Cost in Turkey: what actually drives the quote
Cost is the question everyone asks first and the one least honestly answered online. Here is how a quote is built, what changes it, and how to compare it with fees at home — without a single invented number.
- Why it's lower: theatre, staff and facility costs in Istanbul are structurally lower — the surgeon's boards (FACS, FEBOPRAS) and the hospital accreditation are not.
- What's included: surgery, hospital night, anaesthesia, tests, compression vest, drains, tapes, scar kit, transfers, and all follow-ups — written, all-inclusive.
- What changes it: liposuction areas, combined arm or breast procedures, operating time, and staged plans.
- What a low quote can hide: non-plastic-surgeon operators, non-accredited facilities, no revision policy, extras added on the day.
- How to compare: like with like — a UK or US fee rarely includes hospital, anaesthesia, garments and aftercare.
Why the same operation costs less here
The operation is the same: the same excision, the same layered closure, the same boards behind the surgeon. What differs is the cost base — hospital theatre time, nursing, anaesthesia and facility overheads are a fraction of London or New York prices. That gap is structural, not a sign of lower standards, and it is why patients from the UK, Ireland, the US and the Gulf travel for body contouring in numbers. Standards are verifiable: hospital accreditation, the surgeon's credentials and the Ministry of Health authorisation are all public — and the credentials page shows where to look.
What the quote covers
Dr. Erdal's quotes are written and all-inclusive: the surgical fee, hospital night, general anaesthesia and anaesthetist, pre-operative tests, compression vest, drains and dressings, medical tapes and scar-care starter kit, airport and clinic transfers, and every follow-up during your stay plus remote follow-up afterwards. Accommodation at the partner residence is arranged and quoted transparently. Nothing is added on the day.
What changes the figure
Liposuction: quoted by area — back, flanks, bra-line roll, upper arms. Combined procedures: an arm lift or breast lift alongside the back lift changes operating time, and the quote reflects it honestly. Staging: when the safe operating-time limit is reached, a two-stage plan is quoted as two operations. Revision policy: ask for it in writing before you pay — it is part of an honest quote, and here it is.
Comparing quotes: ask every clinic the same five questions — who operates (a plastic surgeon with verifiable boards?), where (an accredited hospital?), what's included (hospital, anaesthesia, garments, follow-ups?), what happens if a revision is needed, and whether the quote is written. A quote that fails two of those is not cheaper — it is a different product.
Insurance and financing, honestly
Elective cosmetic surgery abroad is not covered by NHS, EU public systems or standard health insurance, and most travel insurance policies exclude complications of elective surgery — read yours. Dr. Erdal's practice does not push medical loans or deposits on a first call: a written quote after photo assessment, valid for months, is the standard.
Questions patients ask
Substantially, for the same operation by a double board-certified surgeon in an accredited hospital — the difference is the cost base of Istanbul, not the standard of care. Compare all-inclusive quotes with itemised home-country fees.
Not in a written all-inclusive quote. Costs that surprise patients elsewhere — anaesthetist, hospital night, garments, follow-ups — are itemised here. Your flights and any extra nights are the only things outside the quote.
The revision policy is written into the quote. Ask any clinic for the same before paying; the absence of a written policy is itself an answer.
Free consultation with Dr. Erdal
Send photos of your back on WhatsApp · Direct surgeon access · Honest recommendation within 24 hours
WhatsApp Dr. Erdal