Facial Surgery in Istanbul From Abroad: How Long to Stay and When to Fly

If you are planning facial surgery in Istanbul from abroad, the operation itself sets the length of your stay: about seven days for a facelift and neck lift, about a week for a brow lift or midface lift, five to seven days for eyelid or almond eye surgery, and less for smaller procedures such as buccal fat removal or fat removal under the chin. In every case you need to arrive at least one day before surgery. Waiting 7–10 days before flying after facial procedures is generally advised.^1,2

The number of days is only part of the plan. Long flights and surgery both raise the risk of blood clots,^1,2 you need to know whom to contact if something comes up after you get home, and follow-up should be agreed before the operation, not after. This guide sets out a plan that applies to all facial operations.

How many days does each operation need?

The table brings together the planning on our treatment pages; the exact number of days is confirmed after examination.

When several procedures are done in one operation, the one with the longest recovery sets the plan; adding eyelid surgery to a facelift, for example, means planning around the facelift. We cover that decision in facelift and eyelid surgery together.

Before travelling for facial surgery in Istanbul: consultations, records and insurance

Most international patients begin with an online consultation. The NHS advises anyone considering surgery abroad to have two consultations with the surgeon who will operate, with time between them to reflect on the decision.¹ An online consultation is a first assessment; the final examination and the anaesthesia assessment take place in Istanbul at least one day before surgery.

The NHS also stresses that the surgeon should speak a language you understand and be able to explain the procedure to you, and that travel insurance does not normally cover problems related to surgery.¹ Check what your policy covers before you book flights.

For the consultation, prepare a list of your medicines and supplements with doses, reports on long-term conditions, details of any previous facial surgery, fillers or threads, and unfiltered daylight photographs. Medication preparation is explained on each treatment page; never stop a medicine on your own.

Flying home and blood clots

The NHS advises waiting 7–10 days before flying after facial cosmetic procedures.¹ The American Society of Plastic Surgeons gives the same 7–10 days for facial procedures such as facelifts and eyelid surgery, and notes that long flights and surgery each increase the risk of blood clots, while the two together increase it further.² Mayo Clinic lists deep vein thrombosis (a clot in a deep vein of the leg) among the possible risks of a facelift.⁴

The risk after facial surgery is low, though not zero. In an analysis of 129,007 cosmetic surgery patients, clinically significant clots within 30 days occurred in 0.01% after face procedures and 0.21% after body procedures; when several procedures were combined, the rate was higher than for single procedures (0.20% vs 0.04%).⁷

For operations with a five-to-seven-day stay, such as eyelid surgery or a lip lift, note that the general advice of 7–10 days is longer than the stay itself.^1,2 The return date is agreed at the final review; if your flight is long or involves several connections, planning a few extra days is the more cautious choice.

On the plane and on the road

• Wear loose clothing, drink plenty of water, avoid alcohol and get up to walk whenever you can.³
• The NHS lists journeys of more than four hours by plane, car or train, recent surgery, the combined contraceptive pill and HRT among the risk factors for clots.³ If any of these apply to you, mention them at your first consultation.
• Throbbing pain and swelling in one leg can be a sign of a clot; with shortness of breath or chest pain, seek emergency help without waiting.³

While you are in Istanbul: the first days are not a holiday

A haematoma (a collection of blood under the skin), the most common complication of a facelift, usually forms within the first 24 hours.⁴ That is one reason the first night is spent in hospital, and stitches come out at the wound check about a week after a facelift.⁴

ASPS advises patients not to sunbathe, drink alcohol, swim, take extensive walking or bus tours or exercise after surgery.² See the city before the operation rather than after. Having someone with you, button-front tops, sunglasses and a hat make the first days easier; for eyelid surgery, bring your glasses.

After you return: follow-up and unexpected problems

In Op. Dr. Esin Özlem Atmış’s planning, reviews after facial surgery take place at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months; if you live abroad, they can be held online where appropriate, and an in-person examination is requested if needed. Nasal surgery is the exception; we explain why in rhinoplasty in Istanbul from abroad.

That plan matters. ASPS reports that infection is the most common complication seen in people who travel abroad for cosmetic surgery; others include unsightly scars, haematomas and unsatisfactory results.² A systematic review of 20 studies describing 214 patients treated in the USA after surgery abroad found that half of the complications (50.9%) were infections, 36.8% of patients were admitted to hospital and 51.8% needed surgical treatment; however, abdominoplasty was the most common procedure and only 5 of the 319 procedures recorded (under 2%) were facial.⁵ In a single-centre study of 41 patients treated for complications after surgery abroad, more than 60% had no follow-up with their surgeon once they had left the destination.⁶

Facial data are limited, but the lesson holds: know whom to contact, and take your operation report and review schedule home.

Seek help promptly after you return if you notice

• Rapidly increasing swelling, tightness and pain on one side of the face or neck
• Heavy bleeding from a wound
• Fever, or increasing redness, warmth or discharge at a wound
• Pain and swelling in one leg, shortness of breath or chest pain³
• A sudden change in vision or severe new eye pain

In these situations go to the nearest emergency department where you are, then let us know.

Frequently asked questions