Step one above takes a sentence to describe and does most of the work. The quality of the opinion you get back depends entirely on what you send, so it is worth sending it properly the first time:
- Clear photographs of the area you want to change. Good light, no filters, and more than one angle. This is what Dr Erdal has to work from before he can see you, so a flattering photo is working against you.
- What you actually want different — in your own words, not in surgical terms. “I don't like my profile” is more useful than naming an operation you've read about.
- Your full medical history, honestly. Medication, previous surgery, ongoing conditions. This is a different question from whether a procedure would suit you: it decides whether it is safe for you, and it is the biggest single contribution you make to your own safety.
- Your practical constraints — how much time you can take off, and when. Length of stay is set by your procedure, so the two have to be planned together rather than in sequence.
What comes back is an honest opinion on whether you are a good candidate, a recommended plan and a clear quote. If the answer is that surgery isn't right for you, that's the answer, with nothing further arranged — the situations where Dr Erdal says no, or not yet, are set out under how a plan is decided. There's a fuller pre-travel list in the UK patient checklist.
What can change once you're examined in person
Step four is the stage patients most often assume is a formality, and it isn't. Everything agreed before you travel rests on photographs; an examination adds what photographs cannot show. So the in-person consultation in Şişli can confirm your plan, refine the technique, or change it — and suitability for any procedure is only ever confirmed by personal consultation and examination.
The same examination settles whether operations can be combined in one trip. Two procedures together mean one anaesthetic, so the question is not just whether each suits you but whether the combined operating time is safe given your health. Where it isn't, they are separated, even if that means a second trip.
Before surgery you'll also follow pre-operative instructions covering medication, smoking, fasting and any blood tests — and it's worth telling your GP what you're having done, particularly if you take anything regularly.
Your days in Istanbul, milestone by milestone
Steps five and six are a sequence of clinical milestones rather than a schedule. The order is reliable; the dates are not, because they depend on how you heal and on your surgeon's clearance.
| Milestone | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival and transfer | Before surgery | Met at the airport and taken to your hotel |
| Consultation and pre-op assessment | Before surgery | Plan confirmed or adjusted in person |
| Your operation | Agreed date | Accredited hospital, qualified anaesthetist, monitored care |
| First nights resting | Night 1–2 | Hospital or clinic-arranged accommodation |
| Recovery accommodation | Remaining days | Gentle walking encouraged; no sightseeing, alcohol, sun or swimming |
| Review check | Before clearance | Sutures, splints or dressings removed as needed |
| Cleared to fly | Surgeon's call | Only once it's safe — never to suit a booked ticket |
This is why a flexible return ticket matters, and why a spare day or two beyond the minimum is worth building in: a swelling check that needs another day shouldn't become pressure to fly early. The per-procedure timings are in how long to stay in Istanbul, and the flight itself in flying home after cosmetic surgery.