Patient stories
In their own words
Sample stories written while the site is being set up. They are not real patients and will be replaced with consented accounts before publication.
“I wanted to look like myself on a good day, not like somebody else. Nine months on, that is what I got.”
Claire, a deputy head teacher from Leeds, travelled to Istanbul with her sister for a deep plane face and neck lift. Nine nights in Turkey, three and a half weeks off work, and an honest account of the days nobody photographs.
Read the full story“Nobody tells you the surgery is the short part. The year afterwards is the real work.”
Aisha came from Birmingham for a sleeve gastrectomy. She had been through two supervised diets first, which her surgeon asked about in detail.
“I did not want it to look obviously done. The hairline was the part I worried about.”
Daniel travelled from Hamburg for a sapphire FUE procedure, with about 3,800 grafts planned across the hairline and crown.
“I wanted to stop hiding my stomach in photographs. That was the whole reason.”
Hannah came to Istanbul from Manchester for an abdominoplasty after two pregnancies. She had been reading about it for three years before she wrote to us.
Medical disclaimer: This page is for general information only and does not replace a consultation with a qualified surgeon. Prices depend on your individual assessment. Every surgery carries risks, and individual results vary.
What patients consistently say
Themes across twelve-month feedback, including the ones that are not compliments.
What people value most
- Being told no, or being offered a different procedure. It is mentioned more often than the result itself, usually by people who had been quoted something larger elsewhere.
- Knowing the surgeon’s name and registration number before paying, and being able to check it.
- The video consultation before any deposit, with the clinician who actually operated.
- A fixed price that did not change on arrival.
- Someone answering the phone at month four, when the panic about uneven hair growth sets in.
- A companion being accommodated without it becoming a negotiation.
What people say they underestimated
- How tired they were for the first fortnight. Almost universal, and almost never anticipated.
- How long swelling lasts, and how much it distorts an early impression of the result.
- How much walking a day of sightseeing involves after surgery.
- The emotional dip around day five to ten.
- How badly they would want to judge the result far too early.
- For bariatric patients: that the operation changed the stomach and nothing else.
What people wish they had done differently
- Taken more time off work. The commonest single regret, across every procedure.
- Brought someone with them, among those who travelled alone for a general anaesthetic.
- Stopped smoking earlier and more completely.
- Asked more questions at the consultation instead of feeling they were being difficult.
- Told their own doctor at home before travelling rather than afterwards.
Speaking to a former patient
The most useful thing on this page, and the only one we cannot curate.
Some of our patients have volunteered to speak to people considering the same procedure. Where we can match you — same treatment, similar starting point, where possible similar country — we will put you in touch and then stay out of it. We do not listen in, we do not brief them, and we do not ask what was said.
How it works
- 1Ask, using the form on this page or in your consultation.
- 2We look for a volunteer who matches your procedure and circumstances. This is not always possible, and we will say so rather than offering a poor match.
- 3They are asked whether they are willing to speak to you specifically. They can decline, and some do.
- 4You are introduced by whichever channel suits you both, and the conversation is yours.
Worth asking them
- What surprised you most?
- What do you wish you had known beforehand?
- Did the price change at any point?
- Was anyone available when you got home and something worried you?
- How long did you actually need off work, as opposed to what you planned?
- Would you do it again — and if so, would you change anything?
Free online consultation
Ask to speak to a former patient
- 1Share your detailsFill in the form in under a minute.
- 2Send your photosYour coordinator tells you which photos we need, via WhatsApp or email.
- 3Receive your planA specialist reviews your case and you get a written, all-inclusive quote.
FAQ
Patient stories: frequently asked questions
Where someone has volunteered and matches your procedure, yes. We introduce you and then stay out of it — we do not listen in, brief them or ask what was said.
No. No discount, no free treatment, no gift. If they tell you something unflattering, that is the system working as intended.
How tired they were for the first fortnight, how long swelling lasts, how much walking sightseeing involves, and the emotional dip around day five to ten.
Not taking enough time off work. It comes up across every procedure, more often than any complaint about a result.
Only with your consent, and only as you wrote it. We do not edit or tidy up patients’ words, and using your photograph alongside them needs separate written consent for that specific use.
A story is published only with the patient’s written consent, usually a year after treatment. While the site is being set up, the stories here are written examples and are labelled as samples on the card and on the story page itself; they will be replaced with consented accounts before publication.
A review is a few sentences on how someone felt. A story follows the whole journey — why they chose the treatment, the assessment, the days in Istanbul, the weeks at home and the result months later — including the parts that were harder than expected.
Yes, at twelve months or later. Tell your coordinator, and we will send you the same questions we ask everyone, including what went badly. Nothing is offered in return, you approve the final text, and it comes down the moment you ask.