Six claims that steer patients wrong — in both directions.

“Cheap means unsafe”

Half-true, wrongly aimed. Istanbul's 50–70% saving is structural — currency, overheads, volume — and buys the same implant brands and hospital standards (the cost guide shows the mechanics). The warning lives below the market range: prices that undercut structure are cutting substance. Cheap country ≠ cheap corner; cheap quote sometimes does.

“All Turkish clinics are basically the same”

The most expensive myth on this page. The variance between a board-certified academic surgeon in an accredited hospital and a volume package clinic is the entire safety story — larger than the variance between countries. Selection is everything, which is why the 10-point checklist exists.

“Five-star reviews prove quality”

Weak evidence, easily manufactured. Review economies are gamed globally — bought stars, filtered feedback, fabricated aggregate ratings. That's precisely why this site publishes individual, permissioned patient accounts and no invented overall score. Weigh verifiable credentials and mature-timepoint photos over star mathematics, everywhere you shop.

“Packages save you money”

Only when they're itemised. A genuine all-inclusive quote — surgeon, hospital, anaesthesia, materials, transfers, follow-up, in writing — saves real money. An opaque bundle saves the clinic money: what isn't listed gets billed later or quietly omitted. The word “package” is neutral; the itemisation is the tell.

“You can't really verify a foreign surgeon”

False for fifteen years now. FACS is a searchable public directory; FEBOPRAS is verifiable; academic titles and publications sit on PubMed; Türkiye's health-tourism authorisation is a checkable state licence. Ten minutes of verification from your sofa outperforms a hundred testimonials — the safety page links every registry for this practice.

“If something goes wrong at home, you're on your own”

True of the package model; false of the real one. Structured remote aftercare — photo reviews, direct surgeon access, written escalation, English records for your GP — handles routine recovery well, and honest triage sends emergencies to local care fast (the aftercare article spells the model out). The myth persists because the bad version is real and common. So is the good version; the checklist tells them apart.