Patient three weeks post-procedure, calm and unbothered expression, natural window light from left, recovery suite glimpsed behind her

You already made the hardest decision.
We handle everything else.

From your first video call to the day you land home, every detail is managed by a team that has done this 2,400 times.

JCI-Accredited Hospital
4.9 / 5 Patient Rating
Serving UK & Australia since 2014

Four stages. Every anxiety, addressed.

Most clinics describe what happens. We show you. Below is the exact sequence of events — what you'll see, who you'll speak to, and what lands in your inbox at each stage.

Doctor conducting video consultation on laptop screen showing patient call interface

01

Week before travel

Included free

Week before travel

Video Consultation

A 45-minute call with your assigned surgeon — not an intermediary. You see their face, they see your concerns, and you both agree on a plan before a single flight is booked.

What actually happens

Secure Zoom link sent 48 hrs in advance. Medical translator available. All notes shared with you by email the same day.

Aerial view of Istanbul Bosphorus strait with city skyline and bridges visible

02

Arrival day

All logistics handled

Arrival day

Flight & Transfer

Your coordinator sends a detailed itinerary 10 days before you fly. A driver with a name card meets you at arrivals. The hotel is 8 minutes from the clinic.

What actually happens

Transfer: Istanbul Airport → Nisantasi district. Check-in: Four Seasons Bosphorus. Pre-op bloods: same afternoon at clinic.

Modern sterile operating room with professional surgical equipment and bright overhead lighting

03

Day 1–2

JCI-accredited OR

Day 1–2

Surgery Day

The clinic is a 12-bed private facility with the same equipment standards as a London private hospital. You meet your anaesthetist the morning of surgery. Your nurse stays until you're settled.

What actually happens

Operating hours: 8am–12pm. Recovery room: private, monitored. Your coordinator is in the building the entire time.

Luxurious white recovery suite with Bosphorus view through sheer curtains, fresh white bedding and green plant

04

Days 3–10

Private nurse included

Days 3–10

Recovery Suite

Your recovery room overlooks the Bosphorus. Your named nurse visits twice daily. Meals are prepared by the hotel kitchen to your surgeon's post-op dietary brief.

What actually happens

Daily check-ins via WhatsApp with your coordinator. Drain removal at day 3. Surgeon review at day 5. Departure clearance at day 7–10.

Day by day. No surprises.

Every patient is different. These are real recovery stages from patients who have given consent to share their experience.

Patient resting in recovery room with white bedding, bandages in place, calm expression

Day 1

Rest & monitoring

Surgery complete

You'll be in the clinic recovery suite. Your nurse checks vitals every 2 hours. Most patients sleep most of this day.

Private room, monitored

Pain: managed with IV medication

Visitors: coordinator only

Patient sitting up in recovery suite with morning light, looking out toward Bosphorus view

Day 3

Moving, eating, improving

First check-up

Surgeon reviews your healing. Drains removed if placed. You'll be eating light meals and moving around the room.

Surgeon review: 20 mins

Drain removal (if applicable)

First walk in corridor

Patient in comfortable hotel robe by window with Istanbul skyline visible, relaxed expression

Day 7

Comfortable & healing

Hotel transfer

Most swelling has settled. You're in your hotel suite. Your nurse visits daily. You can walk outside for short distances.

Hotel suite: Nisantasi district

Nurse: daily morning visit

Short walks: permitted

Patient three weeks post-procedure, calm and confident expression, natural window light, visible skin texture

Day 21

Ready to fly home

Departure cleared

Final surgeon review. You're cleared to fly. Swelling is 80% resolved. The result you came for is beginning to show clearly.

Final review: 30 mins

Fit-to-fly certificate issued

6-week follow-up: video call

The people whose hands you are trusting.

We share credentials not to impress you, but because you deserve to verify them before you book a flight. Every qualification listed below is independently checkable.

Prof. Dr. Emre Yilmaz, senior cosmetic surgeon, professional portrait in clinical setting

Prof. Dr. Emre Yilmaz

Rhinoplasty & Facial Surgery

24 years

Experience

3,200+

Procedures

Turkish, English, German

Languages

Qualifications

Istanbul Medical Faculty, 1998Fellowship: Vienna AKH, 2001ISAPS Member since 2004

Dr. Yilmaz personally conducts all consultations. He does not delegate.

Dr. Selin Kaya, cosmetic surgeon specializing in body contouring, professional portrait in white coat

Dr. Selin Kaya

Body Contouring & Breast Surgery

19 years

Experience

2,100+

Procedures

Turkish, English, French

Languages

Qualifications

Hacettepe University, 2002Fellowship: Paris AP-HP, 2006ASAPS International Member

Dr. Kaya leads the post-operative care protocol used by the entire clinic.

Modern sterile operating room at Journey Istanbul clinic showing professional surgical equipment, overhead lighting, and clean clinical environment

Storz endoscope

Medtronic monitoring

Laminar airflow ventilation

Accreditation

JCI International · ISO 9001:2015

A facility that matches the care inside it.

The clinic was purpose-built for international patients in 2013. It is not a converted floor of a general hospital. Twelve beds, three theatres, and a nursing team that has looked after patients from 41 countries.

3

Operating rooms

12

Beds in recovery

11

Years accredited

1:2

Staff-to-patient ratio

Women who were exactly where you are now.

These are not marketing testimonials. They are lightly edited responses from our annual patient survey. Initials were confirmed before publishing.

I researched for eight months. I had a spreadsheet. I nearly didn't go through with it three times. The thing that made me trust Journey was that they never pushed me. Every email was informative and calm. The surgery itself was the easy part — I didn't expect that.
RhinoplastySeptember 2025Exactly what we discussed in the consultation
Claire Whitfield, patient from Manchester, natural portrait photo

Claire Whitfield

Manchester, UK

Back at work: Day 14

Tara Flanagan, patient from Melbourne Australia, natural portrait photo

Tara Flanagan

Melbourne, Australia

Flying to Istanbul felt dramatic. But staying in Manchester and going to a clinic I was unsure about felt worse. My nurse's name was Fatma. She knew my name before I arrived. That's not a small thing.
Facelift·Flew home: Day 9
Siobhán McCarthy, patient from Dublin Ireland, natural portrait photo

Siobhán McCarthy

Dublin, Ireland

The recovery suite had a view of the Bosphorus and a green plant on the windowsill. I know that sounds minor, but it mattered. I wasn't in a sterile box. I was somewhere beautiful, being cared for.
Body Contouring·Flew home: Day 11

247

patients in 2025

4.9/5

average rating

41

countries served

Begin your journey