Istanbul has more plastic surgeons per square kilometre than almost anywhere on earth. That's exactly why a checklist beats a feeling. Print this; use it on every clinic you talk to.
1. “Are you board-certified — and where can I verify it?” The answer should include checkable registries: FACS (searchable ACS directory), FEBOPRAS (European board), national society membership. “Trust me” is not a registry.
2. “Who exactly performs my surgery?” The person you're speaking to, by name, or walk. Delegation to unnamed “team surgeons” is the volume model's signature.
3. “How many of my procedure do you do?” Real practices know their numbers per procedure. “We do everything” without depth anywhere is an answer too.
4. “Show me results at 12+ months, not day 5.” Early photos flatter every surgeon; mature photos tell the truth about scars and settling. Also ask for cases matching your anatomy.
5. “What's your official health-tourism authorisation number?” Türkiye licenses international-patient practices; the number should be published, not promised.
6. “Which hospital, and what's its accreditation?” A named, accredited institution with ICU capacity — verifiable independently — not “our clinic's surgical suite” for major operations.
7. “What can't you fix, and who do you turn away?” The single most revealing question on this list. Every honest surgeon has refusal criteria and remembers using them; “everyone's a candidate” is a sales voice.
8. “What exactly does the quote include — and what happens if more work is found?” All-inclusive should be itemised in writing: surgeon, hospital, anaesthesia, implants/materials, transfers, follow-up. The revision-scenario answer belongs in writing too.
9. “What does aftercare look like when I'm home?” Named channel, response expectations, photo-review schedule, escalation plan — the full model explained here. Silence after payment is the most common complaint in this industry; pre-empt it contractually.
10. “Can I speak before I pay — and does the conversation feel like assessment or closing?” Countdown timers, today-only discounts, deposit pressure on the first call: leave. Medicine doesn't expire at midnight.
Score the texture of the answers: honest ones contain numbers, limits, registries and paperwork; bad ones contain adjectives and urgency. A practice that welcomes this checklist is telling you something — so is one that bristles. Ours is on the about page, pre-answered; hold us to every line of it.
Send photos on WhatsApp — Dr. Erdal reviews and replies personally, with an honest read and a written quote.
