date, with written aftercare to take home.
When is a longer stay sensible?
- Several operations at once. Longer combined operations carry more risk and need a longer recovery, so they also need more time in Istanbul.
- An operation lasting more than three hours. For travel times of around four hours or more, BAAPS suggests staying 2–4 weeks after surgery.
- A rib cartilage graft in a revision rhinoplasty, or drains that need to stay in for longer.
- Limits on sitting, as after a Brazilian butt lift or buttock implants, which make a long flight harder to manage.
- A higher personal risk of blood clots, for example from excess weight or the contraceptive pill.
What should you arrange and ask before you book?
- Ask for the name of the hospital before you book, so that you can check it and choose accommodation nearby.
- Plan for an adult to be with you when you leave hospital and for the first night; after a facelift, for the first 48 hours.
- Ask which days your check-ups fall on, and choose a return flight that leaves room after the last one.
- Ask how you will get between your accommodation, the hospital and the practice, rather than assuming that transfers are included.
- Ask what happens if there is a complication after you fly home: who sees you, where, and whether further treatment would mean travelling back.
- Check what your travel insurance covers: NHS guidance notes that it does not normally cover things going wrong in surgery.
Does the time of year make a difference?
It mainly changes how you spend the days. In the warmer months, remember that advice after surgery abroad is to avoid sunbathing and swimming. After liposuction, treated skin is kept out of strong sun and heat for six weeks, and after rhinoplasty the nose and any scar are protected from the sun for 12 months. Pack loose clothing and a hat, and keep your walks short and in the shade.
What should you watch for during your stay?
Most of the first days are quiet: rest, short walks and check-ups. Staying nearby means that any of the signs below can be examined in person by the team that treated you.
What happens once you are home?
Recovery carries on after the flight. Keep your written aftercare, your surgical notes and, after implants, your implant details; tell your own doctor about the operation; and know how to reach your surgeon's practice. BAAPS advises arranging follow-up by phone or video once you are home, and knowing how to get emergency care in your own country, where charges may apply.
For the flight itself, including seats, compression and warning signs, see our guide to flying after surgery. If you are still comparing clinics, choosing a surgeon abroad lists the questions worth asking.
Frequently asked questions
Should someone travel with me?
It helps. You need an adult with you when you leave hospital and at least for the first night, and after a facelift for the first 48 hours. A companion can also help with meals, short walks, luggage and getting to check-ups. If nobody can come with you, ask before you book how the first nights would be covered.
Can I have several operations on one trip?
Sometimes, but saving a trip is not a medical reason. Longer combined operations carry more risk, need a longer recovery and mean a longer stay. In a 2025 forensic study of 35 deaths after liposuction in Istanbul, 85.7% of the patients had had several operations at once. Because risk rises as operations get longer, an extensive plan may be split into two sessions.
What if I need to stay longer than planned?
Your flight date is confirmed at a check-up, and if a wound, a drain or swelling needs more time, your surgeon may advise a later flight. That is why a flexible ticket and accommodation you can extend are worth arranging from the start, together with some spare time at work and at home.
Will I need to come back to Istanbul later?
Not necessarily, but ask before you go. NHS guidance advises finding out where follow-up appointments will take place, and it is worth knowing whether further surgery would mean travelling back. Some plans are staged by design, such as breast reconstruction, and after rhinoplasty any revision is considered only once the shape has settled at about a year.
What should I look for in accommodation?
Somewhere quiet and close to the hospital and the practice, so that check-ups are a short trip. You will spend most of the first days resting there, so a comfortable bed, room for extra pillows to keep you propped up and space to walk a little indoors matter more than the view.
